Girl heart boy by Ali Cronin

No Such Thing as Forever Series. Penguin Razorbill, 2012. ISBN 978-0-14-134425-6.
(Senior secondary) Sarah and her close group of friends are in their last year at high school in Brighton England. They work hard and support one another while dealing with the trials of everyday life, balancing homework, jobs and relationships. The characters are well drawn though stereotypical, Sarah,  saving herself for the right boy, Donna the promiscuous one, Cass with a steady boyfriend, Ashley, on the lookout. Of the boys, Rich is gay, Jack sporty and Ollie considered by his friends a 'serial shagger'. We don't have long to wait for Sarah to fall in love with uni student Joe and she loses her virginity on page 30, but is it real love? The sex scenes come across as honest and matter of fact, if you want full R rated stuff you need to buy the eBook! The real message is that friends are more important, they look after you when you are vulnerable, whether it be caused by alcohol, grief or relationships, they have your best interests at heart and will cover for you, even lend you their knickers in an emergency. Ali Cronin's new Girl Heart Boy series, with lots of online add-ins, is going to be very popular with older high school girls but take note of the 'explicit content warning'.
Sue Speck