Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Pan (2002), Edition: Reprints, 384 pages
Description
Gossip columnist and single New York City girl Mel lives in the most exciting place in the world, yet she's bored with her lovelife. But things get interesting fast when the old lady next door is nearly murdered. Mel starts paying closer attention to her neighbors-what exactly is going on with the cute boy next door? Has Mel found the love of her life-or a killer?
User reviews
LibraryThing member avanders
Thank goodness for Meg Cabot, because after finishing IOU, I felt ready to put off reading for the foreseeable future (see review at tometombfidelity.blogspot.com). I needed something interesting, stat!
Along came The Boy Next Door. This was the first book by Meg Cabot I have read. I am glad I did!
The book takes the form of emails. The entire story is told through emails. It's like those books written through letters or a diary. Except this one was well done. The story was complete but did not feel unrealistic. The emails were not so complete as to render them unrealistic, and yet all of the facts were disclosed in a timely and interesting manner.
Mel Fuller, gossip columnist for the NY Journal, meets her neighbor Max Friedland, who is really his friend John Trent "of the Park Avenue Trents" because of an attack on her elderly neighbor, Max Friedland's aunt and only living relative. Max, of course, is too busy to take care of his neighbor himself, which is why he sends his friend John in his place.
It was so enjoyable to read. The story was somewhat "fairy tale," but in a real-life kind of way. To top it off, there was also a mystery to be solved?! For a girl, at least, the story had it all: mystery, friendship, parent-interaction, job drama, and love. Highly recommend for a quick escape into a wonderful fantasy where men are somehow both sensitive and masculine.
Along came The Boy Next Door. This was the first book by Meg Cabot I have read. I am glad I did!
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I read the book yesterday evening. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram called it "A fast, addictive read." Indeed it was.The book takes the form of emails. The entire story is told through emails. It's like those books written through letters or a diary. Except this one was well done. The story was complete but did not feel unrealistic. The emails were not so complete as to render them unrealistic, and yet all of the facts were disclosed in a timely and interesting manner.
Mel Fuller, gossip columnist for the NY Journal, meets her neighbor Max Friedland, who is really his friend John Trent "of the Park Avenue Trents" because of an attack on her elderly neighbor, Max Friedland's aunt and only living relative. Max, of course, is too busy to take care of his neighbor himself, which is why he sends his friend John in his place.
It was so enjoyable to read. The story was somewhat "fairy tale," but in a real-life kind of way. To top it off, there was also a mystery to be solved?! For a girl, at least, the story had it all: mystery, friendship, parent-interaction, job drama, and love. Highly recommend for a quick escape into a wonderful fantasy where men are somehow both sensitive and masculine.
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LibraryThing member sonlie04
It is an entire book through email. I love when they have a few emails in the book, but not the ENTIRE BOOK! This is the only "Reading with Ripa" book I've read, and I am not impressed.
LibraryThing member SWOODRUFF
told entirely through e-mails. Melissa Fuller, celebrity-gossip columnist for the New York Journal, lives a relatively shallow existence until her elderly neighbor is attacked and sent to the hospital in a coma, leaving behind her Great Dane and two cats. Melissa gets help in caring for them from
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the man who is supposedly Mrs. Friedlander's playboy nephew Max, but who is actually his college buddy doing him a favor, and it all becomes a bit complicated when Melissa falls in love with "Max." Every loose plot thread comes into play in the highly satisfactory conclusion, with just enough twists on the way for a fun ride. Show Less
LibraryThing member Darrol
The epistolary novel is not dead, but now it is email. There were places where straight narrative would have made this story better.
LibraryThing member sstokman
Heavy reading? No. Light and funny? Yes! I laughed aloud and read the whole thing one night. It's written all in emails, too funny! Won't leave you with any deep thoughts, but if you're on vacation and want an entertaining get away, this is the book!
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
Decided to read this one because I read the sequel first, Boy Meets Girl first. It was very fluffy with an extremely farfetched plot. Cabot, who usually writes YA novels, seems to be confusing teens with adults in her attempts to move away from the YA genre...I said it last time and I'll say it
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again: stick to Princess Diaries Meg. Show Less
LibraryThing member rbtwinky
This was a very fun, quick read. It wasn’t terribly original or anything special, but for pulp fiction it did just fine. The romantic lead reminded me a bit too much of Carter from ER (trust kid living like a normal middle-class person, first name is John, Grandma is too much in his life and
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trying to get him a woman), but the main character and her gabby best friend were fun. Oh yeah, and the e-mail format was a welcome change and very fluid. The reconciliation part was too fast and easy. You knew they were going to get back together, but that’s supposed to be the best part of the movie (book, I mean book!). Show Less
LibraryThing member noirem
Ah, the modern epistolary romance*! This one is conducted entirely via email and is quite charming. As with all epistolary stories, there's a certain level of incredulity that people would sit around typing all this stuff up, though every romance comes with a certain incredulity threshold so this
The problems I had with the email style were that A) the subject lines were frequently the first half of the first sentence of the email. That's not how I write emails, that's not how the people with whom I correspond write emails, and, quite frankly, I usually didn't read the subject line until I realized I'd missed half the sentence and had to go back; B) one of the minor characters kept overhearing the protagonist and her best friend discussing things in the bathroom (they all work together) except we, the readers, know what they were discussing because they'd just exchanged detailed emails about it. Who writes an email, writing out everything in detail, and then runs off to the bathroom to repeat all the same information? One of those two exchanges should be scarce on details, either a shorter "meet me in the bathroom so I can tell you everything" email or a bathroom conversation that doesn't bother to repeat everything all over again. Also, wouldn't you, eventually, start looking to see if any of the stalls are occupied?
