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Boy #3
Every Boy's Got One
Cartoonist Jane Harris is delighted by the prospect of her first-ever trip to Europe. But it's hate at first sight for Jane and Cal Langdon, and neither is too happy at the prospect of sharing a villa with one another for a week--not even in the beautiful and picturesque Marches countryside. But when Holly and Mark's wedding plans hit a major snag that only Jane and Cal can repair, the two find themselves having to put aside their mutual dislike for one another in order to get their best friends on the road to wedded bliss--and end up on a road themselves ... one neither of them ever expected.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published December 21, 2004
219 people are currently reading
10524 people want to read
About the author
Meg Cabot
279 books35.4k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,165 reviews
August 29, 2007
This is the kind of book that makes me want to write one of my own -- not because it's so great, but because I think I could do so much better.
August 14, 2016
ATTENTION Ms. Cabot!!!
Talking foul about Bangladeshi garments (even if it was to prove Holly's stupidity) is so not done. If you had to use this particular example to show Holly's 'i-don't-live-in-this-world-with-normal-people' then you should've at least clarify the matter in the end or somewhere along the book because I wonder how many readers got baffled by this particular information and will now pass their life without knowing any better.
FYI: Bangladesh has THE BEST garment industry in the world, and it's not surprising to find cloths labeled 'Made in Bangladesh' in most of the world's hi-end fashion stores.
Talking foul about Bangladeshi garments (even if it was to prove Holly's stupidity) is so not done. If you had to use this particular example to show Holly's 'i-don't-live-in-this-world-with-normal-people' then you should've at least clarify the matter in the end or somewhere along the book because I wonder how many readers got baffled by this particular information and will now pass their life without knowing any better.
FYI: Bangladesh has THE BEST garment industry in the world, and it's not surprising to find cloths labeled 'Made in Bangladesh' in most of the world's hi-end fashion stores.
October 14, 2022
I don't know if I've ever come across such a small minded protagonist in all my life. It's ridiculous and I hate her. No wonder the male lead thinks she's a klutz.
She thinks his shirt is 'gay' and that it makes him look 'gay'. Really? And then she advises his friend to tell him to take it off.
Then she says ridiculously idiotic things like: 'who buys their shirts in BANGLADESH??? What is wrong with the Gap, for God's sake?' What's funny is that Gap clothes are manufactures in Bangladesh by exploited laborers. Yes, I get that it's meant to be fiction but if this girl was any more closed minded she would be a clam.
Then her mother agrees with her idiocy: 'I agree, Saudi Arabia is a very boring subject for a book' - I don't get it. Is idiocy genetic in this family? Is this supposed to show how untraveled she is and then does Cal come and yank her eyes open for her?
She incredibly ignorant and insults Italians and their culture too. There are few people this moronic protagonist spares. Yet another example follows when she asks her friend's gay brother to distract his mother: 'tell her you're going to have a sex change operation!!! YES!!! Transgenderism will TOTALLY distract her!' You can't interchange these things!
She's oh so ditzy and the male lead is clever and strong and knowledgeable and handsome and not at all ditzy like she is. Oh but don't worry Gary Sue haters. He has a phobia of snakes. He isn't entirely perfect. Have any of these characters got any idea of what feminism is? They know what traditional gender roles are so yay.
She's selfish too. 'I told her that she HAS to marry Mark. That if she doesn't, it will shake my faith in romantic love to its very core.' Yes. Never mind that your friend may not want to spend the rest of her life with this man and is relying on your advice, so long as your ideals and ridiculous notions of love aren't ruined.
The romance was tragic. It was completely forced. The whole book is a big build up of fights, arguments and sexual tension and the final five pages are where there's any 'romance'. Characters get sudden personality transplants and along with those come feelings. People realise they're in love and suddenly it's the real thing. These people have known each other for a week.
The story format doesn't work. It's written as journal entries and emails but some things you just wouldn't write down in a journal. I mean, when you scream, you don't literally write the scream. I know it was done to show us what's going on but it wasn't realistic enough.
All the parents in this book were airheads. Holly's dad constantly injuring himself? Not even remotely funny.
So disappointed.
She thinks his shirt is 'gay' and that it makes him look 'gay'. Really? And then she advises his friend to tell him to take it off.
Then she says ridiculously idiotic things like: 'who buys their shirts in BANGLADESH??? What is wrong with the Gap, for God's sake?' What's funny is that Gap clothes are manufactures in Bangladesh by exploited laborers. Yes, I get that it's meant to be fiction but if this girl was any more closed minded she would be a clam.
Then her mother agrees with her idiocy: 'I agree, Saudi Arabia is a very boring subject for a book' - I don't get it. Is idiocy genetic in this family? Is this supposed to show how untraveled she is and then does Cal come and yank her eyes open for her?
She incredibly ignorant and insults Italians and their culture too. There are few people this moronic protagonist spares. Yet another example follows when she asks her friend's gay brother to distract his mother: 'tell her you're going to have a sex change operation!!! YES!!! Transgenderism will TOTALLY distract her!' You can't interchange these things!
She's oh so ditzy and the male lead is clever and strong and knowledgeable and handsome and not at all ditzy like she is. Oh but don't worry Gary Sue haters. He has a phobia of snakes. He isn't entirely perfect. Have any of these characters got any idea of what feminism is? They know what traditional gender roles are so yay.
