While “Being Friends With Boys” has all the makings of a CW series, “Boy21” reads like a poignant indie film. Matthew Quick’s latest take on adolescence, “Boy21,” also gets at the heart of what it means to be young and insecure. She realizes that being a good friend doesn’t have to mean being a spectator. It’s too bad then that McVoy’s “Char” can come off whimpering and self-absorbed, but it’s high school and she’s in a band called Sad Jackal, so who can blame her? Mostly she’s clever and refreshing because she’s so in love with her music, because she’s so believably unapologetic about getting bad grades and having little ambition for college.īy the end of “Being Friends With Boys,” Charlotte is forced to become the main character in a story that was supposed to be about her guys. Fabian is crush-worthy despite what Charlotte describes as his Kermit the Frog voice. Benji, who McVoy could have written as a throwaway character, is sardonic and quietly wise. McVoy’s “Boys” is a fast and fun read, mainly because the author spends the extra time making each of Charlotte’s pals a textured teen. And finally Fabian, the newcomer who has all the makings of a perfect first crush - as well as a car that, according to Charlotte, “smells like a Febreze commercial.” All this time mixing it up with guys has taught Charlotte a thing or two about gender dynamics. (Charlotte says, rather brilliantly, “Sometimes I see Oliver so much, I have to close my eyes.”) Then there’s Trip, who’s been kicked out of the band and is now ditching Charlotte in favor of spending time with the wrong girlfriend. There’s Oliver, the over-the-top lead singer of Sad Jackal, who treats Charlotte like his songwriting appendage. In their midst is high school rocker Charlotte who comes of age with her bandmates, a group of guys, all of whom we quickly suspect might be interested in her romantically. In Terra Elan McVoy’s new young adult novel, “Being Friends With Boys,” boys act out they have tantrums, write in diaries, and play songs in a moody rock band called Sad Jackal. Teenage boys are squirrely, sometimes evasive creatures.
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