This was another library choice because I wanted to read something light for a bit. Pants on Fire is a standalone young adult. This one is typical Meg Cabot - just a fun read, but I didn't connect very well to the protagonist/narrator. Anyway, it was cute. I keep thinking this to myself after reading young adult like this: maybe I'm too old for young adult books. But then I pick up another one.
Katie Ellison lives in Connecticut in the seaside town of Eastport. Everyone there is crazy about Quahogs. That's both the bivalve and the high school football team. Secretly Katie hates the tast of quahog, and she doesn't think that football is that great either, but because she wants to keep people happy, she never voices this opinion. She's a well practiced liar and just tells people what she thinks they want to hear. Naturally she's very popular. This year she's running for Quohog Princess, while spending her free time kissing boys – either he jock of a boyfriend Seth, or the guy she's running around with behind his back, Eric. I know, she really doesn't sound very likeable, but somehow it gets pulled off, probably because Eric and Seth get painted as really only good kissers but other than that not complementary for Katie.
Suddenly Katie's life gets distrupted by the arrival of Tommy Sullivan. Tommy left town in eighth grade under shocking circumstances, and Katie can't believe he's back. She also can't believe how great he looks and how tall he is, but she's convinced he's after her for revenge.
Overall: While I had a hard time believing that Katie was actually considered a brainiac in her school what with the addiction to making out with people, and being so bubbleheaded about certain things, she was overall likeable enough for me to keep reading, and eventually Katie does redeem herself for her past actions. It was a fun story and overall the romance was cute, though I cringed in certain places (contact embarrasment)!
What happened with Tommy and why Katie is so paranoid about his return is also not fully revealed and only hinted at throughout the book. This drove me slightly batty until all was revealed near the end (hmm, very sneaky Cabot).
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