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Romance Is a Wonderful Thing
Believe it or not, Trish Masters, honors student, tennis player and all-around preppy is falling in love with Colin McNamara. And guess what? He's falling in love with her. He's the high school's biggest clown—a rotten student who spends each afternoon at detention. So what do these two have in common? Nothing, according to Trish's best friends Janet and Rachael, who can't understand their friend's infatuation. nothing, according to Trish's worst enemy Mike Pilsner, a jock who longs for Trish for himself. And nothing, according to just about the whole school, where everybody is gossiping about Trish's reputation.
A likely couple? Hardly. But Trish knows that she and Colin are meant for each other, because she knows something about him that no one else knows. And if she can just convince him to show his true self to the world as he has to her, their romance will truly be a wonderful thing.
A likely couple? Hardly. But Trish knows that she and Colin are meant for each other, because she knows something about him that no one else knows. And if she can just convince him to show his true self to the world as he has to her, their romance will truly be a wonderful thing.
188 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1983
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Emerson White
36 books242 followersThis talented writer attended Tufts University (and published her first book, Friends for Life, while a senior there) and currently lives in New York City. Ms. White grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Many of her novels feature characters who reside in or around Boston and are fans of the Boston Red Sox (as is Ms. White). In addition to novels, Ms. White has published several biographies. She also writes under the pseudonym Zack Emerson (taking the name Zack from the name of her shepherd dog) and under the pseudonym Nicholas Edwards (Santa Paws series).
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 12, 2010
It's coming on Valentine's Day and I felt like something old and sappy and sweet and a favorite. And it didn't take long at all before my mind alighted on a title I am almost sure you have never heard of--ROMANCE IS A WONDERFUL THING by Ellen Emerson White. Now, I regularly fly my White fangirl flag as you know, but I don't know if I've ever talked about this early, lesser known book. I'd been a devoted White reader for years before I ever heard of it and then it was only thanks to my friend Nan (a devoted EEW fangirl herself) who clued me in to its existence. So I ordered a copy off Half.com because, naturally, it was out of print. And when it arrived in the mail I devoured this trim little 188-page treat that night. First though, before we even get to the improbable title, how about that cover?! It's hard to really take it in, isn't it? Just that awesome. I mean, I dare you to look at it and not burst into the theme song from The Facts of Life. Or Family Ties. I still haven't been able to wipe the grin off my face. As for the title, I don't know what to say except you're simply going to have to overlook it.
Patricia (Trish) Masters is your basic good girl. The oldest of two, blond and pretty, she's an honors student, plays on the tennis team, and is everybody's friend. Colin (Mac) McNamara is your basic screw up. The only child of a cop and a nervous stay-at-home-mom, dark and lean, he's flunking out of school, has the worst reputation of any kid in school, and is nobody's friend. But Colin likes watching girl's tennis. And one day he runs into Trish after school and, even though he makes her nervous, she finds herself wanting to get to know him better. Over the next several weeks they find reasons to run into each other again and again and both of them are surprised to find they're neither of them exactly what their reputations would have you believe. Trish is a lot less confident than she appears and she longs for someone to talk to about the changes coming into her life. Colin has a past, and even though it's not the one people attribute to him, he's its prisoner just the same. The question is can these two very different young kids overlook their differences and stick together long enough to help each other deal with their fears?
Even now it's hard for me to believe Ellen Emerson White wrote such a sweet teen romance. She generally deals in much more painfully conflicted fare than this. But I'm ever so glad that she did. That's not to say that the characters in this one, particularly Colin, don't have their fair share of trauma. And the classic White dialogue is present and accounted for in the wonderfully dry exchanges between characters. Here's a typical exchange early on:
And, in the end, it's a love story. And an incredibly genuine and endearing one at that. Colin and Trish are easy to like and they certainly stand out as being two of the least acerbic of White's protagonists. It's impossible not to fall for Colin, with his smart mouth and terminal self-deprecation. He hides his true self exceedingly well, only letting his guard down when he's at home talking to his cat Ophelia. Or, increasingly more often, when he's with Trish. I know this is another out of print book I'm recommending, but used copies are available very inexpensively. And if, like me, you're in the mood for a cozy, utterly disarming read during this dreary season, ROMANCE IS A WONDERFUL THING is just the thing.
