
Author: E. Lockhart
Publication Date: 7/28/09
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Blurb:: Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more:
Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.
Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.
In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.
Review:
"The Treasure Map of Boys" is the third book about Ruby Oliver, a 16-year old girl unsure of what and who she wants in her life. Ruby's life is messy and stressful and she always seems to be trying to figure out how to deal with her overbearing parents, ex-boyfriend, potential boyfriends, her on and off friends, and undeserved reputation of a roly-poly slut.
Once again, E. Lockhart doesn't disappoint. Her knowledge of the inner works of a teenage girl's mind is profound and portrayal of Ruby is extremely realistic, albeit often painfully so. My only complaint is that in spite of a lot of self-examination and sessions with her shrink, Ruby still appears to be stuck in the same place where she was at the beginning of "The Boyfriend List." Her inability to articulate what she feels and to be frank about her feelings with her friends is particularly frustrating in this installment compared to the previous two books. So many problems in her life could have been avoided by honest communication.
I am not sure that I want Ruby to have a boyfriend at the end of this series anymore. Her life is too wrapped up in boy business. Her main goal should be to work on herself instead of angsting about inconsequential things. Ruby is an interesting person and has a lot to offer, but she is absolutely incapable of handling relationships with guys at this point. But the 4th (and as far as I know) last book is called Real Live Boyfriends. Oh, Ruby, Ruby...
5/5 stars