But I did enjoy the story, and I believed that the characters got to know each other over a span of time and fell in love. This is as opposed to the subsequent novels :o)
*Part of me really wants to write an essay comparing modern epistolary romances to those of the late 18th century (Richardson, Burney, et al). I should possibly track down more modern examples, by other authors.
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isn't particularly an obstacle. I like the email style, in part, because it takes so much less time to write a quick little email (say an hour) than long rambling letters (staying up all night) and the book takes place over a span of -months- so you don't have to imagine that they're writing all night, every night, like, for instance, Richardson's "Pamela".The problems I had with the email style were that A) the subject lines were frequently the first half of the first sentence of the email. That's not how I write emails, that's not how the people with whom I correspond write emails, and, quite frankly, I usually didn't read the subject line until I realized I'd missed half the sentence and had to go back; B) one of the minor characters kept overhearing the protagonist and her best friend discussing things in the bathroom (they all work together) except we, the readers, know what they were discussing because they'd just exchanged detailed emails about it. Who writes an email, writing out everything in detail, and then runs off to the bathroom to repeat all the same information? One of those two exchanges should be scarce on details, either a shorter "meet me in the bathroom so I can tell you everything" email or a bathroom conversation that doesn't bother to repeat everything all over again. Also, wouldn't you, eventually, start looking to see if any of the stalls are occupied?
But I did enjoy the story, and I believed that the characters got to know each other over a span of time and fell in love. This is as opposed to the subsequent novels :o)
*Part of me really wants to write an essay comparing modern epistolary romances to those of the late 18th century (Richardson, Burney, et al). I should possibly track down more modern examples, by other authors.
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LibraryThing member kayceel
Cute and funny, and incredibly fast read.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I read this last in the series - but the series is so loosely connected that it didn't really make much difference, although if I could have remembered these characters from book number 2 I could have found out "what happened next". Also written in epistolary style, which contributes to the humor
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factor. Just goes to show that you really never should lie! Show Less
LibraryThing member kimbee
A light, fun read. I really liked Mel; she was a character I could relate to. Near the end I realized I already read the book last summer. I was surprised at how well Cabot not only wrote the book in e-mails but made every e-mail believable. Lots of humour making it a good piece of chick-lit!
LibraryThing member sunshine3veryday
This book of e-mails based on the life of mel is a fun book to read. This book shows diffrent perspectives. THat includes her boss,ex-boyfriend, nosy colleages, and the man that is pretending to be max freelander. I could not put this book down. This book grasped my attention with its quik
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humorouse, and believable background. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
I'm a sap for a cute gimmick in a book; this book has one: it is written totally in e-mails. Lots of fun if you aren't expecting Shakespeare.
LibraryThing member reeread
Mel ends up pet sitting her elderly neighbour's dog and cats until a very handsome relative of said neighbour moves in to take over.
LibraryThing member TheoClarke
Gently funny epistolatory chicklit set in Manhattan and the world of journalism.
LibraryThing member mcelhra
The Boy Next Door is told entirely in emails between the characters. It's copy-written in 2002 so the characters all have dial-up and can't email and talk on the phone at the same time. It was pretty funny to realize how much technology has changed in just eight years. Anyway, having the story told
The story is a combination romance and cozy mystery. Melissa Fuller is a single New York writer. The little old lady that lives next door to her is mysteriously attacked and a man claiming to be her nephew comes to live in his aunt's apartment to take care of her pets while she's in the hospital.
The mystery plot line of who attacked the aunt kept me guessing for most of the book. The romance plot line was lacking a little something for me. I think the email format kept the chemistry between Melissa and her boyfriend from coming across as well as it would have with a regular format.
I listened to the audio book version of this book. The format of this book made it awkward for an audio book because the narrator had to read the subject, sender's email address and recipient's email address for every email. Also, there is a gay character that the narrator voices in a completely over the top and very annoying manner. I think if I would have read the paper version of this book it would have gotten four stars.