Patricia (Trish) Masters is your basic good girl. The oldest of two, blond and pretty, she's an honors student, plays on the tennis team, and is everybody's friend. Colin (Mac) McNamara is your basic screw up. The only child of a cop and a nervous stay-at-home-mom, dark and lean, he's flunking out of school, has the worst reputation of any kid in school, and is nobody's friend. But Colin likes watching girl's tennis. And one day he runs into Trish after school and, even though he makes her nervous, she finds herself wanting to get to know him better. Over the next several weeks they find reasons to run into each other again and again and both of them are surprised to find they're neither of them exactly what their reputations would have you believe. Trish is a lot less confident than she appears and she longs for someone to talk to about the changes coming into her life. Colin has a past, and even though it's not the one people attribute to him, he's its prisoner just the same. The question is can these two very different young kids overlook their differences and stick together long enough to help each other deal with their fears?
Even now it's hard for me to believe Ellen Emerson White wrote such a sweet teen romance. She generally deals in much more painfully conflicted fare than this. But I'm ever so glad that she did. That's not to say that the characters in this one, particularly Colin, don't have their fair share of trauma. And the classic White dialogue is present and accounted for in the wonderfully dry exchanges between characters. Here's a typical exchange early on:
Trish meandered through the Boston Public Library. She didn't like using the little memory-bank computers the library had instead of a card catalog, so she usually just wandered around, picking up books that looked interesting. For a minute, she watched a man reading a book upside down; then, realizing it was probably getting late, she walked toward the main staircase. Hurrying, she almost bumped into someone.
"Excuse me--" She stopped and stared, recognizing Colin.
As he saw her, he stiffened.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Uh, well." Trish frowned at her books. "The same thing you are, I guess."
He ran his free hand through his hair, unmistakably rattled.
"Sports," he said. "I like to read about sports."
"Which ones?"
"I don't know. You know." He backed up toward the stone railing, dropping two of the books when he hit it sooner than he expected.
"The Old Man and the Sea?" Trish asked, bending to pick one up.
He got to it first. "Fishing."
"How about Richard the Second?" She picked up the other one.
"Uh, murder."
She gave it to him. "What are you, a brain?"
"I gotta go, I'm late." He turned, walking swiftly down the stairs.
Trish watched him go, confused.
"Hey!" He was suddenly back. "Hey, woman!"
She looked at him uncertainly.
"It's getting dark outside." His voice was accusing.
"Oh?" She tilted her head, not sure what he meant.
"You walk around in the dark every night?"
"I only live a couple of blocks away."
"So you walk around in the dark? You know how stupid that is?"
"No," she said, grinning. "I'm not a brain."
"Yeah, well, how long you gonna be in here?"
"I don't know, I guess--"
"Well, I'll wait," he grumbled. "Don't feel like reading about you in The Globe tomorrow."
"You don't have to--"
"I said I was waiting already."
"Um, I guess I can go now." Trish started down the stairs.
He nodded, indicating that he'd be by the door.
"You really don't have to do this," Trish said once they were outside. "I can walk by myself; I do it all the time."
"Terrific, you do it all the time." He shook his head.
And, in the end, it's a love story. And an incredibly genuine and endearing one at that. Colin and Trish are easy to like and they certainly stand out as being two of the least acerbic of White's protagonists. It's impossible not to fall for Colin, with his smart mouth and terminal self-deprecation. He hides his true self exceedingly well, only letting his guard down when he's at home talking to his cat Ophelia. Or, increasingly more often, when he's with Trish. I know this is another out of print book I'm recommending, but used copies are available very inexpensively. And if, like me, you're in the mood for a cozy, utterly disarming read during this dreary season, ROMANCE IS A WONDERFUL THING is just the thing.
August 30, 2019
This was cute! Definitely some dated language, but also plenty of great banter and good characters.
