The International Kissing Club - Book Review

Title ~ The International Kissing Club
Series ~ Single Title
Author ~ Ivy Adams
Release Date ~ January 3, 2012
Publisher ~ Walker and Company
Source ~ The Teen {Book} Scene

GOODREADS SUMMARY

Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they've always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school's foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best friends, the girls start The International Kissing Club, a Facebook page where they can anonymously update one another and brag about all the amazing guys they're meeting. After all, these girls are traveling abroad: amazing guys abound at every turn! But sometimes fun, flirty vacation flings turn into more serious romances, and sometimes you don't return from abroad the same person you were. Will the girls' relationships-and their friendships-be able to survive?

REVIEW

The International Kissing Club has a very “unique” premise. Four girls from Paris, Texas join the foreign exchange program so they can get out and see the world. To make it interesting, they make a Facebook page to anonymously track their romantic encounters while they are away.

Okay, so anonymous or not, the idea of tracking your romance on Facebook sounds really weird to me. I would think the guys who are involved wouldn’t be too happy if they knew their kisses and private moments were being broadcast on Facebook. I imagine they would be all “ewwww” if they knew. Private moments are meant to stay that way. Especially romantic ones.

Now, for what I did like about The International Kissing Club. I really liked how each of the girls found a better and deeper understanding of themselves. Each, in their own way, grew and transformed right before my eyes. Ringleader Piper, sporty Cassidy, studious Mei, and environmental Izzy all gained a stronger sense of self. I loved that each girl had her own set of problems and her own way of dealing with them.  I also liked reading about the different countries the girls visited and seeing them as a tourist may see them.

If the Facebook thing were instead a private blog that the girls were updating, I would feel better about the story. I don’t know though, even then, they are sharing private things with each other. Maybe this doesn’t really work for me after all. Instead, the girls should keep the private moments private and enjoy the personal growth they each made.