Book Review : How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation (How to Ruin, #3) by Simone Elkeles

How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation (How to Ruin, #3) by Simone Elkeles
Paperback, 257 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Flux

Guess who's jetting to the Holy Land this summer!

Remember me, Amy Barak-Nelson—a.k.a the queen of disaster? In case you forgot, my boyfriend Avi is in the Israeli army. A visit is definitely in order.

Somehow my grandmother convinced me to sign up for two weeks of pure hell in a military training base. Getting up before dawn, peeing in a hole, and playing war games in the desert isn't my idea of fun. But what's worse? Our team leader turns out to be Avi!

Amy plans to give Avi a surprise by signing up for the military boot camp in Israel. However, when she realizes that they are not going to have a happy reunion consisting of kisses and endless two-person time together, she is devastated. Worse, she finds out that boot camp isn't a relaxing trip, but rather a place which consists of unsanitary wash rooms, hot bedrooms and many grueling activities aimed to push one's physical limits.

In How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation, Simone Elkeles gives readers the satisfaction of seeing Amy going all the way to Israel to seek her beloved Avi. Even though Amy seems immature and bitchy most of the time, she is actually a good person. She tries her best to help her friend Miranda to get over her crush with Nate by encouraging her to try befriend a fellow soldier at the camp, who is an American-Jew.

After the intensive trainings in boot camp, Amy eventually becomes more matured and her fighting spirit is stimulated until it reaches a peak. She gradually understands Avi's commitment and passion towards protecting his country and develops a new-found respect towards her boyfriend.

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Simone was raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and then Loyola University-Chicago where she earned a Master’s of Science in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees. In her spare time she’s a hockey mom and an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education. She also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors.