ISABELLE’S BOYFRIEND

When Taryn meets John Epplin, aka Epp, she knows she has found her first boyfriend. Everything about him is perfect, from his smile that seems to radiate megawatts to his witty humor—except that he is Isabelle’s boyfriend. Undeterred by Epp’s commitment to the popular and beautiful Isabelle, Taryn and her best friend, Lila, hatch a plot that rockets Taryn into Epp’s orbit. Posing as a school reporter hot on a story about the differences between male and female sports, Taryn interviews Epp to get to know him better. However, Taryn didn’t realize when she pitched her fake story that her original lie would mushroom beyond control, jeopardizing both her relationship with Lila and any chance she may have with Epp. Although the present-tense narration carries a generally unsurprising and flat plot, Taryn’s quirky relationships with her divorced mother and Lila add depth and honesty, which keeps this tale from being totally predictable. (Fiction. YA)