The Kissing Booth

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

A sweet romance, if a bit simplistic. For the most part, this was a fun, quick read, and I mostly enjoyed the Netflix movie that was based on it, as well. I liked most of the characters, although the pretty-but-she-doesn't-know-it type of girl might be a little too cliche. What I really enjoyed was Elle and bestie's relationship, how supportive they were of one another, and how they didn't let hurt feelings come between them.

I was uncomfortable with how Noah treated Elle at times - the overprotective thing might seem cute, but it's actually very controlling behavior. Once Noah and Elle start seeing each other secretly, he admits that part of the reason he is so obsessed with her is because she's "different from other girls" and doesn't chase him. Although I see the appeal of wanting to be with someone who is comfortable around you enough to be themselves, and is willing to look past your hot exterior (most of the time) and see the real you, the whole "different than other girls" line is often used as a subtle put down to other women who somehow didn't fill the role that was expected of them. I've come to think that the correct response to "you're not like other girls" isn't "awww" but something more like, "why, what's wrong with other girls?" Even though Noah, whom they constantly referred to as violence-loving, never touched Elle, I also didn't appreciate how he went as far as punching a wall next to her at one point, and was constantly jumping to fight anyone who might have hurt her honor or tried to get close to her.

So is there anything good about Noah? He was definitely respectful of Elle, both with his words and his actions. He was constantly reassuring her that they didn't have to do anything physically, and asking her consent before moving forward. He also never spoke bad about her or made light of her, neither in her presence or behind her back. The idea of a girl being able to "change" the behavior of a "bad boy" can be really dangerous, so I disliked hearing people talking about Elle and Noah's relationship that way. Yes, Noah's exterior changed, but I think that's just because he was more willing to open up. I appreciated how observant he is of Elle and the things she likes - from planning romantic nights of sunset-firework watching to remembering her coffee order, once Noah's in, he's ALL in, and it's really sweet.

A few other things that felt "off" about this one - some of the phrasing the author made it obvious that she wasn't from the US. Simple phrases like "offered a place at Harvard in the Computer Science course" are clearly using British terminology, and sound awkward when coming out of the mouth of a Californian. Yes, the author was young (17!) and this was originally self-published online, but that kind of stuff is really easy to check out and adjust for accuracy. Also, how is Noah barely graduating yet somehow he was accepted to Harvard? That seems... unrealistic, to say the least. At least they decided it was smarter for him to go and for them to try long-distance. In real life, it would be really dumb to pass up that opportunity.

View all my reviews