The Secrets of Boys [Paperback]

Hailey Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2006

Eric: Loves surfing, has killer abs, an even better smile, and a heart of gold.

Joe: A sarcastic goofball who gives great advice, which no one ever takes.

Zach: Sophisticated college boy, wise in the ways of French painting as well as other French things.

A California girl like Cassidy Jones should be out on the beach, not stuck in summer school! But her life heats up when she meets the worldly and romantic Zach – she can't stop thinking about him, even though she already has a boyfriend. Cassidy wishes her pal Joe were around to help her figure out the secrets of boys, but he's hundreds of miles away. Will she be able to ignore her feelings for Zach – or will temptation be too strong to resist?

Ages 14+

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hailey Abbott grew up in Southern California, where she split her time between creative writing and creative beaching. She is the author of Getting Lost with Boys, The Secrets of Boys, The Perfect Boy, Waking Up to Boys, The Forbidden Boy, and The Other Boy well as the Summer Boys books and The Bridesmaid. Hailey now lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060824336
• ISBN-13: 978-0060824334
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 3, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: The Secrets of Boys (Paperback)

Cassidy Jones has her summer all planned out; she and her BFF, Larissa, have jobs lined up at a super-trendy clothing boutique and her gorgeous, surfer boyfriend, Eric, wants her to spend time in the sand with him. Sadly, her ultra-organized and goal-oriented parents have decided she should spend her summer in an intensive language program at a university.

Once classes start everything starts changing. Larissa is too busy to make time for her friend. Eric is suddenly jealous of everything. Cassidy is suddenly finding Zach, the worldly college boy, attractive, and she starts to question everything. The reintroduction of her childhood best friend, Joe, into the equation makes life even more interesting for her, even if he is all the way across the country. Throughout the summer she expands her horizons, but begins to wonder if she really knows anything about the real secrets of boys and life in general.

The thoughts and feelings that Cassidy experience will likely be familiar to readers. Abbott uses believable dialogue to help tell her story. Readers will be envious of the amazing wardrobes Cassidy and Larissa have access to. Some of the events seem a little unlikely, but they do not distract from the important lessons that Cassidy learns while finding herself. In the end, things wrap up in a satisfying way even if it is not what readers may hope for. There is a feeling that life is just starting to get good for Cassidy Jones.

Reviewed by: Allison M. Rotonda

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not satisfying, June 20, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Secrets of Boys (Paperback)

Hailey Abott's Summer Boys novels are great and scandalous, so I was excited when I saw she came out with a new summer series.

The secrets of Boys was a good book, but it didn't have the same feel as her other series. The writing could be overly-descriptive sometimes and it was rather repetitive.

The main character, Cassidy, is supposed to have been this timid wallflower who blooms into this assertive, social girl by the end of the summer. I never got the feel that she learned anything or grew in the slightest because she always seemed to get off the hook with whatever bad thing she caused.

And then when Zach has to leave her behind, I felt like slapping her because she never tells both Zach or Eric the truth. The truth was she had a boyfriend (Eric) who was a great guy and she never tells Zach this, but then she ends up cheating and breaks up with Eric at the end of the book without really telling him the real deal.

It didn't have the summer feel, either, which was disappointing. I was hoping for a good, steamy summer book, but all I got was a novel of complaints.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!, July 11, 2009

By 

Laura - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secrets of Boys (Paperback)

i just finished reading this book and it was unelievable! i really really enjoyed it and i almost felt as if i was the main character, cassidy. i was getting so into the book because it was just that good! it had a really cute ending and overall it was just really reallyy great! i really dont know what else to say except tht if ur debating about reading this book,donttt! its sososo good and not a book that you should just pass right by! youll love it!