Confessions of a Bibliophile

One of the things I mentioned in the All-American Girl reviews is that Mia is a very immature character compared to other Meg Cabot heroines, and it shows in this book. It also doesn’t help that the major subplot is lifted from Ready or Not, although Mia’s approach to the sex question is vastly different from Sam’s. The one thing I did like about this is that you see Mia’s confidence growing, with the main plot of her being thrust into the student council president race. She actually does speak up on issues, without Lilly or other friends pushing her to do so. It’s a direction I really hoped would show up in later volumes (which I’ll get to when I get to them). The subplot with Michael and the question of whether or not that they should “do it,” on the other hand, really illustrates her immaturity. Mia continuously freaks out at any mention of committing the “act,” but without sitting down and talking it through with her boyfriend. I am also not a fan of the subplot with Ms. Martinez—while I can sort of see and understand Mia’s reaction of “OMG HOW DARE SHE NOT THINK MY WRITING IS BRILLIANT!!”, I’m not a fan of the obvious offense of “Pop culture references aren’t high literature.” (Which becomes more egregious once you learn that it was meant to be a take that at some of Meg Cabot’s critics.) There’s a lot of wasted potential in the book, particularly in making Mia grow as a character, and it really shows in the writing.