Customer Reviews

The Boy I Loved Before

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

 

 

This is a travel-back-in-time story a la "Big" and "13 Going on 30", but with a twist. In this case, Flora's parents go back in time with her, and only people who love Flora recognize her in her 16-year-old body.

Much of the book is shallow and lacks an emotional core, but toward the end, Flora makes a connection with a boy her "age" and makes peace with her issues in a believable way. She also manages to make things better for the people she loves as a result of her time travel.

Overall, though Colgan's prose is glib without a lot of depth for much of the book, the ending is very satisfying and makes the book as a whole worth reading.

Was I the only one who noticed that the back of the book couldn't even get the character's names right (It's Sashy on the back, Tashy throughout the book)? I've read Colgan's other books (Talking to Addison, Amanda's Wedding), and I was disappointed in this one. It was still Colgan's writing, but the characters didn't hook me. I'm so tired of reading about women who are apathetic about the man they're with (both Flo and Tashy/Sashy are)- shouldn't authors start giving readers some credit for recognizing when their characters are so obviously in a dead-end relationship? Do they think women are that pathetic and desperate? In any case, when the first three chapters so clearly indicated that Flo and Tashy were with men they didn't even really like, no less love, I almost put the book down. But I kept going because I thought the premise of the book was so good. And once Flo becomes a teenager again, it did pick up. Still, I wished Colgan had been a little more original with her characters, and a lot less predicatable. I'd read another Colgan book first before picking up this one.

I have a confession to make. I normally don't read books set in England. I don't know why; maybe it's because I can't relate to the locations. I pulled this off the shelf at the library and didn't realize it was set in England until I began reading it. I almost stopped right there, but the storyline is one of my favorites so I continued. I am glad I did.

Colgan was able to capture the confusion of her character and the incredible sense of a 32-year old being trapped in a 16-year old's body. I loved that. How amazing it would be to be able to "see" oneself at that age once again. It's easy to look back on our teenage years and think life was great, but we certainly do forget how confining it was and how, once we get used to the freedoms of adulthood, it would be impossible to go backwards.

I liked the character and found her situation to be both silly and interesting. I also like the conclusion of the story. It was very satisfying. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one sitting. And yes, I also noticed the errors in Tashy's name in the questions at the end of the book!

The Boy I Loved Before by Jenny Colgan is an interesting take on a known concept. While at her best friend's wedding, thirty-two year old Flora wishes to be sixteen again. Her wish is granted, but with a unique twist: she does not go back in time sixteen years and relive her teenagedom in the 80s, but rather in the present day.

The writing was quite lively and made me laugh out loud many times. Pop culture references run rampant throughout the book. Flora is silly, serious, selfish and selfless in turns, realizing that she never really grew up, but that adulthood does have its good points.

If you enjoy books or films that employ the "be careful what you wish for" / "wanting to be young again" plotline, and if you enjoy comedies, definitely check out this book. It's worth the read.

Yep, this is light-hearted fantasy. Can you imagine having a 32 year old friend of yours suddenly show up as a 16-year old? And say that the last time she saw you was at your wedding, which isn't scheduled for another month? What would you do? Well, isn't it obvious? You would ask how you looked! And how the wedding went.

Yes, Flora, the heroine of this story by Jenny Colgan, has gone back in time. But only a month back, not 16 years back. Still, she has the knowledge of a 32-year old. Will she stun her friends with her skills at cooking? Yes, you can read this book and find out.

Is this mainly a comedy or is it a more serious look at what we'd do if we had a chance to live part of our lives over again? I was laughing too much to figure that out.

Flora is a 32 year old accountant who is in a serious relationship with Oliver. One day she and Oliver go to her friends Tashy's wedding and when Tashy is cutting the cake Flora makes a wish that she could be 16 again. The next thing she knows she is being awakened by her mother in the room she had as an adolescent. It appears she and her parents went back in time to when she was 16 only Flora finds out that they only went back in time a month. Its kind of confusing at first but gets interesting when Tashy, Oliver, and John Floras old high school boyfriend know her and remember the past that she had just left. They all try to find a way to get Flora back to her regular 32 year old self but in the mean time come up with some very funny adventures and a serprise twist at the end that is very interesting.

This is a fairly typical chick-lit sort of novel, which is not a bad thing.
There's a British girl who has a curvy-sort-of figure, and she's
dissatisfied with her love life and career. Sound familiar? Okay, what
if that girl somehow manages to enter into another realm, where she
and her parents are somehow younger, but everyone else has
stayed the same? What if her parents are completely oblivious to
what's going on, and insist that she goes to school and obey
curfew? And what if this girl takes up with the younger brother of
that gorgeous boy she knew in high school, you know, "the one who
got away"?

That is the premise of The Boy I Loved Before, a very clever, fun
story with few flaws. True, it's a little hard to understand how the
main character Flora manages to become younger and her parents
have forgotten but she and her friends haven't, etc. etc., but if you
can get past that sticky point, then you've got a fun novel which will
appeal to high school age on up. If you're looking for a good chick
lit book with an extremely interesting twist, then look no further, The
Boy I Loved Before is for you!

The story itself was an interesting concept, and I enjoyed the ending, which is crucial to whether or not I actually recommend a book. The book did have some flaws. Some parts of the book were too drawn out and for a story like this one, it good have been slightly more compact. All in all, a good read if you can get into it and stay into it.

Thirty something accountant Flora Scurrison seems to have it all making plenty of money though the hours seem endless and having a nice boyfriend Oliver who treats her well. So Flora wonders why life seems unfulfilling and tasteless.

At the wedding of her best friend Tashy, Oliver proposes. Instead of leaping for joy, Flora wishes she could start over again. To her shock, something magical or a curse occurs; Flora finds herself as a high school sixteen year old, but not back in time. It is still the Bush Junior period, not the Reagan era and Tashy is still getting married next month. Tashy and Oliver are in their thirties though they recognize the sixteen years old Flora. Over the next month Flora relives her teens, but will need to decide between thirty-two and sixteen when Tashy says I do.

THE BOY I LOVED BEFORE is a refreshing chick lit tale with a few twists that bring an entertaining uniqueness to the story line. Similar in some respects to Peggy Sue Got Married with a Fountain of Youth twist as Jenny Colgan's heroine does not go back in time only in age; Flora's reliving her school days is amusing to follow as she brings adult knowledge with her. Chick lit fans will enjoy this humorous entry that is based on something many people dream of: a second chance at youth with the knowledge of experience.

Harriet Klausner

Jenny Colgan has a wonderful way of telling a story and keeping your attention. Her writing are witty, smart and she has the ability to hold your attention. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ---Marci Vandercapellen