Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Paperback, 308 pages

Published August 30th 2005 by Simon Pulse (first published May 4th 2004)

ISBN: 0689864744 (ISBN13: 9780689864742)

edition language: English

original title: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

 Rating: 2 Stars

Summary:

"Right away I got that Something About To Happen feeling. Right away I knew he was bad, and that it didn't matter."

It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she's with him.

In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby's mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group''s own members is the subject of the tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, this mission turns out to be much more than just a road trip....

Rant:

Let's just start with this: I hate Travis.
His ego is bigger than the sun and he has no regard for the people around him. He sees people as accessories with no feelings what so ever. Travis sees the world as his play ground and the people of it his for the choosing. It drives me insane. When he finally meets his match he sees some one he can do everything with. And I mean everything. And anything. But, Travis, he's critically insane. Riding a motorcycle 100+ MPH? Holding some one underwater when they can't breathe? Jumping in front on trains? Oh, and did I mention Stealing?
"You fall in love and you think you're finding yourself. But too often you're looking inside of him for you, and that's a fact."
So what does Ruby see in him?
She sees and escape. The whole time she thinks shes falling for Travis. She thinks shes falling in love with some one who puts her life at risk on daily basis.
What amazes me is her ability to go along with it. To go along with everything shes doing wrong, that she knows is wrong. She has a need for speed. She needs to feel the rush. And Travis's motorcycle does that for her.
Shes not falling in love with Travis.
Shes falling in love with Travis's motorcycle.  
I thought it was ironic. Ruby and her mother are so alike its laughable. They both want an escape. They need to be loved but they both fall in love with something replaceable. For her mom, its Ruby's Dad's guitar. In the end, they're both on the mend.
In all I thought the books characters were all a bit shallow and annoying. If I had the choice I would not read this again.

-Jackie