November 3, 2013
I loved this book more for what it presages than for what it is. There are foreshadowings aplenty here, both for the Vietnam books and for the President's Daughter books, and I don't mean that in a bad way- it's a very early book, and one can see White exploring, learning her craft. For all that it's clearly an early effort, it's still a very good story, with characters one becomes invested in. Recommended for EEW completists.
September 10, 2023
Ellen Emerson White is one of my all-time favorite YA authors, and I don't turn down a chance to read one of her books—even if it's an old-school, out-of-print, out-of-date romance novel. It's sort of staggering to think that this was published so close to The President's Daughter, which kicked off a truly excellent series. That's not to criticize this book unduly—you can see in it some of the rhythms of conversation and humour that White has developed more fully in her later books, and her patterns of mother-daughter relationships, and it's overall engaging. (Also, it—and I think at least one of her other books?—was published while she was still in college, which boggles the mind.)
But yes—the language is dated, and the relationship is...I'm not sure what the right term is, but I'm leaning towards 'heavy-handed'. Trish is the prototypical good girl and Colin the prototypical 80s bad-boy hero, which is to say that if you scrape off the barest layer of spackle, he's not actually a bad boy at all. He's busy failing all his remedial classes, for example, but with a little bit of encouragement from the right people—voilà! Honors student. He actually reminds me a fair amount of Jack, the love interest in Long May She Reign, only in that book White had had quite a bit more writing and life experience to draw on, so Jack and Meg are able to be rather more complex characters than Colin and Trish.
This is forty years old, and unless you're already a fan of Ellen Emerson White's books and curious about what she was writing decades ago, I wouldn't bother...but it makes for a pretty fascinating comparison to her better-known books.
But yes—the language is dated, and the relationship is...I'm not sure what the right term is, but I'm leaning towards 'heavy-handed'. Trish is the prototypical good girl and Colin the prototypical 80s bad-boy hero, which is to say that if you scrape off the barest layer of spackle, he's not actually a bad boy at all. He's busy failing all his remedial classes, for example, but with a little bit of encouragement from the right people—voilà! Honors student. He actually reminds me a fair amount of Jack, the love interest in Long May She Reign, only in that book White had had quite a bit more writing and life experience to draw on, so Jack and Meg are able to be rather more complex characters than Colin and Trish.
This is forty years old, and unless you're already a fan of Ellen Emerson White's books and curious about what she was writing decades ago, I wouldn't bother...but it makes for a pretty fascinating comparison to her better-known books.
June 12, 2012
The cover of my borrowed version is even goofier than this one!
Ardent fans of Ellen Emerson White will find things to love in this one: witty banter, loving family, sports fans.
But HOLY TOLEDO, bullying of girls in the 80s was some crazy shit! And we think things are bad now! I know that I'm supposed to think she's handling this major harassment properly, but it's seriously shocking. The asshole football player character goes way beyond jock hijinks, including menacing her at her locker, verbally harassing her IN CLASS IN FRONT OF THE TEACHER WHO DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, waiting for her after school, and attempting to rape her at a party. I am still shocked. Sometimes dated books get you like that.
Ardent fans of Ellen Emerson White will find things to love in this one: witty banter, loving family, sports fans.
But HOLY TOLEDO, bullying of girls in the 80s was some crazy shit! And we think things are bad now! I know that I'm supposed to think she's handling this major harassment properly, but it's seriously shocking. The asshole football player character goes way beyond jock hijinks, including menacing her at her locker, verbally harassing her IN CLASS IN FRONT OF THE TEACHER WHO DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, waiting for her after school, and attempting to rape her at a party. I am still shocked. Sometimes dated books get you like that.
April 22, 2011
Sixteen-year-old Trish Masters is the consummate good girl. She’s smart, kind, friendly, and has a sparkling reputation to match. It’s no wonder that her best friends Janet and Rachael are surprised to see her falling for no other than the class clown Colin McNamara. Seriously, she could do much better, especially when simple-minded but good-looking jock Mike Pilsner is interested. But Trish is drawn to dim-witted, flirty Colin, who’s nearly flunking all of his classes and is rumored to have gotten his last girlfriend pregnant. The more they “happen” to run into each other, the more Trish begins to think there is more to Colin than meets the eye. Soon enough she uncovers his secret, and it’s up to her to convince him to reveal his true self to the world.
