The Boyfriend List [NOOK Book]

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More About This Book

Overview

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),

lost her best friend (Kim),

lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),

did something suspicious with a boy (#10),

did something advanced with a boy (#15),

had an argument with a boy (#14),

drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),

got caught by her mom (ag!),

had a panic attack (scary),

lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie),

failed a math test (she’ll make it up),

hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends),

became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)

and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!).

But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In hopes of discovering what is causing her panic attacks, Ruby makes a list of every boy with whom she has ever been involved. "Spot-on dialogue and details make this a painfully recognizable and addictive read," said PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
In this sequel to The Boyfriend List, Lockhart continues to expertly capture the sentiments and voice of a teenage girl. Main character Ruby Oliver narrates the sweet story of her junior year of high school, covering all the major topics in the process. She deals with avoiding ex-boyfriends, making new friends, fighting with old friends, and coping with parents. Between all this, Ruby makes time to visit her psychologist, which provides the reader with a bit of catch-up and another view on her life. Wholesome and generally cheerful, Ruby is easy to relate to, making her an ideal heroine. She's self-analytical, which works to her advantage, and her conflicts are universal and important without being earth shattering, making this novel a pleasurable read. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2006, Random House, Delacorte, 208p., $15.95 and $17.99. Ages 12 to 15.
—Joanna Solomon

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780307514790
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 1/16/2009
  • Sold by: Random House
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 240
  • Sales rank: 36,126
  • File size: 2 MB
  • Items ship to U.S, APO/FPO and U.S. Protectorate addresses.

Meet the Author

E. Lockhart
E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart is the author of The Boyfriend List, Fly on the Wall, and The Boy Book. She once portrayed both Peter Quince and a tree in a drama school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, wearing an electric-blue unitard. Her theatrical career ended soon after.

Read an Excerpt

1. Adam (but he doesn't count.)



Adam was this boy that I used to stare at in preschool. His hair was too long, that's why. It stuck out behind his ears and trailed down his neck, whereas all the other five-year-old boys had bowl haircuts. I didn't have too much hair myself--it didn't grow fast and my mom was always trimming it with her nail scissors--so I was a little obsessed with hair.

Adam's last name was Cox, and after I had been eyeing him for a couple of months, I named this stuffed bunny I had after him. All the grown-ups laughed when I said the bunny's name was Cox, and I didn't understand why.

Pretty soon, Adam and I were playing together. Our parents took us to the zoo, and we'd spend time after school in the nearby playground, drawing with chalk and walking up the slide. I remember we went swimming a few times at the YMCA, and hung out in a plastic wading pool in his backyard. His cat had kittens, and I got to help name them because I came over the same morning they were born.

And that was it.

We were only five years old.

When I was old enough for kindergarten, I started at Tate Prep and he went somewhere else.



Doctor Z looked down at the Boyfriend List. She didn't seem too impressed with my Adam Cox story. Or maybe it was the list itself she didn't think much of--though it had taken me a lot of work to do. I started the night after our first appointment, in bed in my pajamas, writing on this thick, cream-colored stationery my grandma Suzette got me. It says Ruby Denise Oliver on the top in this great curlicue font--but I never use it, since anyone I'd want to write to has e-mail.

My first draft, I only wrote down Jackson and Cabbie. Then I added Gideon at the beginning, with a question mark next to his name. Then Michael, the guy who was my first kiss--putting him in between Gideon and Jackson.

Then I turned off my light and tried to go to sleep.

No luck.

Well, I wasn't sleeping well lately anyway--but I lay there with this feeling that the list wasn't finished. I remembered that I'd told Doctor Z about Angelo already, so I turned the light back on and squeezed him in between Jackson and Cabbie.

Oh, and I had mentioned Noel to Doctor Z, too--though we were only friends. I stuck him in right after Jackson, just to have somewhere to put him. Then I rewrote the list in nice handwriting and managed to get myself to sleep--but in the middle of the night I woke up and wrote down two more boys and my History & Politics teacher.

