Programmed for Love

Sweet Dreams

by Marion Crane

Katie finds herself torn between her boyfriend, football star Bobby Allen, and her secret computer pen pal, a mystery boy she has never even met

Genres: Young Adult, Romance

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1985

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why are so many of the best Sweet Dreams books lower rated? Some of y'all have questionable taste lol. Jokes aside, I honestly thought this was one of the sweetest in the series, and I'm not surprised it was the only book in the Sweet Dreams series wrote by a man, men actually write such great romance. To me this was a perfect Sweet Dreams book, very likeable characters who make a wonderful couple with a cute plot, great friends and that wholesome loving family that used to be so common. It was also incredibly romantic, with them falling in love in person but both being kind of shy to express it, so they find themselves falling in love online too not knowing it's the person they've fallen for in real life. I thought their emails were beautiful -"You're right that you expect too much. I think you expect the world to be as beautiful as you are. I, for one, have never seen anything else as beautiful, unless it's a frozen lake in winter or the first flowers of spring. Don't blame yourself, it isn't your fault"🫠🫠🫠
I smiled a lot reading this, I just loved Katie and Bobby, and I would also like to appreciate this being one of the very rare pieces of fiction where the main girl does not believe the malicious lies of some jealous witch trying to break them up. I wish more men wrote for Sweet Dreams, it just gives a whole different vibe and I would have liked more.
It was a wonderful book, my only complaint is the usual, I want more!

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was interested in this book since I read the title. I figured it had something to do with computers and technology, and after reading the blurb, I decided that I must read it. The plot reminded me a little bit of the movie, "You've Got Mail", which I also love. Basically, there's two romances happening, like a love triangle, but one is in person, and the other is online. The main character is confused and must choose who she is really attached to. Although the story might be predictable, it is quite entertaining and the characters make it endearing. I also found the concept to be quite unique and outstanding, considering that this was written in the 80s and technology-based stories were just making their mark. Overall, it's a well written book. I really recommend this one.

[Davien Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in high school and I still think about it to this day. It was a simple and predictable teenage love story but so relatable to my experience at the same time. It’s a cheesy high school romance and I give it 5 stars cause this is one of my favorite books of all time.

[Anna Domańska · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit about "Sweet Dreams": this genre (straight Harlequin style non paranormal, stand alone category romance for 10-15 age group) doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for some time.
By the time I started reading this series in my teens, twenty years ago, it was already outdated. I loved the awful covers and inconsistent characterisation.

This book has a spectacularly ugly cover and a plot straight out of the mid eighties. Kids are assigned a "secret pal" to send proto-emails to. There is some conflict between a love rival but it's so mild and wussy as to be unbelievable. The plot is so easy to figure out, a four year old would tell you what happens.

Not one of the best from this series, but it's worth picking up for the kitschy title and cover.

[Amy Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Courteney Cox appears on this cover. I bought the book just as her acting career was taking off.