Review: Kiss It by Erin Downing

Kiss It by Erin Downing

Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 15th, 2010)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 273 pages

Source: Publisher

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

A girl’s gotta do who a girl’s gotta do.
Chastity Bryan has never been shy about going after what she wants. And when sexy, mysterious, so-not-from-this-town Sebastian walks into Chaz’s life, she knows in an instant that what she wants next is him. Chaz has no intention of playing for keeps—but she most definitely has intentions. Who needs true love when you’ve got true lust?
Sebastian has no idea what he’s in for—but maybe neither does Chaz….

Review:  This is a book that looks cute from the exterior but packs a punch inside. Chaz is fascinated by sex. We learn that early on in this book and it helps introduce us to a very strong-willed, stubborn character and you can't help but love. Chasity "Chaz" is pretty open with her outlook on sexual relationships. Her and her best friend Sadie argue about this often. While Sadie wants the perfect relationship with flowers and sweet kisses, Chaz wants none of that. She believes that sex is just something to get over with. She puts no emotional attachment to it and it makes for some hilarious conversations between her and her best friend. 

Chaz seems to think she has it all figured out until Sebastian shows up. He's sexy and not from her tiny town so he seemed like the perfect guy to get to know. One thing I have to mention is that Chaz lives in my town. Maybe not literally, but I swear everything she said seemed to relate to my old home-town had it me saying "mine was like that too!". Small-towners are all the same I guess, but it was so funny to see many of funny quirks of a small town in this book. The setting was perfect! 

Chaz and Sebastian are both far from perfect, however. He wasn't the knight in shining armor coming to save Chaz from her altered view of sex. He didn't instantly sweep her off her feet and have her swooning every time he entered a room. Okay, maybe she noticed but she was still as stubborn as ever. Sebastian has a past full of dysfunctional relationships and this made them the perfect companions for each other. 

Kiss It also brings in the complex relationship a teenage girl has with her parents. Chaz seemed to be in a completely different world than her parents; which I think is typical for most teenagers. I'm glad Erin Downing took chances with this story. We have to assume that teenagers know about these difficult topics and rarely do I see a book with the guts to point it out. Bravo, Erin! 

Kiss It is not a story of first love, parental chaos, or teenage angst. It's about a young girls perception of relationships in all different forms. A very nice coming-of-age tale with a realistic character who will have you laughing out loud. But it was easy to see the personality below the hard exterior and I enjoy every aspect of this story.

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