Growing up, I had only ever read number six (The Guilty Sister) of this series, but I read it over and over. When I saw this, I thought I'd give the series another look as an adult to see if it changed my perspective. It did not.
I really feel that Tina Oaks captured well the irrationality and emotions of teenage girls, who aren't all BAD, but they AREN'T perfect. The Brady Bunch this family ain't,but that's REAL. I always preferred Katie to Paige, even though logically I should have probably liked Paige better, felt her more relatable to me. Dark haired, quiet, self-conscious, kind of artsy, while Katie was blonde and athletic. But for some reason at 12 and still 20 years later, I just LIKE Katie better.
Reading this one, I felt that Tuck should've stuck up a little more for Katie, and I realized that the parents were over-compensating in their step-parent abilities by seeming to favor the stepchildren over their own (which bugged the crap out of me.)
But, onto this volume: An exchange student is temporarily staying at the Whitman-Guthrie residence. A handsome, athletic-- and extremely egotistical exchange student. Meanwhile, Katie's on-again-off-again older boyfriend, Jake, breaks up with her by accusing her of flirting with him before he even got to the house! I thought Jake was a creep and in this book I saw a pattern of mental abuse and control that I wished she'd talked to someone about.
Meanwhile, Paige is starting a new relationship with her friend, Ben, at the newspaper. Someone quite like her-- only not so quiet. And I think he is good for her, giving her the courage to FINALLY say (it's the fifth book, it's about TIME she said it) to her father that he needs to STOP blaming her for EVERYTHING, and realize sometimes she has nothing to do with Katie being upset.
But, Katie, feeling protective of her adored brother Tuck, begins flirting with Paulo to keep him away from Tuck's girlfriend. And NO ONE seems to understand. NO ONE. Her psycho best friend who never even SPOKE to the guy acts betrayed, her brother is concerned but won't even TALK to her about it, Paige is just MAD at her and won't speak to her anyway, and her parents just give her disapproving looks.
In the end, however, it works out very nicely-- and she hasn't made up with Jake. Which is good, because he's bad for her in my opinion.
I really feel that Tina Oaks captured well the irrationality and emotions of teenage girls, who aren't all BAD, but they AREN'T perfect. The Brady Bunch this family ain't,but that's REAL. I always preferred Katie to Paige, even though logically I should have probably liked Paige better, felt her more relatable to me. Dark haired, quiet, self-conscious, kind of artsy, while Katie was blonde and athletic. But for some reason at 12 and still 20 years later, I just LIKE Katie better.
Reading this one, I felt that Tuck should've stuck up a little more for Katie, and I realized that the parents were over-compensating in their step-parent abilities by seeming to favor the stepchildren over their own (which bugged the crap out of me.)
But, onto this volume: An exchange student is temporarily staying at the Whitman-Guthrie residence. A handsome, athletic-- and extremely egotistical exchange student. Meanwhile, Katie's on-again-off-again older boyfriend, Jake, breaks up with her by accusing her of flirting with him before he even got to the house! I thought Jake was a creep and in this book I saw a pattern of mental abuse and control that I wished she'd talked to someone about.
Meanwhile, Paige is starting a new relationship with her friend, Ben, at the newspaper. Someone quite like her-- only not so quiet. And I think he is good for her, giving her the courage to FINALLY say (it's the fifth book, it's about TIME she said it) to her father that he needs to STOP blaming her for EVERYTHING, and realize sometimes she has nothing to do with Katie being upset.
But, Katie, feeling protective of her adored brother Tuck, begins flirting with Paulo to keep him away from Tuck's girlfriend. And NO ONE seems to understand. NO ONE. Her psycho best friend who never even SPOKE to the guy acts betrayed, her brother is concerned but won't even TALK to her about it, Paige is just MAD at her and won't speak to her anyway, and her parents just give her disapproving looks.
In the end, however, it works out very nicely-- and she hasn't made up with Jake. Which is good, because he's bad for her in my opinion.
