Customer Reviews

Boy Heaven

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Kristy Sweetland is a pretty, blonde cheerleader away for the summer at cheer camp. Bored out of her mind, Kristy and her best friend, Desiree, join up with fellow camper Kristi to skip the cheer camp practices and hit Lovers Lake. Perfect, sunny days do not happen often, so why waste the chance to get a good tan and chill on the beach?

The girls stop at a sketchy gas station to fuel up on diet sodas and candy bars. Of course, the three cute girls in shorts and bathing suits catch the attention of two "grubby" guys hanging out in their car. Kristy makes the mistake of smiling at the guys, which completely freaks out Desiree and Kristi. Quick to hit the road, the girls are shocked when the guys begin to follow them. Intending to give them the thrill of their lives, all three girls flash the guys when they pass at a steep turnaround.

Once back at camp, the girls laugh off the incident and are proud of themselves for getting rid of the guys. All of a sudden, though, strange things start happening around the camp. Kristi hears all sorts of noises, including screeches and crunching branches. Then she feels like someone is always watching her and claims she talked to the guys out in the woods. The girls begin to believe these guys are stalking them at camp, yet they can't prove anything.

Each girl handles the stress of the situation completely differently. Desiree hooks up with a hot lifeguard and becomes intent on meeting him out in the woods alone. Kristi refuses to eat or shower, essentially becoming a prisoner in her cabin. Kristy thinks back on her life and how things could have been different for her. With Kristi essentially out of commission, Desiree and Kristy find themselves in for the shock of their lives one night out at Lovers Lake.

The ending twist of BOY HEAVEN is not to be missed. I found myself speeding through this book to find out what exactly happened to the three girls. The suspense builds with each page and the end is straight out of an urban legend. A must-read for fans of thrills and chills.

Reviewed by: Samantha G.

Boy Heaven is a modern-day urban legend that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until they reach its shocking conclusion.

One afternoon, three girls sneak away from cheerleading camp, planning to drive to a nearby lake. The teenagers never quite make it there. While at the gas station, the beautiful driver - Kristy Sweetland, the narrator of the tale - attracts the unwanted attention of two boys.

On the drive back, the girls attempt to lose the boys, but the narrator's best friend, Desiree, is an insatiable flirt. She prompts them to do something that only increases the boys' interest. They do eventually lose the guys and head back to camp, thinking nothing of it.

As the days go on, two of the girls think they see the boys spying on them, and one of the girls receives a threatening note in her bunk. The situation affects each girl differently: Kristy reflects on past events that have shaped her, such as the loss of her father; Desiree starts a risky relationship with a cute lifeguard; and the third girl, Kristi "with an I," becomes withdrawn and anorexic.

The vast majority of Boy Heaven is told in first person from Kristy's point of view. However, the book begins and ends in third person as the story is told around a campfire, furthering its set-up as an urban legend. Fans of Lois Duncan ought to pick this book up. The writing style is fresh, the plot intricate, and the settings and characters quite detailed, making Boy Heaven one of this summer's most intriguing pageturners.

...and not just for young adults. I am a mother to an eighteen-year-old daughter and I was compelled to read this novel to the end in just two sittings. Kasischke's take on an urban legend through the lives of three teenage girls and the boys they touch is riveting. Although I was much different as a teen than the girls portrayed in this novel, Kasischke brings in many familiar adolescent details--emotions, group and individual behaviors--things I haven't thought about in years. I felt like I knew these girls, and that I had more in common with them than I'd want to admit. The plot is fast-paced and glimmers with sexy danger. Kasischke's use of language in this novel is just gorgeous. Every image contributes to the plot in crucial ways. "Boy Heaven" is one of the most expertly crafted stories I've read in a while; every image means something, every character feels real, every plot line is explored fully. I can't wait for my daughter to finish it so we can talk about the surprise ending. This book is girl heaven!

