M or F by Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbetts
The Internet certainly has a lot to answer for, but one thing that it has done for writers is to open up a whole new way of writing about mistaken identity. This book is a classic, but funny example.
Frannie has a crush on Jeffrey, the hottest guy at school. But whenever she gets near him, her mouth and brain shut down and she can say nothing. However, she does join a chat room Jeffrey frequents. So far so good, but once again her brain shuts down and she can think of nothing to say. In desperation she turns to her best friend Marcus and asks him to write something. Once an easy solution is found, it is very difficult to find the right time and place to go to the hard solution, even if it is the right thing to do.
But Marcus is gay, and gradually he develops a real interest in Jeffrey. He knows he is probably doing the wrong thing when he starts corresponding with Jeffrey without Frannie’s knowledge. And the longer he goes on the more he becomes convinced that Jeffrey is falling for him. Problem…
This is another book that is certainly chick lit. The irridescent pink cover kind of shouts that out. But it is also witty and funny in an American sitcom kind of way. Certainly it is not the worst book I have read recently, but it is still a long way from the best. But still, it will find a market.
