This could've been a much better long-short story, or a novella. Much of the writing is too casual, even coming from its post-adolescent characters, and I guess the lucrative (!) nature of putting out a novel rather than a story adds to the padded feel of the plot and descriptions. Francesca's story does have, however, a different attitude and diction that works well to balance off of Patrick's, and the shifts add to the appeal the novel does manage to sustain.
It's slow going for the first 40% of the book, and it only picks up nearing the finish. Even there, the energy's dissipated into a curiously tame conclusion; I wonder if a sequel's in the works?