Tim Whitney (Children's Literature)
Seventeen-year-old Allison Jean (A.J.) McCreary has two immense passions in her life: her photography, in which she displays great promise, and handsome hunk Peter Terris, who barely knows that she exists. But life changes for A.J. when she discovers Jonathan, her personal cupid, late one night about a week before Valentine's Day. A.J. is allowed only one wish, and Jonathan can help her either artistically, academically, or romantically. Against Jonathan's advice and her own better judgment, A.J. asks Jonathan to help her with Peter to have a date for the King of Hearts Dance just six days away. One shot with cupid's arrow and thwonk, A.J. has the loving devotion of handsome Peter forever. She soon realizes that what she has wished for isn't what she truly wants. Adolescent girls will relate well to A.J.'s dilemma and enjoy this humorous story with an ending that is not so obvious to predict. 1995, Delacorte/Laurel-Leaf Books, $14.95 and $3.99. Ages 14 to 18.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1995)
A.J. McCreary, 17, lives for two things: her photography and her as-yet unrequited love for class hunk Peter Terris. She is mired in a deep, very funny funk when a love-worn but supremely helpful cupid named Jonathan appears and offers her academic, artistic, or romantic success (or at least, her idea of romantic success). As a result of her choice, Peter becomes A.J.'s love toy, nearly sick with his worship of her. When the spell is, as it must be, ultimately reversed, A.J. is dateless again, and revels in it. A.J. is a hilarious, angst-ridden teen, and though readers know from the first moment what's in store for her, it's to Bauer's credit that this wacky ride through adolescent affairs of the heart never grows predictable. Though not as perfectly realized as Squashed! (1992), this is a fine romance, with plenty of hitches. 1995, Delacorte, $14.95. Starred Review. © 1995 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teri S. Lesesne (The ALAN Review, Fall 1995 (Vol. 23, No. 1))
A.J. is faced with a dilemma: how can she best capture the spirit of Valentine's Day when her love life is such a dud? Enter Jonathan. No, Jonathan is not the love of A.J.'s life; he is her own personal Cupid. When A.J. directs Jonathan to fire his arrow at the object of her affections, one Peter Terris, the results are somewhat different from what she anticipates. Part romance, part fantasy, part coming-of-age novel, Thwonk is totally wonderful reading. As she proved so ably in Squashed, Bauer has a talent for creating characters who manage to survive the angst of adolescence. Teachers and librarians would do well to recommend large doses of Bauer to those readers of Sweet Valley High and other similar series books. Bauer offers readers more than boy-meets-girl romance fare. Here are likable, rounded characters brought to life by gentle humor and realistic dialogue. 1995, Delacorte Press, 215 pp., $14.95. Ages 12 up.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 1995 (Vol. 48, No. 5))
I've had four, count them, four boyfriends with definite dream potential turn into Swiss cheese in one year," laments A. J. McCreary, who's a whiz photographer but finds that doesn't help much in getting a date for her Valentine's Day dance. A. J. really yearns for fellow senior Peter Terris, who is heart-stoppingly gorgeous but runs with a cooler crowd than does A. J. A. J. then encounters a genuine cupid, named Jonathan, who "thwonks" Peter with his cupid's arrow and makes him fall completely, utterly, goopily in love with A. J.-who then needs to decide if that's what she really wanted after all. Bauer's forcefully funny writing remains stylish from start to finish, and A. J. is an entertaining wisecracking heroine; she deserves both the more suitable boyfriend and the respect she acquires by the end of the book. The cupid device, although clever, is a little obviously contrived, so that this book is not quite as focused as Bauer's Squashed (BCCB 10/92), but readers will still relish the traditional motif of wish-granting gone wrong, and they'll understand A. J.'s horror at her sentimental-and, well, stupid-worshiper ("I think that I shall never say/ A name as lovely as A. J.," he writes her in tribute). Booktalk it as an anti-romance of sorts; it will be a tonic for kids with a low tolerance for Valentine's Day. R--Recommended. Reviewed from galleys (c) Copyright 1995, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1995, Delacorte, [240p], $14.95. Grades 7-10.