Slight improvement over the previous installment. Nonetheless, I hold the same misgivings in regards to the sexual content. Moreover, the characters remain flat, no longer leaping from the page as in earlier editions. My hunch is this is due to Naylor writing based on what she has read and observed about the current teen population rather than her actual experience. What results is an Alice without heart, a textbook sketch of how a teen might respond or feel. This also applies to the adults in the story. How unlikely that her father always manages to properly communicate with his daughter. Even if he did his job well a teenage girl is more than capable of twisting his words around!
Alice throws herself into new activities, like the school newspaper and working on the set for the spring musical. She is starting to form her own interests outside of her friends and boyfriend, and that is nice to see. However, it takes her away from her best friends Elizabeth and Pamela, and they start to resent her for it. I thought this aspect of the story (friends turning on each other and getting catty) was very realistic, but not how quickly it was resolved. I think the author gives her characters too much maturity and credit than the average 14-year-old actually has.
What do You think about Simply Alice (2003)?
Another enjoyable Alice read--Alice discovers that life without a steady boyfriend is still bearable and figures out how to balance old friendships with new friends and activities. Meanwhile, Lester dates a professor (and of course, it does not end well) and the whole family prepares for Sylvia Summers' return from England.
—Libby
