Another fun instalment of the Mates, Dates series but this one was a little more serious.The focus this time is on Izzie and a new guy that she likes. Josh is older and he drinks, smokes (cigarettes and pot) and in hanging out with him and wanting to seem cool and older, she does too. He also tries to get her drunk and tells her repeatedly "keep drinking, it helps girls loosen up" - ag, creeper.These books always tend to have a message that's easy to pick up on but not in your face. This one really focused on not feeling pressurised> to do anything you're not ready for, whether that be drinking/drugs or sex.Also, I could have played a drinking game with the word 'pressurised' - it was used so many time. I'll use it when I'm talking about a pressure cooker but I would never use it the way these books do eg "I feel pressurised" when the word 'pressured' works well enough.As usual there were plenty of nice moments between the girls and between Izzie and her mum towards the end.
Do You like book Mates, Dates, And Mad Mistakes (2004)?
I loved it, and i could relate to it a lot, because i think all teenage girls have been through the phase of doing stupid things and i loved all the positive messages through the book; it wasnt too preachy but i felt a lot wiser after reading it. I think its really good what Cathy Hopkins is doing: educating and entertaining. I think this is one of the best books a teen girl can read as it can help them whilst they make difficult choices in their lives. It was also really fun to read and all of the characters are so likeable, so i loved this book. It was like the book version of glee: really fun but also a positive message packed in. The plot was realy exciting and this book reminded me why i used to love reading as a kid.
—Maddie Hughes
