Georgia Nicolson is 14, and life is difficult. Her parents are impossible. School seriously cuts into the time she likes to spend with her mates. Her cat Angus terrorizes the dogs who live next door, and sometimes the people who live next door, and he sometimes eats her underwear. Her little sister Libby likes to take off her diapers, and Georgia thinks that she has hidden a used one in her room somewhere.

Don’t even talk about boys. They don’t make any sense, and they all say, “See you later.” What does that mean? When is later? Why can’t boys make sense?

When her bestie Jas gets a mad crush on Tom, who works at the local grocery, Georgia spends a lot of time with her hanging out around the fruits and vegetables. But it’s all worth it for her because that is where she first sees the sex god.

Robbie is Tom’s older brother, and he’s in a band called the Stiff Dylans. He also has a girlfriend, and she goes to Georgia’s school. But Georgia knows that Robbie would be so much happier if he were with her.

Georgia knows that it will take everything she knows about boys (which isn’t much), really good makeup to help downplay her nose, the support of her best mates, her fabby sense of humor, some Cosmo articles, and maybe a kissing lesson or two.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging is the first in the iconic series about Georgia Nicolson, who could be a young Bridget Jones. Louise Rennison’s introduction to Georgia means pages filled with teenage angst, make-up, giggling fits, parental irritation, and endless talk of boys. And for American readers who may be a little confused by the British terms she uses, there is a glossary at the back to help make sense of teenage girl British slang.

I first read this book when I was younger, and I fell so in love with Georgia. I love her effervescence (but with that teenage girl disdain). This time I listened to the audio, narrated by Stina Nielson, and it was lots of fun. Hearing the story read by a native British speaker adds layers of enjoyment and authenticity. And it really made me remember what it was like to be a 14-year-old, which was fun and mortifying at the same time. But know that once you’ve read this one, you probably won’t be able to stop yourself from following Georgia’s adventures through the next years and the rest of the books.