How to Ruin My Boyfriend's Reputation by Simon Elkeles
Publisher: Flux (November 8th, 2009)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 257 pages
Series: How to Ruin #3
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the third book of this bestselling series, Amy Barak-Nelson misses her boyfriend Avi, who is in the Israeli army. Her grandmother convinces Amy to sign up for two weeks in a military training base. Not her idea of fun, but what's worse? Her team leader turns out to be Avi.
Review:
I think this was my favorite book of the series! If you haven't read the previous 2 books, you may want to skip this review. How to Ruin My Boyfriend's Reputation picks up a few months after How to Ruin My Teenage Life. It's summer time again and a full year since Amy first met Avi. She's now on her way back to Israel but this time she will be joining her friends at a military training base.
Nathan, Jessica, and Miranda are joining her and they get into quite a few hilarious situations. Amy isn't sure what to expect when she gets to the Israeli training base but she seemed to have no idea it would be so hard. The teens are treated like real soldiers and are forced to"rough it" just like everyone else.
The big surprise is that Avi is one of Amy's team leaders. They realize quickly that alone-time may not be possible on the base. And, while Amy may have thought Avi would be easy on her, she was wrong. He pushes her to do her best, while being absolutely adorable whenever she needs help. What is cuter than a tough team leader rushing to the aid of his girlfriend in front of all his friends? Nothing, I tell ya! So cute!
But, Avi made me angry in this book. Actually, very angry. I felt so invested in this story and Amy and Avi's romance that I really started mumbling things like"OMG how could he do that? That is so wrong! He'd better stop that!" LOL. Yes, I might be crazy, but I guess that's a good sign because I really connected with the story and cared about what they were going through.
There are a lot of physical and mental obstacles Amy and Avi must face in this story. Simone Elkeles really knows how to weave together a brilliant romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and serious moments throughout a story. I read this book in just a few hours and never even put it down. I am so sad to see it all end. *sigh* I'm glad we get the chance to get to know Amy's friends in this story and it all seemed to come together to show us the full picture of Amy's and Avi's experiences.
Recommended: EVERYONE. Pick up this series immediately. It's funny, romantic, and so well written. Start with How to Ruin My Summer Vacation so you don't miss a moment of Avi (and Amy, of course).
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository