Is it possible to go on a kissing spree and emerge with your heart—and reputation—intact? Van Draanen’s (Flipped, 2001, etc.) latest explores a number of issues revolving around sexuality, but fails to deliver fully. Evangeline is still reeling from her father’s infidelity and the subsequent divorce. She’s spent months focused on school, but when she finds her mom’s romance-novel stash she decides to live it up and search out a perfect “crimson kiss.” Hijinks ensue, all narrated in an appealing first-person voice, but it seems girls can’t be sexual precipitators even in this enlightened age, and soon Evangeline’s name appears in the Boys’ Room. Plus, she’s lost her best friend after unknowingly kissing her crush. On top of everything, Evangeline’s mother seems to be reconciling with her cheating father, leaving Evangeline, and her anger, out in the cold. Ultimately, Evangeline finds love—with a guitar. A complex but not entirely satisfying examination of female empowerment and growing up, it’s a good introduction for younger teens just starting to grapple with these weighty issues. (Fiction. 12-16)
