A modern day Cyrano de Bergerac story with a twist!

When the long-term substitute English teacher arrives at Sonoma Valley High, both Amber and Geena fall head-over-heels in love with his good looks and sophisticated style.

Geena pens sophisticated messages through MySpace to Mr. Sands in the hopes that he will woo Amber, her best friend who is anything but the classic reading, college-aged literature geek Mr. Sands thinks she is. Geena's fascination with Mr. Sands complicates her troubled relationship with Ben, whose one-time dalliance with Sophie de Luca, the mirror image of a teen beauty queen, stirs up all of Geena's insecurities about who she is and who she should be, both as a young woman and as a girlfriend.

In a wild and wacky turn of events that will leave you staying up all night reading, Amber and Geena discover the value of self-acceptance and the quiet endurance of true love. ( )

It is not often that a sequel is better than the first, or is it the sequel usually outshines the first? Either way Triple Shot Bettys in Love has its own share of greatness! Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty fans rejoice the sequel is in the house! I love this series, and it is one of my favorites. Gehrman is such a fantastic writer! These novels are hilariously funny, which keep me coming back for more, and yet each story has significant depth, that keeps the story real. Her novels are the best of both worlds. Strong characterization and realistic dialogue. Although diary style entries have been done in novels many times before, Gehrman some how keeps it refreshing. Geena’s charming voice is the cherry on top. My only disappointment was the lack of Hiro. But fortunately Amber and Geena’s antics more than make up for her absence. I couldn’t help but relate to Geena in her insecurities revolving around Sophie’s relationship with Ben. Which only confirms that everyone has insecurities including the smart, pretty, and confident, fictional Geena. Triple Shot Bettys in Love is a sensational novel! If you have not already, I’d recommend that you start the series with Confessions of Triple Shot Betty and then read Triple Shot Bettys in Love. ( )

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty ended up being one of my favorite novels of last year, so it would be an understatement to say I was excited about reading this sequel and exploring how man-hating, feisty Geena would fare in her first romantic relationship.

In this second Betty adventure, the action revolves around Amber’s crush on the hot new English sub, the Jack Kerouac loving Mr. Sands. In a plot reminiscent of Cyrano de Bergerac, Amber enlists the decidedly more book smart Geena in her campaign to win over Mr. Sands, getting her help in making over her MySpace page and sending him literate, witty messages. Meanwhile, Geena has problems of her own: Sophie, a super-sophisticated girl from boyfriend Ben’s past moves back to Sonoma and makes it clear she wants to steal him away from her. The third Betty, Hero, is still presumably in love with Claudio, but both are largely MIA here (sadly).

It’s definitely written with the assumption that the readers have read the first book. Since it’s been 7 months since I read it though, I’ll admit, I was a little hazy on the details. It bothered me that the character of PJ was mentioned multiple times without explanation of who he was, and I racked my brain trying to remember (without success). It was also probably due to this time lapse that I struggled through the first 50 pages or so until Mr. Sands and the main plotline was introduced. I loved this portion of the novel: Author Gehrman really excels at writing humor and literary criticism. Her assessments of Kerouac’s On the Road (through Geena) mirror my own:

“I wanted to be totally into it, but the truth is, I had to make myself keep reading. I kept looking for the radiant, electrifying prose Mr. Sands always goes on about, but to me it just felt like one, queasy car ride with no particular destination.” (p 61)

And then there’s the Geena/Ben/Sophie plotline. What really I liked about this was the authentic feeling of awkwardness between Geena and Ben – both in terms of how far they should go physically and the spats they had due to Geena’s fear of not being a good girlfriend and her general tendency towards avoidance. What I didn’t like so much was the way Geena let Sophie bully her. Where was feisty Geena from the first book who never let anyone get in her way? To me, it just seemed too much out of character.

Overall, this makes a very nice companion novel to the Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty. Just make sure you read that one first. ( )

The Bettys return in this fun-filled sequel to Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty. This story resumes not long after its prequel leaves off. It’s been five amazing months since Geena realized her feelings for Ben. Things couldn’t be better for them until a glamorous girl from Ben’s past shows up, threatening their relationship and Geena’s self-confidence. And even though Amber swore off boys after her last relationship ended disastrously, she can’t help but be smitten by Geen’a incredibly hot and intellectual English teacher. In this hilarious and heartwarming continuation of the Bettys’ tale, Geena and Amber stumble their way relationships to finally find true love.

Fans of Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty will not be disappointed in its very funny and similarly well-written sequel. Gehrman is a master at telling realistic stories most teens can relate to with a perfect mix of humor and depth. Geena and Amber are so easy to relate to because they’re so genuine and every girl in the world has probably experienced boy troubles and insecurity before at least once. I truly love how Gehrman can take everyday teen problems and make them something to worry and laugh about and eventually learn from in a truly enjoyable tale. My one major source of disappointment was the absence of the third Betty, Hero, except for a short appearance and a few emails. Also, I was a little sad the Bettys didn’t exercise the slightly vengeful nature I saw in Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty against the people who deserved it the most, but it did show the Bettys’ growth in maturity. Despite the presence of only two-thirds of my favorite Betty trio, Triple Shot Bettys in Love was a cute and lovable tale I immensely enjoyed.

Any and every teen girl will enjoy the Bettys stories in both Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty and Triple Shot Bettys in Love, especially the ones who like stories peppered with laughs and coffee shots. Unfortunately, Betty fans will have to wait until after the New Year to acquire this new Betty tale; but never fear: it is worth the wait!

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com ( )