Eulberg, Elizabeth. Just Another Girl.

Eulberg, Elizabeth. Just Another Girl. Scholastic Press/Point     2017  246p  $17.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-545-95628-4      ms/hs    Romance  VG-BN      

A slightly different take on the classic love triangle, this title starts out with the reader expecting page after boring page of laments that Parker has Brady and Hope wants Brady.  Eventually, as we learn more about each of the characters, we find that this isn’t the whole story.  Parker has secrets that Hope doesn’t know, and Brady also has secrets.  All this wraps around the creation of a Rube Goldberg machine.  The club really wants to win a state competition, but Brady always seems distracted by Parker.  Of course, Hope is jealous.  This unconventional love triangle comes to a satisfactory conclusion, eventually.
  

This novel starts very slowly.  Then the reader is given hints that all may not be as it seems.  The truth is not revealed until very near the end of the story.  There are many truths to be learned through this title.  All may not be as it seems, what you hope for may not be the best for you, life can be complicated, and don’t judge someone until you know the whole story.  It presents a very realistic view of relationships, friendships and families.

The author has provided a look at reality with humor and imagination.  It will be a very good purchase for libraries serving grades 7-12 -- an unconventional love triangle that girls will enjoy.

Summary: An unconventional twist on the love triangle.  Secrets become very hard to maintain and appearances are not everything.  All wrapped around the creation of a Rube Goldberg machine. Grades 7-12.

Love triangle-Fiction                                       --Joan Theal