Then I crossed them all out.

At breakfast the next morning, I jumped up from my cereal bowl and put one of them back on.

At school, the hallway by the mail cubbies suddenly seemed like an obstacle course of old crushes and rejections. Shiv Neel. Finn Murphy. Hutch (ag). All three in my face before I even got to my first class. I pulled out the list and wrote them down.

All day long, I thought about boys. (Well, even more than usual.) And the more I thought, the more I remembered.

Adam, the mermaid.

Sky, the jerk.

Ben, the golden boy.

Tommy, who surfed.

Chase, who gave me the necklace.

Billy, who squeezed my boob.

Never in a million years would I have expected the list to be anywhere near so long. But by the end of the day, there were fifteen names on there, and the list was all scribbly-looking, with arrows zooming around to show what order the boys should really go in.

It was a mess, so during geometry I recopied it on the stationery in my best writing and threw the old one away.2 Then I tucked it into a matching envelope to give to Doctor Z.



"Why did you stop playing with Adam?" Doctor Z wanted to know.

"I told you, I started a different school."

"Is there something more?" she said, looking at me over those red-rimmed glasses.

"No."

I had liked making the list, it was kind of fun. But ag. What was the point of talking about something from ten years ago that wasn't even important? Zoo trips with Adam Cox and his mom weren't exactly significant to my mental development.

Not that there was anything else I wanted to talk about.

I just wanted the panic attacks to stop.

And the hollow, sore feeling in my chest to go away.

And to feel like I could make it through lunch period without choking back tears.

And Jackson. I wanted Jackson back.

And my friends.

"Did you ever see him again?"

"Who?" I had forgotten what we were talking about.


From the Hardcover edition.

Foreward

1. After the Adam "debacle" in chapter one, Roo and Kim begin a notebook called The Boy Book in which they write down everything they know about boys. Have you ever started a book like this on your own or with your friends? Do you think it would be useful? What information would you include?

2. On page 41, Ruby spills her guts to Kim about Finn. Is this smart? Are there circumstances in which it’s better to keep your mouth shut? Has something like this ever happened to you–you tried to do the right thing and it backfired?

3. Ruby gives three examples of the way love works in the movies. In her example on page 64, the couples hate each other half the time but still get together in the end. In her example on page 65, the couple breaks up, but then the man realizes that he loves the woman and can’t exist without her, and they get back together and live happily ever after. And on page 198, the hopeless dorky guy who’s been there all along eventually gets the girl. Do you agree with Ruby that these happy endings don’t happen in real life? Pick one of the movies mentioned and discuss it. Does the romantic situation in the movie ring true? Can you think of other movies, books, or television shows that would fit on Ruby’s lists?

4. Ruby discovers that dating Jackson isn’t the way she thought dating was supposed to be. Have you ever discovered that your ideas about something were wrong? How was the reality different from what you had imagined?

5. In chapter six, Kim and Ruby invent the perfect boyfriend and name him Tommy Hazard. Do you have your own Tommy Hazard? Are there hazards in creating a"perfect" boyfriend?

6. After stealing Jackson, Kim tells Ruby, "When you find your Tommy Hazard you’ll understand. I honestly couldn’t help it." Doyou agree with Kim’s justification of her behavior? Does she dothe right thing?

7. Even though Noel has become Roo’s only ally, she turns on him on page 176 after he says, ". . . if those are your friends you’ve got no need for enemies." Why does this upset Ruby so much? Do you think Noel is right? Why is Ruby not yet ready to give up her old life, even though it has become the source of such pain?

8. When Kim calls Ruby a slut in class, Mr. Wallace gives a lecture on the negative effects of labels and points out that "there are no equivalent epithets for men whatsoever, and didn’t that say something about how women are viewed in our culture?" (page 177). What does it say? Can you give examples of the negative effects of labels, from real life or from movies, music, television shows, or books?