She's selfish too. 'I told her that she HAS to marry Mark. That if she doesn't, it will shake my faith in romantic love to its very core.' Yes. Never mind that your friend may not want to spend the rest of her life with this man and is relying on your advice, so long as your ideals and ridiculous notions of love aren't ruined.
The romance was tragic. It was completely forced. The whole book is a big build up of fights, arguments and sexual tension and the final five pages are where there's any 'romance'. Characters get sudden personality transplants and along with those come feelings. People realise they're in love and suddenly it's the real thing. These people have known each other for a week.
The story format doesn't work. It's written as journal entries and emails but some things you just wouldn't write down in a journal. I mean, when you scream, you don't literally write the scream. I know it was done to show us what's going on but it wasn't realistic enough.
All the parents in this book were airheads. Holly's dad constantly injuring himself? Not even remotely funny.
So disappointed.
March 10, 2008
I became fond of Meg Cabot after reading the first volume of "The Princess Diaries." I liked the second volume, too. Even the third. (After that, they got iffy.) I liked her novel "The Boy Next Door," which I actually downloaded as PDFs from her website long before it saw print. So when I saw this book on the shelf at the library, I picked it up, thinking it would be a quick, entertaining read.
Well, it was quick, anyway. To be fair, it was entertaining too, and I might have liked it more if I hadn't read so much of Cabot's other work. But, to be honest, all of her books are starting to sound the same to me. I spent half the book wondering if I'd read it before, because it all seemed so familiar. (If I *had* read it before, I suppose my inability to remember it is partly a failing on my part--my brain, she grows feeble as she ages!--but it also would seem to indicate the book is infinitely forgettable.) I do like Cabot's sense of humor, but the epistolary format gets very old, very fast. I'm generally very good at suspending disbelief (hey, I'm a romance novel enthusiast), but even I find it hard to believe that someone would be sitting and transcribing an entire conversation while someone is speaking to her. It stretches credulity, to say the least. And Cabot's narrative voice seems the same in every novel--which is rather a failing considering these are basically written in the first person (via PDA or whatever writing surface is close to hand, apparently).
I might have given this one star more in appreciation of the comic twists in the plot--except then I read the "Avon's Little Black Book" afterword, in which Cabot reveals that the book was based on her own experiences eloping to Italy, and most of the things I'd found particularly funny actually happened to her and her husband. So I guess I give her credit for appreciating a comic moment when she walks into it, but it kind of made the book seem like thinly fictionalized memoir.
So, yeah. Entertaining, but on the whole disappointing. Glad I only borrowed it from the library.
Well, it was quick, anyway. To be fair, it was entertaining too, and I might have liked it more if I hadn't read so much of Cabot's other work. But, to be honest, all of her books are starting to sound the same to me. I spent half the book wondering if I'd read it before, because it all seemed so familiar. (If I *had* read it before, I suppose my inability to remember it is partly a failing on my part--my brain, she grows feeble as she ages!--but it also would seem to indicate the book is infinitely forgettable.) I do like Cabot's sense of humor, but the epistolary format gets very old, very fast. I'm generally very good at suspending disbelief (hey, I'm a romance novel enthusiast), but even I find it hard to believe that someone would be sitting and transcribing an entire conversation while someone is speaking to her. It stretches credulity, to say the least. And Cabot's narrative voice seems the same in every novel--which is rather a failing considering these are basically written in the first person (via PDA or whatever writing surface is close to hand, apparently).
I might have given this one star more in appreciation of the comic twists in the plot--except then I read the "Avon's Little Black Book" afterword, in which Cabot reveals that the book was based on her own experiences eloping to Italy, and most of the things I'd found particularly funny actually happened to her and her husband. So I guess I give her credit for appreciating a comic moment when she walks into it, but it kind of made the book seem like thinly fictionalized memoir.
So, yeah. Entertaining, but on the whole disappointing. Glad I only borrowed it from the library.
dnf
October 15, 2017To: every.boy@bookpublishers.com
Fr: tardis.fai@bookreader.com
Re: Wasted Sunday
Listen book. Could you please return my lost Sunday to me by urgent post, because as adorable as your book format is, your characters and story is very much less so. The year is 2017, and I can no longer continue to read books that are nothing but a string of endless cliches. The ditzy bumbling American tourist cliches. The Italian cliches. Gah. I give up.
Fr: tardis.fai@bookreader.com
Re: Wasted Sunday
Listen book. Could you please return my lost Sunday to me by urgent post, because as adorable as your book format is, your characters and story is very much less so. The year is 2017, and I can no longer continue to read books that are nothing but a string of endless cliches. The ditzy bumbling American tourist cliches. The Italian cliches. Gah. I give up.
May 2, 2008
I enjoyed the writing style. Cute fast read.
November 5, 2015
I liked to read this book but sometimes I got annoyed with all her rants about Cal. I think that the first book in the series was the best but that's just my opinion and I still liked reading the third book.
April 13, 2023
A nicely funny romance. It is ideal for the pre-Christmas time ;-)
The narration went through emails and diary entries, so it could be annoying for some readers, I guess. But I didn't mind. Moreover, I liked it, like I liked it in The Boy Next Door (the first book of "Boy" series).
It was definitely fast and charming reading.
Yes, the book was full of cliches, mostly about Americans, Italians, Catholics. I can understand that (as I see in some reviews) some readers were resentful. But let's face it it was really funny and these cliches (which Meg Cabot chose) weren't without grounds. I live in a Catholic country and I agree with these cliches. Also, I was (shortly, but still) in Italy and I have similar experiences (I couldn't accustom that they shut down all shops, restaurant, really all institutions from twelve to three). Of course, not all Italians, Catholics, Americans are like those described in the novel, but it is chick-lit romance, not "To Kill a Mockingbird".
