Book Review: The Bermudez Triangle

Book: The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, 2007 by Razorbil, 370 pages.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
What happens when your two best friends fall in love...with each other?

"Their friendship went so far back, it bordered on the Biblical -- in the beginning, there was Nina and Avery and Mel." So says high school senior Nina Bermudez about herself and her two best friends, nicknamed "The Bermudez Triangle" by a jealous wannabe back on Nina's eleventh birthday. But the threesome faces their first separation when Nina goes away the summer before their senior year. And in ten short weeks, everything changes.

Nina returns home bursting with stories about Steve, the quirky yet adorable eco-warrior she fell for hard while away. But when she asks her best friends about their summer romances, an awkward silence follows.

Nina soon learns the shocking truth when she sees Mel and Avery...kissing. Their friendship is rocked by what feels like the ultimate challenge. But it's only the beginning of a sometimes painful, sometimes funny, always gripping journey as three girls discover who they are and what they really want.

My Thoughts:
This is an interesting book about different relationships. First the three girls, Nina, Mel, and Avery - the Bermudez Triangle. But when Nina goes away for the summer, she has a new boyfriend and a long distance relationship, and Mel and Avery have started going out together. 

These things change everything, understandably. The good and bad of both of these relationships is explored. There is also the dynamics of coming out and how family and friends deal with it. Overall, this feels pretty realistic.

All three girls are such strong characters that it was easy to root for them in their troubles and feel good for them when things went well. I enjoyed Johnson's writing and how she developed the story. She really seems to understand teenage relationships and how they talk and act. I especially liked some of the other characters and friendships, like the boy who likes Nina but she doesn't like him back. 

I think teenaged girls will like this book, especially if they like character and issue driven books. It would also be a powerful book for girls who are coming out or even for their friends.