It's interesting to read "Carter Finally Gets It" and "Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn" within the same time span. Both novels attempt to get inside the mind of a teenage boy and find out what makes him tick. I imagine this is a valid concern for many teenage girls, trying to figure out what makes certain guys tick and why we act that we do. And while each novel concludes that guys are driven by one thing, it's interesting to see how differently each novel approaches that driving factor.

With "Gideon" the feeling I got was that guys are motivated only by one thing--sex. And that's it. The insight into the guy's mind is that teenage boys think about sex A LOT. They think about the ways they could possibly have sex, where they could have sex and who they would like to have sex with. And that drives just about everything they do in trying to win over and impress girls.

Honestly, the story doesn't go much deeper than that and, in the end, it becomes a bit repetitive by the halfway mark of the book. What will keep you reading is the curiosity factor over which of the characters is the first-person narrator with the all access pass to Gideon's mind. There were times I felt like skipping ahead to find out, but I kept thinking I might miss some pivotal moment or some character development. Alas, that never quite happens.

On the other hand, you've got "Carter Finally Gets It," a story about high school freshman Will Carter and his journey though his first year of high school. Carter and his fellow male friends are clearly motivated by lust for their fellow females, but most of them would clearly have no idea what to do with a willing female should they get one. In fact, Carter and his crew really have no clue as to who they really are and instead put on airs and try to be the stud they all think the should be. The results are humorous and realistic. Carter starts off the book in a romance with his home ec partner from the previous year who has blossomed a bit. Helped by his older sister's advice, Carter is able to at first woo her but allows his early small successes such as holding her hand, kissing her and getting to first base to cloud his judgment and boost his ego. Before you know it, Carter is trying to have his cake and eat it too instead of just being the guy that he liked being and that most people liked him being.

It all catches up to him in a realistic way and then the rest of the novel finds Carter finally "getting it" and figuring out who he is. Yes, by the novel's end Carter is still a hormonally imbalance waiting to happen, but there's been some growth and learning by Carter along the way. There's also been a couple of nice laughs that are grounded in the character. As I said in my review of "Swim the Fly," the tone is similar to the early "American Pie" movies where you had some crude humor but it was balanced by some heart. That's the case with "Carter" and while the book isn't necessarily perfect, it's still an interesting and enjoyable enough read. ( )

As I was reading this book I had to wonder if this is really what goes on in the mind of a teenage boy. I know the stereotype is that they constantly think about sex but I seriously thought I was going to go crazy reading his thoughts about getting laid, where a good place to have sex is, how beautiful the girls all around him were. Geez, it's amazing guys are able to function if that is what their minds are like. I did like the concept of this book though. It was sort of What a Girl Wants but with a girl being in a guys mind. You do not actually find out who the girl is until the very last page. It was a little confusing at times to figure out what were Gideon's thoughts and what were the mystery girls thoughts about what Gideon was seeing going on around him. The main reason I did not give this a higher rating is I was starting to get bored with the repetition of Gideon's thoughts. It picked up enough at the end that I am curious about the next book, The Other Girl, which has the mystery girl gets stuck in the mind of a beautiful girl that Gideon has been lusting over.

As a warning there is quite a bit of underage drinking, drugs and sex talk going on in this book. ( )

Reviewed by Amanda Dissinger for TeensReadToo.com

Ever wondered what exactly is going on in the mind of a teenage boy? Then INSIDE THE MIND OF GIDEON RAYBURN by Sarah Miller is the perfect book for you.

This is a captivating story about a girl at a prep school in Massachusetts who suddenly finds herself experiencing all of the thoughts, feelings, and sights of Gideon Rayburn, a new student at the school. She faces all of the problems Gid faces, from the embarrassing to the sweet to the sexual to the anxious.

Then Gid's roommates, the popular and handsome Cullen and Nicholas, make a bet to see if Gideon can actually achieve his manhood by sleeping with a girl by Halloween. The girl is Molly McGarry, who's cute and funny, but not who Gid really wants. His ultimate desire is in the form of Pilar Benitez-Jones: very beautiful and very confident. As Gid tries to decide which girl is right for him, the reader gets to take a trip through his mind, and see how a real, live, hormone-charged 15-year-old boy really thinks.

INSIDE THE MIND OF GIDEON RAYBURN has an intriguing premise, and is very entertaining and hilarious. It takes a very creative idea, a story from the viewpoint of a girl inside a guy's mind, and makes it believable and worthwhile. Readers will enjoy guessing exactly who and what is inside the mind of Gideon Rayburn, while going on a quick, witty journey of thinking like a boy, if only for a few hours. ( )

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Inside the mind of Gideon Rayburn is a very speacial book. Not only is the narrator one of the characters, but she is talking from the mind of this Gideon. She tells about his life through his eyes but by her words. Gideon is going through some hard times because he is new to an on campus school. His room mates make a bet to see if he can score a girl by a given time. You must read the book to find out if he makes it or not and how the narrator fits into the whole story. I liked it because it was very mellow. In the beginning the narrator tells the reader that she is a character, but you have to read the story to figure out who she is. ( )