Getting Over Garrett Delaney

December 5, 2011
Garrett Delaney is everything 17-year-old Sadie has ever wanted in a boy, but their relationship has never risen above “best-friend” status. Over the past two years, Sadie has become tired of playing second fiddle to a “parade of girls Garrett falls for with heartbreaking regularity.” Now that he’s away at writing camp—and smitten with yet another girl—she decides it’s time to get over him for good. The only problem is that, without Garrett in the picture, Sadie isn’t sure who she is. In this entertaining antiromance, mainly set in the coffee shop where Sadie works, McDonald (The Anti-Prom) turns the tragedy of unrequited love on its head as she traces her heroine’s determined and often comical efforts to find herself and become more independent. Predictably, Sadie’s quest is riddled with self-doubt and setbacks, but she has plenty of advocates to catch her when she wavers. Her supporters, an eclectic group of female buddies and co-workers who have had relationship woes of their own, add color and wisdom to the novel, reinforcing the theme that love (and getting over it) is rarely easy. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stimola Literary Studio.

February 1, 2012

Gr 9-11-When Sadie met good-looking, older Garrett in a coffee shop, she thought she had found her soul mate. For the past two years they've been inseparable-reading high-minded literature, watching foreign films, cruising on his Vespa-but while the 16-year-old pines for a romantic encounter, Garrett has had countless other girlfriends. She hopes he'll confess his love for her when they attend a summer writing camp, but when her application is rejected because she's a sophomore, Garrett still attends and gushes about yet another girl. Sadie begins to question whether this one-sided love affair is all that healthy. Newfound friends at her coffee shop job and a rekindled relationship with a childhood BFF help solidify her plan to get over him for good. Sadie's obsession with Garrett is so convincing that the new Sadie who emerges is a totally different character. The story picks up as she goes through the difficult task of changing her heart. Teen girls will relate to the all-consuming love portrayed here, will root for Sadie, and may appreciate the reminder to put self before boyfriends.-Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2011
A story about creating one's own identity is as common as a cup of joe but this is a bolder brew than most. The natural sweetener: Love is on the horizon for Sadie. In a comedic and candid first-person narrative, Sadie recounts how she has been "madly, hopelessly, tragically in love with Garrett," her BFF, for two years believing that, eventually, the Gods of Unrequited Crushes would smile on her. But Garrett's confession of love never comes, and Sadie is shaken by the taunt of one of Garett's exes: "you're his own personal groupie." Heartbroken, Sadie takes a job as a barista and comes up with a 12-step program, which cleverly punctuates the book, to wean herself from Garrett. But withdrawal is realistically tough, and Sadie hits rock-bottom when, in a hilariously manic scene, she sprawls face-down on the floor at work just to take a call from him. Sadie needs a support group. Enter the Totally Wired crew, a colorful cast worthy of the big screen, to help. The book is chock-full of high- and low-brow references, and a new world opens up to Sadie as she explores unfamiliar ideas and activities. Plain Janes and lovelorn teens will appreciate the sound self-help tips and be inspired by the stronger, deserves-better Sadie who emerges, ready to give love another chance. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 15, 2012
Grades 9-12 Garrett is Ted Hughes to Sadie's Sylvia Plath (without that whole sticking-my-head-in-the-oven thing), only he doesn't know it. Sadie falls into that category known to many a teenage girl: just a friend. Not only does Sadie have to listen to Garrett talk endlessly about his various girlfriends but he is heading off to a New Hampshire writing program for the summer, leaving her behind. Sadie's sure he is going to call and confess his undying love for her; instead, he calls to say he has met the love of his life, and She's just like you. Ouch. Bolstered by new friends and a coffeehouse gig, Sadie sets out to de-Garrett her life. Interspersed with the main narrative are smartly written 12-step rules for complete romance detox, including Find the Flawsafter all, He isn't a shining god among teen boysand Embrace the Unexpected. McDonald offers slightly heavy-handed life lessons, but they all add up to Sadie's excellent realization: There has to be some middle way where I stay myself, in the world I chose, but get love, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
When Sadie's poetry-quoting, foreign-film-watching best friend (and unrequited love interest), Garrett, falls in love with another girl, brokenhearted Sadie recruits a group of friends (and a self-help guidebook) to help her detox from Garrett--and discover what life is like on her own terms. Sadie's travails alternate between relatable and grating in this frothy (self)love story.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)