The seventeen years old girls snuck out of Pine Ridge Cheerleading Camp in a red convertible Mustang belonging to the ring leader Kristy. Accompanying her on their drive through the Blanc Coeur National Forest to skinny dip at Lover's Lake are her best friend Desiree and some other camper Kristi ending in I instead of a Y. With back seat Kristi whining, Kristy stop for gas at a remote station where the guys appreciate the beautifully tanned long legged teens.

The trio quickly knows they made a bad error judgment when they chose to sneak out of camp; for they are being stalked by two guys from the gas station. Wherever the trio may be these males are there watching, waiting, and lurking whether it is during practice, or even inside their cabin. Always nearby is a battered station wagon as their shadows relentlessly haunt and haunt them.

This is an action-packed exciting thriller that never slows down from the moment the counselor begins to tell the eerie tale of the three teens to her audience and never slows down until she finishes her "true story". The three girls have differing personalities with each coping differently to the stalking. The weird boys are obviously deranged and dangerous leaving notes in beds, parking anywhere the girls will be which adds to the threat of them harming their targets. The climax will stun young adult readers who will not see it coming as Laura Kasischke takes her audience on a creepy joy ride along BOY HEAVEN ridge.

Harriet Klausner

When I started reading this book, I had no clue it was supposed to be a mystery-urban-legend type of feel to it. (I could have easily looked it up on amazon to find out, but it was cheap so I grabbed it.) My review will probably not make sense at all because I'm doped up on cold meds, but I'm giving it a shot.

First I have to say the author has a real knack at writing. I love the way she describes the setting around her, and how the characters were written. They were nothing special, they didn't have anything where I was like wow! That might make them sound boring, but they weren't. They were just normal girls with their own personalities that blended well for the story. Kristy, the main character, was the type of person you might pass by in the hallway and she will smile at you because she's just nice like that. Desiree is the girl that sleeps with who she wants, and really doesn't care what you think. Even redhead Kristi (that's with an "i") had a personalty you might not like, but she fit so well in with the story, you did like her.

The book is taken place through a week at cheerleading camp. The three girls sneak off one day, and end up flashing a couple boys that have followed them from the gas station they stopped at. It's all harmless fun, right? Back at camp, suddenly redhead Kristi is acting strange, saying she keeps seeing the boys at camp. That they have been talking to her through the window. Even Desiree spots them a few times, and finds a note in her bed. Main girl Kristy thinks everyone has just gone crazy, because they couldn't be stalking them....or could they?

I kept wondering when the heck the plot was going to kick in. It seemed like the story was mainly about Kristy telling about her life, and the boys at the gas station where barely mentioned in the first half. But once the plot starts rolling, I understand why you know so much about her. Because if you didn't, you wouldn't care about what happened at the end of it. The ending...is just...yea, didn't see it coming.

There are some parts that still bug me because they weren't explained. And I still have no clue how I feel about it. I didn't love-love it where I'd be telling everyone to rush out and read it. But I read it all mainly in one sitting, so I did like it - I just...I have no clue. If you like the mystery type feel of teen books, then I would suggest picking this one up from the library sometime.

This book irritated me because not only did the author spend the entire book to build up to the last 10 pages, but then the ending was shocking- but it was dumb. i felt it was a waste of a few days of my life reading it. and the ending wasnt even good.

"The Hitchcock ending to this story of teenage love will shock and surprise you."

Gosh, what can I say about this book? The ending WILL shock you... I agree with that part of all the hype. But it didn't exactly shock me for the better. At the end of the book I just wanted to throw it down on the ground and rip it up.

I don't know, it just doesn't seem like the setting of a mystery type story. I mean, seriously, Cheerleading Camp? Plus, it seemed like nothing was resolved. What was up with Desiree and Kristi towards the end? What happened to T.J. or whatever his name is? And why exactly did it end the way it did?

I am so confused, and honestly I would hardly reccommend this book to anyone.