An additional advantage of the story is that Meg Cabot was inspired by her own elopement to Italy. I was surprised how much of the story was not fictional. Moreover, these mentioned cliches took place for real.
So, it wasn't witty and deep Kristan Higgins' romance, but also it wasn't some totally silly young adult romance. It was simply entertaining. It made me smile and laugh.
The narration went through emails and diary entries, so it could be annoying for some readers, I guess. But I didn't mind. Moreover, I liked it, like I liked it in The Boy Next Door (the first book of "Boy" series).
It was definitely fast and charming reading.
Yes, the book was full of cliches, mostly about Americans, Italians, Catholics. I can understand that (as I see in some reviews) some readers were resentful. But let's face it it was really funny and these cliches (which Meg Cabot chose) weren't without grounds. I live in a Catholic country and I agree with these cliches. Also, I was (shortly, but still) in Italy and I have similar experiences (I couldn't accustom that they shut down all shops, restaurant, really all institutions from twelve to three). Of course, not all Italians, Catholics, Americans are like those described in the novel, but it is chick-lit romance, not "To Kill a Mockingbird".
An additional advantage of the story is that Meg Cabot was inspired by her own elopement to Italy. I was surprised how much of the story was not fictional. Moreover, these mentioned cliches took place for real.
So, it wasn't witty and deep Kristan Higgins' romance, but also it wasn't some totally silly young adult romance. It was simply entertaining. It made me smile and laugh.
March 31, 2022
07 Jan 2005
01 May 2016
Woman travels to Italy for the destination wedding of her best friend, doesn't get along with the fiance's best friend; wedding plans go awry; wedding goes off, everyone lives happily ever after. The whole story, like the other Boy books, is told through texts, journal entries, etc.
I'm not freaking out over this cover, it's girly, but it does convey a humorous romance, so that's fine. But. This is the story of a woman who is a popular cartoonist, the Wondercat artist. Why wouldn't you put this supposedly internationally-recognized image on the book? Because this isn't just a job, it is also plot important.
***
29 March 2022
This particular copy came with a little extra piece from Cabot on the creation of the book, in which I learned that we were both 26 and married in the same year, two months apart. And neither of us were interested in planning our wedding; although our solutions were quite different. My mother made my dress, as well as the dresses of the best women, and my husband or mother or mother-in-law planned everything else. I picked out the cake though, because priorities.
How many million brides
Random theories out of the ether, that's me.
Anyway, once again, when life gets really hard, Meg Cabot is such a comfort. She makes me feel well disposed toward the world when my inclination is otherwise.
Library copy
01 May 2016
Woman travels to Italy for the destination wedding of her best friend, doesn't get along with the fiance's best friend; wedding plans go awry; wedding goes off, everyone lives happily ever after. The whole story, like the other Boy books, is told through texts, journal entries, etc.
I'm not freaking out over this cover, it's girly, but it does convey a humorous romance, so that's fine. But. This is the story of a woman who is a popular cartoonist, the Wondercat artist. Why wouldn't you put this supposedly internationally-recognized image on the book? Because this isn't just a job, it is also plot important.
***
29 March 2022
This particular copy came with a little extra piece from Cabot on the creation of the book, in which I learned that we were both 26 and married in the same year, two months apart. And neither of us were interested in planning our wedding; although our solutions were quite different. My mother made my dress, as well as the dresses of the best women, and my husband or mother or mother-in-law planned everything else. I picked out the cake though, because priorities.
How many million brides
Random theories out of the ether, that's me.
Anyway, once again, when life gets really hard, Meg Cabot is such a comfort. She makes me feel well disposed toward the world when my inclination is otherwise.
Library copy
September 15, 2016
The more I think about this book, the less I like it, sure while I was reading I was able to keep going and brush off most of the annoying things but now that I finished I don't seem to find good things to say about it.
I hated both characters that form the main couple. Jane came of quite bipolar with the whole hate-love Europe thing, she also decides to hate every woman Cal talks/know/hook ups right from the start and she never seem to see the mistake in her ways. Cal was annoying and his character ended up being inconsistent.
The romance didn't give me any feelings besides maybe annoyance. Both her and Cal have very different ways of seeing life and they're very strong minded, I guess this was to be a romance between opposites and all of that, but they both just sounded so obnoxious whenever they went on each other about why they're right and the other was wrong just because they had a different opinion. Also, Cal does a 180 degree chance about 80% into the book and it kind of ruined the whole opposites thing, so in the end we didn't get even that.
The best parts were the cats drawings and the author's note where we get to know more about Cabot's marriage but I can't recommend this one solely based on this, I would say to read the others of this series because they are fun romances and just skip this one.
I hated both characters that form the main couple. Jane came of quite bipolar with the whole hate-love Europe thing, she also decides to hate every woman Cal talks/know/hook ups right from the start and she never seem to see the mistake in her ways. Cal was annoying and his character ended up being inconsistent.
The romance didn't give me any feelings besides maybe annoyance. Both her and Cal have very different ways of seeing life and they're very strong minded, I guess this was to be a romance between opposites and all of that, but they both just sounded so obnoxious whenever they went on each other about why they're right and the other was wrong just because they had a different opinion. Also, Cal does a 180 degree chance about 80% into the book and it kind of ruined the whole opposites thing, so in the end we didn't get even that.
