Review: Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe

Title: Girl Saves Boy
Author: Steph Bowe
Pages: 288
Publisher: Text Publishing
Release Date: August 30, 2010

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher?

No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…

But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way.

But Sacha’s running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.

Girl Saves Boy is a hugely talented debut novel, funny and sad, silly and wise. It’s a story of life, death, love… and garden gnomes.

My Thoughts: Girl Saves Boy was a quick read told in alternating point of views between Jewel Valentine, a loner girl whose family fell apart after the death of her brother 10 years ago, and Sacha Thomas, a boy who survived childhood cancer and lost his mother only about a year ago. They first meet at the lake where Jewel saves Sacha after he tries to drown himself. After that chance encounter, they start to fall in love.

Throughout the book, it seemed both Jewel and Sacha were unsure about their futures. One doesn't like to think too far ahead, and the other really doesn't have one to look forward to. It sounds like it would be a depressing read, huh? There are definitely sad parts throughout, but for the most part, there was actually a lot of humorous moments. Quirky is the perfect word to describe it. I never quite knew what to expect from the characters and the story next.

I almost gave this book 4 stars, but I didn't for a couple reasons. The romance between Jewel and Sacha was sweet, but it was rushed. I would have liked more development between them and more from the rest of the characters. I also didn't get enough out of the ending. I almost thought pages were missing from the copy I read. When books just end like that I feel sad. I know I'm suppose to use my imagination, but I needed a bit more closure.

Overall, I thought Girl Saves Boy was good for a debut novel. I've liked the writing in all the Aussies novels I've read so far, and this book was no exception. (I've also noticed Aussie books are tiny and cute in size. And usually less than 300 pages. Why is that? I need more!) I hope to see more novels by this author in the future.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Arlene for letting me borrow her copy! :)