Review: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling
Published: October 17th, 2012 (Te Da Media)
Pages: 244
Source: for review via Netgalley
Series: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★☆☆


Why the hell can’t chicks be more like guys?

That question plagues high school senior Sam Cruz. Sam is perfectly happy being a player. He just wishes girls wouldn’t change the game from sex to relationships. It makes him look like an asshole. But when Sam’s best friend, Ally Klinger, gets dumped, she begs him to transform her into someone who can screw around then screw off. No risk of heartbreak that way. It’s Sam’s chance to create the perfect female AND cheer up his best friend. Armed with Sam’s Three Step Guide to Backseat Success, Ally gets the game better than Sam thought she would and before long, Sam has his wish: the female version of himself. Too bad it’s driving him nuts. Told from Sam’s and Ally's alternating POVs, Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is a fast-paced YA romantic comedy that follows these teens as they navigate the minefield of sex, love, and friendship.

This contemporary teen romance contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of “bow chicka wow wow".

To be honest, I don't think I would have picked up this book by myself. I can't even say why not -- there's no particular reason. Sometimes you just have a feeling. But I'm glad I decided to pick this one up because it was a very enjoyable read.

Warning beforehand: this review is going to be very black and white. I can't nuance things with this book, and it might be because the book itself is quite black and white when it comes to things. Anyhoo. I quite liked that the storyline was pretty realistic. The characters were pretty harsh at times but their dialogue sounded real and flowed well. It was funny at times and that really carried the story.

Having said that, I seriously disliked both Sam and Alley half of the time. They were arseholes. They were so annoying and that really bothered me, though I can see how that fits into the story. It just doesn't mean I should like it.. Which I didn't.

The storyline was predictable, but because of the way it was written it didn't really bother me most of the time. I enjoyed the humor and the bickering between Sam and Ally and I really think that is why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is indeed filled with strong language and the like, but I never felt like that went over the top. It really worked in this book and I quite enjoyed the harsh reality in it. I just felt like Sam and Ally could have been smaller arseholes, though I think it's part of why they'd make such a good couple.