If you think your too small to make an impact try sharing a bed with a mosquito (Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny - Cathy Hopkins)

Member Name: angiebabyqueen

Product:	Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny - Cathy Hopkins
Date:	22/06/06 (477 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A brilliant read for older teenagers with a simple but effective plot

Disadvantages: Not recommended for adult readers they may find it a little boring

This is the eleventh and latest book in the mate’s dates series. The series started with three teenage girl mates, but a few books into the series, Cathy introduced another girl to the group, all facing different teenage rite of passage and problems. Lucy, Izzie, Nesta and TJ make up the best friends, all helping each other in times of need. In each book in the series, one girl takes the lead with their problem. This time, its Nesta and her problem is facing the depression areas of life.

Starting off in a café, Tony, Nesta’s older brother bets her that she can’t go a day without talking about boys. Nesta, big mouth, boy mad gorgeous Italian background agrees and if she mentions boys, she has to give Tony a pound each time. When the girls arrive, Lucy snuggles up to Tony, and Tony fills the girls in on Nesta’s bet. All the girls agree with Tony; that Nesta can’t go a day without mentioning a boy. Nesta is suffering from pms and is slowly getting irritated although she is winning this bet until William Lewis enters the café. William is sexy and hot, but also the best friend of Luke, an ex of both TJ and Nesta, a heartbreaker so why would William be any different? William walks round the café, with a collection tin for cancer charities, asking for loose change. He humiliates Nesta a little by making her tongue tied in front of her friends. Her friends then assume she fancies William especially after they’ve left the café when Nesta starts saying that she bets that William only collects money to meet girls. This means losing the bet with Tony, and a conversation about the world appears, with poverty and hunger. Nesta tries cheering the girls up when things seem to get too deep, but the girls assume she’s trying to avoid the subject and being shallow. Nesta goes home and starts to think big time about the tragedies and sadness life can hold; and how much she’s tried avoiding the sad subjects in life, all the charity collectors and hating charity shops. She realises how grateful she is for everything she has. She tries a few things to start with, like trying to give all her stuff away, and being told she can only give half of it away by her mum. Eventually, this fifteen year old works out an easier way of helping the needy. Giving up her time.

Nesta gets the girl’s to help volunteer with her sorting stuff out in a charity shop for a jumble sale the following day. Who should she bump into again, but William? Once again, she is interrogated by her friends, and denying it all over again. But does Nesta like him, and is there more behind William than just face value?

Characters

Nesta
Italian family and she has a journalist mother and a director father. Nesta Tends to think of boy’s looks and her friends more than anything else, has a bubbly personality and a big mouth. She aspires to be an actress.

Izzie
Star studded astrology lead girl. Curvy figure but has low self esteem in her body at times. Single mothering family, with a cleaning obsessed mother. Can look into matters and people deeply and see through them.

Lucy
A petite sized young woman dating Nesta’s older brother Tony. Lucy has huge aspirations of becoming a fashion designer, makes her own clothes and comes up with fab lines and quotes, usually from her counsellor mum and her health food shopkeeper father.

TJ
TJ was the last girl to join the group in the series. TJ is sporty and outgoing girl in the group and seems to have the most cram packed lifestyle. She aims to become a journalist and writes for the school paper. Recently heartbroken by a cheating lying Luke.

Conclusion

This is a fab book if you’ve read the rest of the series, and I like the fact that Cathy has decided to bring together celebrities and people from her other series, her truth or dare series. At the end of each chapter, you have a page with a quote, or a fact or something small which just seems to put a smile on your face. I recommend reading the rest of the series before reading this. It’s a brilliant book and series to read.

Mates Dates series:
Mates Dates and Inflatable bras
* * and cosmic kisses
* * and Portobello princesses
* * and sleepover secrets
* * and sole survivors
* * and mad mistakes
* * and pulling power
* * and tempting trouble
* * and great escapes
* * and chocolate cheats

Truth Dare Kiss or promise series
1) White lies and barefaced truths
2) Pop princess
3) Teen queens and has beens
4) Starstruck
5) Double dare
6) Midsummer meltdown

Available at all good libraries or on www.Amazon.co.uk and type in search mates, dates book series, with prices varying for each book or set in the series. Or for more information, go to www.cathyhopkins.com.

ISBN: 1-85340-876-x
RRP: £5.99
Publisher: Piccadilly

Thanks for reading
Angiexxx copyright 2006

Summary: Perfect teenage read for the summer holidays