Highlights / Lowlights: MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS by Kate Brian

Title: MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS Author: Kate Brian (AKA, Kieran Scott) Published: September 2006 Series: N/A Genre: YA Contemporary Publisher: SimonTeen Pages: 267  POV: 1st person Format: Paperback Source: Bought/Own Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Boys. 7 of them, to be exact.
Megan is used to moving from place to place -- it's typical for an army brat. But she drew the line at South Korea. She insists on staying in the States to finish her last two years of high school. So her parents made arrangements for Megan to live with their friends, the McGowans...and the McGowans' 7 sons.
Turns out, living with 7 boys might as well be a foreign country! The boys are messy. They are cliquey (who knew?). And worst of all, two of the oldest boys are H-O-T. (A problem considering they are supposed to be Megan's "brothers.") Megan is definitely in enemy territory. She needs to win over the boys' hearts without totally crushing her own. And when Megan starts falling for one of them, sibling rivalry takes on a whole new meaning....What is a girl to do?

Highlights: Ever wonder what it would be like to live with 7 boys you're not related to?¹ Megan Meade finds out in MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS, and this novel is every bit of fun as you'd expect it to be. But, it's not all light-hearted fun. There is some drama, between Megan and the McGowan boys, along with a few of her new classmates. The various and developing relationships (such as the slowly forming motherly-daughterly one between Megan and Regina, and the slow friendships Megan creates with the McGowan's) were my favorite part of the novel. Plus, Megan's an athletic girl, and I highly enjoyed the soccer scenes. 

Lowlights: I wish Brian had written more, and given some of the brothers (like Sean²) more page-time. I disliked the last couple paragraphs of the novel, because they made me question a few things about the way it ended. It created a bit too much doubt about who Megan ends up with instead of intrigue. 

Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf³. I love this book, so it is going on the top shelves in the royal library where everyone can see it. I'd highly recommend MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS, because it is a fun story with enough drama and romance to satisfy readers.
1 *Raises hand*  2 Otherwise known as "mysterious, nice, and attractive motorcycle-riding brother," which is pretty much all I learned about his character throughout the entire novel. Bummer. 3 I grew up reading this novel, so I'm probably a bit biased. If you're looking for a fun book with some light drama (not to mention focus on family and a little romance too), then you might enjoy this story!