9. Ruby ends the book by saying, "I was out of the Tate universe, standing on the edge of the sea" (page 229). What does she mean by this? Is she really out of the Tate universe? Is this a satisfying ending? Do you believe that Ruby is in a better place now than when the book began? What do you think is next for her?

Reading Group Guide

1. After the Adam "debacle" in chapter one, Roo and Kim begin a notebook called The Boy Book in which they write down everything they know about boys. Have you ever started a book like this on your own or with your friends? Do you think it would be useful? What information would you include?

2. On page 41, Ruby spills her guts to Kim about Finn. Is this smart? Are there circumstances in which it’s better to keep your mouth shut? Has something like this ever happened to you–you tried to do the right thing and it backfired?

3. Ruby gives three examples of the way love works in the movies. In her example on page 64, the couples hate each other half the time but still get together in the end. In her example on page 65, the couple breaks up, but then the man realizes that he loves the woman and can’t exist without her, and they get back together and live happily ever after. And on page 198, the hopeless dorky guy who’s been there all along eventually gets the girl. Do you agree with Ruby that these happy endings don’t happen in real life? Pick one of the movies mentioned and discuss it. Does the romantic situation in the movie ring true? Can you think of other movies, books, or television shows that would fit on Ruby’s lists?

4. Ruby discovers that dating Jackson isn’t the way she thought dating was supposed to be. Have you ever discovered that your ideas about something were wrong? How was the reality different from what you had imagined?

5. In chapter six, Kim and Ruby invent the perfect boyfriend and name him Tommy Hazard. Do you have your own Tommy Hazard? Are there hazards in creating a "perfect" boyfriend?

6. After stealing Jackson, Kim tells Ruby, "When you find your Tommy Hazard you’ll understand. I honestly couldn’t help it." Doyou agree with Kim’s justification of her behavior? Does she dothe right thing?

7. Even though Noel has become Roo’s only ally, she turns on him on page 176 after he says, ". . . if those are your friends you’ve got no need for enemies." Why does this upset Ruby so much? Do you think Noel is right? Why is Ruby not yet ready to give up her old life, even though it has become the source of such pain?

8. When Kim calls Ruby a slut in class, Mr. Wallace gives a lecture on the negative effects of labels and points out that "there are no equivalent epithets for men whatsoever, and didn’t that say something about how women are viewed in our culture?" (page 177). What does it say? Can you give examples of the negative effects of labels, from real life or from movies, music, television shows, or books?

9. Ruby ends the book by saying, "I was out of the Tate universe, standing on the edge of the sea" (page 229). What does she mean by this? Is she really out of the Tate universe? Is this a satisfying ending? Do you believe that Ruby is in a better place now than when the book began? What do you think is next for her?

Customer Reviews
Average Rating 4
( 145 )

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  • Posted October 26, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" for TeensReadToo.com

    The additional title of THE BOYFRIEND LIST is (15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, Ruby Oliver). It's very enlightening, entertaining, and oh-so-paramount to the book. This is the life and times of nearly sixteen-year old Ruby Oliver, former girlfriend of Jackson, former best friend of Kim, former semi-popular Sophomore high-school girl. Now just a girl with panic attacks, a Xerox-copied "Boyfriend List" circulating through school, and a shrink named Doctor Z.

    Ruby's life used to be pretty normal, until her boyfriend broke up with her to date her best friend. Then the panic attacks started--shortness of breath, a tightening sensation in the chest, dizziness and nausea--that had her parents shipping her off to a psychiatrist to work out her "issues." Those issues would mainly be, in chronological order:

    1) Adam
    2) Finn
    3) Hutch
    4) Gideon
    5) Ben
    6) Tommy
    7) Chase
    8) Sky
    9) Michael
    10) Angelo
    11) Shiv
    12) Billy
    13) Jackson
    14) Noel
    15) Cabbie

