Customer Reviews

The Book of Luke

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Readers of Jenny O'Connell's first book for teens, Plan B, will have high expectations for THE BOOK OF LUKE--and they won't be disappointed!

When nice girl Emily Abbot's family moves from Chicago back to Boston in the middle of her senior year, Emily and her two best friends come up with a plan that is not so nice. It's a project for their class time capsule, but it won't be the typical scrapbook or mix CD. They'll write a handbook for guys about girls. And who better to test out their theories on than arrogant Luke Preston? Emily, the three friends decide, will be the perfect person to try it out and report back. After all, Luke would never suspect the nice little Emily he knew way back when...But Emily's not what she used to be.

Before she knows it, however, the experiment has gone horribly wrong. Wrong in that Emily finds herself falling head over heels for her experiment!

THE BOOK OF LUKE is a funny, original story guaranteed to have readers fascinated from first page to last! This fresh, honest novel is full of amazing characters and excellent writing. Jenny O'Connell is a smart, talented author; I'm really looking forward to seeing what she writes next! This is contemporary fiction at its best; readers will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

So... I picked up this book and i didn't know what to think. I was bored one day and decided to read it... this is what i found. In this novel, the story takes you to Chicago to meet the oh-so-nice and always mannerful, Emily Abbott. Emily is class Valedictorian, a Senior in High Scool, has a football player boyfriend, and to top off her oh-so-perfect life... she is just plane nice.
Emily's family informs her that they are moving back to Boston where they origanly moved from. Emily's dad, however, has decided to stay to "think about some things". If this isn't bad enough, Emily's all-star boyfriend broke up with her THE DAY SHE WAS MOVING! So... now Emily is back in private school in Boston. Everything is the same. Her friends haven't changed and everyone still loves the lovable Emily Abbott. When asked about the past three years since she was gone, her friends (Josie and Lucy) tell her not much happened. Not much excpet that Josie's ex-boyfriend was caught cheating on her over christmas-break and broke up with her through email!
The Senior project is due for the traditional senior-time-capsul-project. The girls decide to make a book for boys in the future telling them what they are doing wrong and how to fix it to get a girl. The girls (mainly Lucy and Josie that is) decide that they need to test their theory. They force Emily into making Luke Preston, the hottest guy in school who also happens to be the one who broke it off with Josie, fall in love with her and then breaking his sorry little heart. Too bad Emily ends up falling for her "experiement" instead of wanting to crush him. It also happens that Luke kind of always had a thing for her too.
Emily has to keep the relationship a secret and the whole story takes you along with her little web of lies. Now all she has to do is work her way out of them!
I rated the story five stars because i instintly fell in love with it although sometimes Emily annoys me. Well written, had me on the edge of my seat. JUST READ IT! The worst that will happen is that you don't like it (yea right!) and you can put it down!
Hope you enjoyed my review and I didn't give TOO much away! Check out all my other reviews! =]

<3 tAyLor

Emily Abbott is a senior in high school who has her future all planned out; until her mom and dad tell her that they are moving to their hometown of Boston. She planned on spending the year with her boyfriend Sean in Chicago, graduating valedictorian and getting early admission to Brown University. Now that they are moving what will she do? She loses hope of being valedictorian and her biggest problem, she loses Sean. The morning of moving day she invites him over for one last goodbye but instead she gets her heart broken. Because of this she starts hating all guys.
Emily attends school at Heywood Academy which is where she went before the move to Chicago. She rekindles with Josie and Lucy (her best friends at Heywood). When they start talking, Emily realizes that she missed a lot of stuff. Like the fact that Josie went out with Luke Preston (the cutest guy in school) and was dumped through an e-mail. Since both of them don't like the way guys treat girls they decide to make a how-to guide for them. They name it the book of Luke because they use Emily to get close to him and use her as a tool to make observations. When she starts falling for him she has to choose. Her friends? Or Luke?

I think Jenny O'Connell is a great author because her writing style kept me wanting to read. The pacing was good because it wasn't to slow or fast but good enough to comprehend what's going.I would mostly recommend this book to girls in 8th grade or above because of some situations and content.

I was a huge fan of Jenny O'Connell's first teen book, Plan B, and wanted a sequel so badly. I'm glad she wrote one!

Fans of Plan B wont want to pass up reading The Book of Luke. It's every bit as good and maybe a little better. I really loved how the story was written and could really relate to Emily and her feelings toward guys. I think anyone has felt the same way at one point and can get something from reading this book like I have.

Are you a nice girl? And sometimes wonder why the heck you're being so nice when everyone else doesn't appreciate it or even return the favor?

This is how Emily Abbott feels in Jenny O'Connell's The Book of Luke. O'Connell captures readers with her memorable characters, unique high school drama, and a love story to make you melt.

Definitely pick up The Book of Luke. This is one nice girl revenge story you don't want to miss!

This book was SO good. Emily's torn between who she's expected to be, who she wants to be, and who she finally figures out she really is. I loved her friendships and how she wanted to be a good friend and ended up being not such a great friend after all, but most of all I loved Luke. The way Emily's relationship with Luke grew and changed was amazing and is written in a way that is so real. I was rooting for them and experienced every up and down with Emily, and there were so many that I couldn't put this book down. The characters are amazing, the relationships feel real and the story can't help but keep you turning the pages. Will give this book to all my friends!

Well, I normally hate the books that are like: girl meets boy in her high school, girl falls in love with the boy, they fight because she caught him with another girl, bla bla bla. The typical teenage high school romance. And I thought (at first) that this book was going to be like that. I decided to buy it because of the reviews that said it was a great book: and they were right.

I laughed so much while reading this book. It really is very funny. You get into the book since the first page, and I just couldn`t put it down. The only reason why I put four stars is because I think the ending was really, like, fast-pacing. I mean, Emily (the protagonist of the book) has this huge problem, and the book tells you how this problem develops, and you are sooo into it, and then: it resolves. Very fast. I mean, it makes you think that the author had to finish the book quickly, and resolved the problems in like, 9 pages, and its a 291 page-book.

Despite this, it is a VERY good book. For me, it was wonderful how it showed you the transformation of a girl who was nice, and became a girl who was... a bitch. But a lovable bitch. And I had enormous fun reading the things that guys do we cant understand, and the tips written before the chapters.

In conclusion: this book is awesome: if you can, buy it.

I LOVED this book, from the first chapter when emily is left standing on the sidewalk outside her house freezing, to the last page. Besides her "test" with Luke, I liked the friendship between emily and her friends back in Boston and how she gets caught between being a good friend and how she feels about Luke. I only wish there was a second book because I wanted to know what happened to Luke and Emily after the story ended. Definitely read this, and definitely read the Tips that start each chapter, they're SO true!

**Another reviewer mentioned the book is about cheerleaders, plastic surgery and rich kids but I read this story cover to cover and none of the characters are cheerleaders, Emily and her friends haven't had plastic surgery and only one girl has any money so it doesn't even sound like we read the same book!

i just recently finished "The Book Of Luke" over just two days, it was so good. i was saving this as the last book to read before school begins, but i wanted to finish it so badly now i have time to read another. Jenny O'Connell did a fantastic job of portraying Emily's feelings, like being at a dead end not knowing what to do to fix things or to get herself out of the mess she'd created. i think she should write a 2nd book about it. i would love to read it. its amazing.

Also another of my favourite books, The Book of Luke, shows the transition of the always-nice Emily Abbott to the not-so-nice Emily Abbott, and all the in betweens, falling in love, lying and family drama.
As you can see, five out of five, as its awesome. And you should, so read it.