What a treat this light and charming retro YA turned out to be. Excepting the light tone, it’s very like Ellen Emerson White: Boston setting, strong family relationships, tennis, The Brady Bunch, and the cola Tab. From the dated cover to the stating-the-obvious title, contemporary YA romance just seems to have been marketed different back in the day. Beyond the anachronisms it’s hard not to be interested in the “more than meets the eye” trope, especially when it goes both ways. Less obvious is Trish’s own cracks belying her perfect façade. While Colin is a singular mix of class clown and bad boy, it’s not an understatement to call Trish a good girl. In fact she could even be called a goody two-shoes, and while some teens may not connect to that image, I did. Trish is both teased and congratulated for her wholesome vibe, while today she might be shunned for her naivete. Naturally I was surprised when Colin and Trish’s relationship quickly became touchy-feely but I enjoyed the wave of first love nostalgia it brought on. Their relationship felt like authentic, high school affection, the kind that is so new it literally makes hearts flutter and girls giggle with giddiness. There’s a lot of polite, permission-granted and self-conscious kissing, which I found at times embarrassingly cute yet refreshing in a modern YA climate where lust at first sight or undying, serious love is the norm. Instead, what Trish and Colin have is fun and playful without being saccharine. While Colin’s big secret wasn’t completely plausible for me, it also didn’t make his character any less endearing. It’s rewarding to see him come out of his shell. Anyone looking for a breezy, quick and pleasantly retro read will not be disappointed with ROMANCE IS A WONDERFUL THING. My teenage self seriously missed out.
What a treat this light and charming retro YA turned out to be. Excepting the light tone, it’s very like Ellen Emerson White: Boston setting, strong family relationships, tennis, The Brady Bunch, and the cola Tab. From the dated cover to the stating-the-obvious title, contemporary YA romance just seems to have been marketed different back in the day. Beyond the anachronisms it’s hard not to be interested in the “more than meets the eye” trope, especially when it goes both ways. Less obvious is Trish’s own cracks belying her perfect façade. While Colin is a singular mix of class clown and bad boy, it’s not an understatement to call Trish a good girl. In fact she could even be called a goody two-shoes, and while some teens may not connect to that image, I did. Trish is both teased and congratulated for her wholesome vibe, while today she might be shunned for her naivete. Naturally I was surprised when Colin and Trish’s relationship quickly became touchy-feely but I enjoyed the wave of first love nostalgia it brought on. Their relationship felt like authentic, high school affection, the kind that is so new it literally makes hearts flutter and girls giggle with giddiness. There’s a lot of polite, permission-granted and self-conscious kissing, which I found at times embarrassingly cute yet refreshing in a modern YA climate where lust at first sight or undying, serious love is the norm. Instead, what Trish and Colin have is fun and playful without being saccharine. While Colin’s big secret wasn’t completely plausible for me, it also didn’t make his character any less endearing. It’s rewarding to see him come out of his shell. Anyone looking for a breezy, quick and pleasantly retro read will not be disappointed with ROMANCE IS A WONDERFUL THING. My teenage self seriously missed out.
February 15, 2011
Originally posted here.
I can't get over how old school that cover is! What can I say, it goes with the old school story. This is a contemporary YA novel written by Ellen Emerson White while she was in college in the 80s. It's funny that Colin is described as a class clown, maybe that's what a bad boy is in the 80s? I'm not exactly sure. In any case, Trish is a popular and wholesome kind of girl - she's smart and athletic while Colin never takes his classes seriously. He constantly argues with teachers and earns a daily spot in detention. To top it off, the whole school knows that he got his ex-girlfriend pregnant. Not too great of an image, right? But Trish realizes that there's something more to Colin than meets the eye when she bumps into him at the local library and he insists on walking her home. That chance encounter marks the start of their romance.
