Stacie & Cole by Rm Johnson

From the Publisher

Love's drama, dreams, and schemes.

Stacie & Cole have been in love since the beginning of high school. Their heads should be up in the clouds, but lately it's all been about sins and secrets that threaten to tear their love apart.

Stacie's dad is acting way more overprotective than usual. And what's up with her best friend being so shady lately? Even Cole has been testing her. Stacie loves him more than anything, but she's not sure she's ready to take their relationship to that level just yet.

Cole is ready to take their relationship further. Feeling abandoned by his dad-and harassed for being a virgin by his trash-talking boys-he's trying to learn intimacy any way he can.

Stacie & Cole have always been close-but with lust and lies at every turn, they discover if their love really has no limit.

VOYA

AGERANGE: Ages 15 to 18.

Although this story has potential on many fronts, it fails. There are two basic plot lines. The first finds varsity star-quarterback Cole Stevens in love with gorgeous Stacie Winston. After dating for three years, Cole's "physical needs" are getting to him. His peers are pressuring him about "not hittin'" that: "You a man with needs . . . You feel me?" When Cole presents Stacie with an ultimatum, she struggles, but in the end is not ready for sex. Cole then has sex with Stacie's best friend, but Stacie takes him back because it is "that bitch['s]" fault. The second story line concerns Cole's father, a heroin addict who overdoses and falls into a coma. Cole's mother divorced him years ago, but Cole thinks that if only his mother will allow his dad another chance (and if he awakens from the coma), all will be well. He does and she does, making for another happy ending. These characters are stereotypes. Their dialogue is superficial and laughable in the face of serious situations. Women and girls are objectified, even when it seems they are making good choices. This book reads like a schoolboy's fantasy come to life. Although it might depict with some accuracy the way teenage boys view sex, there is no redeeming value in its pseudo "everything-turns-out-okay-but-nobody-changes" ending. None of the characters engender empathy or even sympathy; they are merely role playing. This sensationalized story meant to draw readers who want "racy" scenes does not work. Better stories exist. Instead recommend Who Am I Without Him by Sharon Flake (Hyperion/Disney, 2004/VOYA June 2004); Coe Booth's Tyrell (PUSH/Scholastic, 2006/VOYA February 2007); or any of the Blueford Highseries books. Reviewer: Elaine J. O'Quinn
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1)

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up

Stacie and Cole have been dating since ninth grade and are now 16 and thinking about having sex for the first time. This causes a conflict with Stacie's dad. Her sister was kicked out of the house when she became pregnant and their father is overprotective, especially since his wife left him. Cole's mom has a new boyfriend and Cole is angry that he hasn't seen his dad in three years. When he learns that his father is at the local homeless shelter, he finds him and encourages him to come back home. In the meantime, Cole and Stacie try to figure out their relationship, and Cole's previous girlfriend gets involved. These African-American teens must come to terms with making their own decisions and dealing with the consequences. This urban novel is written on an easy reading level for reluctant readers. The love-triangle plot is predictable but provides for a dramatic conclusion.-Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library

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