Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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Barbie Girl is a nice little twist on the typical contemporary high school romance. Instead of giving us a cast of characters who are exactly what they seem and having it center around the girl, Barbie Girl gives us two main point of views and a surprising amount of depth.

Dylan is a quiet guy who takes pride in his school work and spends a good deal of his time with his friend Third. He's managed to stay out of the way and instead of being picked on he's invisible, until Barbie saunters into his life and demands to be tutored. A deal is struck and Barbie becomes his fake girlfriend to help catch the eye of the girl of his dreams. It sounds a bit cliche but there is a lot to this story that I didn't expect. At the beginning of the book you kind of take these three at face value, you can't help it. Dylan is the good kid, Third is the guy who tries way too hard, and Barbie is pure trouble. However a big part of this book is not seeing things in black and white, and you begin seeing the flaws and the problems that each of these characters really have. You get a glimpse of what they keep hidden and how they bring out the best in each other.

I loved the relationship that Dylan and Barbie have. It starts out in a rather unconventional way and given how different the two are I expected very little in the way of a true connection, but they really come together. Barbie, despite all of her flaws, has a good head on her shoulders and just wants the best for her little brother and she manages to give both Dylan and Third a much needed make over when it comes to confidence. I felt so torn for her because of her broken home, but at the same time I just wanted her to realize she was worth more than she thought. Dylan helps Barbie just as much she helps him.

There were a few places of editing mishaps but I enjoyed the story too much to truly care about it. It's a quick read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

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  • Started reading
  • 31 January, 2013: Finished reading
  • 31 January, 2013: Reviewed