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Sweet Dreams
The Great Boy Chase
When her best friend, Toni, talks Jill Gardner into spending summer in Europe, Jill is worried. Toni has been leading her into scrapes since they were kids, and Jill is sure their trip will spark an international disaster. But when they arrive in France, it's a romantic Italian boy named Carlo who turns Jill's world upside down.
Jill falls hard for Carlo. But she knows her boyfriend, Craig, is waiting for her in Seattle. And she loves him, too. She doesn't want to hurt Craig - but handsome, persuasive Carlo is doing his best to steal her heart.
Jill falls hard for Carlo. But she knows her boyfriend, Craig, is waiting for her in Seattle. And she loves him, too. She doesn't want to hurt Craig - but handsome, persuasive Carlo is doing his best to steal her heart.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1985
109 people want to read
About the author
Janet Quin-Harkin
128 books76 followersJanet Quin-Harkin is a pseudonym of Rhys Bowen
Rhys turned to writing children’s books under her married name, Janet Quin-Harkin. Her first picture book was an immediate success and won several awards. More picture books followed, then her agent asked her to write a book for young adults. This was a turning point in Rhys’s career. Her first young adult novel was an instant hit. By her third she was selling half a million copies. Many more popular YA novels followed until Rhys decided she had said all she wanted to say about teenage love and angst, and she turned her real love—mysteries.
Rhys turned to writing children’s books under her married name, Janet Quin-Harkin. Her first picture book was an immediate success and won several awards. More picture books followed, then her agent asked her to write a book for young adults. This was a turning point in Rhys’s career. Her first young adult novel was an instant hit. By her third she was selling half a million copies. Many more popular YA novels followed until Rhys decided she had said all she wanted to say about teenage love and angst, and she turned her real love—mysteries.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 26, 2010
Synopsis (taken from http://sweetdreamsseries.com):
When her best friend, Toni, talks Jill Gardner into spending summer in Europe, Jill is worried. Toni has been leading her into scrapes since they were kids, and Jill is sure their trip will spark an international disaster. But when they arrive in France, it's a romantic Italian boy named Carlo who turns Jill's world upside down. Jill falls hard for Carlo. But she knows her boyfriend, Craig, is waiting for her in Seattle. And she loves him, too. She doesn't want to hurt Craig - but handsome, persuasive Carlo is doing his best to steal her heart.
Visit Toni and Jill in the later college series, On Our Own.
Janet Quin Harkin also writes murder mysteries under the name Rhys Bowen.
When her best friend, Toni, talks Jill Gardner into spending summer in Europe, Jill is worried. Toni has been leading her into scrapes since they were kids, and Jill is sure their trip will spark an international disaster. But when they arrive in France, it's a romantic Italian boy named Carlo who turns Jill's world upside down. Jill falls hard for Carlo. But she knows her boyfriend, Craig, is waiting for her in Seattle. And she loves him, too. She doesn't want to hurt Craig - but handsome, persuasive Carlo is doing his best to steal her heart.
Visit Toni and Jill in the later college series, On Our Own.
Janet Quin Harkin also writes murder mysteries under the name Rhys Bowen.
February 18, 2019
Yikes, that was one depressing ending. Also, I’m guessing we’re supposed to find Toni madcap and charming but adult me was just super stressed out and terrified for her. Not fun.
May 25, 2025
I found this book in a little library while hanging out with my friends, and we had a good laugh. I mean “from the author of 10 boy summer.” TEN BOYS? We could tell this would be an unhinged book, and goodness we were right. Let me give you a breakdown.
Our main characters are Jill and her best friend Toni. Jill is a boring, Mary-sue, no fun party pooper who would rather spend a summer with her boyfriend than go to France with her wild, outgoing, quirky best friend toni. At least that’s how it’s posed to us. Jill is actually just responsible, and Toni is a psychopathic, manipulative, pathological liar.
So Toni, after guilt tripping Jill to spend the summer after their high school graduation in France with her foreign exchange student boyfriend Phillipe, gets on a plane with Jill for France, which per parents are totally okay with by the way. Look I didn’t live in the 80s, I don’t know how wary parents were of sending their daughter and reckless friend off to another country, but I dont think most parents were THIS lenient. Anyways, Jill leaves behind her boyfriend Craig, who also happens to be a model and also happens to be going to Alaska to be in a movie, and is off on an AMAZING adventure to France where she’ll write to her boyfriend every day and miss him dearly- oh wait nope never mind, she actually dropped her purse on an Italian guy named Carlo, and now they’re on a date and he’s confessing his deep, passionate love for Jill, who is like “nah.”
