Of the Girl Talk books I’ve reviewed so far, this is probably the best one. Katie is surprised when her mother announces her engagement to Michel Beauvais’s father, Jean Paul Beauvais. This feels pretty sudden to me. I mean, they only started dating five books ago. Katie, of course, feels shocked and blindsided by the news. When she finds out she’ll be captain of next year’s hockey team, she’s bursting to tell her mom, but Mama Campbell, preoccupied with wedding details, ignores Katie.
The subplot involves the girls preparing for a 1960s-themed dance at school. They raid Sabs’s mom’s old boxes of clothes looking for outfits to wear. I enjoyed hearing them exclaim over hip-hugger pants and go-go boots. Later, Katie goes through clothes her own mom has stowed away in the attic. She learns that her mom was a hippie. Katie also begins to feel better about her mother marrying Jean Paul, and this comes after she has a heart-to-heart with her mom. They discuss the things they miss about Katie’s dad. One of my favorite things about this book was that Katie and her mom talked through some of the stress of a new family dynamic. Though Katie’s misgivings about her mother marrying someone who isn’t her father dissipate too quickly, I still enjoyed her chat with her mother. I think it’s because I’ve been interested in changing family dynamics in novels since forever. They fascinate me. How will the new siblings get along? How will the parents handle being stepparents?
Katie’s extended family members come to stay overnight with the Campbells the day before the wedding. I know that current of energy in a home that comes from having family all around and feeling everyone’s excitement as you await something special. When the wedding day finally arrives, Katie and Michel march in together. The other details are pretty banal. The bride and groom kiss. Sabs cries. Yadda yadda yadda.
Aside from Katie’s heart-to-heart with her mom, my other favorite part of this book comes at the dance. Katie dances with Scottie Silver, and Michel rudely cuts in. When Katie berates Michel for being so rude, he basically tells her that Scottie is a player and says he wants to protect Katie from Scottie since Katie is his sister now. Haha. I’m actually on Michel’s side. I’ve disliked Scottie ever since he abused Katie in book two when she tried out for the hockey team. But Katie doesn’t get it. She even admits she knows that Scottie goes out with a lot of girls. Ugh, Katie! When will you learn, sis? Sabs tells Katie that she better get used to Michel acting like a brother and looking out for her. A minute later when Stacey calls Michel immature, Katie takes up for him and warns Stacey not to talk smack about her brother. Though that whole conversation was corny as heck, I liked it. Love to see people standing up for one another. Of all the boys we have met so far in the Girl Talk books I’ve reviewed, Michel is easily the one with the most boyfriend potential. He’s handsome, bilingual, athletic, and a reasonable person. Mr. Perfect.
See you next time.
Monic Ductan 
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