    It might sound, in retrospect, like a lot of guys in a short period of time. But Ruby's made a list of every boy who has ever meant something to her, and these are the fifteen guys that make up the list. In THE BOYFRIEND LIST, we learn about all the guys in Ruby's life, from Adam to Cabbie and everyone in between--and the result is a laugh-out-loud coming-of-age story that is well worth reading.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 13, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    A Laugh Out Loud Novel

    I absolutely loved, loved, loved, The Boyfriend List! It had me laughing out loud and I couldn't put it down. The main character, Ruby, has been having a tough week. Her boyfriend of six months dumped her, she has been labeled a slut by her entire school, and lost all of her friends. So after having five panic attacks, Ruby ends up at a shrink's office. The shrink, Dr. Z, has her write a list of all the boys she's ever dated or had a crush on or kissed. By making this list and reliving her past experiences with boys, Ruby starts adressing some of the issues in her life and finding herself. The story is told in a series of shrink appointments with Dr. Z, flashbacks to her experiences with the boys on her list, and the events leading up to her panic attacks. E. Lockhart tells this very interesting story with humor, wit, and sympathy. She is an author comparable with Meg Cabot, but she has a writing style all her own. Details about Ruby's life make this story come alive: that's she's a vegetarian, that she lives in a cramped houseboat with her gardener father and theatrical mother, that she wears glasses. By the end of the story Ruby feels like your best friend. I know I was rooting for her the whole time, feeling for Ruby during all her misadventures but also laughing because of them. The Boyfriend List is a great book and a pleasure to read; it's a very accurate depiction of high school life.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 3, 2009

    WOW...AMAZING

    I must say, this book rocked! E. Lockhart could not have done a more splendid job. The Boyfriend List wasn't confusing, it was packed with humor, and a great read. The characters are seriously really funny, especially main character Ruby Oliver. She's an average, everday teen. Except for the fact that she gets panic attacks, earns a name she doesn't deserve, and has some issues, not to mention TONS of drama going on in her life. I like how she's so easy to relate to. Not that it matters, but I liked how Ruby had glasses and lived in a boathouse. Just these little things added a lot to this book. Ruby Oliver isn't perfect, which makes this book perfect! With snobby girls and rumors spreading, The Boyfriend List is a perfect example of what high school is really like. Ruby must naviagate a pretty ugly rocky road in order to survive high school. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that this book was amazing. I suggest you go out and buy it ASAP! This book won't let you down. Her parents, friends, boyfriends, shrink, Ruby herself, will not leave you disappointed.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted October 24, 2011

    Great book

    This book is totally relatable to any teenage girl. One of the best books out right now.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 10, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Don't panic!

    15-year-old Ruby Oliver understandably starts having panic attacks when her first real boyfriend dumps her for her best friend and her other three best friends stop talking to her (in dramatic, public, and spectacular fashion, naturally), all within a relatively short period of time. Her parents start taking her to a therapist, Dr. Z., who tells Ruby to make a "boyfriend list", a list of every guy who Ruby has ever had any sort (real, imagined, less-than-24-hour, or slightly longer) of relationship with at all. Told from Ruby's point of view, readers hear the blow-by-blow account of each and every boy, from the one she used to play in the splashy pool with when she was four (Adam, the mermaid) to the one who dumped her out of the blue and mere days later was discovered at a party, stark naked with her former best friend (Jackson, the actual boyfriend...not that Ruby was at the party, mind you, but an oh-so-helpful acqaintence gave her a detailed description of the event after). An entertaining look at one girl's journey to self-discovery that leaves readers wanting more--which is good, since it's the start to a series!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 24, 2008

    I Loved The Book!

    I love books with first person point of view! e. lockhart was really into the catchy dialogue and ruby's sarcasm. The book was flawless!

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 22, 2012

    Loved it

    It was ssuch a funny easy read she is such a great auther i look foward to reading more of her books

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2012

    17

    I am a seventeen year old girl and can relate so well with this. It is absolutely amazing.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2012

    AWEMAZING!!!!!!

