By the Book by Amanda Sellet

The Quick Cut: Teen girl starts at a new high school her sophomore year and finds boy drama when she makes a new set of friends. 

A Real Review:  High school is hard enough as is, but having to start somewhere new partway through? It's a new set of classmates, teachers, and potential romantic interests. For Mary the well read teen girl, she depends on her literary know how to guide her through the drama.   Mary is disappointed when her parents let her know that she will be going to the local high school this upcoming school year instead of the private experimental one she's been attending. So when one of her friends ends up going to the same new school as her, she's devastated when she's left behind. Can she make new friends? Or will she end up with another set of enemies.   I loved this book and finished it in an afternoon! Once I picked it up, I could not put it down and loved the narrative as told by Mary. I may not be able to relate to having so many siblings, but I can absolutely relate to relying on literary knowledge to guide my real life choices. It's something I would absolutely do and made me fall in love with the character.   Her new group of friends are a great example of what friendship truly is. They dynamic between the four girls made me chuckle because they each bring out different aspects in one another. Mary's social side is brought out by the other three and she learns to depend on something beyond the classics to live.   Of course I would be remiss if I didn't discuss the romantic interest, Alex. He plays off Mary well by giving her an adorable nickname and playing the mystery card. Alex is one of very few outside Mary's family who can keep up with her literary knowledge and wit. These two have such strong chemistry that you have to root for them. This is a case where the characters bring out the best in each other in all the right ways.   A romantic tale that also speaks to the importance of true friendship.  My rating: 5 out of 5