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Mates, Dates #9
Mates, Dates, and Great Escapes
“Do you think that room service will deliver chocolate?” asked Izzie, who was on her knees on the floor with her face in the minibar. “We’re all out here.”
“Yeah,” said T.J. “Who needs boys when you can have chocolate?”
“Ah, but they come in handy when we haven’t any,” said Nesta. “Let’s call the boys in their rooms. Maybe they haven’t eaten their supplies.”
A school trip to Florence seems like the perfect escape for Lucy. She wants time away from Tony, who is pressuring her to take their relationship further. In Italy she meets an American boy and thinks he might be the ideal way to get over Tony.
He seems to be the perfect gentleman, and Italy introduces Lucy to a world of culture and sophistication. Will she be able to move on from Tony? Or is it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire?
“Yeah,” said T.J. “Who needs boys when you can have chocolate?”
“Ah, but they come in handy when we haven’t any,” said Nesta. “Let’s call the boys in their rooms. Maybe they haven’t eaten their supplies.”
A school trip to Florence seems like the perfect escape for Lucy. She wants time away from Tony, who is pressuring her to take their relationship further. In Italy she meets an American boy and thinks he might be the ideal way to get over Tony.
He seems to be the perfect gentleman, and Italy introduces Lucy to a world of culture and sophistication. Will she be able to move on from Tony? Or is it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 30, 2004
24 people are currently reading
1216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 7, 2020
I have got to admit that i have always loved Nesta`s hot older brother Tony in the whole series.Tony and Lucy has the perfect chemistry despite their on-off relationship.
September 3, 2009
What I learned about this book is that you & a guy can make the the cutest couple, but you really have to know what kind of guy you're dealing with as a a boyfriend. Some things you have to figure out is if they know how to treat a girl right? Do they take the truths to the bad or good side? Do they play with girls' feelings? Things like that. I even find Lucy & Tony the cutest couple because they used to take care of each other so well, it looked like they were never to break up. But things happen for reasons.
February 22, 2009
This book is about Lucy who finds out the true meaning to romance.
December 19, 2013
Great Escapes is probably my favorite book out of the Mates, Dates series. The book covers some quite sensitive subjects, such as sex and teenage love, very well, whilst still keeping it relate-able to the people reading the books.
Great Escapes has also got very good character plot and development.
It is narrated by Lucy, who is the 'younger' one of the group. She is considered 'a late bloomer', as she is much smaller and less developed than Tj, Izzy and Nesta. However, she seems to be the first of the group to deal with the topic of sex and, you could argue, is the first to have to 'grow up', out of the four girls.
As a summary, Great Escapes is a very well written and developed book, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone around the ages of 14 or 15 who is still quite conscious or in the dark about growing up.
July 31, 2011
This book was great! I would greatly recomend this to someone who likes ANY of the Mates,Dates,and _____. Its about a girl names Lucy.. She has other friends. Izzie, Nesta, and TJ. She goes out with Nestas brother, and she is really close to him.. But when he wants a little more than what Lucy wants, it all goes down hill. They decide that they should just be friends, but when she finds out that he has a new girlfriend she gets jealous. Lucy meets a guy names Teddy while on their vacation to Florence. She really likes this guy, and they get to hangout out during the last few days that they are there. When they get back to there hometown, Tony is waiting in the Airport with flowers looking for Lucy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2018
I really enjoyed these books when I was younger. I’ve definitely matured, and not sure I’d enjoy them too much now. But great for younger readers, say about 11-14? Silly and fun but you get to love the main characters
September 15, 2020
Este es un libro que forma parte de una serie de libro muy cortos que empecé a leer cuando tenía 14 años. Luego los descontinuaron y ahora gracia a la tecnología los he leído todos en su versión kindle.
Este libro en especifico, toca tema como la inseguridad, los nuevos comienzos y la amistad.
Es muy lindo y juvenil. La historia se desarrolla durante un viaje a Italia y es tan cortito que se puede leer en un día o dos.
Si necesitas un subidón de confianza y seguridad te recomiendo mucho este libro.
Este libro en especifico, toca tema como la inseguridad, los nuevos comienzos y la amistad.
Es muy lindo y juvenil. La historia se desarrolla durante un viaje a Italia y es tan cortito que se puede leer en un día o dos.
Si necesitas un subidón de confianza y seguridad te recomiendo mucho este libro.
March 13, 2019
I still remember this as the 3rd fiction/romance book I've read in 2016. There's no explanation as to why I gave it 5 stars. I just really liked it and my heart told me to rate it 5 stars. It was a very light read and it was charming
December 28, 2017
I read this book in one day.
May 11, 2018
An easy young read of the trauma of being a teenager and the angst of boyfriends
March 19, 2019
3,5 en realidad
February 9, 2023
3,5-3,75⭐️
July 20, 2023
i really loved this book as a teen/tween i re read this recently it’s okay but has a soft spot in my heart along with two other books from this series
December 7, 2024
Would’ve loved to read this at 16. It’s quite silly, but great to improve vocabulary, which in fact was my intention.
