The Serious Kiss

by Mary Hogan

I was forced to face the upsetting fact of my fourteen-year-old

I'm on my own. It's up to me to create the life I want. I must be mistress of my destiny or I'll never even skim the surface of normal.

And that's when the whole fiasco began.

One summer day, Libby and her best friend, Nadine, come up with a plan. Before their freshman year is over, they will each experience a serious kiss. Libby already has her ideal boy picked out. Everything is set.

But Libby's beer-guzzling father and fast food–addict mother have another The family is moving. To the middle of nowhere. Away from all of Libby's friends and all hope of a normal life, much less a boyfriend.

As her life and her family are falling apart, Libby starts to wonder, Is happiness really about being normal? Or is being happy maybe just...being yourself? As she begins to figure out who she is, Libby discovers the most amazing thing of all -- being herself could also be the key to a perfect, incredible, wonderful, serious kiss.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Contemporary, Childrens, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2004

About the author

Though an Okie by birth, I grew up in Southern California in the era of baby oil tans. Except mine. My youth was filled with sunburns and other red-faced events. Now, I live in the blessed shade of skyscrapers. New York City. Where I was meant to be all along.

At the risk of sounding bigheaded, I love GOOD books. I like to read writers who inspire me to read their sentences over and over just for the joy of it. You know that feeling? Like, wow, how did she think of that phrasing?

That said, I joined Goodreads because I'd become a genre snob. There are good Sci-fi novels, right? Historical? To my delight, I've found that to be true. As in life, when you open up, the world opens with you. Or so said Oprah. Before she abandoned us. :)

On a personal note, I am married to the man of my dreams. We share our home with the lovely Lucy, a Catahoula rescue dog who, frankly, isn't that into us. In another life, she was Greta Garbo. When I smother her with kisses she literally rolls her doggy eyes.

Professionally, I'm the author of ten novels. Seven Young Adult novels (HarperCollins), one bestselling mainstream book (TWO SISTERS) an historical novel called THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO (William Morrow) and the upcoming love story, LEFT (Morrow). Goodreads helped me open up to WRITING in new genres, too. Thank you!!

Both LEFT and TWO SISTERS are personal novels for me. TWO SISTERS was inspired by my own sister, Diane, who passed away in 2010. The fictional story emerged as I struggled to understand why my sister died the way she did. It's a story about secrets and how they can disintegrate a family.

LEFT is a love story with a twist. It tells the tale of a woman who develops a fantasy life to cope with her husband's descent into dementia. Alzheimer's and other dementias run in my family. This novel is for the current--and future--caretakers who inspire me every day.

For another VERY personal story, I wrote an article about my mom's last days for Woman's Day magazine. If you've gone through your mom's passing, or soon will, you may relate. (If you feel like reading it, I posted the link on my website maryhogan.com)

I swear it's all true.

Reviews

[Anna Wei · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title, very catchy. The context, not so much. I'm no brilliant writer but, the issues bought up in Mary Hogans book regarding the main character Libby was very much half asked. Almost as if she (Hogan) wanted to hurry the process of completing her book. The transactions between each problem that arose in Libbys life were not fully exlained and many parts left me confused.

[Saylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems Mary Hogan is obsessed with disaster. Couldn't you have made Libby stay in her old neighbourhood? To think I was gonna give this book 4 or 5 stars because I thought it was insightful. I'm glad I finished, good riddance and now I will not be reading another Mary Hogan book.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has a very catchy, great title but the content is a total opposite. The plot was all over the place. I wasted my money on this book. Very poorly written. I was very disappointed.

[GRUMPY · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read a chapther of this book and it was so freaking boring. i already gave up on it.

[Trinity Samah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when i was younger I remember enjoying it.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this book was SERIOUSly cute! When I picked this book up, I was expecting some silly little teen romance story, but no! This book actually dealt with some tough stuff, like alcoholism, so wasn’t quite the feel-good novel I had expected. Although by the end, the story had changed and did indeed have me smiling from ear to ear. This novel was sweet and funny, and a very good look into an average teenagers life: the feeling of being misunderstood and alone while growing up. There were some great life lessons to take from here as well. Nana Madrigal has been saying to “Let It Go” long before Elsa did. Overall, I loved this book, and made me remember that there are things to be thankful for even in the worst of times.

[Hjwoodward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, I finished reading it. So it couldn't've been that bad. I am very fond of teenagers and their problems: parents and how excruciatingly embarrassing they are, looks, friends and their small betrayals, boys and how they make you feel weak at the knees and of course, the first proper kiss. I thought it quite authentic, the way Libby had a crush on a boy in one town, and then didn't think of him much again in the next. Yearning for what is irrevocably gone is not the point of the book. I liked reading about the effect the move had altogether. And of course I liked listening in on the family counselling sessions!