This is such a sweet teenage love story. I would've probably fallen in love with this if I read it back in high school together with the Bantam Books Love Stories series. It has a very different tone from the other Ellen Emerson White novels that I've read. It was fun to see Trish and Colin slowly learn to be comfortable around each other. Goodness knows, we've all experienced a lot of awkward moments during our own teenage years. What's great about these two is they bring out the best in each other through encouragement and support. Both of them help the other person deal with insecurities. It isn't as obvious in Trish's case but Colin goes through some pretty big changes in his school life - both academic and extra-curricular - while the two of them are dating. I also enjoyed seeing how involved their parents are in their lives. Colin meets Trish's parents every time he picks her up for their dates and Trish also got to hang out with Colin's parents. They also talk about their love life with their parents, which doesn't generally happen in YA novels nowadays, right? This is an out of print book that I ordered from Better World Books. If you can manage to get an inexpensive copy then I recommend that you grab it and read this.
I can't get over how old school that cover is! What can I say, it goes with the old school story. This is a contemporary YA novel written by Ellen Emerson White while she was in college in the 80s. It's funny that Colin is described as a class clown, maybe that's what a bad boy is in the 80s? I'm not exactly sure. In any case, Trish is a popular and wholesome kind of girl - she's smart and athletic while Colin never takes his classes seriously. He constantly argues with teachers and earns a daily spot in detention. To top it off, the whole school knows that he got his ex-girlfriend pregnant. Not too great of an image, right? But Trish realizes that there's something more to Colin than meets the eye when she bumps into him at the local library and he insists on walking her home. That chance encounter marks the start of their romance.
This is such a sweet teenage love story. I would've probably fallen in love with this if I read it back in high school together with the Bantam Books Love Stories series. It has a very different tone from the other Ellen Emerson White novels that I've read. It was fun to see Trish and Colin slowly learn to be comfortable around each other. Goodness knows, we've all experienced a lot of awkward moments during our own teenage years. What's great about these two is they bring out the best in each other through encouragement and support. Both of them help the other person deal with insecurities. It isn't as obvious in Trish's case but Colin goes through some pretty big changes in his school life - both academic and extra-curricular - while the two of them are dating. I also enjoyed seeing how involved their parents are in their lives. Colin meets Trish's parents every time he picks her up for their dates and Trish also got to hang out with Colin's parents. They also talk about their love life with their parents, which doesn't generally happen in YA novels nowadays, right? This is an out of print book that I ordered from Better World Books. If you can manage to get an inexpensive copy then I recommend that you grab it and read this.
February 13, 2011
ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I would have loved this book as a 15 year old. It is pretty silly, but I really disliked the last book I tried to read by this author, and this one was enjoyable by comparison. And I think I have a soft spot for Colin, the bad boy (his badness is evidenced by talking back to teachers and using the phrase "and junk" repeatedly) and Trish the goody-two-shoes whose love saves him.
I might have liked it even more if not for the cringeworthy scenes where Colin recites monologues to himself. Also there is an awesome scene where the two lovebirds tell each other "I think you're special."
I would have loved this book as a 15 year old. It is pretty silly, but I really disliked the last book I tried to read by this author, and this one was enjoyable by comparison. And I think I have a soft spot for Colin, the bad boy (his badness is evidenced by talking back to teachers and using the phrase "and junk" repeatedly) and Trish the goody-two-shoes whose love saves him.
I might have liked it even more if not for the cringeworthy scenes where Colin recites monologues to himself. Also there is an awesome scene where the two lovebirds tell each other "I think you're special."
August 23, 2014
This probably isn't a five star book in reality. However, it is a go-to comfort book for me, and my fond attachment for it raises it up a star or so. When I'm feeling scattered and without a center, this book can ground me. It's a sweet story of young people navigating their way through the early stages of a romance. It's good, but not great, but I love it regardless.
February 28, 2013
This was one of my very favorite books when I was in junior high. Read it over and over! Would love to read it again!
Update: Just re-read this book today (ordered it off Amazon since it's old, out of print, and not in the library. I feel completely transported back to my middle school years today after reading it. I still love it!
