The Boy Is Back: A Small-Town Second-Chance Romance Novel Set in Indiana

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and was especially glad to see that Meg Cabot returned to her 'Boy" series, one of my favs. She did a nice job updating the series style with modern technology - txts, fb, chat apps, etc. I was also glad that she went back to primarily conversation here, vs. journal entries like she did with Every Boy's Got One. Every Boy's Got One took me a few years to read, as I just couldn't get into the jouranl entries that dominated it - I much preferred the emails and other modes of communication she used in the first two books. I wish we'd seen more of the NY Journal characters she created, specifically those from The Boy Next Door and Boy Meets Girl. That's another complaint I had with Every Boy's Got One - we'd fallen in love with these characters and this world but they were gone in the 3rd book besides a few mentions. This one is much the same, except for the occasional pop up of Dolly Vargas and Tim Grabowski (with the 2nd one being so small you barely even recognize him).My biggest complaint, and the main reason I knocked it down to 4 stars, was the big confrontation. Now I realize with this epistolary format, you have to get what's happening 2nd hand/told after, just by the nature of the format. In previous books, Cabot found interesting ways to keep readers in the action (the wire and article in The Boy Next Door, the depos, emails, phone calls, sign in reports, and PNG notices in Boy Meets Girl, and even the way that Jane recorded conversations word for word in her journal). Here, we get it through the eyes of a kid. Now while I greatly enjoyed said kids take... the biggest issue is that she is rightly taken out of the room by an adult during the HUGE confrontation that's at the climax of the book. And while she says she has perfect aural recall, she won't say what was said. Um. Sorry. That seems like a cop out to your readers. I get it in the context of that character. But surely there was another way to do that? I mean, in this age of fb and stuff, surely ONE Of the kids would have still had access to SOMETHING to record it for fb/youtube and we get a transcription of it? Come on.otherwise, like I said, for fans of Jane Austen's Persuasion this is a fun update with great characters. Though I could never quite decide if Reed was really the Wentworth character... or the Anne Elliot character.... Also, while I missed Jason and Stacy Trent (particularly Stacy as she's a standout from the first two books), Marshall and Carly make for really great stand-ins and I loved them.

I have refered to "lighter" novels as fluffy fiction, in passing, to my friends. But that said, we all need some fun in our lives and in our literature. Meg Cabot's novels are always engaging, funny, warm, and relatable. I find myself rooting for the main characters and laughing out loud. And I love when she writes a novel in the epistollary style, because who doesn't want to read someone else's texts messages or emails? But ultimately, the characters are likable, unless you are supposed to detest them and then they are detestable, and I just have a good time reading stories about love and humor and family, and about a character that I could see myself wanting to be friends with, because we have similar simple hopes for our lives.

Love Meg Cabot but the story written as all text and emails is juvenile and annoying AF. Made it to 5%. I'm off to read a real book.

Loved this book. I have read all of the boy series and was so excited when this book came out. I do wish it related back to the original three books a bit more but it’s still amazing! I loved the way she incorporated past characters into this book as it was done in such a fun way that I wasn’t expecting. I totally adored this book and have already read it multiple times. My only complaint is I wish you could’ve gotten an update on the main characters in the first three books just to see what had happened to them. Despite this it was a great read.

I always love Meg Cabot's correspondence-based rom-coms, this one did not disappoint! She makes me laugh out loud.

Personally I really enjoy Meg Cabot’s other books but this one wasn’t great. I lost interest early on and couldn’t even push through to finish it. Maybe it got better but the style of writing was just reading text and emails between the characters. It wasn’t catchy or interesting in the least bit.

Great book, as always! I'm a huge fan of Meg Cabot's books and this one is as good as expected!

This was a very cute, funny book. The only problem was that the print was too small and the kindle was not able to adjust it. Also, it couldn't be read in portrait but only the landscape setting.The book itself was adorable. It showed a relationship developing on social media through texts and product reviews, a very refreshing and unique form. I hope there are more books in the boy series although I read anything Meg Cabot writes.

Meg Cabot is my ultimate hero. She has a gift for creating vibrant characters in insanely hilarious scenarios within the stroke of a few sentences. Her romances are deep-felt and effortless. Her plots are fast-paced and addictive. The Boy is Back incorporates most of these qualities, but unfortunately falls short of being Cabot's best work.Cabot takes us to her favourite setting, small town Bloomville Indiana, where there is homely but close-knit chaos. The main characters are the boy who left and the girl who stayed. Reed Stewart is a pro golf star who turned his back on his past, including the parents that pushed him away and the girlfriend he let down. Becky Flowers is a successful business woman who worked hard to take over her father's moving company. Her life revolves around organisation and control, especially when trying to forget a high school heart-break. When Reed's parents run into financial trouble and alarming elderly episodes, he is pressured by his siblings to return for support. His reappearance triggers a rupture in the small community, who have already been buzzing about the Stewarts' problems.It's a satisfying 'confront the past' story. There is all round fun with the siblings, their kids and citizens causing drama during an emotional period. As Reed tries to reconcile with his parents, old feelings for Becky get unlocked. Despite her control, Becky falls again for the boy who left and secrets are revealed.This novel is written entirely through social media messages, emails, diary entries and letters. This creates a light read and upbeat pace, with each chapter being an energetic change. However, much of the depth to develop the romance and character growth is lost. The reader only experiences things on the surface and are prevented from being entirely involved. The Boy.. is the ideal read to unwind and amuse yourself, but nothing too deep.

Meg Cabot now writes books for adults too. She always writes reliable stories with loveable characters and I recommend this to all her fans. This small town romance is told through the use of emails, texts, and news articles to paint a picture of the love story between Becky and Reed. It's a relatively uncomplicated romance which is nice for a change, and there's a lot of family politics.

I read the whole book in a day , it was such good fun , brilliant characters and sooo satisfying. I loved this

Not great - Boy Meets Girl is by far the best book in the Boy series, and one of my fave romance books overall, unfortunate that The Boy Is Back is quite rubbish. I felt sorry for her bf, and the plot is a bit confusing.

I love her unique style and I’m glad that hasn’t changed! Still as witty and Romantic as ever! Love the emojis