Chloe Rayban

Two points of view.

This was the second Back 2 Back novel by Chloe Rayban that I had read and I rated it marginally higher than the first. It's a great idea having both the boy's and the girl's view of a budding relationship - one reading from one cover, the other from the reverse cover.
This time I read them concurrently, flipping the book periodically to update from the other point of view.

Matt is 19 and has moved in to number 25, Frensham Avenue, London; a derelict property that has been unoccupied for quite a while. He starts his A Levels at West Thames College, a rather wild place that differs drastically from his all-boys grammar school in Stroud.
His great love is music, loud and heavy on the base.
He spots a gorgeous girl living in the house opposite, but she's surely way out of his league??

Natasha (Tasha), 17, can't believe that the house opposite ('the spook house') seems to have been occupied by a squatter, a pretty good-looking one, at that. But he's super-cool and attends West Thames College, a far cry from her all-girl's school with its grey uniform. Her over protective dad doesn't help either.

I guess the outcome is pretty predictable but it was a quick read and kept my interest. Published in 1999, it predates mobile phones and no doubt the music scene is dated too, but that was not necessarily a disadvantage.
It seems that Ms Rayban only wrote 2 of these Back 3 Back novels, which is a shame as it could have developed into a genre of its own.
Fun for a holiday read.… (more)

Light-weight teen read.

This was a light-weight teen read, perfect for the beach. It would have been just that but it was lifted by the novel idea of having Lucy's view of the situation reading from one end of the book and Ben's side from the other.
As it would probably be read mainly by girls, then I'd imagine most people would start from Lucy's point of view, as I did. It might be interesting to do that in reverse.

Lucy has agreed to go on holiday with her Mum to distract her from the fact that her ex-husband is getting re-married that Saturday. They wind up on the small Greek island of Lexos, not at all Lucy's idea of a swinging holiday. Until, that is, the handsome windsurfing Ben comes along. Ben had been backpacking with some mates until his belongings were stolen and he decided to work for his keep rather than returning home with his friends.
...And the rest is history!

A bit dated now (1999), no mobile phones, for instance, but an easy holiday read.… (more)