Lean Mean Machines is the story of Jeremy and Laure, two high school students who, in a twist on the boy-meets-girl standard, end up falling into a rocky friendship. Laure is a mysterious newcomer to Jeremy’s school, and her good looks and instant popularity don’t disguise the fact that she’s hiding a big secret that provides the central drama of the story.

This short novel, the latest by Governor General’s Award- winner Michèle Marineau (The Road to Chlifa), has a contemporary, hip feel, emphasized by its sleek jacket design and episodic style, with chapters alternating between Jeremy’s and Laure’s points of view. In Jeremy, the novel presents a funny, flippant, and appealing male protagonist. Unfortunately, he has to share the story with the problematically underdeveloped Laure, who fails to engage readers’ sympathy or interest. Her deep secret – one she considers so damning that she gives a boy sexual favours in order to protect it – initially seems to involve having to sell her horse after her family falls on hard times. This initial impression of Laure as a spoiled, privileged snob remains even after the truth comes out.

Though the novel will appeal primarily to boys aged 12 to16, these readers may be put off by the romance subplot; despite Jeremy’s stated preference for bikes rather than girls, he does end up with Tanya, his childhood friend. Readers of both sexes will be disappointed that the “shocking drama” promised on the book jacket never materializes. Because Marineau does not convince us that Laure’s secret is really worth knowing, Lean Mean Machines never gets off the ground.