The Ruby Notebook by Laura Resau

Sixteen-year-old Zeeta and her flighty English-teaching mom, Layla, have traveled the world together, settling in a different country every year, making a whole new set of friends and adopting new customs. This year, they’ve chosen to live in Aix-en-Provence, France, an enchanting city full of fountains, creamy yellow light, and a fascinating group of scarlet-clad street performers.
Zeeta soon begins to receive mysterious notes and gifts from someone she calls her fantôme, or ghost, admirer. But she is expecting her boyfriend, Wendell—the love of her life, as her friends call him—to arrive in Aix for a summer program very soon. Zeeta brushes off her curiosity about her fantôme, and her simmering attraction to one of the street performers, Jean-Claude, until Wendell arrives and she begins to fear that her feelings for him have truly changed. Perhaps—like Layla—she’s simply not made for long-term romance. As Zeeta tries to draw away from Wendell, however, circumstances seem to force them together. Zeeta’s friendship with a local antiques dealer and his reclusive artist friend leads to a dangerous adventure. When Zeeta and Wendell join forces to find a secret underground spring whose water is rumored to bring immortality, they are forced to reconsider their own desires, and their beliefs about true love. Yet as soon as Zeeta decides that her mind has cleared, she’s confronted with the biggest shock of her life: the incredible true identity of her fantôme.Vibrant, warmhearted, and evocative,The Ruby Notebook is a remarkable novel about learning to accept love in all of its wondrous and imperfect forms.

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Zeeta and her world-traveling mom are back with a whole new adventure. After saying goodbye to her friends in the tropical mountains of Ecuador and her new boyfriend, the trio head to the mystical city of Aix-en-Provence in France, famous for its ancient-old fountains that litter the cobble-stone streets. 

Once again Resua has created whimsical characters (both familiar and new), a thrilling plot with adventure and mystery, and a setting that is just as exciting. Teens who have fallen in love with The Indigo Notebook will be sure to get swept away once more in Zeeta’s narrative as she rekindles her romance with Wendell and sets out on yet another journey with a group of charmingly lovable characters. 

The best thing about this book is, in my personal opinion, the setting–France! Reading Resau’s books are like stepping over into a far-away land and experiencing every little detail of it through a carefully crafted story. I absolutely loved reading the first book and The Ruby Notebook is just as good, if not better. Overall, wonderfully written sequel. (*Complete with a glossary of French words!)

Recommendation: Teens 12+ will be sure to enjoy both novels–highly recommend! (Reading the The Indigo Notebook first is probably best, but its possible to get without it.)

Content: Some sensuality (PG)

Buy or Borrow? If you read The Indigo Notebook and enjoyed it I wouldn't pass up purchasing this one.

Cover Talk: I preferred The Indigo Notebook's cover, something similar would have been just fine–the picture seems like it's a little blurry.

➥Read My Post With Laura Resau & Exploring Ecuador

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|Pages: 365|Release Date: Sept. 2010|Publisher: Delacorte|

|Genre: Contemporary fiction, teen romance, friendship, mystery|

|Content Rating: 5/5|Cover Rating: 3/5|Overall: 5/5

Review copyrighted© by Books and Literature for Teens. Special thanks to Laura & Emily at Delacorte.