The best parts were the cats drawings and the author's note where we get to know more about Cabot's marriage but I can't recommend this one solely based on this, I would say to read the others of this series because they are fun romances and just skip this one.
October 7, 2018
Genialísimo como siempre! Meg Cabot consigue sacarme carcajadas con sus historias tan alocadas y sus personajes tan adorables.
De verdad que me encanta leer los libros de esta "serie" porque, aunque no suelo leer comedia romántica, me parece genial.
Y además no hay largas descripciones ni páginas que no aportan nada. El hecho de que esté narrado en forma de correos, diarios personales y notas hace que se lea en un suspiro y además, podamos ver la historia desde varios puntos de vista.
Sin duda seguiré leyendo el resto de títulos!
De verdad que me encanta leer los libros de esta "serie" porque, aunque no suelo leer comedia romántica, me parece genial.
Y además no hay largas descripciones ni páginas que no aportan nada. El hecho de que esté narrado en forma de correos, diarios personales y notas hace que se lea en un suspiro y además, podamos ver la historia desde varios puntos de vista.
Sin duda seguiré leyendo el resto de títulos!
Read
August 31, 2018This book is hilarious! Classic Meg Cabot. It's nice to graduate into her more adult books after growing up on Princess Diaries and co.
I've definitely grown up because I can relate more to the male protagonist than the female protagonist this time around. The girl was cute but dumb, and I just preferred the guy on an intellectual level.
I've definitely grown up because I can relate more to the male protagonist than the female protagonist this time around. The girl was cute but dumb, and I just preferred the guy on an intellectual level.
March 18, 2021
Okay, so Every Boy's Got One was a bit better than the previous book but not by much. At least to me. I also just realized that I read this series in a weird ass order. Book 1 and 4 were done before I even jumped into 2 and 3? Not sure I understand my logic on this but I'm going with it anyways.
In it, you will meet Jane and Cal. Now this is definitely a enemies to lovers romance because these two did not mesh in the beginning. So it was kind of interesting to see what banter I could possibly get between these two. Boy did they banter, a lot. I loved it all. Some of it was funny and other times I just rolled my eyes and went along with it.
Both character definitely had their owns flaws in my eyes because I honestly couldn't tell you who I liked more. They are pretty much equal in my ways because they both annoyed me so many times. I will say that the romance did have it's cute moments but that's about it. This book also made me super jealous and want to travel the world.. but I can't at the moment. Ugh. Stupid pandemic!
In the end, I guess I'm just glad that I finished another series this year.
In it, you will meet Jane and Cal. Now this is definitely a enemies to lovers romance because these two did not mesh in the beginning. So it was kind of interesting to see what banter I could possibly get between these two. Boy did they banter, a lot. I loved it all. Some of it was funny and other times I just rolled my eyes and went along with it.
Both character definitely had their owns flaws in my eyes because I honestly couldn't tell you who I liked more. They are pretty much equal in my ways because they both annoyed me so many times. I will say that the romance did have it's cute moments but that's about it. This book also made me super jealous and want to travel the world.. but I can't at the moment. Ugh. Stupid pandemic!
In the end, I guess I'm just glad that I finished another series this year.
January 18, 2016
Wow, this was bad. Really bad. I quite enjoyed the first two books in the series, they were funny and easy to read. This however, wow. I can't remember the last time a protagonist annoyed me this much. Jane is a stereotypical "stupid American" abroad, who seems to think the world revolves around her and that anyone who doesn't see how amazing she is, is stupid. However, as annoying as Jane's ignorance and insults of random countries are, I also found the diary entries of her love interest Cal extremely unbelievable, they sound more like something a 14-year-old girl would write than an adult man. I almost couldn't finish reading this book and would give it 0 stars if I could.
February 8, 2017
Eine meiner Lieblingschicklit (auch noch nach dem 2. Mal lesen :D) Mir gefällt einfach spezielle Schreibstil (Hier ein Mix von SMS, Mails und Tagebucheinträgen)! Dadurch lernen wir neben den Hauptcharaktere auch ihre Familien bzw. der der Brautpaares kennen. Und diese coolen Katzenbilder. Toll!
November 11, 2016
3.5 stars
Revisiting Meg Cabot I loved as a teen is a fun, but somewhat frustrating experience. On one level, I still and always will love most of Meg Cabot’s books. She prioritizes fun for her readers like few other authors do. She doesn’t give a shit about trying to be literary, and she wants you to enjoy yourself as much as possible. They’re silly and wonderful. However, her older stuff has some offensive stuff (some of which maybe wasn’t at the time idk). That was especially true in Every Boy’s Got One, which is extra sad since this book has the best ship.
Jane Harris and Cal Langdon fall in loathe at first sight. Jane’s weird, artistic, and too into pop culture. Cal’s an arrogant bastard and classic Type A. Unfortunately, they’re stuck together as the only guests for their best friends’ elopement to Italy. Also unfortunate is that Mark and Holly are trying to set them up. Jane and Cal have a very Mark Darcy/Bridget Jones vibe that totally works for me. The only things I didn’t like about the ship were that Cal had sex with Dolly (ew) and Jane’s constant slut-shaming of anyone who ever slept with Cal. I do love how he becomes obsessed with staring at her ankle tattoo, and how she can’t stop staring at his crotch (because of the rumor about his you know what). I also love that him reading her journal turned out to bring them together, rather than being the cause of a fight
So yeah, beware the slut-shaming (skank and ho), an awkward reference to transgender people (which makes a clean sweep of the original Boy novels), horrible bi rep (one of Jane’s exes turned out to be bi and she is grossed out by this and sometimes practices bi erasure by worrying that she turned him gay), and two uses of the word “retarded.” It is not Cabot’s finest moment. Yes, some people are like this, but oh my god I was cringing so hard when this stuff happened. Without this stuff, I might have straight up loved this one, but it’s a bit too flawed for that.
