Review: Kissing Kate

Kissing Kate
by Lauren Myracle

Lissa thought that she and Kate, her beautiful and charismatic best friend, would always be close. Then one summer night Kate kissed Lissa-and Lissa kissed her back. Now Kate acts as if nothing happened and as if Lissa doesn't exist. Suddenly forced to navigate her feelings and her classes without the protection of her more confident friend, Lissa feels truly alone. But with a keen sense of humor, a flaky new friend, and a book on lucid dreams, Lissa finds the bravery to examine her own desires and discovers that falling in love with the wrong person can be one way of finding your footing.

First Sentence:
It was tiny, no more than a line of blood bubbling up at the base of my finger, but the knife clattered to the counter and I sank to the floor, sucking my hand and crying as if I were six years old instead of sixteen.

I really enjoyed reading Kissing Kate. The book is a look into the lives of two best friends whose friendship ends when the two girls share a kiss. Lissa discovers that she has always been in love Kate, while Kate precedes to pretend Lissa does not exist. This causes more problems than meets the eye because everyone at school knows them as "Kate & Lissa" and Lissa doesn't believe she has the charisma or the confidence to survive in high school on her own.

It is true that there could more character development, but most young adult novels are meant to be light, quick reads. I kind of like the way Lauren Myracle presents her characters because in high school everything seems like the end of the world at that moment, but when you look back on it you realize it wasn't. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered) or for anyone who knows someone who is. Kissing Kate helps the reader to understand how difficult coming out can be for yourself and those around you.

Title: Kissing Kate

Author: Lauren Myracle

Paperback: 208 pages

ISBN 10: 0142408697

ISBN 13: 978-0142408698
Buy It: Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble
Review Number: Requested by Jen