Abducted by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Headline: Four friends, a pair of jeans, and one crazy summer.

Time in Captivity: I had seen the movie adaptation of this novel when it first came out so I felt very familiar with the story lines and was pleased to see that the movie didn't really deviate from the book to drastically.
Sometimes my friends and I complain about the lack of YA books that show strong female friendships and this book is the complete antithesis of that problem. The girls are strong and smart and completely there for each other. They each have their own lives and issues and obstacles to deal with this summer, but they love each other. That much can not be denied.

If you have seen the movie version, then like I said you will be familiar with these girls. Tibby is working on a documentary at home while also slaving away at a local department store. Lena is off visiting family in Greece. Bridget is at a soccer camp in southern California. And Carmen is supposed to be spending the entire summer with just her dad. Of course they each have surprises in store for them.

I loved seeing how close these girls were and this is really the first summer that they had to deal with tough issues on their own. I mean they weren't completely alone but still...

Now, there was one story line that was different in the movie in comparison to the book. That was the story line of Lena and her love interest Kostas. And to be perfectly honest, I actually felt that the movie did it better. The conflict in the book started out as a minor misunderstanding. But as Lena allowed the conflict to grow and become a bigger deal with pretty serious accusations, it made her character seem pretty vapid and shallow.

My only other critique is that the romantic relationships in this book all seemed pretty flat. But I feel like

those relationships were really supposed to be secondary compared to the dynamic between the girls in the story so I can get over it. I mean if the romantic relationships were the main focus of the book I wouldn't be interested in finishing the series but I want to know what happens to these friendships.

The Abductor: I really liked Bridget in the book because I felt like they dealt with her depression really well. It was very subtle and under the surface but it was still very much there. I also really liked Tibby's relationship with Bailey.

Point of Abduction: I was pretty much abducted from the beginning because I knew the movie so well and knew what the story lines were working up to. But I'm a huge fan of emotional scenes so I really liked the part when Carmen threw the rock through her dad's window and then the phone call that followed.

Pick Up Line: 

I could tell the pants hadn't come to our lives because of tragedy. They'd just witnessed one of those regular but painful life transitions. That, it turns out, is The Way of the Pants.

Abduction Rating:

I love these girls and can't wait to finish the entire series! It would have been a full five but I really didn't like Lena's story. The rest was perfect!