We Can Work It Out - Elizabeth Eulberg

We Can Work It Out by Elizabeth Eulberg
Series: The Lonely Hearts Club #2
Publisher: Point
Publication Date: January 27, 2015
Source/Format: Edelweiss (Thanks!) || e-galley
[I received this book for review. This is no way affects the opinions expressed in my review.]

When Penny Lane started The Lonely Hearts Club, the goal was simple: to show that girls didn’t need to define themselves by how guys looked at them, and didn’t have to value boyfriends over everything else. Penny thought she’d be an outcast for life . . . but then the club became far more popular than she ever imagined it would be.

But what happens when the girl who never thought she’d date a good guy suddenly finds herself dating a great one? She doesn’t need a boyfriend . . . but she wants it to work out with this particular boyfriend. And he wants it to work out with her. Only, things keep getting in the way. Feelings keep getting hurt. Words keep getting misunderstood.

Penny Lane worked hard to declare her independence. Now she needs to figure out what to do with it -- and how to balance what she wants with what everyone else wants.

It is quite a delight to return to a world where Penny Lane Bloom and the members of The Lonely Hearts Club exist. While The Lonely Hearts Club told of the origins of this fine club, as well as Penny’s own story of heartbreak and recovery, We Can Work It Out tackles the next chapter of the tale. The Lonely Hearts Club is thriving and successful, and starting to have an even bigger sphere of influences; Penny is dating a wonderful guy, and learning what it means to be in a committed relationship. Elizabeth Eulberg captures the ups and downs of both these things, particularly in relation to how it affects Penny Lane. And, it works!

Eulberg brings back many familiar faces, but writes an entirely new tale. It was great to reconnect with the relatable, lovable Penny Lane, her supportive best friends Diane and Tracy, her Beatles fanatic parents, her siblings and, of course, Ryan. These characters are still wonderful people, and it’s particularly awesome how supportive they are of Penny, the club and each other. But aside from the people we know, there are definitely some fun and welcome new additions too! 

It’s these great characters that make it so fun to get sucked into We Can Work It Out, which has a fairly simple, realistic plot. Penny, in particular, is quite relatable, as she goes through a lot of things that most teens have to: dealing with peers, learning how to handle your first real relationship, realizing how much work goes into making things happens. She was definitely a character that felt authentic in her actions and reactions, which is definitely a point in the novel’s favor. This is really the thing about We Can Work It Out that stands out most of all.

Even though certain parts felt a bit young, and Eulberg lightly skimmed the waters of cliché, We Can Work It Out was just so dang fun. It matches the tone of The Lonely Hearts Club, which is really great, and yet, it also manages to tell a story that’s completely different. Readers will easily embrace the familiarity of Penny’s experience, and enjoy all the things she and the girls get up to from start to finish. As a huge fan of The Lonely Hearts Club, it thrills me to be able to say that I would highly recommend We Can Work It Out too!