So then, on their way to go stay at Phillipe’s house, they have a few little adventures while Toni puts off calling Phillipe, with the promise of “I’ll do it later” and eventually “let’s surprise him!” Only when they show up at his house, which happens to be a castle, do they realize a few things. 1, he’s rich. 2, Toni lied, he actually never invited them to stay. 3, Phillipe is engaged. So in a rage, they wait for a train back to Paris, Toni tells Jill to die, and then a man asks them to work at his winery and they accept, no questions asked. So after working for a week picking grapes because they need money and avoiding a man who seems to be a bit of a pedophile, they find out, THIS IS PHILLIPES FARM!!!!! And Phillipe finds out, and invites the girls to stay, not knowing Toni knows he’s engaged. After some questionable family interactions, toni finds out it’s an arranged marriage and Phillipe really does love her, but he’s also an immature man child. So they run away to Switzerland where they attempt to stop a kidnapping, and then on a whim decide, YES, LETS GO TO ITALY! Little does Toni know this is part Jills plan to see Carlo again, who she can’t stop thinking about. Then Jill falls off a bridge, is miraculously saved by Carlo, gets pneumonia, stays with Carlo, confesses her love for him, discusses staying in Italy, then after being angry that Craig hadn’t written once, received a letter from him that took weeks to get there. So now she’s torn between Carlo, her passionate love, and Craig, her loyal boyfriend who also seems kind of toxic but we’re ignoring that for the plot. Then, she proclaims that Carlo makes her feel alive and free, and Craig makes her feel bored. So she follows her heart: and gets back on a boat to go back to Craig. Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and non binary friends: Jill chose Craig after confessing her undying, passionate, burning love for Carlo. And then she and Toni hop on a boat and go back home, the end.
So in conclusion: wow. I’ve never done drugs, but I imagine reading this book is what it feels like to be high. An absolute fever dream of “just girly things.” Also a great book to read entirely in one afternoon. Though the ending didn’t make much sense, and all of the relationships, both romantic and platonic seemed rather unhealthy, it was a five star read for the sheer absurdity of it, and I look forward to reading 10 boy summer. I hear Toni sets up a social experiment.
Our main characters are Jill and her best friend Toni. Jill is a boring, Mary-sue, no fun party pooper who would rather spend a summer with her boyfriend than go to France with her wild, outgoing, quirky best friend toni. At least that’s how it’s posed to us. Jill is actually just responsible, and Toni is a psychopathic, manipulative, pathological liar.
So Toni, after guilt tripping Jill to spend the summer after their high school graduation in France with her foreign exchange student boyfriend Phillipe, gets on a plane with Jill for France, which per parents are totally okay with by the way. Look I didn’t live in the 80s, I don’t know how wary parents were of sending their daughter and reckless friend off to another country, but I dont think most parents were THIS lenient. Anyways, Jill leaves behind her boyfriend Craig, who also happens to be a model and also happens to be going to Alaska to be in a movie, and is off on an AMAZING adventure to France where she’ll write to her boyfriend every day and miss him dearly- oh wait nope never mind, she actually dropped her purse on an Italian guy named Carlo, and now they’re on a date and he’s confessing his deep, passionate love for Jill, who is like “nah.”
So then, on their way to go stay at Phillipe’s house, they have a few little adventures while Toni puts off calling Phillipe, with the promise of “I’ll do it later” and eventually “let’s surprise him!” Only when they show up at his house, which happens to be a castle, do they realize a few things. 1, he’s rich. 2, Toni lied, he actually never invited them to stay. 3, Phillipe is engaged. So in a rage, they wait for a train back to Paris, Toni tells Jill to die, and then a man asks them to work at his winery and they accept, no questions asked. So after working for a week picking grapes because they need money and avoiding a man who seems to be a bit of a pedophile, they find out, THIS IS PHILLIPES FARM!!!!! And Phillipe finds out, and invites the girls to stay, not knowing Toni knows he’s engaged. After some questionable family interactions, toni finds out it’s an arranged marriage and Phillipe really does love her, but he’s also an immature man child. So they run away to Switzerland where they attempt to stop a kidnapping, and then on a whim decide, YES, LETS GO TO ITALY! Little does Toni know this is part Jills plan to see Carlo again, who she can’t stop thinking about. Then Jill falls off a bridge, is miraculously saved by Carlo, gets pneumonia, stays with Carlo, confesses her love for him, discusses staying in Italy, then after being angry that Craig hadn’t written once, received a letter from him that took weeks to get there. So now she’s torn between Carlo, her passionate love, and Craig, her loyal boyfriend who also seems kind of toxic but we’re ignoring that for the plot. Then, she proclaims that Carlo makes her feel alive and free, and Craig makes her feel bored. So she follows her heart: and gets back on a boat to go back to Craig. Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and non binary friends: Jill chose Craig after confessing her undying, passionate, burning love for Carlo. And then she and Toni hop on a boat and go back home, the end.
So in conclusion: wow. I’ve never done drugs, but I imagine reading this book is what it feels like to be high. An absolute fever dream of “just girly things.” Also a great book to read entirely in one afternoon. Though the ending didn’t make much sense, and all of the relationships, both romantic and platonic seemed rather unhealthy, it was a five star read for the sheer absurdity of it, and I look forward to reading 10 boy summer. I hear Toni sets up a social experiment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2022
Found it in a cupboard on holiday and perfect for a light vacation read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews