More content than you would think, judging by the cover! Well-written. A teen visitor at the library recommended this to me, and I'm glad I read it.
( )

This book started out with a great concept, the daughter of a famous romance writer trying to cover for her mentally ill mother and write a new romance novel in her name, whilst trying not to fall apart. A girl discovering love for the first time.

But it ended up pretty shallow & mushy. The cupid character it inserted was really lame and boring. The way the myth was told was just... it was supposed to be a new "spin" on the version the "gods" falsely spread, but there was absolutely nothing exciting about it. No real romance, no actual details.

And Alice's romance was the same. Girl meets guy, then gets completely distracted by some crazy cupid guy and forgets about her romantic interest except to have one kiss, let him get shot by an arrow and have an allergic reaction to prove cupid is real, and use him to drive her around everywhere.

Just... lame. Which is a shame, because this story could have been really amazing if the writer had just given it more depth and creativity. ( )

From the book jacket: As the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life for sixteen-year-old Alice Amorous should be pretty good. But ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness, Alice has been forced to maintain a brave front – lying to her new crush, Tony; answering fan letters; forging her mother’s signature; telling the publisher that all is well. Now time is running out, and so is their money. The next book is overdue and the Queen can’t write it. Alice needs to deliver a new novel for her mother – and she needs to come up with one fast. That’s when she meets Errol, a strange guy claiming to be Cupid, who insists that Alice must write about his tragic romance with Psyche – the greatest love story of all time.

My reactions
Okay, I knew it was a YA romance going into it, and I definitely see the appeal for the target audience. You have cute guys, cute “meets,” a couple of surrogate parents in the neighbors, a nemesis in a troubled teenager who is visiting her grandmother for the summer, and more drama than you can shake a stick at. Add in the Greek mythology and a touch of magical realism and you have a pretty good idea for a successful teen romance.

But it’s not really my cup of tea. I have trouble suspending disbelief this far, and the teen angst just sets my teeth on age. I’m clearly too old for this.

Still, there are moments in the story that really captured my attention and that kept me turning pages Selfors deals with some heavy issues here including mental illness, tolerance and anorexia. If only one kid gets the message that telling the truth and seeking help for problems is far better than trying to hide them, then I think that’s a success. ( )

Alice lives an apartment building alone. Well the neighbors check on her. Alice's mother is the world famous Belinda Amorous and what everyone doesn't know is that Belinda is currently in a psychiatric center being treated for bipolar disorder. Alice has been forging her mother's signature to pay bills, sign books and now she needs to find a way to fill the publishers demand for a new book. Then she meets Errol, a clearly crazy guy who believes he's cupid that wants her to write the true story of Cupid and Psyche. Thrown in for good mix is Alice's impending possible dateness w/ Skateboard Guy and even more going on for good measure.

This book is jam packed with characters, story lines and side plots. And that's not a bad thing. There is always something going on. I ended up staying up and reading it straight through b/c I wanted to know what happened next. It's a romance where the main characters romance takes a back seat. I thought they did a good job showing Belinda's symptoms and how family members especially children worry that they will develop them as well.

I did think that the Reverend and company didn't pay quite enough attention to Alice. I found it strange that no one thought about the bills being paid, etc. I also was not a big fan of the crazy infatuation scenes. I also thought that they could have delved a little more into Errol thinking Alice looked like Psyche a little sooner, but overall I did enjoy it. Mad Love is a nice mix of lighthearted humor and serious issue book. ( )

Alice lives an apartment building alone. Well the neighbors check on her. Alice's mother is the world famous Belinda Amorous and what everyone doesn't know is that Belinda is currently in a psychiatric center being treated for bipolar disorder. Alice has been forging her mother's signature to pay bills, sign books and now she needs to find a way to fill the publishers demand for a new book. Then she meets Errol, a clearly crazy guy who believes he's cupid that wants her to write the true story of Cupid and Psyche. Thrown in for good mix is Alice's impending possible dateness w/ Skateboard Guy and even more going on for good measure.

This book is jam packed with characters, story lines and side plots. And that's not a bad thing. There is always something going on. I ended up staying up and reading it straight through b/c I wanted to know what happened next. It's a romance where the main characters romance takes a back seat. I thought they did a good job showing Belinda's symptoms and how family members especially children worry that they will develop them as well.

I did think that the Reverend and company didn't pay quite enough attention to Alice. I found it strange that no one thought about the bills being paid, etc. I also was not a big fan of the crazy infatuation scenes. I also thought that they could have delved a little more into Errol thinking Alice looked like Psyche a little sooner, but overall I did enjoy it. Mad Love is a nice mix of lighthearted humor and serious issue book. ( )