Fifteen Love

Girlfriend Fiction #15

by Robert Corbet

Mia thinks boys are immature. They only talk about cars and sports. They only think about sex. Will has no idea what girls talk about. He wishes he were a fly on the wall. He wishes he had a tape recorder and a hidden microphone .... Fifteen Love is a funny up-and-down story about a boy and a girl, a viola and a tennis racquet; about family and friends, flirting and true love.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Teen, High School, Sports

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Robert Corbet writes books for teenagers. His work has been published in Australia, Europe and the US. He lives between factories in Melbourne's inner-city with three teenage children who continue to crack him up. He teaches writing and poetry in the outer-west. He plays a noisy guitar, paddles a leaky canoe and wishes Kurt Cobain was still alive.

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Fifteen Love" by Robert Corbet, the author switches between the two different points of view; one from a girl and one from a guy. The two main characters, Mia and Will, have opposite personalities which caused them to have a confused relationship. Mia plays the viola, and is adventurous and willing. Will plays tennis, and is just an ordinary, humble boy. Some say that fate had brought them together. Both teenagers go through a bumpy ride, not just in their relationship, but in their life too. Sometimes in this story, the other characters' minor problems, like Will's brother Dave, may show some interest to the reader. Dave gets jealous about Will and his social life, and gets into Will and Mia's dilemma. In this book, it deals with the usual teenage jealousy, trust, and misunderstandings between family and friends. This story shows that life is about not giving up, no matter what obstacles come your way. What I really enjoy about this book is that many teenagers may relate to the views of either Mia, Will, or any other characters. I reccommend this for those who like young love romance, with a bit of humor.

[Katie Ford]

This book is about a girl named Mia and a boy named Will. Mia is involved in orchestra while Will plays tennis. Mia is more on the popular side while Will is more towards the bottom. The two couldn't be more opposite. The book tells of the crazy events that bring them together.

I loved this book. It showed the craziness of teen life and how things can change constantly. I also really liked how it switched from both points of view. You got to hear both sides of the story throughout the book.

Any person who likes stories about teens would enjoy this book. It isn't a very difficult read. I recomend it to people who enjoy fun twisted love stories.

[Kiran · Rating 5 out of 5]

lov it

[Paige Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book back in the early 2010's after borrowing it from my older sister and I LOVED IT! It was a book I read that made me excited for my teen years and I knew it was a book I'd always keep on my bookshelf.
I recently decided that I'd love to reread it as an adult (I'm now 22) to see if I loved it now as much as I did then, and I ZOOMED through it.
This book is full of realistic characters, with a realistic plot, that just makes my heart scream. The romance between the two main characters, Mia and Will, is cute and awkward (as every romance between two teenagers should be). They dance around each other, not knowing how to approach their feelings, while struggling with the awkward and messy problems that come along with being a teenager.
One thing in this book that really stood out to me is the amazing writing. I definitely didn't notice it the first time I read the book, but this time the imagery that Corbet creates just bursts off of the page. The use of the two P.O.Vs is done in a way that not only gives us both perspectives, but also adds comedy and builds up tension in certain important scenes. Also, Corbet really has a way of writing the teenager perspective that is so quintessential for that age. The uncertainty and the urgency all at once. The not knowing, and feeling that every small thing could be the end of the world.
I could go on, but in short I really loved this book. I loved it ten years ago and I love it now. It's timeless, and a real joy to read.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written for younger teens, Fifteen Love was about falling in love for the first time. Mia and Will, who both struggled to understand the opposite sex, shared the narration, allowing the reader to gain an understanding of their emotions and confusion. While Will was a believable, vulnerable protagonist, Mia wasn't as likeable, nor as well developed as Will.

Although there were some rather humorous moments throughout the novel, there was no depth to the story. The plot was slow until the last third of the book, and I didn't really feel a spark between the two teens.

[Caylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters but the plot was just about 15 year olds who have a crush on each other so eh 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Disha Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys will love it if you are into drama and love. Full package book

[Disha Rana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first ever love book and met my expectation tbh!

[Nia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t like it at first, but by the end it grew on me. Cute ending!

[Neriah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really short read that got me back into reading after months of not reading. I love the flow of the book; it's not too deep but really sweet

[Pyrate Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, humorous snippets into the lives of two very different teenagers who end up paired together for a project.

[Beth Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Fifteen Love' by Robert Corbet wound up being a better read than I felt it would be early on when I started it. The beginning of the book fell a bit flat for me. I didn't feel that the relationship between Mia and Will was explored fully enough. It was clear that they knew each other at the beginning of the book, but as they started to get closer and decide to go out, it seemed too quick, as though they should have gotten to know a bit about each other before just deciding to go out. That may just be me and my idea of what traditional dating should be like, but I would have liked more development in their relationship early on. As the novel progressed, however, I did enjoy the give and take between them, but until that really started to occur, more so at about 2/3 of the way into the book, in my estimation, it was a slow read for me. The last third of the book read much more quickly. It delved into not only Mia and Will's relationship, but Mia's relationship with her parents - especially her semi-estranged father - and Will's relationship with his family - most specifically with his wheelchair-bound brother, Dave.

