Book Review: "Don't Kiss Him Good-bye" by Sandra Byrd

Life across the pond gets complicated for an all-American (and anonymous) 15-year-old advice columnist! When Savvy's secret identity is revealed, she's forced to follow her own advice about hanging out with the wrong crowd and cuts ties with a charming, good-looking bad boy. But who outed her---and why?

Maybe it's because I'm pass that age and don't have to worry about the drama anymore but I love reading books about teen love. It seems so magical and nostalgic now although I know back then I suffered severe emotional dysfunction. Anywho, this book showcases that very topic in a fun way. Savvy is dealing with two guys that she likes, one is a good friend while the other is the bad boy type. I enjoyed her interactions with both Tommy and Rhys as I found both their characters to be interesting and non cliched. These books take place in Britain so I love how the culture just seeps through the book.

I love Byrd's writing and I found that I could not put the book down. The chapters are quite short so it's hard to find a stopping place because you want to just keep going to find out what happens. Savvy's role as a secret reporter for her school paper takes high precedence again in this book. There's not as many of the Asking for Trouble selections as there were in the previous books but I still enjoyed reading the ones that were spotlighted. I always love reading advice columns in newspapers and magazines because you never know when someone will ask the very question you have been wondering about yourself.

While Savvy is a Christian and goes to church, I didn't find the religious aspect of the book to be too intrusive. Her faith is important to her but it's not so overwhelming that it takes up the entire book. Savvy acts like a typical teenager (albeit an American teen living in London) and it's fun to watch her experience things realistically. Taylor Swift gets several mentions in the book and I love it because Savvy would totally be the obvious fan of her due to her age and her love of music. I also really loved her finding the Be@titude store. It sounds like somewhere I would love to shop myself and I love how they help out others as well.

I would recommend this book for the 13-15 age group. It's intended for an older audience than middle grade books but not as serious or mature as most YA books. Either way, I think that anyone who's a fan of YA books and British things will enjoy this book. As I've said before with the other books in this series, these books totally make me want to go to England and experience everything Savvy has been able to do.

Don't Kiss Him Good-bye by Sandra Byrd is published by Tyndale (2010)

This review copy was provided by the publisher