Two Girls, A Guy, and...the SATs?

Expected Publication:  April 21st, 2015

Wrong About the Guy

By: Claire LaZebnik

Harper Teen

ISBN-13:  9780062252302

As the stepdaughter of a TV star, Ellie Withers has it all: an amazing house in LA, a devoted friend who loved her before she even knew who Ellie's stepfather was, and a burgeoning romance with handsome Aaron Marquand.  But Ellie isn't the kind of person who's content with simply having it all -- the people in her life have to be equally happy.  And, of course, she knows exactly what they need.

When Ellie's plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don't turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all.  Most surprising, though, is that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.

Review

       Ellie has a charmed life with her Mom, famous stepdad Luke and little brother in an LA mansion.  But she thrives on getting things to go her way, whether that means sharing her infuriating SAT tutor George with her less motivated best-friend Heather, getting her Mom and Luke to honeymoon where she wants them to, or planning the future of her own love life.  When Luke's best friend's son moves back to LA for his senior year, Ellie thinks this might finally be the time to jump start her own romantic life.  But there doesn't seem to be any chemistry to speak of between the two of them.  With fake girls at school giving her trouble, fights with Heather over college (and surprisingly, a guy) putting a crimp in their friendship, and Aaron not being quite what he seemed on the surface, is it finally time for Ellie to admit that she needs to spend some time on her own life instead of everyone else's?

       I am a sucker for Jane Austen retellings and had previously read Epic Fail and The Trouble With Flirting by this author, and really enjoyed them.  That said, Elizabeth Bennet and Fanny Price were likeable heroines inherently and I was rooting for them in the original stories.  Emma was not really a favorite of mine.  I will say that Claire definitely managed to make the characters more approachable.  I especially liked Emma's Mom and her stepdad in this book, and the overall family relationship (a great one).  Heather was okay, but I do feel like she was dumbed down quite a bit to make the whole SAT situation more believable.  I honestly felt like Emma didn't even need an SAT tutor, but it was a good way to bring George (aka Knightley) into the story and lessen the originally FAR more creepy age difference between him and Ellie (Emma).  The were a few subplots, such as the one with Aaron's true object of affection, the one with a weird girl at school trying to get to Ellie's stepdad through her, and one with the slow development of Ellie's little brother/what could be responsible for it medically.  Overall, a sweet and fluffy retelling of Emma that I enjoyed and would recommend, even if I didn't quite love it.

VERDICT:  3/5 Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is April 21st, 2015.**

Mansfield Park, Revisited: All The World's a Stage

Expected Publication:  February 26th, 2013
The Trouble With Flirting
By: Claire LaZebnik
HarperTeen
ISBN-13:  9780061921278

Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.

Review

 

     Franny Pearson dreamed of being an actor when she was younger, but when she entered high school her parents pushed her to give it up and focus on sports.  But now with a messed up arm, baseball is no longer part of the equation.  Due to bad financial circumstances since her parents' divorce, Franny is forced to get a summer job to start saving for college.  So her Mom sends her to be her seamstress Aunt's apprentice for the summer, working on costumes for the Mansfield College summer theater program.  But sewing isn't the only thing taking up her time and occupying her mind.  Franny is soon torn between Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt who seems to be all superficial and Alex Braverman, who is always switching between hot and cold (plus he's in a relationship with Harry's friend Isabelle).  Will Franny end up with the boy of her dreams?  And will he be who she expects?  I loved this book quite a lot.  LaZebnik has a talent with Jane Austen re-tellings and this one, as her second, fared even better than the first one in my opinion.  I am a freak of nature among the majority of Austen fans whose favorite novel is usually Pride and Prejudice.  Mine is tied between Mansfield Park and Persuasion.  So when I saw this book on an ARC tour site, I was dying to see how she'd manage to make it at ALL swoonworthy, when the original just barely manages that in any capacity.  I liked that the author developed Franny and lent her a few obvious to the reader character flaws, lacking in the original novel.  Franny is rather shallow at the beginning (not that she realizes this), but she develops a lot by the end.  I also like Isabelle, her sometimes rival, more than in the original book.  She was portrayed more human and sympathetic in this one, at least for me personally.  Julia and Marie were just as horrid in this retelling as in Austen's novel, which was okay with me.  I was impressed with the romantic plot twist near the end.  Did not see it coming AT ALL (though I probably should have).  Overall, really loved this Austen retelling.  I think that even people who are not fans of the original Mansfield Park will enjoy this one.  The theater setting was a very nice idea and it lent something important to the novel overall.  I found it especially funny, as theater was not something that was considered an activity for those in polite society back in the time of the original novel.  They even attempt to stage a play and are scolded by Mr. Price (Edmund's Dad and Fanny's Uncle) when he comes home and finds the girls involved.  My main complaint is that the ARC cut off mid-sentence and seemed to be missing the last few pages.  As a reader, that sucked.   

 

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on February 26th, 2013.*



Not Quite Epic, But Plenty of Fun

Published: August 2nd, 2011
Epic Fail
By: Claire LaZebnik
HarperTeen
ISBN-13: 9780061921261


Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?
At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:
As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.
When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Review

  Elise Benton has just been moved from a perfectly average life in Massachusetts with her parents and three sisters, to California.  She is living among children of movie stars and going to school with them because of her parents' jobs as Principal and a teacher at the exclusive private school.  Immediately her older sister Julianna starts crushing on popular Chase and Elise is forced to spend lots of time with him and his best friend Derek.  She mistakes Derek's hesitance to trust people for snobbishness and the belief that he's above everyone else.  This leads Elise to get involved with social pariah Webster Grant, who knows all the right things to say, but may not be all that he seems.  All the while, she's trying to corral her younger sister Layla and stop her reckless behavior.  Will Elise be able to set aside her first impressions and realize that Derek is not as bad as he seems?  Can there be more than friendship blooming between them if she allows it to happen?  I went into this book not realizing that it was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  But the minute I realized this I was taken in completely.  I love Austen retellings, and devour them like no other!  This book was no exception to that hunger.  I loved Elise's playful humor, but her density when realizing Webster's true colors and Derek's good nature was slightly annoying at times.  It felt like it took to long at times and was unnecessarily dragged out.  But I adored the interactions between Elise and Julianna, they were like real sisters in the way the talked to each other.  Their relationship wasn't overly idealized.  Layla was just as bratty in this book as Lydia in the original, but there was more of a cause for it.  You could tell that she felt left out and stuck in the middle of her older sisters and the little sister, Kaitlin (who in the original is much closer to her in age).  It was a cute book and I enjoyed the romance and all of its minor obstacles.   But I wouldn't suggest it to people who are looking for a deep book to read.  This is more of a fluffy book, for fans of the original or those who can look on it as its own book.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*