The following is a review from a judge of the Icey Penguin Awards.

I love a book that is character-rich, and Understanding Teenagers delivers that in spades. Although it is written in the first person, the POV often switches between Liam, Giselle, and Ava. Ava was the last person that was introduced in the switched POV's and, at first, I believed that it would be too much. I was pretty sure I would be eagerly awaiting Liam or Giselle's POV. Only I was wrong.  All three of these main characters have a story to tell, and they are all equally interesting.

The side characters are also interesting and sometimes unexpected. For example, this is a teen fiction novel, so adding a couple of perverted old men to a story really shouldn't work, right? Somehow, in Understanding Teenagers,  it works amazingly well. Liam's co-authors are perverted old men who think all teenagers care about is sex, sex, sex, and even more sex. They are funny, kind of ridiculous in their fixation on sex and totally likable.

Also, I think it's hard to write something with an original idea, but Understanding Teenagers is not only original, but it also has a touch of authenticity that a lot of books lack. Liam seeking Giselle's help with his book is an angle I haven't seen in a book before. It allows for more interactions between people of different ages. Adults, like Liam's elderly co-authors and Liam himself are not just one-dimensional side characters for teenagers, like "the cool parent" or "the coddling grandpa/grandma" that most books teen books have, but they are fully formed unique characters that contribute to the plot just as much as the teen characters Giselle, Ricky, Ava, Sara, and Daniel.

Favorite Quotes:

"Teenagers love sex."

– Chapter 3

"I had to spend most nights going to bed hungry because there was not a damn thing  to eat in

the fridge!"

– Chapter 16

"It's pretty obvious you don't have feelings for me. Not once have you tried to kiss  me..."

– Chapter 22