The Unwritten Rule

Every girl knows the unwritten rule of friendship:  no matter how cute, or attractive he is, you can never, ever, like your best friend's boyfriend.  Unfortunately for 17 year old Sarah, her best friend Brianna is dating a boy that Sarah has liked every since 8th grade.  Now perfect, beautiful, sexy Brianna is dating the boy petite Sarah has always wanted.  Sarah is sure she'd never be able to compete with Brianna, who always shines and is always the center of attention, and she knows she shouldn't even think about Ryan that way since Brianna is her best friend, but she can't help it.  And sometimes it seems like Ryan might be interested in Sarah too...

I started reading this book last night and couldn't stop except when I had to sleep.  Sarah's torment is easy to relate to, and she is a likable character.  Her fixation on Ryan does almost cross into obsession, but the length of the book helps keep this from seeming overdone.  Brianna's and Sarah's friendship is very realistic, and the way Brianna mistreats Sarah, with simple comments that are subtle insults, is well done.  You can see why Brianna is someone Sarah wants to be friends with, but also why the friendship is toxic.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think teens will relate well to it.  This was a nice break from the darker books Scott has written lately:  Living Dead Girl and Love You, Hate You, Miss You  Also, I love the cover and how purple it is!