Review: Hot Dog Girl

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished on June 7, 2021

Favorite Scene/Quote: Founder's Day Fireworks

For some reason that I don’t understand, I was drawn to this book from the first time that I saw the cover. I hadn’t even read the summary, but the cover and the title were enough for me to want to read this book. After a while I was finally able to fulfill that desire.
    
Elouise (Lou) is in the summer before her senior year, and she is determined to make it the best summer that she can. Her main hope is that she can finally get Nick, her crush, to notice her, but he has a girlfriend. She works at Magic Castle Playland with Nick, her best friend Seeley, and a cast of other people. Nick is a diving pirate…and Lou is the hot dog girl. She wants her own happily ever after, preferably with Nick, but she’s never seen a fairy tale where the hot dog girl gets the guy.

I was more invested in this story than I expected to, especially after the beginning. The beginning found me not really liking Lou. She seemed a bit whiny and annoying and bullheaded. It got easier to like her when it was clear that she was just behaving like a teenager would, a slightly selfish teenager but a teenager, nonetheless. I was mainly annoyed when she would lash out at her father for no good reason. When everything started with Seeley and her, I became a lot more invested.

I mentioned that it took me a bit to get used to Lou, but I was immediately hooked into Seeley. Seeley genuinely seemed sweet and even a bit obvious at times. Nick is an absolute sweetheart, and I wouldn’t mind reading a book that focused exclusively on him.

This book reminds me a bit of a teenage rom-com. Something where parts of the plot are completely contrived and cheesy, but you suspend some disbelief. I tend to enjoy those types of movies and this book fits well with them. There are annoying parts and parts where you can’t believe the characters are acting that way, but you’re used to it. There are also some plots that you know will happen, because why wouldn’t they?

I don’t know if I’ll reread this book often, but I could see it being something I reread. It’s an interesting book even if Lou sometimes grates on my nerve. It’s cute and I enjoyed it and I’d like to read another book by Dugan at some point in the future.