The Lonely Hearts Club Review

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Point

Release date: December 29, 2009

Source: Publisher

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her non-dating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . .

Review:

The Lonely Hearts Club was a fun and original debut. It was one I’ve been looking forward to since I first saw the original cover. Something about this new cover made me even more excited to read it, though, and I wasn’t disappointed. The characters were great- I loved all of them. Penny Lane is a person I would love to have as a friend, she’s supportive, funny, loving, and just an overall really nice person. All of Penny’s friends were really nice and people I would want to get to know. It was amazing how supportive all the girls were of each other and how so many people could get together and become friends over a shared feeling. The Lonely Hearts Club itself was an awesome idea, I felt bad that Penny had so many negative experiences with boys and dating, but the club did more than prove she was giving up dating, it brought together a variety of girls who all bonded as a group. Penny made a bunch of new friends, but still kept her old, and she was true to the saying “make me friends, but keep the old”. I especially liked her two best friends Diane and Tracy, I wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out with Diane, but I ended up really liking her. All the characters were developed and likable in general and added that much more to the novel.

I also liked all the Beatles references. There were just enough to add some greatness to the book and make Beatles fans rejoice, but not enough to be over-kill for non-Beatles fans or those who didn’t know anything about them. I thought the subtle Beatle references were cute, like how Penny and her sisters (Rita and Lucy) were named after songs and one of my all time favorite scenes in the book involved a Beatles song. My favorite scene :

** Spoiler** (highlight to read)

I loved the scene at Bowlarama when Ryan sang “Penny Lane” to Penny. That was such a sweet and fun gesture! It made me love Ryan tens times more

** End of spoiler**

Elizabeth’s writing style was light and fun, but there were quite a few great messages tied in, too, that definitely makes it a must read for all teenage girls. In the end, I really enjoyed The Lonely Hearts Club and am eagerly looking forward to more books by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars