Kiss It

Gr 9 Up—Eighteen-year-old Chastity Bryan had sex with wishy-washy nice guy Hunter Johnson (it was over before it started), and now he's in love with her. She's on a mission to have more, better sex, and love has nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, she finds out her parents have kept her dad's prostate cancer secret from her. Then her friend Sadie gets pregnant. When impossibly hot Sebastian comes to town over Christmas break to visit his dad, he and Chaz connect instantly. He doesn't want to take their relationship any further, but won't say why. While Chaz's preoccupation with the act of sex is refreshing in a female protagonist, Downing's eventual object lesson—sex is meaningless without love—is woefully heavy-handed. Sadie's pregnancy is a cheap way to show Chaz's caring side, and her miscarriage is so convenient that it calls the authenticity of the entire narrative into question. Chastity is a likable protagonist, and her tongue-in-cheek observations are funny and smart. Her running commentary on the absurdity of small-town life sets a playful mood, though her deeper thoughts are more tell than show. Sebastian is sufficiently sweet and clever, and sentimental Sadie is Chastity's perfect foil. Too many subplots slow the pace of an otherwise engaging story.—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library