MATES, DATES, AND MAD MISTAKES
Cathy Hopkins
Simon Pulse
Fiction
ISBN: 0689867220
209 pages

The Mates, Dates series rotates among four friends: Lucy, Izzie, Nesta and TJ. This time it's Izzie's turn, and the British four are getting ready to enjoy the last of summer before Year Ten begins. They decide to symbolize their friendship with a navel piercing --- but some chicken out and then Izzie's Mom finds out and makes her take it off. She even reads Izzie's diary --- why can't she just understand that Izzie needs her space to experiment?

New hottie on the scene Josh helps Izzie experiment with drinking, smoking various substances, late night escapes and some serious making out. His friend Spider is seriously creepy, too, and embarrasses Izzie at her band's gig. Her friends begin to avoid her, and suddenly Izzie is way past her comfort level.

This latest installment in the popular Mates, Dates series reminds readers where some seemingly harmless mistakes could lead. Everyone can relate to falling for the wrong person when growing up. While British stories and friend quartets seem to be everywhere in teen girl fiction these days, this series manages to keep it real with issues to accompany the fun, light reading.

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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