The Guy Next Door by Carol Culver

Maggie has had a long-time crush on Ethan Andrews.  They were neighbors and friends growing up in a posh neighborhood in the bay area of California.  Ethan is a lacrosse player, who has his future mapped out for him.  However, he is tired of following his father's and grandfather's path, and instead make his own.  He wants to become a photojournalist.

Maggie's character seemed really friendly most of the time, but sometimes it bugged me on what she thought.  She and Ethan both attend one of the most prestigious private high schools in California; and have lived privileged lives...up until recently for Maggie anyway.  Her parents have recently divorced and have decided to sell the house that Maggie grew up in.  Her mother and her have moved to a much smaller house than they are used to, and her mother refuses to get a job, because she got so used to her high lifestyle of not having to work, and just planning and organizing charity and social events.

Now Maggie is facing reality, living a bit of a more low-end life style and having to face being one of the only teens that is facing money problems.

However, what bothered me a little about her character, was the way she thought she was living "poor".  She was afraid that he father would stop paying for her to go to the $28,000 a year school she is attending, and make her attend...oooh horror...public school...

Okay, let me just say that I went to public school all throughout my twelve years of school, before attending college, and I felt I had a very good education.  My school had graduates that went on to attend high end institutions such as UCLA, Berkeley, Sarah Lawrence, and even a few that went to Harvard and MIT.  Getting a public education doesn't always mean going to a crappy school in a terrible neighborhood, with graffiti covering the walls, having to go through one of those metal detectors, and having to go through a drug screening everyday.  Not all public schools are like that! And even those don't always have to have to be crappy schools...okay, they aren't the best, but you're education is what you make of it most of the time.

Other than that, I thought the novel had a cute story.  Throughout the novel, the chapters start with historical facts, jokes, or quotes about the sport fencing.  Even though this is Maggie's favorite sport, I didn't really understand why the author put them there.  They were a little random. But other than those few things, if you are looking for a very easy reader, than it is worth reading.

Overall Rating:

Have a great week!

The Romance Bookie :)