It's Not Me, it's You - Softcover

Stephanie Kate Strohm is the author of It's Not Me, It's You; The Taming of the Drew; Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink; Confederates Don't Wear Couture and the upcoming Prince in Disguise (Fall 2017). She grew up on the Connecticut coast, where a steady diet of Little House on the Prairie turned her into a history nerd at an early age. After graduating with a joint major in theater and history from Middlebury College, she acted her way around the country, performing in more than 25 states.

Although she was born in New York, she currently lives in Chicago, and doesn't discriminate against any type of pizza. When she's not writing, she loves baking, walking her dog Lorelei, taking dance cardio classes too seriously, and playing board games with her husband.

Gr 7 Up—Avery is blonde, popular, athletic, and smart. So is her boyfriend, who dumps her before their senior prom. Since Avery has always been the one to end relationships, she wants to interview her ex-boyfriends and figure out how such a horrible thing could have happened to her. She decides that this will also double as her oral history project, despite the teacher's protests that Avery's dating history doesn't meet the assignment requirements. The concept of soul-searching by looking at past partners has worked more successfully and humorously in other titles, such as John Green's An Abundance of Katherines. This story is formatted as an interview in which no one is asking actual questions. Avery flips between making editor's notes and joining in the conversation, resulting in a disjointed read and adding to the implausibility. The characters are largely stereotypes who don't receive much help from dated pop culture references. Readers might find it difficult to root for such a person. VERDICT Frothy and fun books deserve space on library shelves, but it might be tough to make room for this navel-gazing tale. Only for fans of Strohm or as an additional purchase.—Elissa Cooper, Helen Plum Memorial Library, Lombard, IL