The Boy Next Door (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Meg Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Mel is bored with her life, until the elderly woman next door is nearly murdered, and she sets out to find who is responsible by investigating her neighbors, including the handsome, but mysterious, man who has come to dogsit for his comatose aunt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her debut adult novel, Cabot (known for her extremely successful young adult fiction series the Princess Diaries, published under the name Meg Cabot) relies entirely on highly amusing e-mails to tell a fetching meet-cute story. New York City gossip columnist Melissa Fuller is known for being obsessive about Winona Ryder, dating the wrong men and being tardy for work. Arriving particularly late one morning, she explains to her colleagues at the New York Journal that she was detained by the attempted murder of her elderly next-door neighbor, Mrs. Friedlander, who is in a coma. Always the good girl, Mel has volunteered to take care of Mrs. Friedlander's many pets until the neighbor's nephew Max, a famous fashion photographer, can be reached. Her co-workers warn her about Max, a notorious lady's man. Contrary to the gossip, when she meets Max he is down to earth, funny and kind. Despite the strange fact that he likes to be called John and appears to be between photo shoots, she begins to date him and learns that he shares her love for Stephen King novels and natural disasters. It doesn't take long for her to fall head over heels, or for Mel's mom to write, "Get a ring on your finger before you uncross those legs, sweetie." When a mysterious e-mail arrives explaining that there is more to her beau than meets the eye, she is duly upset and uses the power of her pen to get even. But when Mrs. Friedlander's attacker returns, will Mel and Max be able to put their differences aside to catch a killer? Full of clever e-mail banter and tongue-in-cheek humor, this cheeky novel should be enjoyed in one sitting.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-An entertaining romp told entirely through e-mails. Melissa Fuller, celebrity-gossip columnist for the New York Journal, lives a relatively shallow existence until her elderly neighbor is attacked and sent to the hospital in a coma, leaving behind her Great Dane and two cats. Melissa gets help in caring for them from the man who is supposedly Mrs. Friedlander's playboy nephew Max, but who is actually his college buddy doing him a favor, and it all becomes a bit complicated when Melissa falls in love with "Max." Every loose plot thread comes into play in the highly satisfactory conclusion, with just enough twists on the way for a fun ride. The format fits perfectly with the gossipy nature of the book and moves the story along; readers are privy to all of the e-mails, but the characters only get the bits addressed to them. This book has the same breezy style as Cabot's "Princess Diaries" series (HarperCollins) for younger readers. Teens who enjoyed Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary (Viking, 1998) will flock just as quickly to this lighthearted romance.
Jamie Watson, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 374 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613925416
• ISBN-13: 978-0613925419
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,372,415 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Light Reading, May 20, 2003

By 

Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Boy Next Door (Paperback)

Meggin Cabot's The Boy Next Door is a triumph of light reading--an amusing breezy novel that thankfully does not take itself too seriously. I admit, I was a bit hesitant when I discovered the format--a novel told completely in email--would that work? Well, it works and it works very well. The novel concerns a young, single New York woman who falls in love with a man pretending to be her next door neighbor's nephew. Not the most original plot in the world, but so what. The Boy Next Door is a lot of fun to read, very entertaining, lots of fun. If you are looking for a light, chick-lit-ish read, this is the perfect candidate. Enjoy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute..., December 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy Next Door (Paperback)

but, maybe a bit too cute. I was surprised by how MC could write an entire book using only E-mail. I know I shouldn't have been surprised at all as I know what a good writer Patricia Cabot (aka Meggin Cabot) is and love most of her books. She has the sharp wit, humor, and intelligence that puts her at the top of my very short automatic buy list.

The only real problem I have with the book is that it was too tame. By using E-mails as the format for this book, MC does the reader a disservice. I could not really bond enough with the characters as I normally would, because the E-mail format limits how well you really get to know the characters, plot, and the entire story in general. E-mails cannot be as descriptive (even though MC did a good a job as anyone could) as regular novel formats.

Overall, this book is a light, fast, humorous read. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy read.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh Out Loud Funny, October 28, 2002

By 

laura joy "laurajoy6" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy Next Door (Paperback)

I am a long time fan of Meggin Cabot. The Princess Diaries series and her romance novels written as Patricia Cabot have all been wonderful. Her first contemporary adult novel was no disappointment.

First and foremost the all e-mail message format is fun and different. This format coupled with endearing characters and a screwball comedy plot makes this a great read.

Mell Fuller is a fun heroine. Interesting and strong but not perfect. The collection of her co-workers, family members, and friends who populate this book make it memorable.