The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher

Alice and Jewel have been best friends since grade school. Together, they don’t need anyone else, and together they blend into the background of high school. Invisible. To Alice, Jewel is the opposite of invisible. Jewel is her best friend who goes to Indie concerts and art shows with her. Jewel scoffs at school dances with her. Alice is so comfortable around Jewel that she can talk to him about almost anything. But she can’t tell him that she likes the cool, popular Simon. And then Simon asks her to the school dance the same day that Jewel kisses her for the first time. Still, she can’t say no to Simon. He seems like the easy choice, the one she’s attracted to, the one she’s ready for. But will it mean losing Jewel? In a bright debut novel set against the lively backdrop of Seattle, Alice must learn the difference between love and a crush, and what it means to be yourself when you’re not sure who that is yet. - book jacket

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The Opposite of Invisible started out pretty much like any other romance novel. I really liked the scenery of Seattle and I LOVED the part where Jewel (Julian) and Alice visit the troll of Seattle. Alice's parents and Jewel were all such whimsical characters, I hated when the story had to change. When Alice falls head-over-heels for the quarterback, everything deflated. Alice hooks-up with Simon she goes from being a smart, artsy girl to playing brainless head games. She thinks constantly about how she hurt Jewel [gasp] and is never satisfied. Alice's character kind of “turned me off” for the rest of the book, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

Another downside to this book was that is was predictable. With romance novels, I want to be kept guessing and not know how the story is going to end. I also got the constant feeling everything was being rushed; especially toward the end.

Despite it's flaws, I could see many teens relating to Alice and her dream of becoming noticed. The Opposite of Invisible contains a message of friendship and explores the difference between true love and a simple crush. There is also something "magical" about the way Gallagher displayed her characters and backdrops, so I will give a her thumbs-up on that. Just make us keep guessing next time.

Overall, The Opposite of Invisible is nothing unique and I don't think I'd go out of my way just to read it.

Pages: 160 Year Published: 2008 Publisher: Wendy Lamb

Genre: Contemporary, teen romance Age Group: YA, ages 15+

Content: Several sexual situations and teen drinking

Enjoyed It: 3/5 Rating: (based on content)