Luckily, it was written by a man and so won't get dismissed as merely chick lit.
The first 'leaving school' section was really enjoyable, encapsulating the awkwardness of the leavers' disco very effectively. Likewise the process of getting drunk as a teenager felt very real. The Romeo and Juliet overlay to the Charlie and Fran story worked well, as did the humour generated by Charlie's theatrical reluctance and dramatically thwarted criminal activity; not to mention the casual character slaughter of residents of Billingshurst!
It had something of a Sussex feel to it, too. Full Fathom Five's base wasn't named explicitly but felt as though it was nestling nearby, somewhere in the Downs.
