Began reading: 18.7.2015
Completed reading: 2.8.2015
Overall rating: 4.1 stars
After finding her Prince in Hayden Paris, Aurora has been feeling the pressure to ensure that her next kiss will be mind-blowing. Unfortunately, disaster always seems to follow Aurora, especially when Hayden is admitted to the local hospital with a significant lip injury. Meanwhile, Jelena has begun campaigning for school captain, and uses Aurora’s Find a Prince/Princess Program as a campaign policy. With unexpected situations and interesting matchmaking results, Aurora must learn to decipher between true love and deception, while attempting to keep her love life and family life functioning positively.
How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You by Tara Eglington is a young adult fiction that deals with realistic struggles that occur in high school, as well as concepts including romance and humour. There were so many reasons why I enjoyed this novel.
Firstly, this plot was consistent with the first novel, How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You. The plot picked up three days after the first novel finished, so there weren’t any major differences. Overall, the characters had stayed the same; only a few other characters have been included in the second novel.
The novel was well-written, and had many great quotes. Here is an example:
When your heart was in turmoil, silence was the only way to make sure you still had room to breathe (p. 390).
There were also a few plot twists, which kept me interested. All I can really say is: Hunter, HOW COULD YOU?!
There was also good use of literary techniques. Imagery played a big part in this story; I could imagine the characters in their various situations. For example:
‘I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day,’ Hayden said to me later that afternoon. We were both lying on our backs on a picnic blanket in the park. It was the most beautiful autumn day and we were watching the clouds sail by, their whiteness startling against the crisp blue sky’ (p. 354).
I can just see Aurora and Hayden sitting in the park, chatting like the adorable couple they are.
In comparison to the first book, this novel was full of humour. There were a few times where I had to choke back laughter to avoid people giving me judging looks. Some examples of humour in the text include:
My hair was on fire!
The thought screamed through my brain, shocking me out of my kissing reverie completely. Forget the notion of ‘the heat of the moment’ — I was literally going up in flames! (pp. 10-11)
Another example:
Blood. My kiss had actually drawn blood. And not in a sexy Twilight way (p. 11).
Aurora remains my favourite character. Since the first novel, Aurora has grown more mature and trusting, especially with her mother. However, she is still a bit naïve and has become far more dramatic. I mean, announcing that she was breaking up with Hayden because ‘her heart was breaking.’
Jeffrey was my second favourite in this novel; closely followed by Hayden. In this book, I was shown a different side of Jeffrey — one that didn’t appear in the first book. In the text, he was sweeter, sensitive and considerate, yet he was still funny when he wanted to be.
Ms DeForest was still sticking her nose in Aurora’s and her dad’s business. After being invited to stay at Aurora’s place, she gives Aurora a warning about her mother, despite the fact that it’s none of her business.
‘Your loyalty should be to him [Aurora’s dad], not to a woman who didn’t ever want to be a mother,’ Ms DeForest went on.
That was enough. She might be living here, but that didn’t give her the right to judge my personal relationships. She’d crossed the line… (p. 381).
Just like in the first book, Aurora’s dad did not defend her, which disappointed me.
‘Dad, I know she’s our guest, but I’m not sitting here listening to this. She wasn’t even part of the picture until a couple of months ago and she’s got no right to make comments about the situation between me and Mum…’
‘…Dana just doesn’t want to see you get hurt again. She knows about loss firsthand’ (p. 381).
I really didn’t like Aurora’s mum after the first book, and my opinion didn’t change in this novel. She’s still negligent and cold.
‘I thought you came back for me, because you wanted to re-establish a relationship with me? Because you you loved me—‘
‘Of course I love you,’ Mum replied. ‘Have I told you how proud I am about how self-sufficient you are?’
‘Self-sufficient?’ I hated the word. Basically it meant she felt she had a guilt-free ticket to exit whenever she pleased (p. 427).
My favourite part of the novel was Jelena’s election launch party — it was just so unique. I wished I was at the party, haha! Likewise, the excursion seemed pretty cool, despite the camping situation, especially when the matchmakees were interacting with each other.
Don’t forget to check out my review for the first novel in the series, How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You. You can see my review by clicking on the title. Also, check out Aurora’s Facebook page!
Recommendation time! If you like “Eleanor and Park” and “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell, you will love this book. Also I recommend this book to anyone who likes “The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend” by Kody Keplinger, and “A Match Made in High School” by Kristin Walker.
Happy reading!
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