A few "sexy" bullet points about Jay:
December 12, 2011
Clark debuts with a pop culture–filled narrative that never quite finds a middle ground between its tendency toward cutesiness and an earnest plot revolving around teen love, broken families, and alcoholism. Fifteen-year-old Jay, driven by a crush on his best friend, cheerleader and American Idol hopeful Cameo, is running for class president in order to impress her. After a number of frustrating turns (ranging from an embarrassing debate to the discovery that his mother has been having an affair with Cameo’s father), Jay winds up in detention with Caroline, an attractive new girl. Soon they are going out, but the family troubles don’t stop for either of them, as Jay’s parents head toward divorce and Caroline’s mother contends with alcoholism. Clark gives Jay an engaging voice, but one that seldom feels natural; his overuse of silly words—
“D-bomb” (for divorce), “jizzorgeous,” etc.—drags the story line down at the wrong moments without adding anything substantial. It’s a good if not groundbreaking story that is let down by overwriting. Ages 12–up. Agent: Trident Media Group.
November 15, 2011
A sardonic teen must balance life, love and irritable bowel syndrome in this strained middle-class comedy of manners. Jay Baker's life is a mess. His parents are separating, his mom is shacking up with his crush object's dad and he's running for freshman-class president against football Neanderthal Mike Hibbard, who's been bullying him for the past two years. He's also torn between two girls: the aforementioned crush--and best friend--Cameo and hot, new tennis whiz Caroline. To top it all off, Jay's IBS does nothing to help his game either on or off the court. Clark's dialogue-heavy prose is littered with Jay's sarcastic zingers, often to the point of distraction, like this tortured bon mot: "Ah, there he was: my born-again inner snarkster delivering that little fetus to their doorstep. It's a boy!" Between the soapy story line, constantly acerbic commentary and clumsily doctored pop-song titles that introduce each chapter, the whole effect is too, too much. In addition, references to current celebrities like Katy Perry and Jessica Alba ensure a short shelf life. For more authentically humorous male teen voices that aren't trying so hard, look to Don Calame's Swim the Fly (2009) or Susan Juby's Getting the Girl (2008). Restraint would have been the better part of valor here. (Fiction. 13 & up)
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
January 1, 2012
Gr 7-10-Jay Baker, 15, has been having a tough time. Not only is his relationship with his best friend/longtime crush, Cameo Appearance Parnell, confusing him, but his parents' marriage also seems to be hitting critical mass. Footballer Mike Hibbard seems to have it in for him, too, and Jay can't for the life of him understand why. Things take a refreshing turn when he meets nationally ranked tennis player Caroline, the new girl at school, who is as snarky as he is. It remains to be seen whether their fledgling relationship can survive Cameo's finally returning Jay's affections and long-buried secrets about Jay's mother coming to the surface. While the novel has clever moments, the author's blending of sometimes-dated pop-culture references with actual words to create a weird amalgamated language can, at times, be slightly tiresome. Jay's teacher serves as something of a mentor to him yet is openly candid and even swears in front of him. She comes across as the least-realistic character in the book and has the potential to cause many readers to question the professional nature of her role as an educator. Jay's relationship with his parents is perhaps the strongest story point, giving the sense that his mom and dad are finally being honest with him about the delicate nature of their family. The lackluster romantic drama won't keep readers' attention, and the nonsensical wordplay ultimately falls flat.-Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from December 15, 2011
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* First off: not a thing happens here that's unusual for a teen, or a teen book for that matter. Jay Baker nurses a crush on his longtime best friend, Cam; becomes an emotional mess after his parents' separation; clashes with his homecoming-queen older sister; and weathers a feud with a pushy jock who could squash him like a bug. But the magic lies in the telling. Jay, a large-hearted wiseass who's nearly impossible to dislike, has a narrative patter so deeply laced with groaner puns, pop-culture bombs, and warp-speed free associations that it's almost a new language. It's an argot he shares with vivacious Cam (whose real name, hilariously, is Cameo Appearance Parnell), but after he gets rebuffed trying to share a bit more with her, he starts seeing another cutie who's more or less the anti-Cam. While their awkward love triangle takes shape, Jay's parents get mired in their own supremely embarrassing love-life disaster. To help him out of his funk, Jay's government teacher (who can match him bon mot for bon mot) challenges him to use his considerable powers of clever to write a school blog. OK, so it's not the most thrilling goal ever, but getting there is both flippantly fun and surprisingly resistant to ironic detachment. Most of all, though, Jay's smarts, originality, and warmth make the old teen trope of the hot girl(s) falling for the doofus guy actually believable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2012
Wise-cracking fifteen-year-old Jay Baker's world is disrupted when his parents announce they're going to separate. While he and his sister deal with the fallout, Jay must also navigate his own love triangle and escalating confrontations with his nemesis. Though Jay's pun- and pop-culture-saturated narrative voice grows tiresome, the characters and conflicts are nicely developed.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)