Author: Wendy Higgins
Genre: Contemporary
Source: HarperTeen
Goodreads
When seventeen-year-old Zae Monroe gets cheated on by the only guy she’s ever loved, then watches her parents' marriage crumble, she decides to forget about relationships and turn the tables on the boys of the world. It’s time to take what she wants, and what she wants are kisses. Athletes, musicians, poets, and bad boys—their lips are all on her agenda, and it's time to collect.Review by Nara
Zae proposes a contest with her friends to see who can kiss the most boys during spring break. But what starts as a harmless competition leads to a downward spiral she can’t seem to break free of. As family, academic, friend, and guy drama come to a head, Zae is forced to face the reasons behind her boy angst, and starts to wonder if she was wrong about the male race...or at least some of them.
To be honest, the thing that was most suprising about The Kiss Collector was just how many parties there were throughout the novel. It seemed like there was one every day of the week! And it's not like it was university/college, it was just high school. I guess it was during the holidays, and I'm not sure if it's different in the US, but when I was in high school there definitely weren't that many parties on weekdays.
Anyway, that point aside, I found The Kiss Collector (as you would probably expect from a title and cover like that) to be relatively simplistic and a quick/fun sort of read. I thought that Zae could have been more sympathetic as a character, which is likely the main reason why I wasn't able to rate the book higher. On the other hand, I very much enjoyed reading about the friendship between the Zae and her three best friends, which was actually a pretty dominant feature throughout the novel.
Overall, a contemporary read with a linear yet enjoyable plot.
Liked it
RatingsOverall: 6/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Cover: 1/5
