Customer Reviews

I Think I Love You

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

A frothy yet thoughtful read that perfectly nails what it feels like for a girl to be at that terrifyingly innocent, yet utterly mature, age of 13.

Though I, personally, never got the whole heartthrob thing--sorry, Kirk Cameron, I only put up the poster to fit in--Allison Pearson embodies all the angst and excitement of that very unique time in any girl's life.

Caught up in the 1970s David Cassidy craze, and centering around his infamous White City concert (OK, I wasn't born yet, but I've seen the "Behind the Music"), it's the story of a British group of girls from Wales, but it could be a tale of any pre-teen peer group, fraught with intrigue and more social maneuvering and potential protocol land mines than a U.N. security meeting. The rampant desire to fit in and be noticed, but not to stand out (heaven forbid). The longing for boys, but the complete and utter fear of actually speaking to a live one. ... It's a pitch perfect portrait of female dynamics and coming of age.

And, in part two, Pearson explores another era of transition, middle age, complicated by love, loss, divorce and motherhood. All of which is a perfect counterpoint to the now quaint-seeming, but at the time life-altering, drama of the teen years. And how you never quite get over your first real crush. There's also a sweet David Cassidy-related romance brewing (set up in part one, it comes to fruition in adult Petra's story).

Allison Pearson nails with unerring veracity all the emotions of both a 13-year-old and 30-something woman and, as a fan herself, has her Cassidy lore down cold. (Pearson even includes a transcript of her 2005 interview with the real Cassidy, which inspired the novel, at the end of book.)

Inside of every woman, that 13-year-old girl still exists. And this way-past-pubescent mom loved every minute of "I Think I Love You."

In the early 1970's, Petra Williams, like so many other young teenage girls, was madly in love with David Cassidy. She and her friends bought magazines dedicated to him, covered their bedroom walls with posters of him, watched "The Partridge Family", listened to his records over and over again, and did anything they could to attend his concerts. But her love for David Cassidy was just one part of Petra's life as she dealt with a cold mother and navigated the tricky road of friendships and boys. Years later Petra is still dealing with the harsh realities of life when she has a chance to finally meet David Cassidy. Little does she realize this long-delayed meeting will forever change her life.

While any woman who had a crush on David Cassidy will relate to and love "I think I Love You" anyone who has ever been in love, whether with a Hollywood star or someone not famous, will enjoy the book. Author Allison Pearson divides the novel into two parts - Petra as a young girl and Petra as an adult still trying to find herself. Pearson does an excellent job with Petra's character in both sections, skillfully writing from the perspectives of both a young and older Petra. As a huge David Cassidy fan when I was a child, I loved reliving the memories of a time when I worshipped him. Pearson does a good job of weaving in actual facts about Cassidy's career with the fictional events in Petra's life. I couldn't help but wince at times as Petra navigated the tricky minefield of adolescent female relationships (there was probably a Gillian in everyone's life) and dealt with her less than loving mother. Along with Petra's story there is the story of Bill Finn, who early in his career worked for the "Essential David Cassidy Magazine". I don't want to spoil much of his storyline (although I will say he shattered several lingering illusions I may have had about David Cassidy) but he added a lot of humor to the book and his storyline left me smiling at the end of the book. Finally, the author has an interesting interview with David Cassidy at the back of the book.

"I think I Love You" is a wonderful look back at the innocence of teen idol worship and the magic of adult love.

Three and a half stars, but since I have to go with full stars I will stick with three. I am a fan of Allison Pearson's and I'll even admit to being a former David Cassidy fan. I am about seven years younger than the characters in this book, and I'd like to think I had a nostalgic distance and ironic appreciation of the 1970's. But maybe that's what all 70's fans think now! I did see Cassidy perform a concert in San Francisco around 1993, close to the later scenes in this novel. He was charming but surely an unworthy recipient of so much affection--but as Pearson observes so well, Cassidy was receiving projected adoration that had little to nothing to do with him as an actual person.

I was charmed by "I Think I Love You" and I enjoyed it overall. Pearson totally captures Petra's insane teenage fetish for David Cassidy, as well as the dynamics of her friendships and rivalries very well. I also enjoyed reading about 1974 Bill as the true author of personal letters to fans in "The Essential David Cassidy Magazine." Her characters are definitely the strongest point of the book.

The first half of the book is quite long, and reads like a young adult novel in many ways. Will adult readers be so engaged that they'll really appreciate this alternately nostalgic and realistic look back? The second half of the book set in in 1998 follows the adult Petra and (older) Bill. It found the second half slightly underwritten. There is a makeover scene where the results are not even described, and the actual final meeting with David Cassidy was disappointing--the transcript of Pearson's actual interview with Cassidy was much more interesting. I was also hoping for more of an a-ha moment with the long-lost quiz that Petra had turned in for the contest, but it just served as a skimmed-over plot device in the second half of the book.

The final deciding factor between 3 and 4 stars was that I really felt that the book needed one more round of editing. Pearson changed verb tenses rather randomly (present and past), and at times switched point of view in a way that felt sloppy rather than an artistic choice (for instance, narrating a scene from Bill's POV, then getting into his girlfriend's head suddenly, then jumping out again).

