"What's this? A checklist from some girl magazine?" Kent mused. "It's none of your business." There's no way I'm explaining it's a checklist Cam wrote to make me realize my feelings for Kent. Which is ridiculous because I'm NOT in like with him.
Belinda Thinks: It is a series of checklists, along with her very persuasive friends, that help Leila determine whether she actually likes her best friend Kent that way. I say that specifically - the author avoids the word "love" altogether, and this makes the story more powerful and realistic. After all her denial, Leila's feelings are true to life and well-realized without being overly dramatic.Part of the fun of reading this story is watching Leila unwittingly act out the items on her list (such as "friendly banter" and "eye contact"), and waiting for her to struggle through her denial and her friends' interference to realize it herself. Watching Kent, the best friend, become increasingly jealous of Leila's mystery checklist man is also amusing. Their best-friend relationship evolves naturally into romance; there are no big gestures, serenades or balloons, only the growing realization that there may be more to their relationship. This was the most appealing aspect of the story.
The plot and format separate this girl-and-best friend one-shot from being just an ordinary cliche. The characters keep it believable and real. The writing is smooth and solid. In fact, all I can give “Checklisted” is one, giant, check.
0 comments:
Post a Comment