Maine Squeeze

by Catherine Clark

2 Lobster rolls, 1 w/xtra mayo--yuck!
1 Lm'ade
1 Wtr Ignore Evan -- Swap Tues to avoid? Call Ben! RITE AFTR WRK Get tmrw off - qlty time w/ Ben Stop lookg @ EVAN!!!

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Young Adult Romance, Teen, Fiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

I love reading books for children, young adults, new adults and all the old people after that.

I love writing for pretty much the same audiences.

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

The summer before her senior year Colleen meets Evan and falls in love. When he goes back home for the school year they say they will keep in touch. After a short time she stops receiving emails from Evan. So she finally moves on. She meets a really nice boy named Ben. He treats her nicely and respects her. When summer comes along Ben and her friends plan on having a fun last summer before they leave for college. When she goes to work for the first day of summer vacation there is Evan.

So here is the deal with the story. It could have been good. I kept waiting for some big confession from Evan. He isn't always the nicest to her. He acts really cocky and conceated. She ends up breaking up with nice Ben because of Evan. Then one night without even resolving things they start sleeping together again. Nothing is every resolved but she is willing to just sleep with the guy all the time. She tries to work on her house and he talks her into going to the beach to skinny dip with him and other things. In the end of the story she says she knows that Evan isn't looking for anything long term and she is o.k. with that.

What kind of book was that. All the author had to do is have a reason why Evan stopped writting and for him to actually care for her. When it seemed like he was just looking for a little something something during his summer break. I was really disappointed. I couldn't put the book down just waiting for a true confession or something to happen and it never did.

[Ruby Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, not my favorite by this author and is defiantly a lot more pushy then the last book I read by her.

CONTENT: There is closed door romantic content implied. Swearing is minimal although still present. There is underage drinking, and a lot of kissing. But the book is clean, romance wise.

Please note that I read this book a week ago, so some details may not be accurate. If you have read this book, and see inaccurate or missing details please let my know.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I wasn't expecting to be so let down after reading something from Catherine Clark
She always writes cute stories that makes wishing for a romance like that. not with this one though..

I didn't get what Colleen saw on Evan. Yeah he was gourgeous, great ankles and all but other than that he was a complete arse (not that funny/cute arse but the stupid one) and ben (her boyfriend) was cute, caring treated her well and she din't see this at all. loose him and didn't care... I didn't get what Catherome was trying to achieve here but one thing I'm sure: it didn't work.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had so much potential that it 100% did not live up to in the slightest. The main character Colleen’s parents are celebrating their anniversary with a European tour and are letting Colleen and several of her friends stay at their house for the summer while they work their summer jobs.

Colleen has a boyfriend named Ben and some unresolved feelings for her ex, Evan, who she dated the summer before and broke her heart after their long distance relationship fizzled.

I enjoy books about exes who still have feelings for each other so I really liked this at first. Colleen and Evan had some decent sexual tension and I was thinking he would have some explanation for why they stopped talking or would take responsibility. However, he’s kind of a jerk - their relationship appeared to be a friends with benefits situation more than anything else. And she seemed perfectly ok with the fact that he didn’t seem to care about her and just wanted a fling. This was especially disappointing because she had finally admitted to herself that she loved him, but it’s clear he didn’t love her. I kept waiting for Evan to redeem himself, but he never did. He was kind of a tool.

I also thought the book ended very abruptly. I’m not a fan of open ended endings, so that really detracted for me.

[Allison Norberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fav lowkey YA romance books

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

As my fifth contemporary fiction bingo book, I read Maine Squeeze by Catherine Clark. This is about a girl named Colleen who’s parents are going away for the summer and are allowing her to stay in their house with a couple of her closest friends. Everything seems to be going well until she runs into her ex-boyfriend who had moved away during the school year.
I think that overall, this book was alright. The characters were well described but I didn’t enjoy reading about some of their decisions. I didn’t like to plot very much because the main character, Colleen, kept on making ignorant decisions. I was not able to find a theme in this book because the plot seemed to skip around a bit and it focused on many different factors of the main character’s life. I really enjoyed the setting because it takes place on a small island off the coast of Maine. I really liked how all of the locals of the island knew each other and I thought that it was cool to read about a place that you don’t hear about often. I liked the style of how the author wrote the book because it seems as though the narrator is casually speaking to you.
I would compare this book to another contemporary fiction book that I have read, Perfect Girl. They both include a girl who is having problems with the different boys in their lives and they are having trouble with their friends. However, the main character in Maine Squeeze is trying to get away from one of her guy friends while the main character in Perfect Girl is trying to become closer to one of her guy friends. However, I didn’t really enjoy either of these books.
I can connect to Colleen because she is being put in positions where she needs to be mature and make good decisions because here parents are gone for the summer and I, too, have to be able to make good decisions in the future.
In general, I did not enjoy reading this book so I would not recommend this to readers my age.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was really good and out of the books that I've read of hers(banana splitsville, rocky road trip, wish you were here) this was defintely my favorite.

