The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point (December 29, 2009)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Summary: "Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . ."
Review: What was there not to like about this book?! The Beatles, girl power and some nice romance added to the mix?!!! Eliabeth Eulberg debut book is just amazing.
Penny, the protagonist, has just had a horrible break-up. Bringing her to swear off guys for her remaining time at high school and has even started The Lonely Hearts Club, a club where girls vow to not date any guys and most importantly to never let a boy come between friendship. I am all for girl power and so, I completely LOVE this part about the book. I found it refreshing that the main girl of the story along with a lot of others were not going after them for once! The club gets its name after the Beatles 8th album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
As a Beatles fan, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed all the references in the book. Aside from the main character being named after one of the songs, Penny Lane (along with her sisters Rita and Lucy) her parents are just plain obsessed with them. Here is just one part of the book that I found funny:
"I can't believe how fast you're growing up. Why, it seems like it was only yesterday..." "Yesterday..." my dad began to sing.
Although, the romance in the story is a predictable, it was definitely a joy to read. I loved the characters. Eulberg does a wonderful job of giving them realistic traits. I really enjoyed reading about the guy characters, I thought they were done well!
I would recommend this book to someone who is a Beatles fan or just wants to read a nice, fluffy novel!
Rating:
Characters: 9/10
Originality: 7/10
Ending: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
Voice: 9/10
Plot: 8/10
Favorite character(s): Ryan, Tracy, and Penny's parents were just some of my favorite characters! I loved their personalities!
Cover: B+ (see why I really like this cover below)
Overall: What an amazing debut! I can't wait to see what Elizabeth Eulberg comes up with next! *3.7 stars. Click here to buy the book.
This is The Beatles cover for their album Abbey Road and it is just fabulous!!! I just love how the book cover is even Beatles-y! It's pretty awesome.
