CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER
Wendelin Van Draanen
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Hardcover: 9780375842481
Paperback: 9780375842498
304 pages

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline Logan is a serial kisser. She kisses jocks, nerds, even strangers in line at Starbucks, hoping that one of them will be the possessor of a “crimson kiss.” But kissing real boys is nothing like the descriptions she reads in romance novels. After tongue-thrusters, sloppy ear-lickers, and kissers who miss her mouth entirely, Evangeline wonders if she will ever find the perfect kiss.

It all starts with a romance novel she finds hidden beneath her mother’s bed. Reading about the intense relationship between the characters in the novel and the spine-tingling, knee-weakening kisses they share, Evangeline is determined to make her fantasy of the perfect kiss come true.

Her first kiss is with high school hottie Robbie Marshall. Evangeline gives herself a makeover to catch his attention. It works too well. Robbie shoves his tongue down her throat, making her the target of his ex-girlfriend’s ire. Evangeline is disgusted. “Mouth to mouth with a mackerel” is not her idea of the perfect kiss.

Realizing that “extreme hotness” does not necessarily guarantee a good kiss, Evangeline adjusts her approach and sets her targets on Justin Rodriguez. He’s nice, cute, and the kind of guy who’s so romantic he spent a year pining over another girl. She arranges for a rendezvous at the gazebo in the park. Unfortunately, Justin brings his friends. He also is allergic to the flowers in the park and the musky scent of the perfume Evangeline has borrowed from her mother.

Evangeline quickly develops a reputation for her kissing antics. Her name and phone number are markered over the urinals in the boys’ bathroom. Girls threaten to beat her up at school. But she stands to lose more than her reputation. When she accidentally kisses her best friend’s crush, her serial kissing puts her in danger of losing her best friend.

Behind the encyclopedic descriptions of bad kissing, CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER is a subtle portrayal of the ways kissing is not always about kissing. Evangeline's experiments to redefine and empower herself through her sexuality are a reaction to her parents’ divorce. Her escape into the fantasy world of romance novels threatens her ability to have real relationships with real boys.

Fortunately, Evangeline's world is filled with people who care about her and offer her safe havens amidst the turmoil of her serial kissing. Her best friend gives her a home to go to when her own family is falling apart. The owner of a music shop she frequents introduces her to the women of rock 'n roll and lets her explore alternate modes of expression with her arms wrapped around a Fender Stratocaster guitar. She even ends up with her own knight errant who is willing to let himself get suspended from school in order to protect her reputation.

Author Wendelin Van Draanen brings her trademark honesty and humor to CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER. She weaves mature themes throughout her book without moralizing, violating a PG rating, or losing any of the book's pink-covered appeal. The result is a hilarious and satisfying read complete with a messily-ever-after ending.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

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