ISBN-13: 9780802723185
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Date: January 2012
Page Count: 400
Reading Level: Ages 13-17

Book Synopsis

Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. And they’ve always agreed on one goal: to get out of tiny Paris, Texas, and see the world. The school’s foreign exchange program seems like the perfect escape: Piper will go to the original Paris; Mei will go to China; Cassidy will go to Australia; and Izzy, unable to afford the program, will stay at home. To add spice to their semester away, and to stay connected to their best friends, the girls start The International Kissing Club, a Facebook page where they can anonymously update one another and brag about all the amazing guys they’re meeting. After all, these girls are traveling abroad: amazing guys abound at every turn! But sometimes fun, flirty vacation flings turn into more serious romances, and sometimes you don’t return from abroad the same person you were. Will the girls’ relationships-and their friendships-be able to survive?

Review

When I saw the premise to this book I though it was so funny and I though to myself, has anyone kept points like this before? I think I would have fit right in with the girls (Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy).  If joining the schools foreign exchange program wasn’t good enough, starting The International Kissing Club (IKC) Facebook page would have been. Spending a semester overseas and no only do you get to experience culture, sightseeing, and amazing people and food… but you get to kiss foreign boys too… AND you can get points for it??! I think I’d call that a total win-win. Where can I sign up? Okay, Okay… I’m too old to do this now, but I would have totally down for it (If I would have been brave enough.)

Piper picks Paris for art. Cassidy picks Australia to get away from her troubles in Texas, Mei wants to go to china, hoping she’ll find her biological parents there, and Izzy picks Costa Rica so she can learn all about the Rain Forest.  Disappointment comes early when Izzy can’t join in on the international fun because there isn’t enough money for her to make the trip. But she’s determined to make the best out of a horrible situation. She goes to work on Tanner Colt’s farm, the hottie quarterback of her dad’s football team. There’s just one little problem…he’s Pipers current crush and we know that you don’t kiss your best friends love interest, even if said boy might not be interested. Even if Piper is kissing her way through Paris- it’s the number one best friend rule.

It’s a summer to remember! Piper is kissing in Paris, Mei is trying to fit in with the people in China (and being very unsuccessful), Cassidy is having fun learning to surf, and poor Izzy is on a stinking farm!  How will this summer turn out… it’s interesting to say the least, especially when word gets out around school about the IKC Facebook page. What will happen when the school finds out how they spent their time kissing when they should have been learning?

This was definitely a fun read but we also learn what true friendship is all about. My only dislike came when the chapters skipped ahead. One minute a character was doing this and then the next chapter, time skipped a month ahead. Sometimes I felt like I was being told how it happened instead of getting to experience it for myself. All in all, this didn’t hinder my feelings for the book. It was fun and if this book interests you, I recommend you give this a read!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

You can check out an excerpt HERE

How about start your own International Kissing Club? Ivy Adams gives us the rules. How many points can you earn?

The Official Rules and Guidelines for the International Kissing Club

• Kiss and be kissed often
• One point per kiss. Three points if it really makes you shiver…
  • Bonus points: Five points for two guys in one week and ten points for three
  • Kiss and tell

Meet the Author (read more about them here)

IVY ADAMS is the pseudonym for three friends and writing partners: Emily McKay, Shellee Roberts, and Tracy Deebs. Though The International Kissing Club is their first novel together, they have written more than thirty novels between them. They shop, gossip, and watch movies in Texas. Look for The International Kissing Club on Facebook. (Barnes&Noble)

Visit The International Kissing Club website.