Review: The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen

The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen (May 2010, Harlequin, ISBN: 0373210094)

Reviewed from an e-copy provided via NetGalley.

First Lines:

New Year's Resolutions

*

Find Tracey a great boyfriend.

Review: Kayla (who turns sixteen during the novel) runs the Oracle of Dating website and offers advice for $5 a go. Unfortunately she doesn't earn enough to give up her check-out girl job yet, but maybe one day. Having had little success herself in the dating field and due to the immaturity of guys her own age she has decided not to date until she goes to college. She has a wise head though and offers advice and tips to those both younger and older than herself and she is trying to get her sister to follow her advice as well.

One boy, however, is making it difficult for Kayla to stick to her no-dating rule but she's not sure if he's interested, especially when he appears to be going out with the most popular girl in school. If that's not enough, some advice the Oracle has given to one of Kayla's best friends has backfired and it seems that Kayla needs advice from an Oracle of her own.

I absolutely loved this book. It kept me up late reading on a work night. It's such fun and Kayla is a likeable, intelligent character who has a close group of friends, some of whom have their love-life explored in this book. The love-interest is gorgeous and mysterious and the pages fly by to see if and how Kayla will get her man. Along the way the Oracle offers advice on topics such as flirting and not dumping your friends when you get a boyfriend. The story is self-contained but there is a sequel, due out in November: The Oracle Rebounds which I can't wait to read.

Extracts from the book can be found on the Oracle of Dating website.