Perfect Girl [Paperback]

Mary Hogan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2008

Ruthie Bayer is stuck. Her mom is totally overprotective, her dad is nonexistent, and her best friends can't help her now when she needs them most: Out of the blue, Ruthie has fallen in love with the boy next door, Perry. Perry has suddenly grown up and made her heart go thwang, and Ruthie has no idea what to do about it.

Then a new girl shows up at school, and Ruthie realizes she has to do something, and fast. Jenna is perfect, from her perfectly straight hair to her perfectly manicured toes. Perry's noticed her, too, and worse, Jenna has noticed him right back. Ruthie knows she has to call her aunt, New York's "Goddess of Love." If Aunt Marty, romance columnist and woman of the world, can't turn Ruthie into a perfect girl, no one can . . . but she might also turn Ruthie's entire world upside down.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—This story walks the line between being funny and serious, and not always successfully. Fourteen-year-old Ruthie lives in tiny Odessa, DE, with her neurotic single mother. When she was 11, they visited her wealthy aunt in New York City but left after one night and Ruthie was forbidden to contact her again. Three years later, a new girl, whom she calls the Perfect Girl, attracts her friend Perry's attention just as Ruthie realizes that she is interested in him. The teen calls her aunt for advice, and she decides to come and help. She learns that Aunt Marty's husband left her for another woman and that she needed to get away. After she admits this to her sister, their relationship begins to thaw, and readers learn the reason for the grudge. Both adults' actions seem over-the-top. Thankfully, other than buying silk underwear at Victoria's Secret and getting endless pedicures, Aunt Marty's advice is mostly solid. Ruthie takes Perry, an astrology buff, to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. But, even though they have a terrific time and he calls Ruthie "a perfect girl," there's no when they kiss. It's a letdown after she has spent most of the book pining for him. In the end, while giving her eulogy at their elderly tenant's funeral, Ruthie realizes that it's the little details that define a relationship and that perfection is irrelevant. Aunt Marty moves out, but she's become part of Ruthie's life—and her mom's—for good.—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
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.

About the Author

Mary Hogan grew up near the beaches of Southern California (Bikinis! Aargh!), but currently lives in New York City with her husband, Bob, and their dog, Axel. She is the author of Perfect Girl, The Serious Kiss, Susanna Sees Stars, and Susanna Hits Hollywood.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060841109
• ISBN-13: 978-0060841102
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,916,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, May 16, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Perfect Girl (Paperback)

Ruthie's life is far from perfect with a mom who doesn't understand her, her lack of a father, and a peculiar renter. Then she realizes that she is in love with her best friend, Perry. This revelation is only met with desperation when the perfect girl shows up at school, and has eyes for only Perry. But Ruthie has something that the perfect girl doesn't: a New York City aunt who is famous for being the Love Goddess. With Aunt Marty on her side, Ruthie may just have a fighting chance after all.

Achingly funny and sweet, Perfect Girl is a treat to read. By no means does Ruthie have a "normal" life, but her thoughts, emotions, and actions are those that all of us recognize. Hogan's eye for teens is dead on, and her characters are humorous, yet very human. The book deals with more than just self image issues, giving it a degree of reality that will engage scores of readers. You'll be delighted that you picked up Perfect Girl as Ruthie discovers that before you can become the Goddess of Love, you have to learn how to be the Goddess of Loving Yourself.

http://thecompulsivereader.blogspot.com/

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 4, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Girl (Hardcover)

Ruthie has almost survived her freshman year of high school and all of the sudden she feels more lost and confused than ever. She's realized that she is desperately in love with her childhood best friend, Perry. To make things worse, a new girl has started school and Ruthie is convinced she is perfect, and convinced that Perry will think so, too. In desperation, she calls her aunt, who just so happens to be a relationship columnist, and begs her for her secrets to attract boys.

As Ruthie gets closer to her aunt and the story unfolds, it becomes clear that some things are not always what they seem and that even people who appear to have it all together often do not. Ruthie learns several important lessons about the value of family and the variety of relationships of all different types. Along the way, Ruthie also gains more self-confidence and maybe even a few helpful secrets to help her attract boys.

Although parts of the dialogue in this book feel a little forced and don't completely reflect teenage interaction, it is well-written and very enjoyable. Readers will likely appreciate the realistic and contemporary events that fill the story, including a humorous shopping trip that ends in gushing about Ipex bras from Victoria's Secret. Hogan is very effective about getting her messages across without seeming preachy or overbearing, which is refreshing. In the end, PERFECT GIRL comes together nicely, and readers will likely be satisfied even if it does not exactly reflect what they initially hoped for.

Reviewed by: Allison M. Rotonda

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great on All Levels, June 27, 2007

By 

Monica Petersen (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Girl (Hardcover)

Perfect Girl by Mary Hogan is a fun short novel, but also has lessons to teach. Ruthie Bayer wants to be the perfect girl, expecially when her best friend/new crush Perry Gould falls for a perfect girl. Ruthie doesn't know what to do so she calls upon her aunt Marty, New York's love goddess, for advice. Her aunt immediately comes down to Delaware to help Ruthie win Perry's heart.

This book is about more than winning his heart though. It's about Ruthie's family drama when her aunt comes to town, the secrets that spill out which have been hidden for years, emotions and how the world changes when they are played out, and finally what it means to be the perfect girl. Perfect Girl has more emotion packed into it's 196 pages than most 500 page books. No one can go wrong by picking up a copy of Perfect Girl.