I believe this book will be popular, and it deserves the success it will receive as an intelligent, well-characterized novel--perfect on the Kindle for a book to take along on a trip.

Though David Cassidy was before my time, I can relate this story because when I was thirteen I felt about Johnny Depp the very same way Petra feels about David Cassidy in this story and like Sharon I outgrew it, but if given a chance to meet Johnny, I'd jump at it. Ah, maybe I didn't outgrow it as much as I like to think, because I've see all those "Pirates" movies more times than I care to admit and I can hardly wait till number 4.

In this story, back in 1974, young Welsh teen Petra Williams and her best friend Sharon are madly, head over heels in love with David Cassidy. They hang on every word in The Essential David Cassidy Magazine. They think they know everything there is to know about their idol, but what they don't know is that David Cassidy isn't the person writing in the mag. The publishers have hired William Finn to be the voice of Cassidy in the publication and though Bill isn't up to speed on Cassidy's likes or dislikes, he's told to just "make it up" and he does, without realizing millions of teens are eating it up.

The magazine runs a contest, first prize an all expenses paid trip to meet David in America. Petra and Sharon, of course, enter and to their dismay don't win. Or do they?

Twenty-four years later in 1998, after her mother's funeral, Petra finds a letter written back in 1974, telling her she's won the contest. Her mother had kept it from her. She calls the mag and as luck would have it, gets ahold of someone and lo and behold, she and Sharon are invited to go to Las Vegas and meet David.

But is David the person Petra was really in love with? Or was she in love with the man she'd thought he was, the man Bill is? To find out you're going to have to read this lovely story.

Charming, charming, charming is how to best describe I THINK I LOVE YOU by Allison Pearson. Not just a coming-of-age story, but a coming-of-age, going past the age, and returning! Allison Pearson has once again found a common denomintor to females of all ages - early teen years, the struggle to find your place, falling in love with a male idol, and growing up enough to replace the idol with a real life partner. Pearson puts into words what most of us lived but have never thought of as a natural sequence in life until Pearson presents it to us. The struggle of finding your place - whether it's with teenage friends or with our children and their teen year struggles - is the them of this very satisfying read. At some level every female will relate to the story Pearson presents the reader. Destined to be a bestseller and a title I highly recommend.

I read this book in one day--it actually held me! I was a little young for David Cassidy, but was totally hooked on Shaun Cassidy, Peter Frampton, and Andy Gibb, so I understand what Petra felt with David.

This was a great story--I loved that it was set in Wales, and I loved the innocence and trust that they took for granted, something that is missing today.

Great book! I highly recommend it!

It's been nearly a decade since Allison Pearson's excellent debut book, I Don't Know How She Does It. Her second book, I Think I Love You, is an admirable follow-up that is not quite as witty and not quite as fast paced, but still a worthy read.

I Think I Love You is the story of a young girl's transition from child to woman told by looking at her infatuation for David Cassidy (of Partridge Family fame) at age 13, and her reflections on this as an adult. The book is written in two parts, each covering one time period. The plot centers on her discovery of a letter her mother had hidden from her informing her that she had won a contest that would have allowed her to meet her teen heartthrob.

Within this structure, the author explores female friendships, cliques, mother-daughter relationships, love, marriage, honesty, and the desire to rediscover innocence. Quite a lot is packed into the just over 300 pages. As in her first book, the author handles female characters better than male ones, although she does a much better job this time. She has a principal male character this time, although his inner voice often seems a little too "feminine."

This is definitely "chick lit." Readers should also be aware that Pearson's books are also "Brit lit.," especially this one. For an American, I am fairly well versed in things British (and Welsh), but I still often found myself Googling certain terms, phrases and brand names so that I could fully appreciate the book. I did not find this to be a major problem.

This bright and cheery book captures the angst of the young teenage girl on the cusp of adult sexuality brilliantly. It is clearly semi-biographical and woven around real events.
The time is the early 1970s. Petra is growing up in south Wales and is totally in love with teen heartthrob David Cassidy. She collects information about him, avidly reads fan mags and dreams of one day meeting him.
Little does she know that the personal letter to fans is not written by David but by a young wannabe journalist sitting behind a desk in a sleazy office in London.

Petra wants to be in the in-crowd in high school but she can't quite get into the inner circle. She courts the favors of the queen bee -- while fending off the emotional assaults of her bitter mother.

It's all put together very successfully and ends in a satisfying denouement. I don't think this is great literature but it is great entertainment and it carries a ring of truth.

I am enjoying this book VERY much. Ms. Pearson makes me feel like I am right back in 1974, and I am reliving all of the emotional ups and downs of being a 70s teen. Ms. Pearson is a fine writer.

This book is very fun and well written! It takes me back to the days when I was in love with Shaun Cassiday (another teen heartthrob!) and I read Teen Beat and listened to the radio for hours. It's interesting to hear it from the Welsh perspective which is not so different than my own. It is funny and poignant. I can't wait to read it every night!