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entirely in emails made the story flow a little awkwardly at times. I definitely had to suspend reality when I found myself wondering if someone would really write an email with that much detail and just go with it.The story is a combination romance and cozy mystery. Melissa Fuller is a single New York writer. The little old lady that lives next door to her is mysteriously attacked and a man claiming to be her nephew comes to live in his aunt's apartment to take care of her pets while she's in the hospital.
The mystery plot line of who attacked the aunt kept me guessing for most of the book. The romance plot line was lacking a little something for me. I think the email format kept the chemistry between Melissa and her boyfriend from coming across as well as it would have with a regular format.
I listened to the audio book version of this book. The format of this book made it awkward for an audio book because the narrator had to read the subject, sender's email address and recipient's email address for every email. Also, there is a gay character that the narrator voices in a completely over the top and very annoying manner. I think if I would have read the paper version of this book it would have gotten four stars.
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LibraryThing member les121
This was my first foray into chick lit, and I would call it a success. The Boy Next Door reads like the inspiration material for a romantic comedy - cute and fluffy with moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity. (Seriously, I could see this book being adapted into an awesome movie!) Like a romantic
The story is told entirely through email messages, an interesting style that adds humor and suspense, and allows for multiple points of view. The one problem with the email correspondence is that it left me feeling somewhat removed from the real action, especially at the end. When it all gets wrapped up, I felt a little disappointed, like I wanted more out of the story than could be told through emails.
But overall, The Boy Next Door is an amusing, entertaining book. It’s not great literature, but it’s not supposed to be. It fit my current mood perfectly, and that’s part of what made it so enjoyable. Though I don’t think I could take a steady diet of chick lit, I wouldn’t be opposed to picking up another book like this at some point in the future.
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comedy, the main focus is on the relationship between the hero and the heroine with various obstacles that get in the way, a cast of quirky supporting characters, some situational comedy, and a mystery that needs solving thrown in as a backdrop. It’s light, fun, and romantic, and I finished it in a day.The story is told entirely through email messages, an interesting style that adds humor and suspense, and allows for multiple points of view. The one problem with the email correspondence is that it left me feeling somewhat removed from the real action, especially at the end. When it all gets wrapped up, I felt a little disappointed, like I wanted more out of the story than could be told through emails.
But overall, The Boy Next Door is an amusing, entertaining book. It’s not great literature, but it’s not supposed to be. It fit my current mood perfectly, and that’s part of what made it so enjoyable. Though I don’t think I could take a steady diet of chick lit, I wouldn’t be opposed to picking up another book like this at some point in the future.
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LibraryThing member lana_nix
I loved the email format. Meg Cabot has a great sense of humor and the romance within the book is addictive. Found myself rooting them on and wanting to send in my own email.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
another epistolary novel from Meg Cabot, again aimed at an adult audience its a fun, light read.
LibraryThing member magst
This book is a laugh out loud delight.
LibraryThing member LoraBee33
This is a great book if you only have a minute or two here and there. You can read a bit here and there until you are really caught up in it. A mystery, but told in emails, and while it takes some patience, it is a lot of fun! I also learned a new technique for sending emails.
LibraryThing member wankorobo
They say it's easy to read but I didn't think so. Some times made me bored so I had taken more than 2 weeks to read up!
But ending was OK.
But ending was OK.
LibraryThing member cantinera
Slightly amusing, but I think the email format is very dated now, so what was once amusing ends up being a gimmick that doesn't quite work out of context.
2.75 is more accurate of a rating.
2.75 is more accurate of a rating.
LibraryThing member princess-starr
This book is very problematic for me. When I first read it, I really enjoyed the story. And then I gave it subsequent rereads. The biggest problem I have overall is the characterization. I’m sorry, but I have a very hard time believing that a professional working woman at the age of 27 acts more
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like an eighteen-year old when it comes to her romantic relationships. Nor do I think that she would have gotten away with some of her actions- such as placing false information, gossip column or not- with as little of a punishment. While I give the story credit for being loose and playful with taking a murder mystery and giving it a romantic comedy flair, the number of clichéd tropes that show up in the book grated me at times. (Such as Nadine’s plotline of being the fat best friend. Yes, she accepts her size 16 body, but she goes on for 200 pages with little development beyond “Omg, I cannot fit into my mother’s wedding dress!”) Oh, and the fact that everyone insists that Mel take back John after it’s discovered that he did, in fact, lie to her: Mel was completely in the right to insist that she couldn’t trust John anymore, and the roundabout way they make up was just too neatly-wrapped up for me. (I love Meg Cabot’s books, I really do, but there are some that I finish and go “Seriously?”) Show Less
LibraryThing member CherieReads
Very cute book! I loved the way it was written entirely in email form. That made it very fun to read. Very funny! Highly recommended if you want a fun book that entertains but doesn't require much thought. Great for the beach or just relaxing and vegging out.
Subjects
Awards
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2004)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2002-09-30
Physical description
384 p.; 5.12 inches
ISBN
0330411896 / 9780330411899