Reviews

I was really hoping to take the political edge off with this humorous story of an average American teen who saves the president’s life and then has a fluffy romance with his son. It didn’t quite work. First, I couldn’t stop wishing that the book were more political—that Sam, the teenage heroine, would have stronger beliefs—there’s a short bit where she disagrees with the administration about the judging of an art contest, but that’s about it. Wouldn’t it be interesting to read about a teenager who saves the president’s life but really disagrees with his policies and has to figure out if it’s appropriate to use her new time in the spotlight to take a stand? I also kept wishing that this wasn’t another book about a rich girl—a rich, white girl who goes to private school and has an eccentric live-in housekeeper. It could have been so much more interesting if this book weren’t another story about a privileged kid getting to experience more privilege.

But I’m aware that if these are the things I want, I probably shouldn’t be reading Meg Cabot. (Why I continue to read Meg Cabot books at all is an entirely different question.) I still think I would have gotten more “it is what it is” enjoyment out of this book, however, if so much of the main conflict hadn’t come from Sam being an idiot. She starts the book with a crush on her sister’s boyfriend, Jack; then she meets the president’s son, David, and develops a crush on him as well. David likes her, too, but instead of rejoicing that a cute boy is into her, Sam spends the entire damn book doing angsty variations on, “But I can’t like David! I like Jack!” Um, Sam, sweetie: you can like more than one person at once. Not to be Miss “I Have a Crush on EVERY Boy!”, but you can actually like many different people at once. And I totally knew that when I was fifteen. Which makes listening to someone whine about it for 300 pages not a particularly enjoyable reading experience.

Sigh. I’d still like to read a political pick-me-up book. Other than the wonderful [a: Ellen Emerson White|98688|Ellen Emerson White|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1291698682p2/98688.jpg], anybody know of any?