Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they've always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school's foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best friends, the girls start The International Kissing Club, a Facebook page where they can anonymously update one another and brag about all the amazing guys they're meeting. After all, these girls are traveling abroad: amazing guys abound at every turn! But sometimes fun, flirty vacation flings turn into more serious romances, and sometimes you don't return from abroad the same person you were. Will the girls' relationships-and their friendships-be able to survive?Hardcover, 400 pages
Published January 3rd 2012 by Walker & Company
The International Kissing Club is a book that will instantly make you happy. The characters are lively, fun, and unique. Each have definitive personalities, and quirks that make them exciting. Ivy Adams' (which is actually the pseudonym for three friends who write together) book switches from the perspectives of 4 best friends. In many cases, books that switch so much vex me, mainly because I feel as if I can't connect enough with the characters. Ivy Adams manages to make the characters enjoyable though. Each character is so close with the others that you learn a lot about them all, from both them and from their friends. I will however say that some of the friends out shone each other.
The story starts off with a very embarrassing incident which automatically makes you want to continue reading. In just the prologue, Ivy Adams, made me feel sympathetic towards our first leading lady.
Piper is the fearless friend. Despite her fearlessness, she is easily embarrassed. Still she puts on a brave face, and it is she who starts the international kissing club. While I can say that I don't have any major problems with Piper, I slowly lose sympathy for her over the course of the novel. She, in fact, becomes my least favorite of the characters. Her insecurity is the main reason why. I don't want to reveal her actions with in the novel, but while her part in the International Kissing Club is very adventurous, I feel she is out shined by some of the other main characters.
Piper is the fearless friend. Despite her fearlessness, she is easily embarrassed. Still she puts on a brave face, and it is she who starts the international kissing club. While I can say that I don't have any major problems with Piper, I slowly lose sympathy for her over the course of the novel. She, in fact, becomes my least favorite of the characters. Her insecurity is the main reason why. I don't want to reveal her actions with in the novel, but while her part in the International Kissing Club is very adventurous, I feel she is out shined by some of the other main characters.
Mei however is not that character. Mei, who was adopted from China as a baby, is a character I thoroughly enjoyed. She was also the one character I felt I didn't connect enough with. I actually wanted more of Mei and her time in China.
Cassidy was a blast to read about. I connected with her character and her time in Australia excited me to no end. If Adams was to write a spin-off focused on one of the girls I would want her to do so with Cassidy. I definitely want to know more about what happens with her and her very crush-worthy beau, Lucas.
Finally, there is Izzy. Izzy, who is environmentally aware, and compassionate, and my favorite character in the novel. It is she I rooted for as I read, and she I wished to have a happy ending with one popular boy in town. Izzy and Cassidy actually made the book a very enjoyable read for me. Mei, did as well, as every glimpse into her adventures seemed to make me smile.
I've probably seemed a bit strict about my analysis of this novel, but I actually quite enjoyed it, which is why I am so opinionated. Adams writing style is perfect for the type of book she wrote, and though I had discrepancies with the amount of time spent on Mei, the book did not fail to please me. It's a fun, light read that is great for when you are in a bad mood, or even when you just need something to read that can make you laugh.
I can say I really liked the fact that the cover works perfectly for the story line, and each girl is depicted spot on.
I can say I really liked the fact that the cover works perfectly for the story line, and each girl is depicted spot on.
Overall, the book was a really good read, and once I got past Chapter 3, I didn't stop reading until I finished (which ended up being around 3 AM). I would recommend it to all YA Contemporary lovers, especially to those just leaving Middle Grade reading.
You can meet the ladies behind Ivy Adams on the IKC website:
http://theinternationalkissingclub.com/about-ivy/
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