    Omg this book is amazing its really funny!! Its really hard to put down but you need to have a certain maturity level to be able to read it but over it was GREAT!!!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 21, 2011

    ??

    How many pages is this.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 30, 2011

    Unexpected

    Great book, bought it because I liked the cover loved the book!

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  • Posted October 22, 2011

    Ahhhh

    I by accsendintly bought ths horrible

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 23, 2011

    One of my favorite books.

    Not only enlightening and funny, but also leaves you with life lessons. Helped me get through a lot of stuff.

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  • Posted June 4, 2011

    I loved this book

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Posted May 10, 2011

    The Boyfriend List

    The Boyfriend List is simple and down to the point of Ruby Oliver's dramatic life.
    This angst teen rage is full of explanation if you missed out, and the reasoning for a well managed life. Ruby is asked by her newly met therapist to write down and explain all of her boyfriends ,almost boyfriends, and simple crushes. She finds a way to lose her best-friends and the actual first boyfriend she falls in love with. Solving this wont be easy. I recommend this book to anyone, it's catchy and easily funny. It never bores you and the whole time your on an emotional Roller coaster thats about to break.

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  • Posted January 27, 2011

    Courtesy of Readergirl Reviews a Teen Book

    Doctor Z asks Roo to create "The Boyfriend List," as she suspects it might be a good place to start in figuring out where Roo's panic attacks are coming from. A reasonable assumption considering the fact that Roo had her first attack right after her boyfriend, Jackson, broke up with her. Thus the "list" is born and contains over 15 names, from serious relationship-worthy boy interactions to inconsequential ones.

    Each chapter is about a boy on the list, as Roo takes the reader through the progression of why and how the boy made the list. You would think this would create a random and disconnected story, but it's actually quite the reverse. It doesn't seem, at first, that these random boys and their encounters with Roo will ever end up relating to anything, but when it's all said and done, each one contributes to the story's "big picture" in a significant way. Kudos to Lockhart for being able to take something that is seemingly so random and to make such excellent connections that move her story forward and bring Roo to self-discovery.

    Although the story is, as stated previously, largely focused on Roo's journey of self-discovery, Lockhart is able to take us through that journey in such a way as to have me, literally, in tears... from constant laughter. There are very few books out there that actually make me laugh aloud, but this was definitely one of them. Roo's first person narrative is so hysterical. Just the way she phrases things, the irreverent bluntness of her internal thoughts...it's refreshing, honest, and extremely entertaining.

    This is the first of a four book series of Roo's adventures through her boyfriend list and her panic attacks, leading the reader to the final conclusion yet to come. I will be picking up the other books. This one was definitely worth the read!

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  • Posted September 14, 2010

    The Best YA Book/Author You'll Ever Read

    The Boyfriend List is about a girl that anyone is completely able to relate to. I read this book when I was 12 or 13 and I can relate to Ruby just as much then as I can now, and I am 16. This book spans across an age group from at least 12-18. You'll easily get sucked in to Ruby's quirkiness and fall in love along with Roo as you progress through the boys. This is my favorite book to recommend to my friends and when they finish reading it, it's the most fun to talk about. It has the same comfort and familiarity as your favorite comedy TV show, and you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again. This is definitely one to buy and keep on the shelf.

    Also recommend: Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart. I love that one almost as much as I love this one.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 10, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Great!

    Love the plot!

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  • Posted September 23, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    This Is 1 Of My All Time Favorite Books!! :D

    I absolutely love this book!!! I can totallly relate to Roo!! (BTW I really <3 that name)

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 31, 2009

    Amazing

    This book was absolutely amazing, I loved it. When I read the book I felt like i could relate to so much that is going on in her life and it's nice to read a book about a character that is going through some of the same things as me. I also enjoyed how the author put foot notes at the bottom of the pages to explain things to us. I would recommend it to everyone, but mostly girls because I don't think boys would really enjoy it as much.

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