The worst girlfriend in the world by Sarra Manning

Atom, 2014. ISBN 9781907411014.
Recommended for readers 13+. Sarra Manning's The Worst Girlfriend in the World was a fresh and fun novel that delivered the right touch of humor and wit. This book relinquished an exciting tale that any teenage girl could relate to. I found myself sighing and giggling at all the right places and repeated as if a mantra, 'I would have done that to!'.
The tale follows a sixteen year old college girl named Franny, or adoringly dubbed Franny B and her heart-breaker best friend, Alice. Although her best friend has been titled as, 'The Worst Girlfriend in the World', Franny is a one-guy type of gal who has been obsessively pining after hopeless rockstar, Louis for what seems like forever. The drama begins when Alice sets her sights on Louis and his tousled hair which immediately causes a bitter rivalry between the best friends. Determined to win Louis's heart, Franny spots an easy advantage named Francis, or nicknamed 'Sneering Studio Tech' but what she didn't know that friendship would spark between them. Before long, Franny second guesses her cosmic love for Louis and the strength of her friendship with Alice.
As each chapter begins, we are met with Franny B's cleverness and enthusiasm for everything fashion. Franny had truly turned out to be a loveable and comical character that any girl could connect to. The author grants us innovative and refreshing characters that literally could bounce off the page and become reality.
Teaching this novel to the class will provide lessons on the ideas of 'don't judge a book by its cover' and understanding that there are two sides to a story, not one. This book can be compared to the likes of Rainbow Rowell's novels Fangirl and Eleanor and Park and Sarah Crossan's standalone Apple and Rain.
Samantha May (Student)