[Victoria Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book originally when I was a sophomore in HS, found it at a Half Price for 2 dollars and fell in love with it all over again! Its a great book about overcoming the adversity of moving to a new place with a dysfunctional family and finding that perfect person who loves you despite of all that nonsense.

[Jamie]

This was a good book Libby introduced me too i just now got done with this book its about a girl named Libby and her family having problems and her trying to get a boyfriend by the end of the year and when she moves she magically finds one.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Katelyn Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good love story for younger girls.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book it is about a girl who moves and thought her life was ruined and she found a friend and she got the kiss she wanted.

[Itzel Camargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story. Showing different sides of families who are dealing with substance abuse and different kinds of addiction such as alcohol and food and overcoming those issues as a family

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this book as a kid. It was a good intro into romance for me. 3/5.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperava que fosse ruim mas eu gostei 💕
É um livro gostoso de ler porém o final achei meio atropelado.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

His name is Juan Dog.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Serious Kiss hits a nerve because Mary Hogan forces you to confront the uncomfortable ways we all end up validating systems we claim to dislike.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so let's start off with this wasn't my type of book. I was expecting a sort of young adult romance type book, but instead it was like those books I would read when I was 10. It just wasn't my type of book. After reading so many great books before this, it felt like this one ruined the streak. It's a quick read, only took me about 3-4 hours to read it, though I was busy and didn't get to it right after starting the first chapter.
I, honestly, was just waiting until the end of the book. I was counting the pages until it ended so I could move on with the next book.
I got super frustrated when the author would "make" Libby say something, but then at the end of that it would say "that's what I WANTED to say." That annoyed me...a lot. Why make us think she was saying it to get us all worked up only to tell us she WANTED to say it?
Also, this book should be for 9-10 year olds. Hogan just added a few swear words and "a serious kiss" and now it's automatically like a teenager book? This book is more about a girl's life after she moves and her family problems.
I don't think Hogan knew about how high school really is like nowadays...it's not really like how she described it in the books...and it made me so mad how Libby would move from boy to boy, COMPLETELY forgetting about the last boy, making me think, "What was the point of that whole section?" It felt pointless to me to read it when the boy was just going to be forgotten about and never brought back into the book again.
Eh, I don't know..it just wasn't my type of book. A bit boring, to me.
So, 2/5 stars...it was ok.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good. in some parts it went really slow. it was also a story that is quiet typical. a girl moves to some far away town, her family has issues, and she meets a mysterious boy. the story was good though. i liked how the author made it funny but also serious at the same time. it was really boring until about the very end. the only thing UNIQUE about this book is that there was a secret taco shop that her freind took her to. it also didnt seem very realistic becuase in some parts she "skipped school" and left campus with this boy and they went to a taco shop in the middle of the desert and somehow made it back to school in time.
Ive read alot of books that have a similar plot but they are all unigue in their own way. like everytime i read this book i thought of the desert, and trailers, and tacos. those are the main parts of the story. i would like a book that moves faster and has more drama. the only part that was really gppd was the very end because she finally got what she wanted. a serious kiss. and it wasnt even a big event in the book even though it was supposed to be. that was what the entire book was leading up to and then it got there and it wasnt even that good.

[Kathryne · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 year-old Libby hopes her 9th grade year will be the year she experiences her first serious kiss. Unfortunately, family problems soon overshadow all other aspects in her life. Her father’s alcoholism leads to his loss of job, the loss of their home, and the family being moved to another state. Libby is convinced this move has ruined her life but in this new place she gets to know a grandmother she never knew she had, makes new friends, and her family slowly starts to heal.

I picked this book up as some light summer reading but was surprised by how attached I became to Libby and her story touched my heart.

Favorite quotes:
“I wanted to practice opening up instead of closing down.”
“Even in the worst of times, there’s always something to be thankful for.”
“[I’m thankful] For learning how to let go.”
“Why have I wasted so much time worrying about what other people think? How stupid is that?”

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Libby is 14 and has the normal teenage worries; like her first serious kiss. As the story goes along, Libby discovers her dad is an alcoholic and the family tip-toes around him trying to not upset him because then he gets mad and punches holes in the walls. One day, Libby and her brothers come home and find everything packed up. They have to leave their school, find out they have a real live grandmother (their dad told them she was dead because she told him to quit drinking or stay away), and they find out they are going to be living in a retirement trailer park and the trailer they are living in has no kitchen. The kitchen is in their grandmother's trailer. Libby thinks her life is over but she makes a new friend, discovers a boy who makes her see that her life isn't so bad, her family finally goes to counseling and she writes a letter to her dad. In the end, she finally gets that serious kiss.

[CeJayCe · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, I've got some very mixed feelings about this book. Libby is a very typical character. There's really nothing original about her. She's a 14-year-old obsessed with guys, her weight, and her family's issues. Still, despite the fact that she's whiny and self-obsessed, I can't be completely annoyed with her. The circumstances she's in makes it easy to sympathize with her.

And while on the subject, the plot is very interesting. I read one of Hogan's more recent books, "Pretty Face" and I had high expectations for this. So far, I can't say I'm disappointed. I mean, the whole search for the perfect guy thing is a pretty used up plotline, but the outer plot -- her family moving to the desert, living next door to a grandmother she thought was dead, her father's attempts to sober up and not completely ruin their lives -- it's pretty interesting to say the least.

[Alyssa N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was easy to connect personally to. The main character, Libby, was very bipolar. It made it easy to predict what she was going to do next. There was some romance and an unexpected turn. After Libby moves, she gets to restart her life and connect with her grandmother. It's obvious she struggles but seems to try and make it work. The beginning was described and all the character's traits were described and also made so that you can infer their personality.I liked the figurative language and all the imagery Mary Hogan, the author, added into this book. Some bad things about this particular book was that some of the major and minor events were not drawn out enough. It was very short and didn't make it very suspenseful. I learned that no matter where you are, it's up to you to make the best of your situation.

[Macy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book taught teen girls good lessons about friendship, boys, and family. The main character, Libby, was changing herself to be with a boy little did she know that she was destroying her friendship with her best friend just to be with a boy. Though Libby knew she would never get in the back of her mind. Libby ruined her friendship and later had to move because of her parents. The odd thing about moving was she would move in with her grandmother that she never knew existed before. She really get involved with her long lost grandmother and learns lessons about life and how she doesn’t have to change for anybody to jeopardize friendships with people that love her the most. At the end of the book Libby get a serious kiss with a boy, because she took her grandmother’s advice.

[Maggie]

Mary Hogan's new teen novel, The Serious Kiss, proves you can't judge a book by its title or its cover.the protagonist, Libby Madrigal, experiences her first totally real, sincere, love-filled, mind-blowing, serious kiss. After all, she and her best friend, Nadine, longed to experience the "big IT, the IT supreme: Love." To that end, they made a pact at the beginning of their freshman year to each obtain one serious kiss. Though you would imagine it being a cute tale about a young girl's first kiss, it actually has great deep meaning. We see this in the first paragraph as Hogan introduces that Libby's parents have real problems. Her dad drinks too much and her mom eats too much. It a great expirience to anyone and I recoomend it to any one who enjoys a good read.

[Patricia (Pat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth a.k.a. Libby is best friends with Nadine. Both 14 and very close they have a plan. It doesn't matter who thought of it first, as their thoughts constantly overlap, their plan was to have a serious kiss by their 15th birthday. The kiss would be "totally real, sincere, meaningful, soulful, poetic, inspiring, knee-buckling, love filled, journal worthy, insomnia-producing, appetite-reducing, mind blowing, life changing, unforgettable, serious kiss." That is the one thing they both want because they felt a serious kiss equaled true love. The search is fun, humerous, sad, and a book I could not put down. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a delightful
read that leaves you feeling good and with a smile on your face.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book. is cool. i like this book because it was my kind of book. she moved and she had to adjust to her new envrionment and her new highschool. she had to leave her friends and her soon to be boyfriend. i liked it very much. i liekd the part where she moves to her new house and to na new plac efar from her old home. The characters in the book was good. THey all were somehow related to the main character. the main character had some ups and downs. the book was sort of suspensful in a way, exciting and its good for tenns or young adults to read. its a well written book and if you read it your going to love the book

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

So quirky it was hilarious at points. Very zany.
I liked the book a lot. It was definitely unlike anything I've ever read before. I especially enjoyed how it felt like real life going day by day. I don't simply mean the book was written realistically but more so that the reader gets to see the problems resolved step by step and sometimes not so resolved. I also loved how the audience was first pulled in thinking that the serious kiss would be the absolute focus of the story but then is later revealed that there's this chaotic clandestine story line being revealed through the main character's perspective, Libby.

[lyNN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it was a pretty okay book.Its about a girl who is worried about having her first serious kiss but it struggling because she hadn't find the right guy togive it to. Her dad is an alcoholic and her mom was a nervous wreck and when LIbby, the girl of the book found her mr.right, her parents break the hews to her and tell her she gotsto move. Thinking it would be the most awful thing ever, she ends up finding a new best freind, having a normal family after counseling, and then having her first serious kiss with a guy who falls in love with her just the way she is.

[Kt!e · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read serious kiss because i was forced to. it was a bluebell book for school and it was the only one that seemed girly and interesting. back then i was into books like this. serious kiss has a basic sentence structure and writing techniques which doesn't make it over used but classic. i like how the book had numerous problems but one over all solution. i liked it. the only thing i would say in negativity is the book just stops. no resolution. the kiss and then nothing. but i'll just end on: serious kiss is worth reading.