'How to Keep a Boy as a Pet' is a witty, satirical novel about a girl who is searching to find a boyfriend when everyone else around her is 'snogging' and she is alone.Circe planned to spend the summer holidays hunting for a boyfriend with her girlfriend, Tash, only those plans fail when Tash falls for their best friend Ben. Left alone, she devises a plan to get a boyfriend using journalistic skills, experiments and Savvy Rose, a follower on her blog. I don't think I've ever read a book in the style that this book had been written. Circe seemed like such a normal teenager, who decided that because her friends were too busy to start a blog to voice her ideas, thoughts and what was happening in her life. She didn't expect any replies. And, that is how the whole book was written - in a series of blog entries. I've seen books written as letters, but it was the first time I had seen it written that way. She was likable, funny and unique, but didn't know who she was or how to talk to a boy she liked. In a series of hilarious scenes, I traveled through a trail of awkwardness, confusion and brilliance as Circe went through her journey towards self-discovery. Her love interest was adorable, even though he didn't start out that way. There was a realism about the characters that made it easy to connect to them. Now I must admit that there were patches when I thought the pace was too slow. I was close to not finishing it. The only thing that kept me reading was that I wanted to find out what happened at the end, because I knew all the posts were leading up to something. The ending did not disappoint. It was such an 'aww' ending. So, even if it does go slow in places it is worth reading until the end. The other thing that I was in two minds about was treating anyone like a 'pet'. That could have gone wrong in so many ways. Usually I'd be in an uproar about someone being objectified like that, but my sense of humor won out. All in all, I enjoyed the quirky uniqueness to this book. I would recommend this book to people who loves contemporary novels that beat to a different drummer - because this one certainly did.Now for my rating:-Three out of five stars.This review can be found here:-http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingthings.blogspot.co.nz/
