Bite Sized Review: Lois Lane - A Real Work of Art

Published:  March 4th, 2015

Lois Lane: A Real Work of Art

By: Gwenda Bond

Capstone

ISBN-13:  9780000000

In high school art class, Lois Lane demonstrates her undeniable talent.....but not for painting.

This is an official teaser short story for the young adult novel LOIS LANE: FALLOUT that takes place before Lois moves to Metropolis.

Review

       I normally don't care too much for short stories, especially ones that are under 50 pages long.  I know that a lot can be conveyed in them if the right writer is guiding the ship -- but more often than not, these short stories and novellas for popular YA book series are just useless filler.  This was available on NetGalley, so I requested it and hoped for the best.  And I got it!  Lois Lane is exactly how I wanted her to be - sassy, smart, and self-aware.  Of course, she's a teenager, so there is some self-doubt.  Lois is constantly moving around as an army brat, and she's in a new town again.  All she wants is to figure out something that she's good at, something that can be just for her.  So, Lois decides to try out an art class, and manages to get into more trouble than you'd think possible.  If you're a fan of Lois Lane (especially as portrayed by Erica Durance on Smallville, who this Lois really reminded me of!), try reading this.  I am now super pumped up for the full-length book coming out in May.  I enjoyed Gwenda Bond's style and I will LOVE reading more of Lois' misadventures!  Highly recommended.

VERDICT: 4/5 Stars

*I received this book from Capstone, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book was published on March 4th, 2015.*

Talking In Your Sleep...

Expected Publication: April 28th, 2015

The Secrets We Keep

By: Trisha Leaver

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)

ISBN-13:  9780374300463

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins.  Ella has spent her high school life living in popular Maddy's shadow, but she has never been envious of Maddy.  In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When -- after a heated argument -- Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy.  Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy.  Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets.  Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options -- confess her deception, or live her sister's life.

Review

       The premise of this kind of reminds me of a true story from a few years back, about two girls that were close friends and looked like sisters.  They were in an accident, and one of them died.  The other lost the ability to speak for awhile and was gravely injured, so she spent months being cared for by the other family, while her own family assumed she was dead.  All because she had no way to communicate her own name to them.  Probably my biggest problem with this book, is that the reasons Ella keeps the secret of who survived is ultimately selfish and to ease her own guilt.  The author makes a point to say that Ella in no way envies Maddy's popularity or "perfect" life.  But I believe on some level she must have, to be so willing to take on the mantle of that life for herself.  At first it wasn't so bad, because she legitimately didn't quite know who she was when she first woke up.  Everything was still fuzzy, which is understandable after a major car accident.

       What about the people that love her, Ella?  You have to be pretty mentally damaged and without self-esteem to believe that it's better to assume another identity and for people to think you're dead, than to tell the truth about the situation!  It's not like no one cares about Ella - her family and her friend Josh grieve for her fairly obviously.  Yet Ella, for some odd reason, has it in her head that just because everyone's relieved Maddy is alive, it means they're glad she was the one that was killed - that she's expendable, because she's unpopular.  WTF???!!!  That is why I had to DNF this book.  I sympathized with Ella's grief over losing her sister but had ZERO tolerance for/ability to emapthize with the predicament she gets herself in by assuming its easier to lie and "be" Maddy then it is to tell the truth.  In my opinion, she deserved every problem she got.  The grass is always greener and all that.  But what a selfish thing to do, by depriving everyone of their grief and taking advantage of the situation, so that she didn't have to deal with her own survivor's guilt.  What about when the truth comes out, as it always does?  How will anyone even be able to stand her then?  Just disgusted by the main character's weak willed nature.  Oh yeah, she's so brave for stealing her twin's identity.  SURE.  The true bravery comes from confronting your grief head on, and taking that bitch down.

VERDICT:  Did Not Finish Reading

***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 28th, 2015.**

I Don't Like You That Way

Published:  September 1st, 2014
The Opposite of Love
By: Sarah Lynn Scheerger
Albert Whitman Teen
ISBN-13:  9780807561324

Rose is the wild girl nobody really knows.  Chase is haunted by his past.  Both are self-proclaimed "disappointments," attracted to each other enough to let down their defenses.  When Rose's strict, adoptive parents forbid the relationship it only makes things more intense.  But Chase can't hide from his own personal demons, and Rose has secrets of her own.  After they're wrenched apart, a cryptic email arrives in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, beginning a desperate pursuit and a look back over their tumultuous romance.  Will they find each other before the night is over, or will they be torn apart forever?

