BETTER OFF FRIENDS, by Elizabeth Eulberg

The story: everyone knows that if you start out as friends, then move on to being in love, you can never go back to being "just friends" again. Right? Macallan and Levi have been friends--best friends--for years: so long that everyone already assumes they're going out. But that's one thing the two of them will never do, because it would just ruin a perfect friendship. Right? Right?

June Cleaver's book ratings: Language PG; violence PG; sexual content PG; nudity G; substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (death of a parent, bullying a disabled person) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: As long as you're looking for a fun girl book with no pretensions to Socially Redeeming Qualities, this one is for you! It's a classic "hiding in plain sight" story of boy meets girl, boy and girl stay friends while both move on in their romantic relationships, until boy and girl both figure out that the right person for them was there all along. Great for MS girls, and a nice draw-down from Eulberg's recent "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club", which was definitely for an older audience.