Every Boy's Got One [Paperback]

Meg Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 4, 2005

Cartoonist Jane Harris is delighted by the prospect of her first-ever trip to Europe. But it's hate at first sight for Jane and Cal Langdon, and neither is too happy at the prospect of sharing a villa with one another for a week—not even in the beautiful and picturesque Marches countryside. But when Holly and Mark's wedding plans hit a major snag that only Jane and Cal can repair, the two find themselves having to put aside their mutual dislike for one another in order to get their best friends on the road to wedded bliss—and end up on a road themselves ... one neither of them ever expected.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A day-by-day travel journal intended as a first anniversary present for Jane Harris's best friend, Holly, turns into Jane's rollicking private diary account of the madcap events leading up to Holly and Mark's Italian countryside elopement. Cabot (Boy Meets Girl), who pens the bestselling young adult series the Princess Diaries, presents an engaging topsy-turvy tale pitting maid of honor Jane, renowned for her Garfield-like Wonder Cat cartoons, against Mark's best friend and best man, international journalist Cal Langdon (who, to Jane's astonishment, has never heard of Wonder Cat). The author garners extra points for cleverly bringing the novel to life via Jane's diary, Cal's PDA journal and the hilarious e-mails that whiz through cyberspace between the main characters, their respective family members and one diehard Wonder Cat fan. Cabot captures the rustic charm of Castelfidardo, a small Italian town in the region of Le Marche, which happens to be the accordion-making capital of the world and is replete with unpredictable electricity, dubious public restrooms and bureaucratic snafus that nearly derail the wedding plans. The jaded, bitterly divorced Cal makes a worthy opponent to Jane, whose notions of marriage are much more romantic than his. Cabot's personal epilogue about her own elopement in the Italian countryside—marked by much of the mayhem her main characters encounter—adds spice to this frothy concoction of love, friendship and true romance.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–This charming urban fairy tale about an elopement pits maid-of-honor Jane, famous for her "Wonder Cat" cartoons, against best man Cal, an international journalist who has never heard of her work. The author captures the rustic charm of Castelfidardo, a small Italian town that happens to be the accordion-making capital of the world and is full of unpredictable electricity, dubious public restrooms, and bureaucratic snafus that nearly derail the nuptials. The clever story is told via e-mail, text messaging, Weblogs, and Jane's entries in a travel journal. After writing a few pages, she realizes that the trip is a chance for her to discover that every boy has one: a heart, that is. Romance fans looking for a fast read, enriching details about Italy, and a good laugh will not be disappointed.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1st Ed. edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060085460
• ISBN-13: 978-0060085469
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write! Books for you, your sister, your best friend, your mother . . . . even for men with good taste!

Most of my time is spent over at my website, http://megcabot.com, so be sure to stop by!

UK, New Zealand, and Australia fans, visit http://www.megcabot.co.uk.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#70 in Books > Teens

#70 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Addition To The Genre Of Chick Lit!!! November 10, 2004

By Kristi Ahlers

Format:Paperback

This was an amazingly funny read that fan's of chick lit should surly appreciate and those readers that may not naturally gravitate to chick lit will find this a worthwhile read that offers both a quirky look at travel and romance.

This book is set up in journal, and e-mail format and the story is told through these formats via Jane Harris, and Cal Langdon as well as the secondary characters of Mark Levin, and Holly Caputo. Together these four will take us on a roller coaster ride of laughs on the way to an elopement in Italy of Mark and Holly. There is never a dull moment on the road to romance, and the final destination of matrimony will be no different, especially with Cal and Jane along for the ride. Cal is a cynic from the word go and does not believe in romance or love. Love is a chemical imbalance in the brain as far as he's concerned and the concept of people staying together for forty or fifty years proves that there is something very wrong with them. Jane on the other hand is a total romantic and knows that Mark and Holly are meant to be together no matter what. If this means that she has to stay in contact with Cal in order to prevent him from sabotaging not only the most romantic thing she has ever witnessed, but also ruin the first time she's ever been out of the good 'ol U.S. of A.. Everything is going great until against her recommendations (Jane) part of the wedding party (okay, Mark and Holly) partakes of some of the local raw shellfish and they find themselves laid low by food poisoning. Now Jane and Cal must ride to the rescue and pose as the "totally in love" couple in order to complete the paperwork needed in order for Mark and Holly to get married in Italy. What follows is Jane and Cal get a chance to know each other, and they both realize that the other is not a zany or bad as they thought. Could there be a happily ever after for these two?