Update: Just re-read this book today (ordered it off Amazon since it's old, out of print, and not in the library. I feel completely transported back to my middle school years today after reading it. I still love it!
August 24, 2008
First read in 1985/86 and Laurie A-B very generously gave me an extra copy, which I finished on the plane back home from Seattle. Not EEW's strongest, but still compulsively readable. Her heroines and their boyfriends are all identical, but they're so appealing that I have trouble faulting her.
April 14, 2009
3.5 stars
July 25, 2011
I remember reading this book when I was a teenager.
Loved it back then.
Loved it back then.
November 12, 2012
Read this so long ago & remember loving it. Really wish I could find a copy to read again.
January 15, 2015
Despite the super cheesy/embarrassing title and cover, this book came highly recommended....I have no idea why.
July 10, 2024
3.5 on the 80s YA scale.
I finally found myself a copy on eBay, and I was so happy and surprised to see this edition, with artwork rather than the photograph. Fits in better with the President's Daughter art. Love me some 80s Avon Flare books, though I'm sad this one doesn't have the Avon Flare strip across the top.
I'm certain I would have loved this story in junior high or high school. Now, of course, the language and the situation are both, thankfully, very dated. Yeesh, the sexism, the misogyny. (It's rumored that Colin got a girl pregnant, anyone who would go out with him is therefore a tramp, and many of the boys leer at and legitimately harass Trish.) The way she tries to calm herself when she's cornered in a room by the very big guy at the party and tells herself, "I know him..." I think, It usually is someone you know. God, how I hate that this is still something we're dealing with.
Colin is rather dreamy: he reads widely, he sings, he's gorgeous. And he basically has PTSD and thinks he's stupid and a jerk. The dialogue is so very cringey now. How many times does Colin refer to himself--out loud--as stupid, or a jerk? So many. Trish says, "You're a jerk. I'm a jerk. We're all jerks." They're very quick to get angry at each other. But all it takes is the love and support of pretty preppy Trish for defensive jerk Colin to show everyone who he really is, etc. etc.
But there's good stuff in here. Even when I struggle with the 80s-ness of these books, I always miss EEW's characters when they're over.
I finally found myself a copy on eBay, and I was so happy and surprised to see this edition, with artwork rather than the photograph. Fits in better with the President's Daughter art. Love me some 80s Avon Flare books, though I'm sad this one doesn't have the Avon Flare strip across the top.
I'm certain I would have loved this story in junior high or high school. Now, of course, the language and the situation are both, thankfully, very dated. Yeesh, the sexism, the misogyny. (It's rumored that Colin got a girl pregnant, anyone who would go out with him is therefore a tramp, and many of the boys leer at and legitimately harass Trish.) The way she tries to calm herself when she's cornered in a room by the very big guy at the party and tells herself, "I know him..." I think, It usually is someone you know. God, how I hate that this is still something we're dealing with.
Colin is rather dreamy: he reads widely, he sings, he's gorgeous. And he basically has PTSD and thinks he's stupid and a jerk. The dialogue is so very cringey now. How many times does Colin refer to himself--out loud--as stupid, or a jerk? So many. Trish says, "You're a jerk. I'm a jerk. We're all jerks." They're very quick to get angry at each other. But all it takes is the love and support of pretty preppy Trish for defensive jerk Colin to show everyone who he really is, etc. etc.
But there's good stuff in here. Even when I struggle with the 80s-ness of these books, I always miss EEW's characters when they're over.
March 28, 2018
This is one of the best young adult novels I've ever read. It deals with real issues from several points of view without being condescending to the reader. The kid who has it rough in this book doesn't get any miraculous healing moment. It's a realistic slow process...with his parents, too. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA novels. (Warning for one vague casual reference to a pregnancy and abortion that happened prior to this story.)
December 28, 2016
I remember I had read all of Ellen Emerson White's books except this one, which, in those pre-Internet days, I couldn't find anywhere. Then my family took a trip to Ontario, and I found this in a bookstore in the mall in Hamilton. I was so psyched! Plus in Canada there was no sales tax on books, which was awesome. Despite the cheesy cover, this was really good. I read it over and over.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews