Mates, Dates series

Titles

Titles are the same in the U.S. and Britain unless otherwise noted.

1. Mates, Dates and Inflatable Bras — A turning point has come in Lucy's life, but she doesn't want it. Her best friend Izzie seems to be becoming way too close to new-girl Nesta and she feels increasingly pushed out. But then Wonder-boy crosses the street and her whole life begins to change.
2. Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses — The cool and kooky Izzie is getting desperate as the divine Mark never returns her calls when he says he will. Izzie begins to lose her perspective of things and her sense of fun. Her best friends Lucy and Nesta try to bring her out of it, but will she like what she hears?
3. Mates, Dates and Portobello Princesses (Designer Divas in the U.S.) — Nesta meets the perfect Simon on a train-from-hell. But she runs into problems as he comes from a rich, upperclass background and she feels out of her league. To top it all there is Cressida, the ice queen who sneers at her clothes and her life. Can Nesta see what really matters?
4. Mates, Dates and Sleepover Secrets — This book shows TJ's debut as she slowly becomes friends with Lucy. But problems arise as she is running for editor of the school magazine and so is classmate Wendy Roberts, who has it in for her. Will Izzie and Nesta accept her and will her problem of always being "one of the guys be resolved? And what happens with her crush on the next door neighbor?
5. Mates, Dates and Sole Survivors — Lucy seems to going through a tumultuous time. When she finally wants to go out with Tony, he already has a girlfriend. But then at a spa weekend she meets Daniel. He seems perfect, good looking, into fashion and reliable. But she begins to feel as he is taking over her life. Maybe being single isn't so bad after all!
6. Mates, Dates and Mad Mistakes — Izzie is sick of being treated like a kid, so she makes some changes in her life. But is she not ready to face the consequences as new bad boy Josh comes into her life? And her mother is against the hole new Izzie.
7. Mates, Dates and Pulling Power (Sequin Smiles in the U.S.) — The stunningly beautiful Nesta is in agony. She has to have braces. And this happens to be at the time at which she meets Luke, a sizzingly hot young actor like her. In this book Nesta learns more about her family's history and about herself.
8. Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble— TJ is getting hot under the collar as Nesta's boyfriend Luke declares passionate love for her. Can Nesta's and TJ's friendship continue? And what will TJ's steady boyfriend, Steve, say?
9. Mates, Dates and Great Escapes — Tony, Lucy's boyfriend, keeps wanting to get serious while Lucy wants to cool down. So a school trip to Florence seems to be the perfect escape. There she meets Teddy, a cute and sophisticated American who seems the perfect gentleman. But will she be able to forget Tony?
10. Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats — Izzie, who is usually on top of the world is feeling down. None of her clothes fit. She tries many diets but none of them seem to work and she loses her confidence and starts to become obsessive about losing weight. Can her mates help her out of this hole or will she keep digging herself down?
11. Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny — Nesta is sick of being thought shallow, so raising money for charity seems a God-sent way of banishing those comments. But there she meets William, friend of her former flame, love-rat Luke. But can she bring herself to trust him?
12. Mates, Dates and Sizzling Summers — TJ is resigned to being single when two boys come along at the same time! She is torn between them, and comes off looking like a two-timer. With the support of her friends, can she overcome this?
13. Mates, Dates Guide to Life, Love and Looking Luscious — Lucy, Izzie, Nesta and TJ's helpful guide of all the tips and tricks they know about boys, beauty, fashion, life and more.

Main Characters

• Lucy Lovering — A sweet, friendly and "petite" girl. Her birthday is May 24, which is also her dad's birthday. Lucy is blonde, has small breasts, and is four feet eight inches of height (later five feet). Her father owns a health store, so there's always strange, healthy new age meals and products at her house (although Lucy's secret dream is to come house and find out it is chicken burgers). Lucy aspires to be a fashion designer, and along the books already makes some clothes for her and her friends. She also likes to make jokes, and has two older brothers, Steve and Lal. Lucy dates Nesta's brother, Tony many times. For a while, she also dates a boy who seems perfect, Daniel, but later finds he is controlling and suffocating. Lucy and Tony later develop a real relationship and make out.
• Isobel "Izzie" Foster — A dark-haired and tall girl who is into all sorts of spiritual and horoscopes, believing in Soul Mates. Her birthday is January 26. Izzie loves horoscopes, tarot readings and meditation techniques, and is always showing them to her mates as well. Izzie becomes a vegetarian and she loves the way of life at Lucy's house. Izzie aspires to be a singer/songwriter, and sings with the band King Noz. Izzie's parents are divorced and remarried: she lives with her "straighter-than-straight" Mum and step-dad Angus, who has two adult daughters. Her Dad is married to Anna and they have a son, Izzie's younger half-brother Tom, who she adores. Izzie firstly goes out with Mark for a little time, but he doesn't return her calls, She then meets Ben (from King Noz) and they start dating. Later they break up and Izzie goes through a bad phase of drinking, smoking and going out with Josh Harper - a stereotypical "wild" boy, although later she realizes her mistakes, and they split up. She also becomes briefly interested in Gabriel from Teen Talk before he tells her he is homosexual
• Nesta Williams — A very beautiful girl, with silky black hair and dark skin. Her birthday is August 18. Her father is Italian and a director, her mother is Jamaican and works as a T.V news presenter, a mix which resulted in her good looks. She first aspires to be a model, and then later to be an actress. Sometimes Nesta is thought shallow by her friends, which bothers her a lot. Her friends sometimes tell her she has a big mouth. In difficult situations, she likes to pretend she is a movie heroine. She is considered very beautiful by her friends, and has great success with boys. Although she has dated and snogged a lot of boys, she has dated only a few seriously: Simon, Luke De Biasi and later Luke's best friend William. Nesta lives with her parents and with her older half-brother, Tony Costello.
• Theresa Joanne "T.J" Watts — T.J joins the group when her best friend Hannah moves to South Africa. She slowly becomes friends with Lucy, and soon becomes one of the mates. Her parents are older then most of the parents of girls her age, since she was a "surprise baby" or "a mistake". Because of this, T.J nicknamed them The Wrinklies. T.J's dad is very stern, and everyone calls him Scary Dad. He doesn't like T.J bringing in friends and complains about the noise. She is incredibly smart, but also shy, particularly around boys. T.J says that, around boys, she turns into Noola, the alien girl, and is only able to speak in gibberish. T.J is into reading, and devours books, and also into writing: she becomes the co-editor of the school newspaper and aspires to be a journalist/novelist. She first dates Lucy's brother Steve, then later Nesta's ex-boyfriend Luke de Biasi.

References

External links

• Author's official website
• Cathy Hopkins page on the Publisher's website
• Review of Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble