Ruby Oliver Quartet by Emily Lockhart

 

The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver

 
The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them

 
The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon—and me, Ruby Oliver

Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver

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I actually read The Boy Book first because of the attractive cover on the library shelf. The penguin reminded my of Pengu. It's too bad the last book of the quartet doesn't have the animal/creature covers, I would hate to have a book collection with different covers, imagine that! *shudders*

The quartet starts off with Ruby seeing a shrink (I've forgotten the details as to why she ended up there) and the shrink suggesting that she write a list of boys she sees potential in as a boyfriend (don't ask me what this is supposed to solve). She writes the list, but following a fallout with one of her (supposedly) best friends, her list is photocopied and spread around. The rumour mill eventually runs wild and people think that Ruby's boyfriend list is a list of boys she's bedded with!
The rest of the series tells the tales of how Ruby navigates her way through high school hell and find out who her true friends (and boyfriend) are etc. etc.

The story, despite sounding like a lot of teenage angst, was actually a fairly good read. Though it did have some cheesy aspects -- like several suitors at the same time, oh my, such dilemma -- but I'm such a sucker for those kind of plots. The boy she does end up with (no spoilers! But it's easy to figure out earlier on) was so sweet. There's just such appeal to those sweet puppy love sorts.
My favourite of the quartet was The Treasure Map of Boys. I love the will they-won't they even more than when they actually become a couple, and that's what this book has to offer -- all the sweet little gestures that eventually deem this guy as THE ONE.
My least favourite was actually the last of the series, Real Live Boyfriends. The sub-plot where Ruby and boyfriend stopped talking to each other dragged on for too long and the final revelation as to why her boyfriend was suddenly so cold felt like the author was jumping a shark.

The quartet is a nice, easy read. Narrated in first person, Ruby was witty and, I think, voices many of those ridiculous thoughts that girls sometimes has (deadly sick in bed and boy comes to visit? That's right, throw on some make up, cause God forbid you look pale and colourless). The only downer was that the mean girls, and even Ruby's controlling mother, didn't really get any payback for the horrible things they've done. I guess that's life sometimes.