This was a fun read with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Ms. Cabot is one of my favorite authors in this new genre and her latest read is semi-autobiographical as this story is based on her own experience when she eloped to Italy with her husband. After all truth is stranger then fiction at times, and yes, great material for an entertaining read. This was a fast paced read that although it is a light hearted read she does tackle the hard issue of commitment phobic people, and the other issue of perceptions and how these can be hard as well. This is defiantly a character driven story and all four characters are endearing and likeable which only adds to the story. Ms. Cabot is an extremely talented and creative author and her latest effort is well worth picking up.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful romantic comedy! April 1, 2005

By Raj

Format:Paperback

I had never read any of Meg Cabot's books and was delighted to read this one as my first!

The story starts off with Jane Harris, the cartoonist of the `Wonder Cat' comics, eagerly waiting at the airport for her friends Holly and Mark to show. Holly and Mark are planning to elope in Italy, and Jane is Holly's maid of honor (and her closest friend). Anyway, Jane meets this obnoxious rude guy at the airport, only to find out that he is Cal Langdon, Mark's best friend and the best man for the wedding. Holly and Mark hope that Jane and Cal hit it off, but the two of them (Jane and Cal) cannot stand each other at all! Jane pretty much starts hating him when he makes fun of her at the airport, and later when she finds out that he is not believe in the marriage as well. However, as things go on, we see that even with their differences, there is an attraction between them. The question is, whether they will realize is or not.

I LOVED reading this book for so many reasons. They are:

1. Firstly, the simplicity of the language. Meg Cabot does a wonderful job of making the characters sound as most people do today. The conversations between the people in the book are fun and exciting to read, without being monotonous or too complex to understand.

2. I loved Jane's character in the book. She is this quirky but fun person, someone you would love to have as your friend. It was amusing to read her relationship with Cal as well.

3. We read the entire story through email conversations and personal journals on Blackberries and PDAs between the people. Since this is the first time I was reading a story in this manner, I found it to be a wonderful idea!

4. Finally on how funny this book was. I don't think I have laughed out loud so many times while reading as I did for this one.

So in conclusion, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read light-hearted romantic comedies.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious New Work By Cabot January 7, 2005

By Erika Sorocco

Format:Paperback

Thirty-year-old Jane Harris is ecstatic to know that her best friend since first grade, Holly Caputo, is heading off to the small town of Le Marche, located in gorgeous Italy to marry her true love, Dr. Mark Levine. What's even more exciting is the thought that she, Jane Harris, has been invited to witness the wedding. As it will be her frirst trip ever out of the U.S. of A, she plans on remembering every single little detail about it. Hence, she purchases a travel diary. However, when she meets who Mark is bringing along with him, Cal Langdon, a big-time journalist who just published a book about Saudi Arabia, Jane's perfect vacation is thrown off course. Cal is a pompous, precocious modelizer - someone who dates various models, then dithes them, or gets ditched by them - who, get this, doesn't know who Wondercat is. Everyone knows that Jane Harris is the creator of the lovable comic strip character, Wondercat - who just happens to be based on Jane's very own cat, The Dude. I mean, Wondercat is even being optioned for a show on Cartoon Newtwork. As if that weren't bad enough, Jane is dreading the idea of actually living with Cal for an entire week, but she'll do anything for Holly. So when tragedy strikes Holly and Mark, and threatens to ruin their wedding, Jane concocts a plan involving Cal that will ultimately save the day.

I have read Cabot's THE BOY NEXT DOOR and BOY MEETS GIRL, so was ecstatic to pick up EVERY BOY'S GOT ONE. As I expected, while not all of the characters from her two previous novels made appearances in this one, some of them did, which was a pleasure, as the characters in both of those novels were marvelous. As are the four new characters introduced in this particular novel. Jane is a fabulous character, whose passion for high-heeled shoes she can't walk in is hilarious. While the fabulous personalities of Holly, Mark, and Cal, all mesh together to create a cast of marvelous characters, that ultimately make this a fabulous book. Told in e-mails, and travel diary and PDA entries, EVERY BOY'S GOT ONE is a PRINCESS DIARIES for the adult set.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper