Book Review: The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik

The Trouble with Flirting
Author: Claire LaZebnik
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: February 26th 2013
Review Source: HarperTeen
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.

This is my first book from Claire LaZebnik and for sure will not be my last. I am going to be honest, I have a hard time reading contemporary YA books because they bore me, but The Trouble with Flirting kept me interested and wanting more. It was a little slow in the beginning, but then I didn’t want to put it down.

Franny is in high school and whose parents are divorced. Her mom wants her to get a job during the summer so she sends her to her aunt, Amelia, who is the costume maker for an acting school where only the well-off teens get to attend. Luckily for Franny, she ends up reuniting with her friend Julia and her brother Alex. They all used to go to the same middle school together and lost touch after they each went to a different high school. Everyone seems pretty friendly and welcome her into their little group. But it's not all fun and games for Frannie – she actually has to work this summer, unlike the rest of her new friends. Franny remembers an incident back when she was in middle school with Julia and Alex where she was in a play and Julia had gotten a huge bouquet of roses and everyone was all praising her and poor Frannie looked so sad because her parents didn’t come. Alex went and pulled out a rose from his sister's bouquet and gave it to Frannie and then just walked away without saying anything. Frannie has always had a crush on Alex since before that, but after that little sign of affection, Alex was always on her mind. So who would have thought she would be seeing him again. Any who, Franny also meets Harry who is incredibly good looking guy but also has the conceded attitude to go along with it. You know the type, the one who knows he's hot and who could get any girl he wants. Harry's best friend Elizabeth comes to the camp too and she ends up hooking up with Alex, breaking poor Franny's heart. Well, Harry starts to fall for Franny, but Franny, in her head has already decided that Harry is too full of himself and a heart breaker kind of guy, so she is hesitant where or not to really take him seriously. Who will she choose? You will have to read The Trouble with Flirting to find out. And I promise you, you WILL NOT be disappointed!

The characters are all very well developed. I think it's pretty amazing when you can picture these characters in real life, like if you were seeing them on a TV screen. That's something a great author can only do. Great book and I am really glad I stuck through it and maybe, just maybe, Claire has changed my mind on this genre. LOVE IT!