Still fun, but the age of it really shows. It is cool that the story borrows heavily from Meg Cabot’s actual elopement to Italy, though.
Revisiting Meg Cabot I loved as a teen is a fun, but somewhat frustrating experience. On one level, I still and always will love most of Meg Cabot’s books. She prioritizes fun for her readers like few other authors do. She doesn’t give a shit about trying to be literary, and she wants you to enjoy yourself as much as possible. They’re silly and wonderful. However, her older stuff has some offensive stuff (some of which maybe wasn’t at the time idk). That was especially true in Every Boy’s Got One, which is extra sad since this book has the best ship.
Jane Harris and Cal Langdon fall in loathe at first sight. Jane’s weird, artistic, and too into pop culture. Cal’s an arrogant bastard and classic Type A. Unfortunately, they’re stuck together as the only guests for their best friends’ elopement to Italy. Also unfortunate is that Mark and Holly are trying to set them up. Jane and Cal have a very Mark Darcy/Bridget Jones vibe that totally works for me. The only things I didn’t like about the ship were that Cal had sex with Dolly (ew) and Jane’s constant slut-shaming of anyone who ever slept with Cal. I do love how he becomes obsessed with staring at her ankle tattoo, and how she can’t stop staring at his crotch (because of the rumor about his you know what). I also love that him reading her journal turned out to bring them together, rather than being the cause of a fight
So yeah, beware the slut-shaming (skank and ho), an awkward reference to transgender people (which makes a clean sweep of the original Boy novels), horrible bi rep (one of Jane’s exes turned out to be bi and she is grossed out by this and sometimes practices bi erasure by worrying that she turned him gay), and two uses of the word “retarded.” It is not Cabot’s finest moment. Yes, some people are like this, but oh my god I was cringing so hard when this stuff happened. Without this stuff, I might have straight up loved this one, but it’s a bit too flawed for that.
Still fun, but the age of it really shows. It is cool that the story borrows heavily from Meg Cabot’s actual elopement to Italy, though.
May 14, 2019
Following the format of the previous books of the series, this story is also told in emails, messages and diary entries. It's the story of Jane Harris, a cartoonist, and Cal Langdon, a reporter and recently published author, on their way to Italy for their best friends' elopement.
The two meet for the first time at the airport and their first impressions of one another are less than favorable. Things do not improve after they spend some time in each other's company, especially after Jane discovers Cal's opinion on their friends' wedding - he believes it's a mistake and will try to change his friend's mind before it's too late. For a romantic like Jane that's the worst thing he could have said, and she is determined to keep him from ruining her friend's happiness.
The two have nothing in common and rub each other the wrong way, but are also attracted to each other, and their extended close proximity leads to them getting to know each other better and eventually re-evaluating their opinions.
The story was cute, but .
The series continues with The Boy Is Back.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Boy Meets Girl (Boy #2)
✦ The Boy Next Door (Boy #1)
The two meet for the first time at the airport and their first impressions of one another are less than favorable. Things do not improve after they spend some time in each other's company, especially after Jane discovers Cal's opinion on their friends' wedding - he believes it's a mistake and will try to change his friend's mind before it's too late. For a romantic like Jane that's the worst thing he could have said, and she is determined to keep him from ruining her friend's happiness.
The two have nothing in common and rub each other the wrong way, but are also attracted to each other, and their extended close proximity leads to them getting to know each other better and eventually re-evaluating their opinions.
The story was cute, but .
The series continues with The Boy Is Back.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Boy Meets Girl (Boy #2)
✦ The Boy Next Door (Boy #1)
June 18, 2009
The Author of "Princess Diaries" brings you this comical tale of love- it's kind of like "Pride and Prejudice" meets "Bridget Jones' Diary".
Our story begins at the Airport where a cheery comic book artist, Jane H. meets a misanthropic book author, Cal L. Both of them assist, or at least one of them at the beginning, was quite excited to assist their best friends to elope in Italy (Mark and Holly).
As the story progresses sparks fly between Jane and Cal. They both have opposing views about love and marriage, a debate brought about by their friend's impending nuptials. Jane believes that Holly and Mark are meant to be together, she thinks it's the most romantic thing- their plan to elope. While Cal thinks Holly and Mark are being foolish, he believes love is a chemical imbalance in the brain that doesn't last...
Comical / graphic diary entries, sarcastic and amusing emails, cats, clumsy footwear disasters, Italian quirks, comic book geeks, food poisoning, perjury and so on... help engage the reader, who may not be a big fan of romantic stories.
It's a witty and charming story that is pretty much a refreshing break from other trite love stories
Our story begins at the Airport where a cheery comic book artist, Jane H. meets a misanthropic book author, Cal L. Both of them assist, or at least one of them at the beginning, was quite excited to assist their best friends to elope in Italy (Mark and Holly).
