In the midst of a gray Seattle winter, it was truly a pleasure to pick up this funny, ultimately happy novel with writing that surprised me with its insight and wit. I Think I Love You is my first “favorite book” of 2011!

Petra is a 13-year-old girl growing up in South Wales in 1974 and like millions of other young girls during that time, she and her friends idolize the pop star, David Cassidy. She obsessively scours magazines for any mention of Cassidy and saves her pennies for each new issue of "The Essential David Cassidy Magazine" to learn the latest secrets about her first love. The novel follows Petra and her friends as they manage to get tickets to hear Cassidy on his farewell tour where tragedy strikes and a girl is killed by the crushing crowd.

Meanwhile, at "The Essential David Cassidy Magazine," Bill is a frustrated rock musician/journalist who has only been able to get a paying job writing letters for the magazine which not only answers fan questions but also strives to keep young hearts beating a little faster.
This novel begins with what sounds like a sappy premise, but like so many of the best novelists today, Pearson manages to extract truths and humor so just about anyone can relate to the story of Petra and Bill.

Like Allison Pearson (and Petra), I too was a David Cassidy fan. Not to the point of erecting a shrine or “snogging” his poster, but I owned a Partridge Family album and found myself humming “I Think I Love You” whenever I put the novel down. Such fun — I highly recommend this novel. ~Patti