I liked the play on words that the title gave off - fifteen love being a score in tennis, which is the sport that Will plays, and being the age that the two main characters are as they try to figure out how they feel about each other and everyone else around them. I also enjoyed the metaphors that graced the last third of the novel, especially. That made the book all that much more appealing to me in the end. Mia plays the viola, so when Will goes to one of her concerts, he talks about what he pictures and feels as he listens to the music, and it brought the whole book, and everything that had happened between Mia and Will throughout the book, into much greater perspective. When Mia was getting ready for this same concert, she says a line that reads, "I realize, with tears streaming down my cheeks, that no two violas can ever be the same." I felt this was a testament to the struggles Mia had been facing with her parents, with Will, with her best friends Vanessa and Renata, and with others throughout the story. Basically, nothing can ever be the same, and the teenage years are when this is more fully realized.

Even though it took me a while to get into it, I think it is worth reading this book to take away some life lessons and find value in how metaphors can shape our lives and make us think more critically about ourselves and how we interact with others and with life in general.

Beth Rodgers, Author of YA Novel 'Freshman Fourteen'

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This passage makes me cry!

"The second movement of "Spring" is a quiet, gentle number. It's impossible to say for sure what the music is all about, but because it's called Spring, I imagine a garden. The sun is shining, and bees are buzzing all around between the bright colored flowers. One bee is going about his business when it notices a particular flower. The more the bee looks at this flower, the more and more beautiful it seems. In the third movement, the tempo picks up, and the bee starts to go a bit crazy. It buzzes around and around the flower, but doesn't have the nerve to land. In the end the bee returns to the hive, sad and honeyless."
--from Fifteen Love, by Robert Corbet

Incidentally, I think this book has the best description in existence of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"...despite the fact that I have never read any other descriptions of those concertos. I am sure Corbet's tops them all.

[Ugnė (gyvenimai_knygose) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knyga, kurią į namus parsigabenau tik „Vasaros skaitymo iššūkio 2017“ dėka - knyga, kurios pavadinime yra skaičius. Nesigailiu, kad šią knygą perskaičiau, nes tai leido man suprasti, kad ne visos knygos yra geros kiekvienam amžiaus tarpsniui.
Tai knyga apie paprastą dviejų paauglių Mijos ir Vilo meilės istoriją, kartu įtraukiant dar kelių veikėjų (Mijos tėvo ir Vilo brolio) gyvenimo istorijas. Per dieną įveiktoje apysakoje netrūko veiksmo, kvailų nutikimų ir įvairių jausmų, bet tai tebuvo banali istorija, kurios pabaigą jau galima nuspėti pačioje pradžioje. Neveltui sakiau, kad ši knyga nebūtinai patiks visokio amžiaus žmonės, nes man būnant septyniolikos ji nepaliko įspūdžio ir jai skiriu tik 2/5, bet trylikametei man ši apysaka gal netgi ir būtų patikusi.
***
Perskaityta: 2017-08-06

[Amanda]

At first, I did not think I would enjoy reading this book because I chose it after taking just a quick glance at the back cover. I did not think the book would interest me because the story revolved around the sport of tennis and playing an instrument in a school's orchestra. However, I learned in the end that the book was really about managing relationships with family, friends, and significant others, at a stage in life in which you are not child anymore but not an adult yet either.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I like the way the author set this out. You got to read the boy p.ov [Point Of View:] and the girls p.o.v which is so different from any other books. And its quite funny sometimes but the thing is. It does star of good but it starts to become draggy kind off. I just wanted to scream out tht she shud just get to the point!

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was looking for his book for ages, and then i saw it in the library and had to get it :) it can get a little boring at times when the guy is talking about tennis, but other from that it is pretty good.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 teens find themselfs and fall in love through the prosses

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet book about young love. I've reread it a few times, and have always enjoyed going back to it.

[Kayla Giuliani · Rating 2 out of 5]

i liked the way the story was told for the most part.

[Grace]

I thought it was cool that the book switched off between mia and will telling a part of the story in their words.

[Olubukola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen Love taught me about first love and how you know when you truly love someone or if it's just puppy dog love.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read highlighting the awkwardness of being a teen with a crush.

[Hannah Adelaide · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generic and irritating.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon reading it a second time, I've found that I enjoyed it more than the first.

[Sam Barnhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars