The International Kissing Club: Review

Title: The International Kissing Club

Author: Ivy Adams

Release Date: January 2012

Published By: Walker & Company

Pages: 400

Goodreads Rating: 3.70 stars

Review: Piper, Cassidy, Mei, and Izzy have been friends their entire lives in the small town of Paris, Texas. But when an exchange program gives them an opportunity to be away from their home - and each other - for the first time, they take it. Piper goes to France, Cassidy to Australia, Mei to China, and Izzy, unable to afford it, stays home. To spice things up, they start the International Kissing Club, a Facebook page to brag about all the amazing guys they meet. But not everything turns out the way they plan, and these four friends may not be reunited as the same people they were before.

Ivy Adams tells a cute and fun story through THE INTERNATIONAL KISSING CLUB, chronicling the various adventures the four girls go through. However, the story moves away from the boundaries of traditional so-called "chick lit" by expanding its themes to include serious, budding romances and friendship-straining issues. Though the girls were initially portrayed as somewhat shallow, they revealed themselves to have deeper and more thoughtfully developed personalities, and the growth they experienced from beginning to end was admirable.

Although the plot was enjoyable to follow, there were some aspects that were never quite explained at a satisfying level of detail. At some points, it can be difficult to suspend disbelief enough to not taint the reading experience. Had these plot holes been resolved, the novel would have run more smoothly with fewer snags to distract along the way.

All in all, THE INTERNATIONAL KISSING CLUB is a fun and exciting adventure with much in the way of witty narration. The four characters grow immensely throughout the novel, learning lessons about love and friendship that any reader can relate to. Although the novel would have been better if certain aspects of the plot were explained in greater detail or portrayed more believably, this remains a good story for any fans of relatively light-hearted contemporary fiction.