Rating: 
Summary: Very Hard Love
Review: This was a very fascinating book. I could easily
relate to the main character.I also write down my feelings as well, but I put them into poems. Mostly all my feeling I write about is Love. Also even though you
know or have a friend who isn't on the same level as you,
if you wait a while, maybe one day both of you will see
eye to eye. You might be able to convince them to do or even try certain things again, even if it didn't turn out right before.
Rating:
Summary: Harad Love
Review: This book is about two teenagers who try to "escape" from there lives. One comes from a family whose parents are sperated, and the other from a family who try too hard to treat them like a littel kid. John Galardi and marisol ar both zine wrighters, john clams to be un sure of his own sexuality and feels that his parents both hate him. Marisol is very sure of her sexuality and is not afraid to tell people who she is. These two cross the line from friendship to somthing much more, but un sure what that something is.
I gave this book five stars because it tells how it really is to love someone who doesn't love you back. This book shows a young man whose hurt from his parents divorce. He can't tell anyone about it so he keeps it all inside untel he meets Marisol who makes it vary clear that she is a lesbian. These two are very different, but yet very simaler. On the rode to "self discovery" they learen to count on one another for help untel one day somthing happens, something that will chang both of there lives forever.
I got more in to this book then some of the other books i read about falling in and out of love because in this book it doesn't try to suger coat it at all. And it isn't one wher every one lives "happly ever after". This bone tells how hard love really is and how much you wish you never fell in love at all. At the same time you are glad that you did because that one persone taught you so much about you're self that you didn't know befor. It shows not only the aspects of falling on love but also tp love your self as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard Love? How does the reader know what the hell love is?
Review: Hard Love is a typical pre-teen novel. One could not help but think why such a talented author like Ellen Wittlinger would write such a miniscule novel directed towards the young teen population. Sure, the novel has its good points, but for the most part, the writing style is immature.John Galardi is a typical teenage boy in his junior year of high school. His mother and father had divorced many years before his life really started. After the divorce, John and his mother moved to Darlington, a small town outside of Boston. There, she went into a bubble where she did not interact with anybody. She would not even let her own son interact with her. John's biggest thing with his mother is that she will not let him touch her. John seems to be infatuated with the fact that he cannot touch his mother. John's father is not a great parent either. As a bachelor, he spends little time with his son when he comes to visit him in Boston every weekend. The only good part about Boston is Marisol Guzman. John becomes interested in zines. He publishes his first zine, Bananafish after he reads a zine titled, Escape Velocity. The author of Escape Velocity is Marisol Guzman, "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Cambridge, Massachusetts, rich spoiled lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin looking for love." That would be correct. The one true friend he finds is a lesbian. So, what comes next? The title of the book, I find fits quite nicely. John falls in love with the ever-so-gifted Marisol and his life turns worse. After meeting Marisol, he starts to get an attitude with everyone. His mother met a new man and will be getting married shortly. His father wants to "bring his son into the world of manhood". His best friend and his girlfriend are setting John up to go to the junior Prom. What could possibly get worse? The story unfolds to be a typical story of boy-falls-in-love-with-lesbian, lesbian-rejects-boy, boy-gets-sad-and-angry, and lesbian-leaves. I really do not understand how this book could have made it so far with the content it had. The story line was utterly weak and the word choice was much too advanced for the typical pre-teen for which the story was directed. I would not recommend this book to anyone above the age of eleven. The reading level states it is for ages twelve and over. Going with that age "recommendation", most pre-teens would not understand the book due to the numerous references to love. Younger people just do not understand the meaning of love, much less what it is besides that of the family. In conclusion, this book was a true waste of my time and brain capacity. I believe the only thing I gained from this book is that writing a zine would be a very cool thing to start.
Rating:
Summary: Lesson to Learn
Review: I am a teen who is always looking for a good book to read. What catches a girls eye, the book cover or the word LOVE in the title. It was different reading a book that was about a guy and falling in love. The hard love, love that can't be. He had so many things that when wrong in his life and he just couldn't let anyone see the inside of him. I think you know what I am talking about because everyone is scared of who they are in the eyes of another person. He wanted to be perfect in the eyes of this girl but she never looked at him more than a best friend. What does this book teach you? I learned you can't choose who you love and you can't choose when you want it to come. You have to wait till it comes to you and it's not easy and you get to learn it from the point of view of a guy. So if you want to get teary eyes from this love that never happen then this is the book to read.
Rating:
Summary: "The love that heals our lives is mostly hard love"
Review: Hard Love is an extremely excellent and extraordinary novel by Ellen Wittlinger. There are so many feelings and emotions written in this book, especially in the way the teenagers in this book write in their zines. They express the truth in their lives, even if it hurts. Wittlinger has you flipping through the pages, curiously wondering what is going to happen next.
