Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

After a year of boy craziness and subsequent heartbreak, Polly Martin swears off boys for the summer. Of course, that’s much easier said than done since the exes keep appearing everywhere. There’s Sawyer, ex number three, who just happens to be her supervisor at her summer job, then Jack, ex number two, who does to the same parties as her, and then there’s Xander, but he’s not an ex even if he keeps breaking Polly’s no-boys rule by always showing up where she works. Thank goodness Polly’s grandmother, better known as Miss Swoon, the classy love advice columnist, is moving in for the summer. That should make a boy-free life for Polly easier—right? But life rarely goes as planned, and Polly’s about to find out that maybe she shouldn’t give up on boys—and love—just yet.

I just loved Salter’s sweet and hilarious debut with My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters. Salter’s second young adult novel, Swoon at Your Own Risk is even better. This novel is so appealing in that it combines the serious and the more ridiculous sides of life into a meaningful bundle of fun. Readers will no doubt be entertained with heroine Polly’s quick wit and all the silly situations she finds herself in. this is the start of a strong bond between Polly and the reader which in turn allows the reader to better understand Polly’s emotional avoidance issues. Polly proves a fresh contrast to the belief that boys are the ones who can’t share their feelings, making her road to overcoming that fear all the more memorable. The outcome to Polly’s tale is definitely predictable but sweet nonetheless. Salter is incredibly successful at balancing humor with the more difficult parts of everyday life, creating a relevant and delectable read in Swoon at Your Own Risk.

This novel will be enjoyed by fans of Salter’s debut My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers, Faking 19 by Alyson Noël, and For Keeps by Natasha Friend. I look forward to more fun reading from Salter.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from Amazon Vine