Play Me Review

Play Me by Laura Ruby

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release date: October 6, 2009 (Paperback)

Source: Publisher

Other books by this author: Good Girls, Bad Apple

Eddy knows how to play the game. Not only has he got a hit online TV show, but in the game of love Eddy knows all the tricks, and who will play with him. The girls who know he doesn’t make any promises. The girls who are cool with it. But as graduation looms, everything starts deviating from Eddy’s master script. Never in a million years did he expect to be facing off with unapproachable Lucinda Dulko. For once, he’s not in control—but to be with Lucinda, he’s willing to get swept up by the game. What happens to a player when the rules change? Laura Ruby, author of the highly acclaimed Good Girls, has crafted another beautifully written, utterly honest teen novel—this one showing love and heartbreak from a guy’s perspective.

Review:

I own all of Laura Ruby’s books (Good Girls, Bad Apple, & Play Me) but haven’t read any until Play Me. The narrator was male, which made me like the book a little better. I don’t think I would have liked it as much if Lucinda or Gina was the narrator. Now from the summary I was expecting the book to be mostly Eddy chasing after a bunch of different girls. This wasn’t the case. His being a “player” wasn’t really a big part of the book and I liked that his film making took more of an up front role. I liked all the discussion and quotes from different movies and especially their top five lists. I felt bad that Eddy’s mother left them to go work on a TV show, but this added a lot to the book. If she hadn’t left Eddy’s father Marty and Meatball would never have had a role in the book. Eddy’s family was one of the most unique I’ve ever heard, he lived with his father, stepfather, and stepbrother. They all had a great relationship and I liked how they all stuck together after Eddy’s mother left them all.

Riot Grrl 16 was the name of the show Eddy and his friends were filming as part of an MTV competition. They put the shows up online and they mostly had nice comments except for one rude commenter- The Tin Man. I wished that the Tin Man’s identity was revealed at the end, though. I was thinking that this was going to be a big mystery revealed, but in the end it wasn’t really a big deal.

I liked all the characters though- Rory, Meatball, Gina. Lucinda wasn’t my favorite and although I understand Eddy learned a lesson from her, I wished the ending didn’t end as it did.

The plot was original and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Laura Ruby. Her characters were great and the plot was also enjoyable. All in all I would recommend this book to everyone, and although some parts weren’t my favorite and the summary was a little misleading, it was an enjoyable read. I also really liked the cover.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars