How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison
Grades 7-9	272 pages	Putnam	June 2007	Hardcover

Giovanna Petrizzo claims the only thing Italian about her is her name, but she sure has the whole hothead/emotional thing down as well. When her twin brother, Dante, decides to run for student body president, he assumes (rightfully so) that he can count on her for help. Giovanna, in turn, assumes that her boyfriend, Josh, will also join Dante’s campaign team. After all, not only is he friends with Dante, he’s her boyfriend – that’s what boyfriends do, right? Apparently Josh never got that memo, as he decides to become campaign manager for Dante’s rival, Wilson. When Giovanna finds out how Josh has betrayed her and her brother, she dumps him on the spot.

After she wallows in her blues for a couple of days, Giovanna’s girlfriends decide that what she needs is to start dating again. They set her up on a string of dates, all of which turn out disastrously. When Giovanna finds herself crawling on hands and knees out of a bar, leaving her date behind to stare at her like she’d just escaped from the loony bin, she realizes that she’s not looking for a new boyfriend – what she really wants is her old one back. But will she be able to swallow her pride and beg Josh for another chance?

How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend is a cute book that will likely appeal to middle-school aged girls. Despite the title, the book isn’t just about how to get a boyfriend back; it’s about a host of issues including loyalty to family, dealing with stepparents, and yes, moving on from a breakup. The draw of this book is that Giovanna is a fun character and she constantly finds herself in the craziest situations. She also has a very “real” voice which keeps the reader engaged in the story. One minor drawback is that the book is billed as a romantic comedy, and that’s not the best description for it. Unfortunately, the story manages to be humorous without being particularly funny – for all of Giovanna’s antics, I never reached the point of outright laughter. And though the story does have a teen version of a “happily ever after,” the story in and of itself is not particularly romantic. Still, this is a fun read, perfect for a lazy weekend spent curled up on a couch.