Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck

Publisher: Revell
Published: 1st July 2010
Format: ebook
Pages: 259
Synopsis:
Daisy Crispin has 196 days to find the right date for the prom. There's only one problem--her parents won't let her date or even talk to a guy on the phone. Oh, and she's totally invisible at school, has to wear lame homemade clothes, and has no social skills. Okay, so maybe there's more than one problem. Can she talk her parents into letting her go to the prom? Or will they succeed at their obvious attempt to completely ruin her life?With hilarious and truthful writing, Kristin Billerbeck uncovers the small--and large--mortifications that teen girls encounter. Readers will fall in love with Daisy's sharp wit and resourcefulness as she navigates the world of boys, fashion, family, and friendship.

Review:
'My image of perfection clouded God's vision'. This is actually at the end of the book, Daisy's big realisation, but it does show the impact Christianity of her family and it was really interesting to read about a family where their faith is a vital part of their every day lives. This is Daisy's story of her senior year at high school and her desire to get a perfect date for prom. It was split between her diary entries and first person narrative throughout her days at school and work.

I had my ups and downs with Daisy - I really liked her but then she had a moment where she seemed flaky or selfish or she just didn't say what I wanted, and expected, her to, which unfortunately only grew as I continued reading. I don't know if it was her personal insecurities or the effect of living under such strict rules, but she did not behave the way I thought she would, with boys, her best friend, her boss. Considering she was looking for the perfect date for prom, she was incredibly naive when it came to boys and lust and even acting normally around them. And as we are inside her head for the story, you'd have thought we'd understand her motivation and constant changes in her opinions. But I didn't.

I also had my moments by her parents. I understand the faith part of it, but I do not understand how her parents could not let her follow her own dreams of college. I mean, Bible college? Why shouldn't she go to college to learn finance or neuroscience or whatever it is that she wants? Why do they want to narrow her life and protect her from everything, not let her learn from mistakes by dating? But then, at the big dramatic conclusion, you realise why they have been sheltering her and it is understandable, although I still wanted to whack Daisy upside the head for being so selfish after all that.

But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. The whole middle bit made me want to tear my hair out because Daisy was being a fool but at least she actually learned something at the end of it all. I think. Actually, I'm not sure she did, well she learned not to trust someone you don't really know and to trust your instincts, but seeing as she only learned that by having a house burn down... No one was who they seemed in this story and I'm not sure if that was intentional or Daisy really could not see the way the world really worked. All in all, an interesting read for the faith aspect but maybe a little young for me, as I had so many issues with the protagonist.