My First Love and Other Disasters

This classic young adult novel follows Victoria Martin, a nearly fifteen-year-old girl determined to win the attention of Jim, the "school hottie." Her elaborate plan involves spending the summer as a mother's helper on Fire Island, where Jim will also be. The story explores the exhilarating, often embarrassing, and ultimately formative experience of first love, jealousy, and navigating social dynamics. While lighthearted and humorous, it gently touches on themes of self-confidence, perseverance, and learning from mistakes. It's a nostalgic read for parents and a relatable journey for teens experiencing their own first crushes and summer adventures.

Someone puts his hand on my shoulder, and when I turn around my knees almost crumble. It's him.Victoria Martin's in a bad way. Falling for Jim, the school hottie, was just the start of it; now she finds herself caught up in major plots to win him over, while at the same time getting rid of his annoyingly gorgeous girlfriend, Gloria. So when she hears that Jim's going to be spending the whole summer on Fire Island, Victoria knows that this is her chance to be noticed and signs herself up for a summer as a mother's helper there. It's "got" to work! But Victoria's about to learn that first love can easily collapse into sheer disaster.