The Mates, Dates Guide to Life, Love, and Looking Luscious

By Cathy Hopkins

Time for a lifestyle makeover?
The Mates, Dates girls will show you how!

Four super-tight friends dish their secrets for dealing with life's little dilemmas...
Like boys, for start: what they want, where to find them, how to be a great kisser -- you know, all the really important stuff. Once you snag that dreamy guy, the girls deliver the fashion 411 to keep you looking irresistible! But being a glamour goddess can sometimes get stressful, so there are plenty of tips on how torelax and hang out with your closest friends.
From creating the perfect bedroom, to spicing up your own personal style -- here's an exclusive ticket to a more fabulous you! Just between mates...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Release date: May 11, 2010
• ISBN: 9781439120675

Cathy Hopkins

Cathy Hopkins lives in North London with her handsome husband and three deranged cats. She has had nineteen books published. The fifth book in the Mates, Dates series, Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors, was recently released in the U.K. Piccadilly Press has launched a new series from Hopkins, based on the classic sleepover game of Truth or Consequences.

Book preview

Boys and Relationships

by Nesta Williams

Boys

Starting with none other than one of our favorite subjects, le garçon, il ragazzo, that mysterious species of aliens—boys.

Where to Find Them

Some girls, especially at single-sex schools, say things like, Oh, we never meet boys. There aren’t any around. There’s a shortage. Not true. They’re everywhere. After extensive (and totally enjoyable!) research, these are our top ten best places to find them:

Sports centres. Usually showing off, but then that is what boys like to do.

2. Music stores. A lot of boys tend to be more anoraky than girls when it comes to music and loads of them like to fantasise about being the next big thing to hit the charts. Anyway, you can act all girlie and ask for a recommendation as boys love to (again) show off their superior knowledge. However, if you decide to take this line, be prepared to listen to an hour-long lecture on the life and times of some obscure band from the Sixties. Listening does work, though, because everyone likes to be asked what their opinion is. Whilst he’s giving you his, try to perfect your oh, how fascinating look which is a cross between glee and constipation. (At least it is when Lucy does it.)

3. Coming out of school. What better way to check out a whole selection? This is where Lucy first spotted Tony before she knew he was Nesta’s brother and it was lurve at first sight.

4. At discos or clubs. Usually they’re with their mates in these places, though, and boys tend to act differently when they’re out in a group. If you fancy one, try and get him on his own to get a better idea of what he’s like.

5. Through mates. Most mates have a brother. And that brother has mates. And those mates have mates. And so … you get the picture. (Sadly none of us fancy any of Steve and Lal’s mates or Tony’s, but, you never know, one day one of them might bring home a cutenik.)

6. At night classes or school clubs. Loads of boys do extra classes, but it might mean that you end up doing a class in boxing or car mechanics or something. No problem, as it doesn’t hurt to learn some of these things.

7. At the cinema (hanging out before or after the movie).

8. At gigs and rock concerts.

9. At the mall whilst shopping—though it might take some explaining at to why you hang around in the men’s department. You could say that you’re shopping for your brother and once again, need advice on what label is best, etc …

10. At parties. This is a top place for meeting new boys as you get to dress up, so you will inevitably be looking your best.

Other places are: cafés, football matches, bowling alleys (especially if boys are in the next lane), swimming pools, ice-skating rinks in winter (as you get to hold hands), out walking the dog (it helps if you have one of your own, by the way), sunbathing in the park or on the beach in summer. Basically, you’re not going to meet anyone if you don’t get out there.

Funny enough, though, often you meet boys when you’re not looking for one. And not so funny enough, on days when your hair needs washing, you haven’t got a scrap of makeup on and were least expecting to run in to Mr. Gorgie Pants. All you can do then is smile. As Lucy’s mum is always saying, it’s the most important thing you