This book is written with a lazy humor that is hard to find. It literally made me laugh out loud at some of the situations and I found it a very enjoyable read for teens of all age. Though, as the title hints, it does focus on a girl losing her virginity, there are also life lessons along the way. Overall, definitely a worthy read!

This book is written with a lazy humor that is hard to find. It literally made me laugh out loud at some of the situations and I found it a very enjoyable read for teens of all age. Though, as the title hints, it does focus on a girl losing her virginity, there are also life lessons along the way. Overall, definitely a worthy read!

I found this book to be the most boring book I have ever read in my entire life. The plot is just really really jumpy, and all over the place.

The friend, just annoying. Always talking about blowing up a dog. It is just so out of nowhere.

There are SOME decent parts to the book, I admit. But about 3/4 of it, just made me tired. Almost didn't even get through the whole book.

Amazing book for me personally.
The story line is a bit slow at the start, but once you get about 50 pages in you'll be hooked! I sat down and read this book in 2 hours. I loved it. Any teen who's been in a relationship will be able to relate to this book. It made me laugh, cry, and look at myself in a different light. Most teen girls can probably relate to the lead character Tess, her humor is perfect and really lightens the mood in a serious scene. Her grandma I personally thought was the best character. Her witty sense of humor completed the book. While many people have said the book is graphic I didn't find it to be that way. It never goes into detail and it doesn't cross the line in my opinion.
Great book you won't regret reading it =)

At around page 23 I was seriously considering returning this book... it was just too weird and random and I just didn't like it.

And yet, I wasn't putting it down. It was around page 93 where I actually started liking this book, which, I'll admit is a very long time to wait for a book to get good... but it was worth it. The randomness ties in eventually since the book starts out with the MC already knowing everything.

Lost It was a pretty good book, it's one of those books where you want to smack the characters around a few times for being so thick headed... and I don't like the way things were handled with Tess's best friend, I felt like there was a much bigger problem than the way the author portrayed it.

This book does have an open ending, which I'm pretty sure no one likes, but it's still a good book.

The characters of the book were very realistic and I enjoyed reading some of the situations the narrator had to go through because the situations and problems she had experienced I could kind of relate them to my own. But the only thing that caused me to give this book three stars was because of the ending. It seemed unfinished to me and remembered me of the ending of a cheesy chick flick movie.

I am very disappointed that this book contained such mature themes. Yes, we know that many teens are out there having sex, but why reinforce this lifestyle by making it so acceptable in books written for teens?

I'm glad I thumbed through this book before my daughter and I left the library. It so happens that one of the pages I read through was a scene of the two teens just finishing a sexual encounter. And in the same scene, she contemplates how many partners "he" had already had. ????? What?!?

I just wish that authors who wrote for teens would think about how much influence they have on these young readers. Promiscious lifestyles only hurt teenagers - physically, emotionally and spiritually. Can they not write for teens without making the characters participate in such adult behaviors?

"Lost It" is an amazing piece of teen literature. It is well written and honest about the teenage experience. I highly recommend this book for the young-adult and teen audience, there is a lot to be learned from the characters.

For some reason, I really liked this book. It starts off great, with Tess's quick description of how she lost her virginity. Then it backtracks to explain how this all came to happen. I like the way that everything seemed real, in a completely unrealistic way. It's hard to describe, just the fact that instead of the book being all about Tess and Ben's relationship, it was just about Tess. It was a little sad, a little happy, and just overall a good book.

LOST IT is the perfect title for this book about losing your virginity, your sanity, your fears, your heart, and your grip on reality. This book is nothing if not memorable, strange, and unpredictable. LOST IT tells the story of Tess Whistle's junior year of high school and how she falls in love, lies about having a serious illness, overcomes her wildlife phobia, loses her virginity under a canoe, and tries to prevent her best friend from blowing up a poodle with a bomb she's built. The fact that all this can come across as feasible and real is a pretty impressive feat. The characters are all colorful and unconventional, and I can say with certainty that I've never read another narrator quite like Tess. She's got her share of flaws, and I didn't really love her all the time, but it was somewhat satisfying to watch her make her share of mistakes and have to deal with the consequences of her screw-ups not always working out the way she expects, just like a real person. Zena, the poodle-and-bomb-obsessed best friend, and Tess's sassy grandmother are gems of characterization. The only characters who fell a little flat to me are Tess's parents, who are born again conservative Christians (after a kitchen grease fire) and disappear to Utah for most of the book to follow the philosophy of some guy who seems as though he might be a cult leader. It could be because they get so little screentime in the book, but I never really wrapped my mind around who either of them were.

There isn't much to add to the previous reviews. An excellent book for teen virgins.

Lost It has a perfect title. Yes, the book IS what you think it's about, but it's not ONLY about that. It's about losing your keys. It's about losing your focus. It's about losing your fears. It's about losing your heart.



Kristen Tracy populates her debut novel with memorable, unconventional characters, from the impulsive mother to the somewhat saucy grandmother, from the unpredictable and seemingly sinister best friend to the leading character herself, the unassuming Tess, who has exploding shoes and a tremendous fear of the outdoors.



The most stable character is Ben, the boy who comes into Tess' life during her junior year of high school. He is the catalyst for many of her changes, but in fact, these changes come about due to her own choices and actions. It is she who lets down her guard. It is she who fibs, just a little bit, then trips and falls on the snowball eventually created by that lie.



Lost It will make readers laugh out loud from the very first page. The word 'pageturner' is typically reserved for mysteries and thrillers, but it applies in this case as well. The narration zips along at the speed of thought, and as Tess hints at past and future events, readers will be anxious to find out what happens.



Utterly quirky, totally fun, and surprisingly engrossing, Lost It is a book you should find and keep.



Recommended for older teens and adults.

Lost It has a perfect title. Yes, the book IS what you think it's about, but it's not ONLY about that. It's about losing your keys. It's about losing your focus. It's about losing your fears. It's about losing your heart.

Kristen Tracy populates her debut novel with memorable, unconventional characters, from the impulsive mother to the somewhat saucy grandmother, from the unpredictable and seemingly sinister best friend to the leading character herself, the unassuming Tess, who has exploding shoes and a tremendous fear of the outdoors.

The most stable character is Ben, the boy who comes into Tess' life during her junior year of high school. He is the catalyst for many of her changes, but in fact, these changes come about due to her own choices and actions. It is she who lets down her guard. It is she who fibs, just a little bit, then trips and falls on the snowball eventually created by that lie.

Lost It will make readers laugh out loud from the very first page. The word 'pageturner' is typically reserved for mysteries and thrillers, but it applies in this case as well. The narration zips along at the speed of thought, and as Tess hints at past and future events, readers will be anxious to find out what happens.

Utterly quirky, totally fun, and surprisingly engrossing, Lost It is a book you should find and keep.

Recommended for older teens and adults.

I can sum it all up for you in one word.
Amazing!
Its not about a girl that has absolutely no imperfections, its a about a real girl, that has real problems. She falls in love, her parents go crazy, along with her best friend. She does things she regrets, and does things that makes you squirm, along with laugh out loud humor.
I love this book!!
It ends on such an open note though, so there has to be a sequil.
I highly reccomend this book.

The title of Kristen Tracy's LOST IT sums up the heart of the novel in two simple words, but like the novel itself, its simplicity is deceiving. "Lost it" could refer to many facets of the book. The narrator, Tess, starts things off by telling readers how she lost her virginity, and how she subsequently seems to have lost the guy she gave it to. At the same time, her rock-solid best friend is losing her grip after a parental divorce, Tess's parents are running off to recover the sense of self they think they've lost, and Tess, in the middle of everything, feels lost in the world as she tries to pull her life together without them. LOST IT is one of those rare books that gives you a light, fun read yet packs an emotional wallop you won't soon forget.

Like the novel, Tess is a rarity. Readers will relate to her insecurities and her struggles to understand the people in her life,
but her constant fear of attacks by wild animals and her naivety due to her born-again parents's restriction of TV viewing give her voice an oddball, comic touch. Tess's voice is a far cry from the polished, hyper-mature tones of the Gossip and It Girls in teen fiction. She's not quite like any character I've ever read about, and that difference makes this book stand out.

Much of the story focuses on Tess's developing relationship with a new guy at school. Tess deals with many of the same questions teens face when they start dating: how serious to get, how far to go, how to make sure he'll stay. But, gradually, readers realize that despite its somewhat juicy opening, what's important isn't whether Tess should have slept with her boyfriend, or whether she's lost him for good. LOST IT proves that there are bigger issues than dating and sex. At the heart of the story is Tess lost in a sea of strong personalities and vague fears. She won't win by keeping the guy, but by keeping her head above water and accepting the uncertainties of life which threaten to overwhelm her.

LOST IT should appeal to a wide range of teen readers, but especially to those who value honesty and awkwardness over posh worldliness. While the novel contains some sexual subject matter, it's hardly glorified or graphic. And its themes of learning to cope with and even enjoy change and unpredictability may be just want teens want to hear. I suspect this is a book that will affect readers of all ages, and stick with them after they finish reading.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

The title of Kristen Tracy's LOST IT sums up the heart of the novel in two simple words, but like the novel itself, its simplicity is deceiving. "Lost it" could refer to many facets of the book. The narrator, Tess, starts things off by telling readers how she lost her virginity, and how she subsequently seems to have lost the guy she gave it to. At the same time, her rock-solid best friend is losing her grip after a parental divorce, Tess's parents are running off to recover the sense of self they think they've lost, and Tess, in the middle of everything, feels lost in the world as she tries to pull her life together without them. LOST IT is one of those rare books that gives you a light, fun read yet packs an emotional wallop you won't soon forget.

Like the novel, Tess is a rarity. Readers will relate to her insecurities and her struggles to understand the people in her life,
but her constant fear of attacks by wild animals and her naivety due to her born-again parents's restriction of TV viewing give her voice an oddball, comic touch. Tess's voice is a far cry from the polished, hyper-mature tones of the Gossip and It Girls in teen fiction. She's not quite like any character I've ever read about, and that difference makes this book stand out.

Much of the story focuses on Tess's developing relationship with a new guy at school. Tess deals with many of the same questions teens face when they start dating: how serious to get, how far to go, how to make sure he'll stay. But, gradually, readers realize that despite its somewhat juicy opening, what's important isn't whether Tess should have slept with her boyfriend, or whether she's lost him for good. LOST IT proves that there are bigger issues than dating and sex. At the heart of the story is Tess lost in a sea of strong personalities and vague fears. She won't win by keeping the guy, but by keeping her head above water and accepting the uncertainties of life which threaten to overwhelm her.

LOST IT should appeal to a wide range of teen readers, but especially to those who value honesty and awkwardness over posh worldliness. While the novel contains some sexual subject matter, it's hardly glorified or graphic. And its themes of learning to cope with and even enjoy change and unpredictability may be just want teens want to hear. I suspect this is a book that will affect readers of all ages, and stick with them after they finish reading.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

Tracy's own wit and fun loving style are written into each page. Looking forward to her next novel!

In Tess Whistle (the heroine of LOST IT) Kristen Tracy has created a character who is not only smart, and honest, and funny, and completely her own person, but whose experiences (including the exploding shoes, because even if your own shoes have never exploded, who can't relate to the idea of doing something foolish just to make yourself look better?) will also ring truer than true to readers of all ages. (Well, maybe not to toddlers...) Plus, the story is a real page turner. I just loved it!