Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty [Paperback]

Jody Gehrman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2008

Geena can?t wait to spend summer vacation at the Triple Shot Betty coffee shop with her best friend, Amber, and her cousin, Hero. But Amber and Hero hate each other on sight, and Geena?s dreams of a girl-bonding summer fly out the window?then vanish entirely when a few cute (okay, drop-dead gorgeous) guys enter the picture. All is not what it seems, though, and in a story of mistaken identities, summer high jinks, and just enough romance, Geena and her friends learn that when Bettys unite, they can take on the most powerful force in their world: a hot guy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up—Geena, 16, plans to spend her summer working at the local coffee shop in her Sonoma Valley town with her cousin Hero and her friend Amber. She envisions grinding out espressos and supersize iced mochas during the day and spending sleepover nights painting toenails and confessing secrets. Within the first few hours of her arrival home from a Connecticut boarding school, Hero falls in love with an Italian boy working at her father's vineyard and it's clear that she and Amber are not going to be friends. As the story unfolds through Geena's diary entries, readers discover each girl's strengths, flaws, and personality. Truly updating this story inspired by Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing, Gehrman includes a contemporary subplot in which John, whose affections Hero rejects, posts faked nude pictures of her on MySpace, thanks to Photoshop. To save her reputation, the girls concoct a complicated revenge plan that succeeds, revealing the popular and confident John for who he really is. While the drama of this situation might seem outlandish to adults, the author touches on a very real concern of Internet safety. Reluctant readers will be attracted to the hot-pink cover and "hot guy" plotline, but more competent readers will enjoy the novel as well. Gehrman blends realistic teen characters who use slang, curse, and talk about sex with skillfully descriptive writing, leaving readers with a double shot of a highly caffeinated and hard-to-put-down book.—Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Adding to the humor is the teens'... dialogue, which...stays light and punchy with a realistic edge. Sassy and fun. -- Kirkus Reviews

Gehrman blends realistic teen characters...with skillfully descriptive writing, leaving readers with a double shot of a highly caffeinated and hard-to-put-down book. -- School Library Journal, starred review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (November 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142412686
• ISBN-13: 978-0142412688
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a pretty obsessive writer; when I find myself between projects, I get fairly neurotic and moody. Without a book to keep me focused, I tend to question the nature of the cosmos, eat too much chocolate, and buy useless hair products, then toss them out in a fit of panic. Admittedly, though, I'm also difficult to live with when I'm in the middle of writing a book or play, because I get so caught up in the world of my characters that I neglect my loved ones and even get sloppy about basic hygiene. Since I seem to be on a confessional jag, here, I might as well add that I'm really not a very good cook, though I believe I could be if properly motivated. It just seems so futile, since you know you'll be hungry again soon and then you'll have to start the whole process from scratch. Other random notes: I love living in northern California, land of hippies and rednecks, but I'm so fond of British slang, I sometimes fantasize about relocating to London just to hear people call each other wankers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Triple Shot of Shakespeare, April 20, 2008

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty (Hardcover)

When Geena's cousin Hero comes back from boarding school for the summer, Geena can't wait for her to meet her best friend, Amber, and work with them at the local coffee shop, Triple Shot Betty's.

Loud, wild Amber and preppy, conservative Hero are like oil and water - they just don't mix. Throw in a bunch of guys - including a conceited recent graduate, an intriguing Italian boy, and Geena's lifelong classmate who is her academic rival - and someone's sure to reach their boiling point.

Geena, with her hair set in two long braids and her skateboard often underfoot or by her side, is a cool leading character - even though she doesn't necessarily think she's cool. She's also smart, top of her class, yet socially awkward and sometimes even shy. Her academic rival turns into her crush, naturally, while the girls plan a special kind of revenge on another boy, a suave and handsome recent graduate who has hurt many of their classmates.

This book is a modern-day version of Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare, complete with mistaken identities and romantic blunders. The sequel, Triple Shot Bettys in Love, will be a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac. It will be fun to see what happens to Geena, Amber, and Hero next.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!, August 13, 2011

By 

chrelimar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty (Hardcover)

Fantastic summer read that shows some real girl power! I really enjoyed the development of the characters and was totally surprised and thrilled by the ending. I will certainly be recommending to all my friends!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting YA Review: Confessions Of A Triple Shot Betty, July 5, 2008

By 

Enchanting Reviews "Lisa" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty (Hardcover)

CONFESSIONS OF A TRIPLE SHOT BETTY
JODY GEHRMAN

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Geena Sloane hopes that this summer will be the best yet, after all her cousin Hero is coming home and will be working with her and Geena's best friend Amber at Triple Shot Betty. However, she didn't count on them hating each other on sight. Now all her plans for girls' nights hanging out are teetering on the brink of never happening.

Geena, Amber and Hero are three girls who couldn't be more different. Geena's all about becoming valedictorian and is known as the skater chick; Amber has a `rep' with around town and Hero is the shy, boarding school girl with an overprotective father, who because of her sister's mistakes won't let her date till she's in college.

I really liked how CONFESSIONS OF A TRIPLE SHOT BETTY was set up, written in a journal style, rather than chapter form. Filled with some great secondary characters, which Ms. Gehrman does so well, I loved how when things went downhill, it was the stofers who figured into the girls' plans on how to get even with `The Man'.

One of the scenes I really enjoyed was when Geena sees Ben, her really hot arch rival and possible crush, biking by her house (which is highly unusual) and decides to go out and see what he's doing. Instead of simply going outside, she pretends to look for her non-existant dog, Auggie. It was truly one of the most laugh-out-loud scenes in the book.

All in all, CONFESSIONS OF A TRIPLE SHOT BETTY is great, fun read, perfect to tote with you on summer vacation or just laying out by the pool.

This is Ms. Gehrman's first Young Adult novel. She previously wrote chick-lit for Red Dress Ink. You can learn more about Ms. Gehrman's books at her website, http://www.jodygehrman.com

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
April 2008