A Field Guide for Heartbreakers

May 31, 2010
Best friends Dessy and Veronica aren't so much heartbreakers as heartbroken when they jet off to Prague for a monthlong writing workshop. Fresh from painful breakups, both girls are eager to get their minds off former loves and onto potential new ones. Along the way, the 17year-olds encounter more heartbreak and find themselves at odds with each other, but eventually find their way back to a stronger, more honest friendship. Tracy (Crimes of the Sarahs) is best with the vivid historical detail and city landmarks she incorporates into the story. But Veronica is energetic to the point of caricature, making Dessy (already saddled with the last name Gherkin) seem all the duller. There are boys galore, but none of them stands out as particularly special, and a plot line involving a threatening student at the workshop feels at odds with the book's comedic elements, such as Veronica's "man-wall"—a collage of "hot-dudes" she might go after. The way Dessy and Veronica bumble along, acting without thinking and often hurting people in the process, doesn't add to their appeal, either. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2010
Veronica and Dessy attend a writing workshop in Prague. Although still high schoolers, they aren't afraid to take on college guys--both in the classroom and on the dating scene. When boys threaten their friendship, though, the girls must reveal hurtful secrets to each other. A subplot about a psychotic roommate doesn't seem to fit the story; nevertheless, Tracy's writing is tight and spry.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)