March 11, 2017
I absolutely loved this series growing up. The books follow a group of 5 friends, with each book focusing on a different girl. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of the characters individually and Lucy was always my favourite (with this being my favourite book in the series).
Whilst there are obviously romantic themes, the series explores friendship and other topics that teenagers can relate to. These are fantastic "starter" books if you are looking to introduce a young teenager to reading as they are light and use language that isn't too complex. They're all highly entertaining with likeable characters.
Diamond Destiny is another great one as it helps to educate readers about cancer and charity work which I found really inspiring when I was young.
Whilst there are obviously romantic themes, the series explores friendship and other topics that teenagers can relate to. These are fantastic "starter" books if you are looking to introduce a young teenager to reading as they are light and use language that isn't too complex. They're all highly entertaining with likeable characters.
Diamond Destiny is another great one as it helps to educate readers about cancer and charity work which I found really inspiring when I was young.
October 24, 2010
I thought this book was a good teen book. i think this is deffinetly more for girls than boys. i think there is a cute little romance in the story that can keep the romance readers wanting more. i think this book is deffinetly not boring. it has cute little cliff hangers. the way the author made the girls sound was kind of cute too. you can kind of invision how the girls are talking and acting. the author describes the girls well and puts the characters perspective in a way that a teenager would. i think if an author can do that well, then that can get a reader (especially of its own age range) more into the book.
My favorite part is when the american boy takes lucy to the bridge and makes her feel like shes in the movie from florence. i think that was a very romantic thing to do and was a good way to get a girl (especially one from a different country and wants romance.) also she had just been dumped by tony,so im sure to her it felt good to be loved by someone else. i think lucy felt good that she was getting a little bit of attention. i think people would think she was using the american guy as a rebound but i really dont think she was. i think he was supposed to be, but in the end he turned out to be the guy that she wanted. he wasnt the average guy and wasnt like tony that was all for one thing. i think thats what she reallt appreciated about him.
in conclusion, this was a very good book and i would read the rest of the series if there are more. i thought this was diffinetly a good teenage book to keep a teenager reading and wanting more. tons of drama which can diffinetly keep a teenager wanting to read more.
My favorite part is when the american boy takes lucy to the bridge and makes her feel like shes in the movie from florence. i think that was a very romantic thing to do and was a good way to get a girl (especially one from a different country and wants romance.) also she had just been dumped by tony,so im sure to her it felt good to be loved by someone else. i think lucy felt good that she was getting a little bit of attention. i think people would think she was using the american guy as a rebound but i really dont think she was. i think he was supposed to be, but in the end he turned out to be the guy that she wanted. he wasnt the average guy and wasnt like tony that was all for one thing. i think thats what she reallt appreciated about him.
in conclusion, this was a very good book and i would read the rest of the series if there are more. i thought this was diffinetly a good teenage book to keep a teenager reading and wanting more. tons of drama which can diffinetly keep a teenager wanting to read more.
December 29, 2016
4.5
Collective Review
I first read a couple of these books in 2006. I had a long bus trip and grabbed a couple of the series from a local bookstore. I had no idea they were part of a huge series. Over the years I had forgotten the names of the books but every now and then would try to find them. I finally found them this year from a Goodreads list. Yay!
I really enjoyed this series. I think the main reason is because the books were released in 2001 and the girls are 14. I was 13 in 2001 so can connect with a lot of the pop culture aspects mentioned throughout the series. Even though the series is based in England I still feel a sense of nostalgia while reading it.
I really love the girls and their friendship. I never had a close knit group of friends like this when I was younger so I liked reading about it. They are a bit too boy crazy for my liking but I really did love this series.
Collective Review
I first read a couple of these books in 2006. I had a long bus trip and grabbed a couple of the series from a local bookstore. I had no idea they were part of a huge series. Over the years I had forgotten the names of the books but every now and then would try to find them. I finally found them this year from a Goodreads list. Yay!
I really enjoyed this series. I think the main reason is because the books were released in 2001 and the girls are 14. I was 13 in 2001 so can connect with a lot of the pop culture aspects mentioned throughout the series. Even though the series is based in England I still feel a sense of nostalgia while reading it.
I really love the girls and their friendship. I never had a close knit group of friends like this when I was younger so I liked reading about it. They are a bit too boy crazy for my liking but I really did love this series.
Read
November 1, 2009 I read Mates, Dates, and Great Escapes as an IR book. This book was about Lucy forgetting about Tony. It;s been a roller coaster with them but finally Lucy says she doesn't want to take it to the next level so they just go apart. To forget about him she goes to the Italy with her friends an class. There she meets an American boy Teddy, she totally likes him. But because of teddy is she going to forget Tony?
I have a text-to-self connection. It sort of connects because i would like to visit Italy but that's only if my parents say. So it doesnt really connect but i would love to see the sites they saw. And even go with my friends too.
I gave this book ****stars. i gave this book 4 stars because it didnt fascinate me that much like the others. But it also teaches a girl that never do anything you don't want to do. Plus have a little history lesson on Italy.
