Review Detail

First, isn't that such an adorable cover? And it suits the story so well! Babe in Boyland gives us so many causes for laughter, it doesn't seem like we find much of a reprieve. Natalie's sad, pitiable lack of know-how when it comes to boys alone is enough to produce a few chuckles from us, as we shake our heads at her arrogant, know-it-all behavior. From the moment she transforms herself into an astonishingly pretty boy, we can't contain our mirth, because the fun is just beginning. Dodging mean girls capable of exposing her, fleeing locker rooms infested with naked boys, and puckering up and fluttering her eyelashes when her cute new roommate happens to peer into her face a little too closely, Natalie has to put so much effort into making her image believable, and this whole experiment proves to her just how pitiful her knowledge of her counterpart species actually is. And what begins as a serious study for her newspaper column, Babe in Boyland ends with Natalie's understanding of herself, of how to stay true to her personality, and of how to treat others.

The plot of Babe in Boyland is obviously predictable and cute, but never falls to cheesy. Besides, we don't hunt down a book like this for hard twists and turns, severe intensity, or thrills. The whole point of a book like Babe in Boyland is to enjoy ourselves, and Jody Gehrman makes that tremendously possible. Even so, this story isn't all about snort-worthy jokes and situations, but actually brushes some serious things. Gehrman introduces excellent advice and insight into not only boys but people in general. It spreads a healthy message, one that encourages us to be ourselves, whoever we might decide that is. We are chameleons, claiming the ability to be whatever we want, however many people we want, and the possibilities are limitless. It's fun to reinvent ourselves every once in a while and make changes, and we learn to appreciate every facet that makes up the whole.

With a believable, exciting romance, and hilarious, multifaceted characters to fall in love with, Operation Babe in Boyland is a total success, and the perfect release valve for those wrenching emotions from our previous reads that we haven't quite been able to get rid of. Dousing any lingering pain or tension, Babe in Boyland incites laughs short and long, giving us something warm and glowy to take away with us as soon as we're finished.

Originally posted at Paranormal Indulgence, 3/7/12