Perfectly Dateless- Book Review
Perfectly Dateless: A Universally Misunderstood Novel by Kristin Billerbeck is a teen romance novel centered around Daisy’s pursuit of the perfect prom date. We first meet Daisy at the start of her senior year in high school with a single goal in mind: pursue men until she finds a perfect prom date. In the beginning, Daisy begins a pink prom journal and lists her prospects for the prom date. Her goal throughout the book is to receive something…seeking the prized young man of her dreams. It’s the story of girl chasing boy….and the dream boy is poorly named “Chase.”
Daisy is presented as brilliant and geeky, with idiotic parents who keep her cloistered like a nun. The first 200 pages of the book include many references to her parents neurotic parenting skills and the resulting frustration felt by this teenager. She is the product of a Christian education, and the author presents the Christian school, parents, and students in a demeaning manner. In fact, if you’re rich in this novel, you’re the enemy! Specific communities in California are listed with prejudice and I almost fell over reading about Los Gatos, a city close to my home. It was a city where “everyone turns into Al Gore…with an unstated competition of who is greener. People stroll with their designer dogs and hang out in their yoga wear while sipping nonfat lattes.” (page 239) I find these references inaccurate, offensive and not entertaining.
As a young adult novel, I feel the book encourages girls pursuing boys, teen defiance, and disrespect for neighbors. Daisy’s parents lie to one another as an acceptable Christian marriage, the teen daughter sneaks out of the house, and each page of the book is centered on lying. Right to the end of the book, the teen daughter is presented as flawless and admirable for standing up for what she wants: everything her parents don’t want. She is rewarded for her lying and defiance. There are a few moments in the story where the author draws the reader into a big scene, then the scene becomes confusing and the reader is backtracking to understand what just happened. The final prom scene, the focus of the book, is allocated just nine pages in the entire story, so if you’re expecting prom memories and glamor, you will not find it here.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Revell books. Perfectly Dateless: A Universally Misunderstood Novel by Kristin Billerbeck is available at your favorite bookstore or RevellBooks.com