I have a text-to-self connection. It sort of connects because i would like to visit Italy but that's only if my parents say. So it doesnt really connect but i would love to see the sites they saw. And even go with my friends too.
I gave this book ****stars. i gave this book 4 stars because it didnt fascinate me that much like the others. But it also teaches a girl that never do anything you don't want to do. Plus have a little history lesson on Italy.
June 21, 2015
J'ADORE !!! i really love this story i started reading it on holiday and what was weired is it was my first time on a plane too, so it was great to be able to relate to the book quite litterlay! I think the plot line is brilliant and makes a great story to read espically for teenagers. I have also read the mates, dates secret story if you want to get an idea about what tony is going through during this part of the story i really recommend that book to. Over all such a great book and i extremly recommend! along with the rest of the series. It is great chilled out book perfect for the holidays and a must have for by the pool!!
November 6, 2015
What's worth noting:
First of all, I didn't realize that this book was part of a series, at all. So, it's safe to say that it's not absolutely necessary to read them in order. Second, it really reminded me of Confessions of Georgia Nicolson; there is even a reference to a number on a certain snogging scale. Third, the audio, while girly, British, and humorous, is not distinctively voiced; from what I can remember, the boys sounded like girls, so I'd skip it, in favor of the print version.
Recommended to fans of Georgia Nicolson and lovers of teenage chick lit looking for a virtual vacation to Italy
First of all, I didn't realize that this book was part of a series, at all. So, it's safe to say that it's not absolutely necessary to read them in order. Second, it really reminded me of Confessions of Georgia Nicolson; there is even a reference to a number on a certain snogging scale. Third, the audio, while girly, British, and humorous, is not distinctively voiced; from what I can remember, the boys sounded like girls, so I'd skip it, in favor of the print version.
Recommended to fans of Georgia Nicolson and lovers of teenage chick lit looking for a virtual vacation to Italy
August 8, 2007
We're back to Lucy's POV and everyone's going on the school holiday to Italy except for her, because her family doesn't have a lot of extra money for such things. But then some extra money comes into the picture and she gets to go too! And just in the nick of time, because she and Tony are definetely OFF. And Lucy meets a hott American and maybe things will get better? This one's not preachy and fun, because it's the girls running around in Italy. Also, I really like how Lucy can finally afford to go on the trip.
Want to read
July 15, 2010In this book i learn that lucy is going on a school trip to Florence and for here it seem like a good and perfect way to escape because here boy friend tony is pressuring her to take there relationship further.But in italy she meets an American boy and thinks he might be the ideal way to get over tony.The hole thing is that this guy seems to be the perfect gentleman, and italy introduces lucy to a world of culture and sophistication.Will she be able to move on from tony or will she have to tell this boy that she has a boyfriend back home.
June 2, 2008
this book is base on lucy's point of view. her mates are going to Italy, but her parents doesn't have enough money for her. but then her little brother got money because he helped out an old lady and she passed away so get the inheritance of her money. in Italy she had a great time, but then she meet this hot American guy, now she will have to choose between tony, her boyfriend and this new hottie. which one is meant for her, this is what she is asking herself. decision is very hard for her.
July 22, 2011
Rigtig god serie for teenagepiger fra 10-11 år.
Udover at være sjove, synes jeg de har en god indfaldsvinkel til "almindelige teenageres problemer", så det handler om at sætte sine egne grænser, og om forhold til familie, skole, egen krop, veninder og kærester.
Det fungerer fint, at de fire meget forskellige veninder ser tingene på hver deres måde.
Jeg synes serien har god substans, udover at være let og underholdende.
Udover at være sjove, synes jeg de har en god indfaldsvinkel til "almindelige teenageres problemer", så det handler om at sætte sine egne grænser, og om forhold til familie, skole, egen krop, veninder og kærester.
Det fungerer fint, at de fire meget forskellige veninder ser tingene på hver deres måde.
Jeg synes serien har god substans, udover at være let og underholdende.
Read
July 29, 2008Oh my gosh!!!! I loved this book! I was into this book so much i felt like i was there! This is about a girl who doesnt know what to do about her boyfriend so she goes on a trip and meets an awesome guy for her.
April 14, 2009
Lucy breaks up with her boyfriend Tony, Nesta's older brother. Tony wants to do it with Lucy, but she just isn't ready so Tony breaks up with her. Lucy goes to Florence with her friends to get over Tony, and fina a new love.
August 8, 2010
I love the character Tony in this book. I don't like him at some parts but then after he messes up and all he'll do somthing really sweet that makes you say "Awwwww" without even meanign too. Good book. Fun read. 4 Stars.
December 13, 2013
I thought this was a decent book from the series. Many things happen and you follow the characters on adventures. Not a boring book. I hated the little cliffhangers here and there. But that is a definitely a way to keep me interested in a book.
July 29, 2008
another daring book. fun stuff.
November 4, 2008
Im reading this when im still junior high. seriously.Long time agoo!! lol
hmm, im not too remember the story.But i just know, this story is funny and nice for teenager! :D
hmm, im not too remember the story.But i just know, this story is funny and nice for teenager! :D
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews