Editorial Content for Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys)

The title of Amy Spalding's KISSING TED CALLAHAN (AND OTHER GUYS) pretty much says it all. This book is about a high school girl who is trying to navigate through her newly active love life. It follows the story of 16-year-old Riley and her best guy friend, Reid, as they embark on separate journeys toward love. After they walk in on their other two band members/friends hooking up, they abruptly realize that their high school careers have been somewhat lacking in the love department --- so they vow to change that, and fast. To document their progress, they share a journal which they name "The Passenger Manifest." They promise each other that they will carefully document each meaningful experience with their respective love interests into the journal, and that they will be completely honest about it, no matter what.

Riley is absolutely hilarious and her little mishaps are laugh-out-loud funny. She is the most realistic portrayal of a teenage girl that I have read in a long time.

Now I know what you're thinking. They're going to realize that "love was there all along" and this is just going to be another one of those cliché stories about two friends who fall in love. Fortunately, this is definitely not one of those stories. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of this novel is its unpredictability. I too expected Riley and Reid to fall for each other, but I was pleasantly surprised. Their romances remained completely separate from one another, aside from their joint documentation in the journal. Unfortunately, I did find Reid's storyline to be a little underdeveloped, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that the novel is told through the eyes of Riley. And this tradeoff is definitely worth it. Riley is absolutely hilarious and her little mishaps are laugh-out-loud funny. She is the most realistic portrayal of a teenage girl that I have read in a long time.

If you do not fall in love with Riley, you will no doubt fall for one of her love interests. I love how much Spalding develops their characters, even though they are mostly minor. Overall, this book was thoroughly entertaining and everyone should read it --- especially awkward teenagers like myself --- as it’s a hilarious reminder that we are indeed not alone.