The Lonely Hearts Club: A Book Review

Hi!

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Summary: Penny Lane Bloom {her parents reeeaaally like the Beatles} is sick of boys. She has been used, cheated on, and betrayed by guys, so she decides to swear off dating for the rest of her high school career. To her surprise, she’s not the only one who is sick of guys. Many of her friends and peers want to join Penny’s group, which she decides to call “The Lonely Hearts Club,” named after the band by Sgt. Pepper. Included in the club? Penny’s former best friend, Diane, who was part of the school’s it couple, that is, until they broke up, and Penny’s other good friend, Tracy. The group grows and becomes more and more influential as the members meet every Saturday night, go to school events together, and support one another in their individual efforts. Not everyone is in favor of the club, however. The boys have no one to date, the freshman girls think it’s stupid, and the school administration would like to get rid of it all together! Penny had no idea the club would get this big, just like how she had no idea that she would fall in love…

My Thoughts: *Spoilers! I LOVE Elizabeth Eulberg, {have you not read my review of Take a Bow?} so I made it a mission of mine to read her other books this summer. The first book on the list was The Lonely Hearts Club. I was excited about the book from the very beginning. The idea had to have had a funny plot in store, right? :) Penny was one of my favorite characters out of them all. She had a good head on her shoulders, and she seemed to have pretty high self-esteem. This was the girl power I needed that was lacking from recent reads. coughNeverSayGeniuscough. I think the changing point in her character, where she gained her confidence, was when she stood up to Nate, her childhood friend who betrayed her. I was so happy that she finally had the courage to tell him the truth! He really was a jerk to her. You can tell I didn’t think highly of Nate ;) Diane was another favorite. She was so sweet, yet she could speak her mind. I was über proud of her when she made the basketball team. That girl deserved very good thing that happened to her. Tracy was pretty cool, although I thought her snark sometimes got in the way of how awesome she was. I didn’t find her as developed as Penny or Diane, so I would have appreciated a little more character development for her. I do have to say, however, that the rules Tracy came up with were hilarious :) Ryan was the total package, and I think that he and Penny make the cutest couple. Ah! He was just so nice and funny! Of course, PENNY could not see it coming, but I think it was obvious to the readers that Ryan like her. And that whole Tracy-likes-Ryan thing? Not true, Penny. Not at ALL. I literally sighed in relief when Penny asked Ryan out. It was about time! Todd was another jerk. I hated him, but my feelings against him did soften when he apologized. Penny’s parents didn’t appear much, but when they did, I seriously wanted to give them a standing ovation. It made me SO happy that they stood up for their daughter and her club, even if that did mean disagreeing with the principal. There were a lot of characters, so I don’t think the development of them all could be the same, if that make any sense? One character I did want to hear more of was Kara. Her eating disorder could have been intertwined more because it goes back to respecting yourself. Anyhoo, I loved this read, but I expected that before I even opened the book ;) {did you catch the Abbey Road reference on the cover?!}

Pros: The main characters are fully fleshed out and the plot is entertaining. The book is well-written.

Cons: I don’t think that anyone says “What to the evs,” but so many reviewers have mentioned it, I’m sure Elizabeth Eulberg regrets ever writing that. The minor characters could have used more development.

Heads Up: Romance.

Overall: I give it 4 stars {****} and I recommend it for ages 13 and up.

To read my review of Take a Bow, the author’s other book, click here.

Bella :)