So I did my reread and I think it holds up for the most part. It is definately too young for anyone who reads it after lower-school. It’s almost quaint to read how Allie’s biggest problems are eating foods she doesn’t like and the worst insult is “crybaby.” Simpler times. Especially as she and her friends don’t quite understand things like romance and “going with” someone as a boy/girlfriend. Though you might get a little chuckle when Cabot slips in things the adults say that goes over Allie’s head.

In fact, after reading the Boy quarter and this soon after, I recognize a pattern in Cabot’s writing. The protagonists have a rambling, stream of thought voice that often goes into diatribes and digressions before getting back to the point. It’s interesting how it manages to fit a 9 year old girl and a 20 something single. With the former it fits the easily distractible mind of a kid, and the latter makes the rom-com leads quirky.

I also come to the idea that maybe just maybe Allie might be autistic.Between how she feels like she’s going to gag whenever eating something red, having a special interest in animals, needing to write down rules because the complexity of girlworld and trying to navigate the messy emotional landscape, trying to put her rules on others once or twice.

True, you could just chalk all that to being a kid who tends to see things in black and white and is more organized and studious but it did pop into my head.

So yeah, a cute series that shows Cabot can write for kids, teens, adults and any in between.