As the story progresses sparks fly between Jane and Cal. They both have opposing views about love and marriage, a debate brought about by their friend's impending nuptials. Jane believes that Holly and Mark are meant to be together, she thinks it's the most romantic thing- their plan to elope. While Cal thinks Holly and Mark are being foolish, he believes love is a chemical imbalance in the brain that doesn't last...
Comical / graphic diary entries, sarcastic and amusing emails, cats, clumsy footwear disasters, Italian quirks, comic book geeks, food poisoning, perjury and so on... help engage the reader, who may not be a big fan of romantic stories.
It's a witty and charming story that is pretty much a refreshing break from other trite love stories
August 27, 2009
So, I loved Boy Meets Girl and I really liked the Next Door. This one? Meh. It's okay. It was a nice, fast, entertaining read but it's almost like Meg Cabot got a bit lazy. I loved the emails/memos format of the other books, but this one involved a travel journal and it just wasn't as believable. Jane Harris is evidently transcribing conversations as she has them? Who does that? And who would want a relationship with someone who does that? I did like the "Little Black Book" at the end wherein Cabot relays that the story is loosely based on her own elopement to Italy. I also enjoyed the characters, but I didn't love that she was a cartoonist trying a cat and that the drawings were sprinkled throughout the book. I just felt I couldn't relate to her. I just couldn't get on board with her and Cal actually falling in love. Oh well. For the chick lit that it was, it was okay. But definitely subpar from what I've come to expect from Cabot.
January 10, 2015
The third in the "Boy" series - as a novice to Meg Cabot's books, I liked this one, too. Her heroines are very similar but likeable, so I don't mind. A few thoughts and wonderings: We are in Italy this time, and there is an ancient German housekeeper with a (great?)grandson whose presence is never properly explained. I'm also still in the dark about the title. Every boy's got one ... what? Or had I better not ask?? ;) ... And: To those familiar with Laura Levine's "Jaine Austen" mystery series there are some déjà-vus, namely Jane's long-suffering mother and accident-prone father; also the recurring cat motif. Just saying ...
February 12, 2019
Every Boy's Got One is another fizzy romance just like the previous two in the series. Again, it is written all in emails, and journals. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first two. The use of the epistolary form was handled clumsily and lazily in this one, to the point that our heroine is transcribing a climactic conversation while it is happening and the hero is actually commenting on the font she is using. Self-parody on the part of Meg Cabot? Maybe. But if so, it was self-indulgent and maybe a whiff disrespectful to the reader? Maybe? I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
It was seriously lacking much of plot. In the previous two, we had an almost murder mystery, mistaken Identity, quirky and funny secondary characters, vicious office politics, serious legal problems, and really bad people to root against. Other than the two protagonists misunderstanding and disliking each other at first and how they come to value each other and fall in love in the course of the book, there isn’t much to this one. All problems and conflicts are wiped away fairly easily and “off stage” albeit cutely. There was no anticipation of how a major conflict, conundrum, or misunderstanding was going to be solved. Also, the romance struck me as a mutual crush, rather than a great love. Ironically, this was based on Meg Cabot's real-life elopement with her husband of 25 years!
That all said, it was cute and amusing, and kept me reading, chuckling, and engaged.
It was seriously lacking much of plot. In the previous two, we had an almost murder mystery, mistaken Identity, quirky and funny secondary characters, vicious office politics, serious legal problems, and really bad people to root against. Other than the two protagonists misunderstanding and disliking each other at first and how they come to value each other and fall in love in the course of the book, there isn’t much to this one. All problems and conflicts are wiped away fairly easily and “off stage” albeit cutely. There was no anticipation of how a major conflict, conundrum, or misunderstanding was going to be solved. Also, the romance struck me as a mutual crush, rather than a great love. Ironically, this was based on Meg Cabot's real-life elopement with her husband of 25 years!
That all said, it was cute and amusing, and kept me reading, chuckling, and engaged.
February 20, 2024
super fast read but why is Cal obsessed with feet…
July 8, 2025
4 stars in the sense that this is very nostalgic and I love to re read it every summer. Hallmarky and fluffy. 1 star in the sense of it is super problematic with stereotypes from 20 years ago.
May 14, 2018
I will always adore Meg Cabot because she introduced me to YA Lit. However, reading this chick-lit in my idyllic twenties and re-reading it my emotionally war-weary thirties makes one helluva difference.
So while my original rating was 4/5 Stars (Original Review saved below. Pardon the excessive use of exclamation marks), this time around, the story made me cringe at several places.
For the record, Meg Cabot is still a warm, funny writer and this book will in no way reduce my early affection for her light but heartfelt reads.
[ORIGINAL REVIEW]
A provocative title, if ever there was one! But don’t dismiss this book as some sort of sleaze-fest...it is actually a sweet and sassy urban fairy-tale, courtesy the wonderful Meg Cabot!
30-plus cartoonist Jane Harris, the creator of the hugely popular comic strip “Wondercat” is accompanying her good friends Holly and Mark as they plan an elopement in the beautiful Le Marche region of Italy. Putting a spanner in the works is reluctant best man, the world-weary and cynical Cal Langdon.
Jane’s attempts to present a travel journal of the entire “romantic” escapade as a first wedding-anniversary gift soon deviate into a personal rant and rave session. She has to deal with the vagaries of living in an exotic but dubious Italian villa...handling the ancient German housekeeper and her fourteen year old nephew, Peter (who happens to be Wondercat’s biggest fan and is harbouring an equally enormous crush on Jane!)...soothing Holly’s pre-wedding nerves...clearing out the bureaucratic snarls……ALL this while fighting off an unwilling attraction to the charming but pig-headed Cal.
Accompanied by Cal’s sardonic entries in his PDA, the crazy e-mails bouncing between the characters and Peter’s devoted posts to Wondercat fans……the book makes for zippy and enjoyable reading. Coupled with the rustic charms of old Italy (not to mention the bottlenecks), this is one more notch on Meg Cabot’s wonderful repertoire of fantastic reads.
So while my original rating was 4/5 Stars (Original Review saved below. Pardon the excessive use of exclamation marks), this time around, the story made me cringe at several places.
For the record, Meg Cabot is still a warm, funny writer and this book will in no way reduce my early affection for her light but heartfelt reads.
[ORIGINAL REVIEW]
A provocative title, if ever there was one! But don’t dismiss this book as some sort of sleaze-fest...it is actually a sweet and sassy urban fairy-tale, courtesy the wonderful Meg Cabot!
30-plus cartoonist Jane Harris, the creator of the hugely popular comic strip “Wondercat” is accompanying her good friends Holly and Mark as they plan an elopement in the beautiful Le Marche region of Italy. Putting a spanner in the works is reluctant best man, the world-weary and cynical Cal Langdon.
Jane’s attempts to present a travel journal of the entire “romantic” escapade as a first wedding-anniversary gift soon deviate into a personal rant and rave session. She has to deal with the vagaries of living in an exotic but dubious Italian villa...handling the ancient German housekeeper and her fourteen year old nephew, Peter (who happens to be Wondercat’s biggest fan and is harbouring an equally enormous crush on Jane!)...soothing Holly’s pre-wedding nerves...clearing out the bureaucratic snarls……ALL this while fighting off an unwilling attraction to the charming but pig-headed Cal.
Accompanied by Cal’s sardonic entries in his PDA, the crazy e-mails bouncing between the characters and Peter’s devoted posts to Wondercat fans……the book makes for zippy and enjoyable reading. Coupled with the rustic charms of old Italy (not to mention the bottlenecks), this is one more notch on Meg Cabot’s wonderful repertoire of fantastic reads.
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June 24, 2017A lot of this was really out of date. Not just the pop culture references...I mean, I don't mind a Pink reference here and there! But some of the language/jokes made me cringe. Still, Meg Cabot rules and I love her books.
May 24, 2019
This book...it had potential--all the best tropes and everything. It is a shame the characters, particularly the main one, is annoying as all get out and ends every other sentence with "...I mean." to clarify something that was obvious in the first place.
I'll give it the excuse of it being published more than 10 years ago which could have definitely had a large reason as to why I found this to be so ridiculous. But socially and with characters, there are still major flaws.
The premise, while nice is extremely unauthentic. It is a mixture of a hand-written travel journal, a PDA, e-mails, and samples of media obtained while on the trip (receipts, menus, etc). The worst part is the timing the author had decided to have all of this communication occur. A person journaling during a freaking wedding. During CONVERSATIONS. E-mailing people between dances at a wedding reception ON YOUR WEDDING DAY. It is ridiculous. She is literally talking about how people are telling her to stop writing in the "travel journal" and it drives me damn nuts. As an introvert, I see the appeal, but I can't help but roll my eyes at it.
In addition, it features the word "retarded" in the worst way possible: "I'd have to be retarded to like him" and it just left me feeling dirtier than if I had read nasty smut. Such poor taste.
I wish the voices of the characters weren't so similar as well as obnoxious. I was already so far gone when I started reading it that I didn't quite know what other option to do but finish. The climax of the book was just silly. The last 10 pages consist of a very rushed endgame. The match between the characters seems very forced seeing as they are so opposite and the build-up of the relationship is anything but intriguing or believable.
I had high hopes. The trope of haters to lovers should be in everyone's book of absolute favorites. Meg Cabot missed the mark on this one.
Guys...don't read this. It's just going to annoy you.
I'll give it the excuse of it being published more than 10 years ago which could have definitely had a large reason as to why I found this to be so ridiculous. But socially and with characters, there are still major flaws.
The premise, while nice is extremely unauthentic. It is a mixture of a hand-written travel journal, a PDA, e-mails, and samples of media obtained while on the trip (receipts, menus, etc). The worst part is the timing the author had decided to have all of this communication occur. A person journaling during a freaking wedding. During CONVERSATIONS. E-mailing people between dances at a wedding reception ON YOUR WEDDING DAY. It is ridiculous. She is literally talking about how people are telling her to stop writing in the "travel journal" and it drives me damn nuts. As an introvert, I see the appeal, but I can't help but roll my eyes at it.
In addition, it features the word "retarded" in the worst way possible: "I'd have to be retarded to like him" and it just left me feeling dirtier than if I had read nasty smut. Such poor taste.
I wish the voices of the characters weren't so similar as well as obnoxious. I was already so far gone when I started reading it that I didn't quite know what other option to do but finish. The climax of the book was just silly. The last 10 pages consist of a very rushed endgame. The match between the characters seems very forced seeing as they are so opposite and the build-up of the relationship is anything but intriguing or believable.
I had high hopes. The trope of haters to lovers should be in everyone's book of absolute favorites. Meg Cabot missed the mark on this one.
Guys...don't read this. It's just going to annoy you.