John Gaiardi, better known as Gio, is a confused and lonely teenager whom claims to be immune to emotions. He starts writing a zine he calls Bananafish. His interest in writing gets him into other people's work, like Marisol's High Velocity. He is very drawn to her writing and wants to meet her. Gradually, both become friends, but as each of them get closer, one totally forgets the other is not straight. Situations between both of them become intense during a prom Gio invites Marisol to come to. Each time both are together, it is hard not to think they will some how be together at the end...It may or may not be true. A surprising ending, leaving Gio self-secured about himself and able to express all of the pain and love he had in him; he is healed, and Marisol is set free, escaping from all of the things that surround her back in her hometown.
Hard Love is a powerful book of love that will make you laugh and cry. It will make you think about the kind of love you have and the kind you give to others. This novel will have you look back to your first love or to any of the loves that you have had, even the relationship between you and your parents. Hard Love has you reflecting about your own life, comparing to that of Gio's or Marisol's. Even after reading the book, you will still think about the lives of Gio and Marisol, and you will feel much more open about yourself and others after finishing this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book for the Mind
Review: I titled my review "A Book for the Mind" because it is kind of a challenging book. You have to think and be able to understand it well. This book contains a lot of poetry and more mature writing. I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading or writing poetry. I would give this book a three, because it was a bit confusing at times. At parts it kept me interested though, wondering what would happen next. I also gave it a three because it was a more advanced book than I'm used to reading.
It is kind of a depressing book, and I like the romantic, happy love stories, so that is probably another reason this book didn't appeal to me as much. For the people who like more complex, deeper meaning books, I would definitely recommend this one to you. This book, I would say, is about the confusion, and depressing things of teenage life. Some of the things I can relate to, going through the teenage stage of life right now, so that is a plus. So, once again, this is a book that would be enjoyed more by a more advanced person, who likes poetry.
Rating:
Summary: dumb love
Review: when my friend lent this book to me, she did not ask me to read it for the story. she thought the idea of a zine was pretty awesome and we are thinking of starting our own. start your own zine. believe me, it would be a much more interesting alternative to this book.
so the book begins. i like it. i can identify with the main character in a lot of ways. so he meets this lesbian (who follows ALL the stereotypes -- she's weird, she likes ani difranco, she doesn't shave her legs.) and as if that isn't bad enough he gets all obsessed with her and supposedly 'falls in love with her' and i think the character really goes kind of insane (and i had liked him to begin with, but he just turns into a stupid jerk.) it was like ms. wittlinger didn't really know him so well at that point. and the whole book just got really annoying. i really hate it when reviews talk all about what happens in the story, so i'm not gonna do that. just take my word for it. or read this stereotypical piece of literature. none of the characters had much of a spark... Our Favorite Lesbian started out with potential, but as the story pittered along, she turned out to be as boring as everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Love....Everyone can idenify
Review: I love this book! the internal problems with a boy and learning to love is touching, funny, and sad all at the same time. Everyone in this book has a quality or two that everyone can idenify with you will love everyone because there very realateable and everyone has gone though something like this in there life sooner or later but for him it happend sooner then later so I highly reccomend this book to everyone!
Rating:
Summary: Hard Love
Review: I'm not going to summarize the book like alot of people did, but i'm a junior in high school so theres a lot i can relate to from this book. It was put together very well and i'd definately say it is the best book i've ever read and its so full of emotion.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone can relait to Hard Love
Review: Hi, I'm Alison...I read this book in a day. Hard Love is about a student in high school, a junior, and his name is John. His parents were divorced when he was ten and it made him grow cold. Ever since then his own mother hasn't even touched him. He doesn't fit in the in crowd at school ( like me ha ) and since it got hard to deal with, he started writing zines.
While waiting in Tower Records in Boston while visiting his father one day, he picks up another zine written by this girl named Marisol. He finally meets this girl, and even though they only see one another on the weekends, they become best friends. You would think they hook up right then and there but no. She is indeed a lesbian, and does not lie. Does she turn straight for him? Read the book.
But he still asks her to the prom ( just as friends he says ) but John makes a couple of wrong moves and she gets extremely mad. It leaves there friendship in shambles. But then he talks her into going to a zine convention and then and there on the beach he starts to understand the meaning of Hard Love.
This book wrapped me with emotions I had been avoiding. It is very hard to admit when you feel alone. It is even more hard to admit when you fall in love with someone and you know it cant ever happen. I've been there. I'm there now. It's very tough on the heart, makes me feel all clamy. It has harsh language and things that would be better for teens ( like me ). THis book went by like a gush of wind through the air. I was amazed at how well this was written and well this women captured the very thought of a teenager. Thats not an easy task. When I read this I was forced to answer my emotions and I think it can open many peoples eyes. I wish adults would read it as well, cause then they could see what we go through day to day. They think we have it easy, HAHAHAHAHA thats real funny. Nope, not even close.
I recommend to anyone with good sence to read this book, it is very well written, and is about something real.
:)p.s im not 12 I had to put that cause I cant use the adult form. Im really barely 13,,,about two months....So I do know how it goes
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