Summary:

So basically, there's this girl named Colleen who thinks she has her summer all figured out. Her parents are gone and her friends are living with her (which she's totally looking forward to) and she's planning to spend all of her free time with her boyfriend, Ben. She even has a great job, being a waitress to earn college money. But then, something unexpected happens.
Before I explain, you might need some back round information. The summer before the this one, Coll had a boyfriend named Evan who worked at the diner she works at. He was daring, but made Coll feel like she had never felt before. Since this book takes place on an island (Maine. Haha, duh :D) and Evan is actually from Pennsylvania, at the end of the summer, he has to go back home. Promising to keep in touch, they part ways. Only, there's a glitch. Evan doesn't keep up his end of the bargain and they don't keep in contact. Colleen is devestated. But then, she meets Ben, adorable, sweet Ben who is the opposite of Evan.
The unexpected thing that happens is that Evan shows up. This summer. And he expects her to forgive him. Colleen, being a person who doesn't forgive and forget easily, avoids him when she can and yells at him when she can't. But as we all know, the boy she loves, being a hopeless romantic type of story, gets a little fuzzy for Colleen. So who will she pick? The swoon-worthy, daring, flirtatious Evan who broke her heart the last summer, or Ben the sweet,cuddly, also totally swoon-worthy guy who she trusts and loves ever so dearly (yes, I realize that was a little cheesy)?
Read to find out...... :)

P.S., I can proudly call this one of my all time favorite books :D

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this zero stars, I would. This is my first review on Goodreads simply because I don't want people to have to suffer through this book. Colleen is one of the most annoying characters I've ever read about. She thinks of herself and that's it. I realize she's only 17 or so in the novel, but she acts more like a 12 year old and expects everyone around her to just deal with it. The random extra roommate that shows up partway through is just as bad as Colleen and I can't believe they didn't kick her out after the first incident! No reasonable person would've actually let her stay after that. Evan is a jerk. Full stop, there's nothing else to him. Poor Ben deserved way better than Colleen too. To top it all off, the book ended super abruptly. It felt like the author was in the middle of a thought and just stopped writing? I figured this would be a really cute summer read and was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe the whole point was to get you heated about unlikeable characters. Maybe Clark wanted them to be those characters you love to hate. In that sense, she definitely made them hate-able, but not in a fun way.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was different, it's not like most of the books i read which are more so like Hunger Games, Twilight, etc. but this one is predictable, it's the type of book you would read just for fun to relax and think about summer and try n picture you being at the summer time. I liked the book until the ending. The ending was pointless and didn't really give any closure as to the book being over, i thought there was going to be another chapter because i got the 2 in one book Maine Squeeze edition. If the ending were different i would have definitely read this book again, but i think it was a one time read.

[Hermela Tefera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maine Squeeze by Catherine Clark was overall a good book, but had some put downs. This book is about Colleen Templeton who spends a romantic summer before starting college working at Bob's Lobster, sorting out her feelings for two possible boyfriends, and sharing a house with friends on the tiny Maine island she calls home. Honestly I personally didn't like this book because it was really boring in many parts and also it didn't flow together really well to create a great story. Some things I did like about this book were that it portrayed many difficult situations and the consequences that come with the decisions.

[Caroline C Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a cute summer read but the ending wasn't my favorite. I feel like Catherine Clark could have put a bit more effort into really finishing the story in a way that wasn't so bland and open ended.

[Jordyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was funny!
it was a drama type of book... but it was like awesome! i would read it like a million times!

[stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok book. her parents go away for the summer and she has to figure out how to managw roommates and an ex boyfriend. the book just started getting interesting when it ended.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book 3 stars (slightly generous) but I only read "Main Squeeze," I did not read the second book, "Banana Splitsville." Might try to read that one at a later time but needed to read something more age appropriate for me and more entertaining.

In my opinion, this book is better for a younger teen, maybe the ages of 14-18 or so. "Sex" is mentioned a few times but nothing in detail or anything inappropriate in my opinion. I just felt this was a very cliché "summer romance" type of book that I felt had potential but didn't meet it. I didn't find myself really rushing to read this one, although still a quick read with around 250 pages. The characters were kinda basic and I figured Blair would be the bad girl, Ben I thought might have done something stupid but was the classic "golden boy," and I did think Haley got so mad at Colleen because she liked Ben herself. I thought Evan could have been a better character as far as their relationship goes. I agree with some of the other reviews about it being more a friends with benefits situation. Not sure if the main character is just hoping it'll turn into more or if she's truly okay with taking what she can out of the relationship before college. At least she realized her feelings for Ben was that she loved him but wasn't in love. No use stringing people along. Feelings are confusing. Not a horrible book but def made for a younger audience in my opinion and lacks a few things for adult readers.

[Jacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I really enjoyed it at first, it was an easy read. I’m not the fastest reader so with it being a quick easy read made this book enjoyable for me personally. The concept of the book gave “Summer I Turned Pretty Vibes” so I was interested. I read this at the start of summer and this book is about a girl’s last summer before going to collage in the fall. She has a bf but then her bf from last summer shows up. She basically goes back to the first guy , the one who hurt her, but I feel like he said he had a gf? Or maybe just a fling with another girl that just came to visit him? That I don’t think was totally understood on my part, but maybe I just missed something, and it’s been a few weeks since I read this book. The ending is very odd though. It kinda just ends abruptly and leaves you wanting more. Like another reviewer said, they thought there was another chapter or something at the end. Overall if you want a quick easy read that you could sit outside sipping tea in the summer, this book isn’t horrible just kinda leaves you feeling like “mmh it’s okay.”

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Revisiting the first book I ever hated/chucked across my bedroom as a teenager. I don’t know what I was thinking because my memory was not wrong!

Reading as an adult with a handy dandy functioning prefrontal cortex, I think that the author was trying to make the main character be someone that girls who weren’t ready for a serious relationship in high school could relate to. But that message is ruined by how unlikable her main character is (as a teenager I hated that she ended up cheating on her practically perfect boyfriend with the man-whore who was a dick to her and had ditched her the previous summer and was going to ditch her again).

She is immature and whiny and has no real regrets about hurting the people who care about her because at least she’s ~discovered~ something about herself. I think this book could have worked if so much of this character learning lessons didn’t rely on her being such an asshole to everyone around her that wasn’t Evan.

[Shannah Tan · Rating 2 out of 5]

At my childhood home and was craving a romance. I truly just kind of blazed through it skimming heavily through some parts. True teenage high school PG-13 romance. It really threw me back to high school where you’re torn between two guys. Nobody is mature, good at communicating, or making good decisions because they’re literally teenagers. Thinking about the key takeaways for a teen reading this.

I appreciate how friendships power through like Haley and Colleen. I like how Haley calls her out because Coll really is being an asshole. Then Colleen says it’s awkward but encourages Haley to go for Ben. Pretty mature! Colleen goes for Evan, but that kind of fast, spontaneous, and exciting love and passion is kind of nice at that age with pretty little consequence.

[Valerie Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! This book is about friendship, love, heartbreak and feeling overwhelmed by silly things as you prepare for your first semester of college. It's a coming of age story. I loved that it was set in Maine and that it was on a small island. The book had a very 'Gilmore Girls' vibe, with quirky elders and ice cream by the pier with your best friends talking about life. Everyone knows everyone and you can walk basically everywhere. Each time I sat down to read this book, I Felt as though I was being transported to the very feelings I felt at age 17 and to a cute "quaint" Maine island.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like open endings, so the ending was very disappointing.

I like the whole ex-boyfriend coming back plot, but honestly Evan sucked, almost all of the characters did. The only characters I didn't mind were Sam and Ben, poor Ben deserved better.

[D. Page · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly don't understand Colleen's obsession with Evan. She throws so much away, and he treats her like garbage. Nothing is ever resolved or discussed. She basically is ok with destroying her other relationships for a few weeks with Evan.

[Alexandrea Charrier · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got so annoyed so fast. I can't even tell you how many times I rolled my eyes at thr Characters. And I think the writer has an ankle/foot fedish which weirded me out personally but some people like that stuff. 🤷‍♀️

[Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites of the teen romances that I read back in the day. I love the way the author gives information quickly right away. It’s certainly a cute one and very nostalgic to reread in a day.

[Valerie (Reader of books. Enthralled by Words.) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was... blah. I was interested at the beginning but then I just ended up skimming it.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, 13 year old self. Why did you like this back in the day?

[Katherine Bui · Rating 2 out of 5]

the setup/layout of the book was kinda confusing, but it was okay

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick summer read

[Melissa Arpin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read but the ending sucked. I still have it 3 starts causes it was a cute book.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little book! Super cute and funny! I just wish she didn’t get back together with Evan at the end..

[Emily Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was okay. very predictable, not much character development. kinda random subplots. not my fave, but it occupied my time. i bought it because the cover was cute haha

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colleen was a bit insufferable.