September 15, 2009
I really liked the first two in the series - nothing ground-breaking but they were fun, with great secondary characters and good easy reading. Therefore, when I saw this going cheap in a second-hand shop I thought it would be the same as the first two. Unfortunately, it was a big let down. I should have thought that something was iffy since the book was almost half the size of the previous two.
The two main characters really annoyed me. Jane was shallow, ignorant of the world around her and had the same characteristics as the majority of Meg Cabot's heroines. Cal was rather unique, and actually had interests and cared about something other than TV, but he said a lot of horrible stuff about marriage - and then completely changed his mind when he "fell in love" with Jane! Not only were the two of them annoying and obviously not suited for each other, they apparently "fell in love" because they both have a good sense of humour and found each other attractive. Okay, that's good, but not exactly a solid foundation for a relationship! The way in which the two characters got together was very unbelievable, and I found it hard to imagine that someone who cares about the world as much as Cal claimed to could spend the rest of his life with someone who doesn't care about anything except shoes and ER.
Overall, this book had good potential but the plot was pretty unbelievable and the two central characters were unappealing. The thing that I liked best about this novel was the emails from family members - and that Cal's sister and Jane's ex got together. But that was it, really. I did WANT to like this book but I finished it thinking "Well, that was funny in places, and a nice break from 'Wuthering Heights' but mainly a waste of time!" 4/10
The two main characters really annoyed me. Jane was shallow, ignorant of the world around her and had the same characteristics as the majority of Meg Cabot's heroines. Cal was rather unique, and actually had interests and cared about something other than TV, but he said a lot of horrible stuff about marriage - and then completely changed his mind when he "fell in love" with Jane! Not only were the two of them annoying and obviously not suited for each other, they apparently "fell in love" because they both have a good sense of humour and found each other attractive. Okay, that's good, but not exactly a solid foundation for a relationship! The way in which the two characters got together was very unbelievable, and I found it hard to imagine that someone who cares about the world as much as Cal claimed to could spend the rest of his life with someone who doesn't care about anything except shoes and ER.
Overall, this book had good potential but the plot was pretty unbelievable and the two central characters were unappealing. The thing that I liked best about this novel was the emails from family members - and that Cal's sister and Jane's ex got together. But that was it, really. I did WANT to like this book but I finished it thinking "Well, that was funny in places, and a nice break from 'Wuthering Heights' but mainly a waste of time!" 4/10
September 23, 2017
I try to avoid reading chick lits if I can help it. I'm a grown woman and my taste in literature should at least progress (not that I'm saying chick lits are mindless, but I'd like to think that I've outgrown that era).
Well anyway, how would I describe this book without contradicting myself? I love this book. It's my favorite chick lit EVER! Every Boy's Got One is an easy and fun read. This is my go-to book because it's just so easy to get lost in the story. It's a refreshing break from all the other chick lits because of the comical and sarcastic exchange between characters. The journal and email style is so unique, it's so easy to catch on what the characters are thinking.
Overall, it's an entertaining read--it has lots of laugh-out-loud moments (at least for me) and you'd be surprised to know that (spoiler alert!) Meg Cabot got the inspiration for this book from her own elopement! How fun, right?
PS. This review is long overdue because I read this like three years ago. My take on this book still haven't change though. I re-read this 20x for the last three years. Well, that's me. I still get excited over reading books I already read.
Well anyway, how would I describe this book without contradicting myself? I love this book. It's my favorite chick lit EVER! Every Boy's Got One is an easy and fun read. This is my go-to book because it's just so easy to get lost in the story. It's a refreshing break from all the other chick lits because of the comical and sarcastic exchange between characters. The journal and email style is so unique, it's so easy to catch on what the characters are thinking.
Overall, it's an entertaining read--it has lots of laugh-out-loud moments (at least for me) and you'd be surprised to know that (spoiler alert!) Meg Cabot got the inspiration for this book from her own elopement! How fun, right?
PS. This review is long overdue because I read this like three years ago. My take on this book still haven't change though. I re-read this 20x for the last three years. Well, that's me. I still get excited over reading books I already read.
February 2, 2009
This was an experiment, that didn't go all that badly. Normally I avoid this genre like the plague, not because I don't think I might like it, but because they tend to be horribly trashy. But this one was written by the same author who wrote the Princess Diaries, so I decided to try it.
It was a funny little light romance. Just the type of light fluff I have been looking for lately. The biggest problem I had is that these books are such quick reads. It takes four of them to equal one big Science fiction novel, five to equal one of the Winston Churchill books I have been plowing through lately.
This book was set up a bit differently. Rather than being just a straight narrative, it was a series of diaries, emails and other things used to show what happened. The best bit of the book was the last few pages where the author showed how similar the book was to what really happened to her when she decided to elope to Italy.
A fine way to kill an hour or two or so. Quite funny, especially if you are female. I don't think a guy would like it as much.
It was a funny little light romance. Just the type of light fluff I have been looking for lately. The biggest problem I had is that these books are such quick reads. It takes four of them to equal one big Science fiction novel, five to equal one of the Winston Churchill books I have been plowing through lately.
This book was set up a bit differently. Rather than being just a straight narrative, it was a series of diaries, emails and other things used to show what happened. The best bit of the book was the last few pages where the author showed how similar the book was to what really happened to her when she decided to elope to Italy.
A fine way to kill an hour or two or so. Quite funny, especially if you are female. I don't think a guy would like it as much.
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