SuitabookThe Kissing Booth
Beth Reekles
- Reading
- Consider reading alongside a conversation about consent, safety, jealousy and coping with heartbreak. You may wish to pause after scenes involving fights, harassment, drinking or sexual activity.
- Themes
- Romance and boundaries: Elle is drawn towards Noah despite his bad-boy reputation, quick temper, jealousy and possessiveness; the story also presents trying to make a relationship work and coping with heartbreak. The romance appears emotionally compelling, but the described behaviour creates tension between romantic intensity and healthy treatment.
- Social expectations and gender roles: The book includes flirtatious behaviour by girls, boys as pursuers, party-related attention and a boy being mocked for waiting until his girlfriend is ready for sex. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Growing through mistakes: Elle is described as a good person who learns from mistakes, remains involved in school social activities and spends time with her best friend Lee. The book appears to value learning from mistakes and acknowledges that relationships may not last forever.
- Worth knowing
- Pay attention to how anger, possessiveness, kissing, sex, alcohol and harassment are handled. Some material is non-graphic or off-page, but the relationship dynamics may merit careful discussion.