He's Not What You Think

Love Stories For Young Adults #21

by Randi Reisfeld

Jessica Graham is miserable. She has to spend three precious summer weeks at a boring resort with her father and his nasty new girlfriend. But when she meets a mysterious waiter at the resort's restaurant, things start looking up. Danny Jordan seems like the perfect guy...if only he weren't so secretive. He refuses to talk about his family, and often disappears on the weekends--without explanation.



Jessica is determined to learn Danny's story. But he seems equally determined to hide the truth. How can she be with someone she can't believe in?

Genres: Young Adult, Teen

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Randi Reisfeld has written over 60 books, primarily for ‘tweens and teens; non-fiction (celebrity biographies, two of which have made the New York Times best seller list); and fiction. She wrote the Clueless series, original stories based on the characters in the movie, as well as six books based on the character of TV's Moesha. Her original fiction series called T*Witches is a Disney Channel TV movie, broadcast October 2005. [NOTE: Although Witches is in the title, this series is completely wholesome, compelling, and humorous, and has nothing to do with the occult].

She is an editor at Scholastic, as well.

Reviews

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've gone back and forth on how many stars to give this book, and finally think it would be best to leave it at 3. There was more I disliked than liked in this book, which was sad.

Jess is a girl with a plan - all she wants is to spend summer with her friends and the boy crush she's had for awhile. Only her divorced parents screw everything up by insisting she go spend her summer with her Dad, a thousand miles away. Thankfully her best friend Cami gets to come along for the trip.

The resort in the woods isn't the most exciting place in the world, but the boy who works there is. Summer romance ensues.

What I don't like about this book? A lot of lying and sneaking around, with all of it turning out to be perfectly justifiable behavior. What I do like? That there is a depth of the story (at the end) that is handled very well, that the family relationships go beyond the typical 'wicked about to be stepmother' thing, and the relationship between Jess and Cami.

Could it have been better? Yes, definitely. But it's a decent read, that though a couple years old, holds up reasonably well.

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story and one that I feel as though the early 2000s teens read in the movies by the poolside. I was never that girl, but now in my twenties I guess I am reliving that moment just on a plane.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, at least the content was decent. Can't say that much for the plot, or the style or... well... anything else.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite love stories book but not in my list of least favourites either. I enjoyed some of the book, the romance was cute and the characters were fine, but what I like about love stories is that they're clean and wholesome and there was many questionable things in this that gave it teen movie vibes rather than teen book, like underage drinking and Cami wearing the skimpiest outfits and swimwear etc. and was making out with every guy she met........she also apparently has no parents, and then there is Jess's dad and the homewrecker, which brings me to the biggest eye roll in the book "To the two of you....the future Mr. and Mrs Graham."and instead of just saying thank you, it's "Actually, Danny," Janie corrected him, "it's going to be Baxter-Graham. Or Graham-Baxter" lol red flag and I'm rolling my eyes hard, if Jess's dad had any sense he would have called off the wedding right there but then again if her dad had any sense to begin with he wouldn't have left his wife and ran off with another woman so there's that. Jess also was having tantrums every 20 pages and it was annoying and she literally got Danny fired because of jumping to her own conclusions, she literally had no proof of anything and yet she got him fired, so there was just several annoying things in the book. All in all it was fine, I liked it but I didn't love it by any means.

[Rachel]

i'm reading this book just cause. it's okay so far.