Gr 9–11—When Sadie met good-looking, older Garrett in a coffee shop, she thought she had found her soul mate. For the past two years they've been inseparable—reading high-minded literature, watching foreign films, cruising on his Vespa—but while the 16-year-old pines for a romantic encounter, Garrett has had countless other girlfriends. She hopes he'll confess his love for her when they attend a summer writing camp, but when her application is rejected because she's a sophomore, Garrett still attends and gushes about yet another girl. Sadie begins to question whether this one-sided love affair is all that healthy. Newfound friends at her coffee shop job and a rekindled relationship with a childhood BFF help solidify her plan to get over him for good. Sadie's obsession with Garrett is so convincing that the new Sadie who emerges is a totally different character. The story picks up as she goes through the difficult task of changing her heart. Teen girls will relate to the all-consuming love portrayed here, will root for Sadie, and may appreciate the reminder to put self before boyfriends.—Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA
Garrett Delaney is everything 17-year-old Sadie has ever wanted in a boy, but their relationship has never risen above “best-friend” status. Over the past two years, Sadie has become tired of playing second fiddle to a “parade of girls Garrett falls for with heartbreaking regularity.” Now that he’s away at writing camp—and smitten with yet another girl—she decides it’s time to get over him for good. The only problem is that, without Garrett in the picture, Sadie isn’t sure who she is. In this entertaining antiromance, mainly set in the coffee shop where Sadie works, McDonald (The Anti-Prom) turns the tragedy of unrequited love on its head as she traces her heroine’s determined and often comical efforts to find herself and become more independent. Predictably, Sadie’s quest is riddled with self-doubt and setbacks, but she has plenty of advocates to catch her when she wavers. Her supporters, an eclectic group of female buddies and co-workers who have had relationship woes of their own, add color and wisdom to the novel, reinforcing the theme that love (and getting over it) is rarely easy. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stimola Literary Studio. (Jan.)
This book is a hilarious, honest, and thoughtful look at being a girl, falling in love and trying to find the right balance between believing in love and sacrificing too much for it.
In this entertaining antiromance, McDonald turns the tragedy of unrequited love on its head as she traces her heroine's determined and often comical efforts to find herself and become more independent.
Gentle and humorous, GETTING OVER GARRETT DELANEY is sure to be a hit with fans of Joan Bauer and Meg Cabot.
A comedic and candid first-person narrative... Plain Janes and lovelorn teens will appreciate the sound self-help tips and be inspired by the stronger, deserves-better Sadie who emerges, ready to give love another chance.
Teen girls will relate to the all-consuming love portrayed here, will root for Sadie, and may appreciate the reminder to put self before boyfriends.
McDonald moves with sure-footed grace through Sadie’s heartbreak and recovery, adding in the perfect pinch of schadenfreude for readers when Garrett finally realizes what a great girl he’s been missing all along. Sadie’s self-work is quietly inspirational and satisfying, offering genuine hope for the unrequited romantic.
Sadie has quietly loved Garrett for the past two years. Recently, Sadie has started to think that perhaps he is about to realize that there is passion beyond their friendship. Their plan is to spend the summer together at a creative writing camp, where she is sure their relationship will blossom into true love. Things fall apart, though, when Sadie becomes ineligible for the camp and Garrett leaves without her. Although she busies herself with a job at a hip, local coffeehouse, she finds herself in a deep funk, and totally dependent on Garrett's infrequent contact. When Garrett calls to say he has fallen in love with a young woman at camp, Sadie realizes she needs to detoxify herself from this obsession. Enlisting her new, eclectic group of friends to help, Sadie spends the summer figuring out what she likes about herself, in others, and in a potential boyfriend. Sadie and her friends (even the much-maligned Garrett) are a fun crowd. McDonald's humor is snarky yet ultimately good-natured. The most distracting issue the confusing plot device of Sadie's age, which makes her a seventeen-year-old who has just finished her sophomore year in high school. Some readers may ultimately disagree with Sadie's choices but are sure to cheer for her as she decides on her own life path. Gentle and humorous, Getting Over Garrett Delaney is sure to be a hit with fans of Joan Bauer and Meg Cabot. Reviewer: Katie Mitchell
From the first moment fourteen-year-old Sadie Allen met Garrett in the coffee shop, she knew they would be a couple, just like Romeo and Juliet. She and Garrett are friends—even constant companions—for two years, enjoying similar interests of literature, art films, and music. When Garrett goes on a summer literary retreat, she believes it will make his heart grow fonder of her. How dare he fall in love with another girl as she waits for his return and resumption of their friendship? Sadie then spends her summer in a reinvention of her life without Garrett. The cast of characters adds a great deal to her ?self-discovery.' Is there another true love out there for her? She even embarks on a 12-step program for "Garrett Recovery" (or detox) to get over her unrequited love for him. These steps are well-defined on separate pages. The reader takes the journey with Sadie through laughter and meltdowns. When Garrett's new romance fails, he returns home and wants to be with Sadie again. Will she take him back, or remain with the chef she met at her new barista's job? Teen readers will relate well to this universal adolescent problem of love lost—and then possibly found again. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith
Children's Literature - Annie Laura Smith
When Sadie and Garrett meet at a coffeehouse, she is sure she's met her soulmate. She changes her tastes and appearance to fit his tastes, and before she knows it, her identity is interwoven with his. Despite these efforts, Garrett regards her as his best friend while falling in love with others. During the two years of their friendship, Sadie has helped Garrett recover from more than one broken heart, but when he falls in love once again while at camp, Sadie is ready for change. With the help of her former friend and her new co-workers, she embarks on a recovery program to break her addiction to Garrett and reclaim her identity. The book is filled with many amusing passages while delivering a much-needed message about giving away too much of ourselves during romances. Like Sadie, readers may realize that they need not define themselves solely through a love relationship. Reviewer: Barbara A. Ward
ALAN Review - Barbara A. Ward
A story about creating one's own identity is as common as a cup of joe but this is a bolder brew than most. The natural sweetener: Love is on the horizon for Sadie. In a comedic and candid first-person narrative, Sadie recounts how she has been "madly, hopelessly, tragically in love with Garrett," her BFF, for two years believing that, eventually, the Gods of Unrequited Crushes would smile on her. But Garrett's confession of love never comes, and Sadie is shaken by the taunt of one of Garett's exes: "you're his own personal groupie." Heartbroken, Sadie takes a job as a barista and comes up with a 12-step program, which cleverly punctuates the book, to wean herself from Garrett. But withdrawal is realistically tough, and Sadie hits rock-bottom when, in a hilariously manic scene, she sprawls face-down on the floor at work just to take a call from him. Sadie needs a support group. Enter the Totally Wired crew, a colorful cast worthy of the big screen, to help. The book is chock-full of high- and low-brow references, and a new world opens up to Sadie as she explores unfamiliar ideas and activities. Plain Janes and lovelorn teens will appreciate the sound self-help tips and be inspired by the stronger, deserves-better Sadie who emerges, ready to give love another chance. (Fiction. 12 & up)
