Publishers Weekly
After the title character's girlfriend dumps him on the same day he sees his father with another woman, Seth starts an anonymous podcast where he plays songs and muses on the nature of love and lust. In addition to the podcast and his job at a country club's pro shop, Seth is also spying on his father's "other" woman, assisted by best friend Dimitri, who plays the sex-obsessed sidekick role. As the podcast grows in popularity, Seth's anonymity is stripped away, getting him in trouble for his candor. At the golf course, a friendship develops with Dimitri's wiser-than-her-years little sister, Audrey, while the plot builds to an over-the-top confrontation among Seth, his love interests, his father, and his father's two women during the annual father-son golf tournament. Though Seth is not quite as evolved as he thinks he is--he describes his father's other woman as "a slightly weather-beaten Eva Longoria wannabe," and repeats Dimitri's comment that Seth's mother is a "major-league MILF"--Luper (Bug Boy) delivers plenty of laughs for the average male reader, if not feminists. Ages 12-up. (June)
From the Publisher
Luper weaves together many themes—trust and secrets, lies and truth, love, lust and, of course, golf—in a way that even the most introspection-hating male reader will eat with a spoon. ” — Kirkus Reviews
“Teen readers, guys in particular, will find much to ponder about the fairways, traps, roughs, and lucky shots that make the game of love worth teeing up for.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“An entertaining summer read with heart and soul.” — Booklist
“Luper delivers plenty of laughs.” — Publishers Weekly
“Delightful, funny, and true, Seth and his manifesto will win your heart.” — Rachel Cohn, bestselling author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
“A break-up story...that turns out to be a love story...that turns out to be so much more. Awesome.” — Lauren Myracle, bestselling author of TTYL and TTFN
“If you’ve ever been dumped, you’ll relate to this winning story about one ordinary boy’s funny, flawed attempts at putting the pieces back together. Not just a breakup book, Seth’s story is about the complications of love in its many forms.” — Megan McCafferty, author of the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series
Rachel Cohn
Delightful, funny, and true, Seth and his manifesto will win your heart.
Lauren Myracle
A break-up story...that turns out to be a love story...that turns out to be so much more. Awesome.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Teen readers, guys in particular, will find much to ponder about the fairways, traps, roughs, and lucky shots that make the game of love worth teeing up for.
Megan McCafferty
If you’ve ever been dumped, you’ll relate to this winning story about one ordinary boy’s funny, flawed attempts at putting the pieces back together. Not just a breakup book, Seth’s story is about the complications of love in its many forms.
Booklist
An entertaining summer read with heart and soul.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Teen readers, guys in particular, will find much to ponder about the fairways, traps, roughs, and lucky shots that make the game of love worth teeing up for.
Booklist
An entertaining summer read with heart and soul.
The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
Teen readers, guys in particular, will find much to ponder about the fairways, traps, roughs, and lucky shots that make the game of love worth teeing up for.
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Poor Seth Baumgartner: his girlfriend dumps him during lunch, and while leaving the restaurant he sees his father with a woman who isn't his mother. The 17-year-old has a lot to process over the summer. Along with humorous conversations and soul-searching with his relatively clueless friend Dimitri, he pours out his feelings about love on the Internet. Seth has typical teen interests (music, cleavage, hanging out) but is overwhelmed by the thought that his father is having an affair, and finding out more about the woman becomes a fixation. More trouble arises when Seth's podcasts, full of snarky comments, are discovered by people who consider him a friend and he struggles to make amends. Seth and Dimitri are avid golfers with summer jobs in a country club pro shop. A stroke-by-stroke description of an important tournament deliciously draws out the tension in the last chapters, and the revelation of a secret results in a positive ending and the indication that Seth is maturing. Those who enjoy computers and music will appreciate the details of creating and uploading the podcasts, although the pop-culture references will date this book in a few years.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX
OCTOBER 2010 - AudioFile
Seth gets lucky with his girlfriend one night, only to have his luck turn the next day when he gets fired from his job and dumped by the girl—and he witnesses his father apparently having an affair. Nick Podehl easily taps into the pain and angst of being a teenage guy looking for love. With a snarky tone, Podehl provides comic relief as Seth’s best bud, Dimitri, who tempers Seth's romanticism with cold, hard truths. Seth's podcast, "The Love Manifesto," conveniently allows him to speak candidly about love, lust, and fidelity, with the audio format advantageously allowing for a deeper voice to disguise his identity. Unexpected pronunciations distract but ultimately don’t detract from the smooth narration of this raunchy, guy-friendly coming-of-age story. M.M.O. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
When Seth's girlfriend dumps him during her lunch break at Applebee's, he is not only heartbroken but totally grossed out: While Veronica squelches his dreams of love with nonsensical platitudes like, "I'm too comfortable with you," Seth spots his father having an intimate meal with a sexy woman who is definitely not his mother. Oh, and then he gets fired. From a French-fry stand. Overwhelmed by his messy tangle of feelings about love, Seth records and uploads an anonymous podcast called The Love Manifesto. As his podcast grows in popularity, Seth progresses from utter dejection and know-it-all cynicism to optimism and a grudging acceptance that love isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. All the while, he is supported by his often absurd but deeply loyal best friend, Dimitri (a bit too strongly reminiscent of An Abundance of Katherines's Hassan), and Dimitri's charmingly no-nonsense sister, Audrey. Luper weaves together many themes-trust and secrets, lies and truth, love, lust and, of course, golf-in a way that even the most introspection-hating male reader will eat with a spoon. Derivative but supremely enjoyable. (Fiction. YA)
