2013 Book Challenge 34/35: The Kissing Booth

Hmm... first let me justify why I gave this book a rating of three stars on Goodreads. I was actually teetering between a 2-star and a 3-star rating with this one. I felt that it was a more superficial than most YA books I've read well maybe because it was written by a 17-year-old and that it didn't give me a definite ending and I really hate open-ended endings BUT I got the kilig fix I needed though and sometimes that is enough for me. Well I didn't really expect that much from a book written by a teenager. Not to be judgmental or anything, but the last time I read a book that was written by someone of the same age as Reekles when she wrote this book, I also found it a bit superficial. However, I still gave it ★★★  because it had me glued to my e-reader the entire Saturday.

So I can't help but notice that li'l Miss Elle seems to be so perfect- got decent grades, not only popular like with the popular kids in school but popular as in popular with EVERYONE and pretty gorgeous (in Noah's terms) and got curves in all the right places. I was rolling my eyes at her, like, the entire time I was reading the book. This was definitely written by a 17-year-old who wanted to be just like Elle. Haha. And not only was Elle all that, the hottest and unattainable boy (Noah) in school just happened to be smitten with her. Ikaw na, Elle! Ikaw na ang pinagpala. Ikaw na!

Aside from that, everything was A-OK. Nakakakilig and definitely a page-turner. Although Noah wasn't exactly the most swoon-worthy fictional boyfriend there is, I still am giddy over the fact that he was honestly head-over-heels in love with Elle. In love? Seriously, these kids are so careless with the term. Oh well, I used to think I was in love with Darren Hayes. Haha. However, Noah did keep their relationship and according to Mr. Oprah Winfrey (Stedman Graham), if a man is keeping your relationship under wraps, he is not so serious about you. But Noah did redeem himself towards the end with the flowers and the fireworks and the hotel.

**PRUDE ALERT** Speaking of the hotel room reservation, how are their parents okay with it? Are kids these days really that uncontrollable that all their parents could do was tsk-tsk at the fact that their kids didn't sleep at home? Spoken like a true-blue Manang. Haha.

Anyway... another thing I liked about the book was that Elle didn't end up with his BBFF (best boy friend forever). Usually these YA books with male and female leads who are best friends aren't just friends and usually have a longstanding history of 'tension' between them (or at least one of them has). Think Friendzone. And with Kissing Booth, I was worried that this would take that path and I feel that Noah and Elle are already good together and if Lee did have those kind of feelings for Elle, he already had an awful lot of opportunities to tell her and now that his brother and best friend has a good thing going on between them, he spoils it all by professing undying love for her. Well, that didn't happen and I am relieved.

I am ending this post with a quote I got from the book:

Man, I really have got to stop reading so many of those cheesy romance books!

How apt, no?