Title:
The Boy I Loved
Before

Author:
Jenny Colgan

Published By:
St. Martin's Press

ISBN #:
0-312-33198-3

Release Date:
Available Now

Format:
Print

Bored with her job… and basically her whole life, and with her boyfriend about to pop the question, Flora makes a wish during the cake cutting at her best friend's wedding. What does she wish... to be 16 again. But be careful what you wish for ... now she is sixteen again and in high school but the year is still 2003 - a few weeks before the wedding wish, and the only ones younger are Flora and her parents. Only a couple of people even remember her as being an adult and they are as confused as she is about how to 'fix' this problem. Flora has a chance now to do the things she was 'afraid ' to do before, and change some things in her life, such as what career she will pursue for the future and keeping her parents’ marriage from falling apart. But for every change she makes for the better there is something else that changes in a not so good way. What is Flora going to do now? As the wish day draws nearer Flora must decide whether staying sixte! en is worth all she loses, and if not, is there still an older Flora to even return to?

The Boy I Loved Before is an interesting chick lit tale for all of us who wonder what if we could go back and do it different. Most of this tale is spent watching Flora bounce back and forth between wanting to be young and carefree again and wishing for what she already had - only better. At times I found myself getting irritated by Flora's flightiness but most of the time I felt her pain and longing. Everyone reaches that moment when you look at where you are and reflect on the choices made, good and bad, that put you in this place. And most of us can feel for the 'if onlys', difficult choices made which seem so clearly right or wrong with 20/20 hindsight. This book put a new twist on the back in time to try again storyline, which was both surprising and refreshing. The surprise ending is the reason for the 4 angel rating. I read so many tales it is rare when one actually surprises me with something I did not see coming ... well done, Jenny Colgan!

Reviewed by: Johnna