Review: Fun with lots of British humor.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
3.5 StarsSeventeen year old Valentina "Lena" Bell has just failed her driving test and has been dumped by her boyfriend, the reason being she wouldn't have sex with him.  She thinks she is the only virgin still out there, a fact that she isn't too happy about, yet afraid to do anything about.  Her friends Gemma, Flick, Chloe, and Piper decide it is time for some intervention and convince her that the best solution to the problem is to get laid.  Thus Operation Popping the Cherry commences.  Lena has a list of potential cherry poppers and her friends haven given her until her 18th birthday to get her cherry popped, losing her V card.  Her best friend Gemma is all over this and plays matchmaker, coach, and instigator.  After a date with a potential cherry popper goes bad, Lena finds herself in the middle of a potentially dangerous situation, which Gemma's brother Jake rescues her from.  She and Jake just click and she really likes him, but of course he is off limits because he is Gemma's brother, older, and of  wouldn't be interested in her, or so she thinks.  Jake really seems to like Lena to, even giving her driving lessons, and seems to always be there when she needs him, yet she still considers him off limits.  One thing leads to another, a potential cherry popper becomes a best friend, and in the meantime her arch nemesis Alice causes trouble of epic proportions.  She continues her quest for the perfect popper, yet despite the great guys out there, she only has eyes for the one she can't have, and the one she can't have thinks she doesn't want him.  Lena makes choices, some good, some not so good, but in the end will she give in the peer pressure and give it up, or will she wait on true love?Popping the Cherry is a cute and fun romance.  There is a lot of British humor in the story, which was also entertaining.  While fun, the author also touches on some serious issues, including bullying and giving into peer pressure.  I liked Lena's character and enjoyed watching her develop throughout the story, though she did frustrate me a little regarding Jake, but by the end she had transformed into a mature young lady.  I loved Jake, and he and Lena had great chemistry.  While I liked Lena's friends, Flick was my favorite.  Gemma, Jake's sister, was the main obstacle in them getting together, which made me not like her as much.  I also really ended up liking Nathan, potential popper turned friend, and he was truly a really good friend to Lena. Then there was Jake's grandmother, who was a hoot.  Jake really outdid himself and ended up being totally swoon-worthy.  I enjoyed the romantic aspect, and as far as the sexual aspect goes, the author has written it in such a way that I would consider it suitable for older YA readers (15-17), as it does not go into explicit details.  Overall, Popping the Cherry is a fun story that isn't to heavy, yet incorporates a good message for teens at the same time, and is something that I think would especially appeal to that age group.