Review: Dreaming the perfect guy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 30, 2014
This is a young adult novel with true heart and soul. The premise – a shy, young girl meeting with her best friend every night in dreams – pulled me in right away. It is a coming-of-age story filled with the awkwardness of those self-conscious teenage years where we imagine everyone else is cool, popular, pretty, and confident and we’re an eyesore with a limp. But it’s also a story about recognizing true beauty, friendship and love when you find it.Ellie is a girl trapped between two worlds. One is a dream world, where she meets with a boy named Gabe. He knows her like no else and still cares about her, protects her, and is her best friend. The other is the real world, where she has few friends because of an almost debilitating shyness, and parents who think she’s a little crazy because she wants to spend so much time in her dream world.Enter Gabriel. The new kid in school who just happens to remind Ellie a whole lot of the boy in her dreams. Hunky. Popular. And strangely enough, has eyes only for her. But how can she know for sure if this is real?This story is well written and will definitely appeal to the younger crowd. The romance is sweet and seductive, pulling you into the hearts and minds of Ellie and Gabe. There is a little humor (loved the pie scene) as well as some tender moments that will have you reaching for a tissue.The author’s descriptions of the beach and forest in Ellie’s dreams were so good that I could very easily imagine myself right there with them. This is a fun, romantic young adult novel without the need for a rating. I especially recommend this story for upper middle grade age through high school.