Review

       Rose has been with her parents since she was really young and they adopted her.  But she remembers her "real" mother and refuses to be the obedient, docile daughter that these people want her to be - she's going to do things her way.  Chase's father was a violent, abusive bastard.  His mother is not very maternal, to say the least, and he pretty much takes care of running their lives (and making sure his sister is taken care of).  When the two of them actually meet one another, sparks fly and trouble seems to be on the horizon.  After they are forbidden to see one another things come to a head with a mysterious email Cahse receives on Christmas Eve.  Can Chase and Rose find their way back to one another?  Or are both of their self-destructive tendencies too much to handle?

       I could not stand Rose.  She was a complete and utter, spoiled brat.  Yes, she has reasons to be upset with the strict and over-the-top way that her adoptive parents treat her all the time.  But she definitely invites it, with her completely outrageous behavior.  And yeah, it's sad that she lost her real mother, but her real mother had apparently been a down on her luck prostitute.  So, as much as she loved Rose, she had no business trying to take care of a child when she couldn't take care of herself.  Plus, it's obvious to see that her adoptive parents love her (even if I don't agree with their methods - the police?  Really?!).  Chase on the other hand, while being from the wrong side of the tracks, was a fairly sweet boy.  I didn't mind him quite so much.  I did think that him deciding to pursue Rose, who obviously was in self-destruct mode, was a dumb-ass thing to do.  Not to mention, it could ruin his life right alongside hers, which would just be a waste.  

       It's kind of hard to truly like a book though, when you feel like the author is cramming issues down your throat.  I also had a hard time with the "romance," seeing as I hate one half of the romantic couple.  Then the author had that so-called "twist" happen near the end of the book.  Really?  That's how she chooses to end this book, and make the two dumb teenagers grow up?  Cliched and overall, I've seen it so many times as a reader that it just makes me tired.  Overall, nit my cup of tea and not something I'd recommend.  I was skimming near the end, cause I just frankly didn't care.

VERDICT:  2/5  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 was published September 1st, 2014.*

Anything For You

Published:  April 10th, 2014

Mayday

By: Jonathan Friesen

Speak

ISBN-13:  9780142412299

Why'd I do it?  I suppose it's the only question that really matters.

Seventeen-year-old Crow will stop at nothing to protect her younger sister -- even if it costs her her own life.  But then she's given a chance to come back and make things right.  There are a few catches, though.  First, she won't come back as herself.  And before she can set things straight, she'll have to figure out what's what -- and things aren't exactly as clear-cut as she remembered.

Review

     Crow has been protecting her younger sister Addy from any harm, ever since she can remember.  It started when their father left, and the girls' mother got involved with a seemingly nice Doctor.  Crow doesn't trust him, and it turns out to be for a good reason.  Now as teenagers, Crow is still trying to protect Addy, this time from a boy she thinks just wants to use her good-hearted sister.  This time Crow winds up in a coma, between the paths of life and death.  She's granted a walkabout, a chance to make things right in her own life.  Crow uses it as another chance to go back as someone else and protect Addy.  But can she actually change anything that's happened in the past?  And how can she stop her own bitterness and pain from devouring what's left of her soul whole?

     I liked the characters in this one.  In a way, Crow reminded me of myself.  Always trying to fix things for other people and never having a life for herself.  But during the walkabout, Crow is given a chance to look back at her life through new eyes and realize that nothing is quite as black and white as she had originally thought.  I liked that Crow got to go back and interact with her younger self.  First as a middle-school-aged girl named Shane, and then as a teenaged boy named Shane.  She's there on the pretext of protecting Addy.  But then she really starts to get a look at herself and the things that she's done, how she has nothing other than her sister.  She starts to care about younger Crow and finds herself trying to save, well, herself right along with Addy.  I liked the ending and while the idea that she couldn't stop some of the bad things from happening might piss off some people, I like that she realized that maybe Addy didn't need as much saving as her own soul did.  Kind of a beautiful concept and I liked the realizations.  The only thing that weirded me out a little was the slight Shane/Crow romance.

VERDICT:  3.5/5 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 was published April 10th, 2014.*

Letters Say It So Much Better

Published: April 15th, 2014
To All The Boys I've Loved Before (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #1)
By: Jenny Han
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13:  9781442426702

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them...all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.  They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written.  One for every boy she's ever loved - five in all.  When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only.  

Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Review

     Lara Jean Song is living with her older sister Margot, younger sister Kitty and their widower father, working with her sisters to minimize their Dad's worries and keep the household running smoothly since their Mother's death.  But now things are changing, with Margot going away to college in a foreign country, and breaking up with her perfect, boy-next-door boyfriend, Josh.  Of course this only causes Lara Jean's long suppressed feelings to come to the surface, threatening to ruin her friendship with Josh.  Adding to the nightmare, Lara Jean's personal and for her eyes only love letters end up being mailed to the respective boys she happened to write them for.  One of the gets to Josh and she tries to shrug it off - when that doesn't work, Lara Jean enlists her semi-ex boyfriend Peter to help her make Josh forget the whole situation.  And by pretending to be her boyfriend, Peter can make the girl that dumped him jealous.  Can Lara Jean forget Josh herself though?  And what can she do when feelings she thought long since lost, for Peter, begin to get in the way as well?  Also, what about Margot?

     I feel like I was expecting Lara Jean to have a crazy showdown of all her ex-loves/boyfriends.  They would all get the letters, and come to find Lara Jean looking for answers.  That, or Lara Jean would have to go on some sort of adventure to collect the letters from the unintended recipients.  I have to say that I was REALLY disappointed.  Lara Jean basically spends a couple hours worrying about the missing hatbox full of letters (you'd think she's be more upset, with even just the hatbox itself having been from her dead Mom), then seeming blase about it when she gives up.  Then when Peter approaches her at school about the letter she "sent" him, Lara Jean is WAY too calm and collected about it!  Any normal teenager would be so humiliated to see someone reading their personal thoughts, when they were never intended to have access to them.  Even as an adult a situation like that would mortify me!  Instead of focusing on this, the letters basically disappear from the plot, and Jenny Han decides to focus on a love triangle between Lara, her sister Margo's ex-boyfriend Josh, and slightly creepy, opportunistic Peter.  

     This whole book is about Lara trying to convince Josh she is with Peter, so she doesn't give in to temptation and betray her sister by hooking up with him.  But then Lara starts to feel things for Peter too!  Overall, the characters were extremely weak, the plot was nothing like what I expected and just about the only thing I liked was the relationship between the sisters.  And even that was tainted by Lara Jean's obsession with her "true lurve" for her sister's boyfriend.  That is such a blight against the girl code it isn't even funny.  Also, the cliffhanger was such a cop-out.  This didn't need to be a series, and I feel like it only is to make more money.  Nothing was resolved and I feel like I wasted my time.  Also, I constantly wanted to slap Lara Jean across the face.  It was like reading about the antics of an annoying ten year old, instead of a teenaged girl.  So naieve and priveleged I just couldn't connect or relate at all.  So disappointed in this Jenny Han books, especially after loving "The Summer I Turned Pretty."  I definitely don't recommend this one.  It only gets as many stars as it does because of the sisters and the fact that I finished it.  I'm being generous.

VERDICT:  1.5/5  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.  This book's expected publication date is April 15th, 2014.*

Show Me What I'm Looking For

Expected Publication: April 1st, 2014

Love Letters To The Dead

By: Ava Dellaira

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

ISBN-13: 9780374346676

It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person.  Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him.  And he died young, just like May did.  Soon Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher.  She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintered family.  And finally about the abuse she suffered when May was supposed to be looking out for her.  Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May.  And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

Review

     This book was a bit of an odd duck for me as a reader.  I loved the premise: letters to famous dead people, to help work through her personal pain?  It was an interesting concept and I loved seeing who Laurel would choose to write to next!  Probably my largest issue with the book was the style of the narrative.  A lot of books can do well as epistolary style novels.  I have a series by Jaclyn Moriarty that I truly love and find almost perfect.  This one did something that is against one of my cardinal rules though: it did a lot of telling, in place of showing.  I found myself disconnected from the book, even though we spend most of the narrative inside Laurel's head, because it has a dreamy and odd quality to it.  The majority of my time was spent reading about Laurel's interactions with people and I didn't get to see a lot of them.  There was enough dialogue and interaction to keep me reading, but it was still kind of scarce.

     We spend this book getting to know Laurel, whose sister May has just died recently.  She is now being shuffled between her Aunt Amy and her Dad, because her Mom has gone to California and left her behind.  So Laurel spends her Mom's weeks of custody with her Aunt, who is extremely religious and really has no clue how to handle a teenager.  Starting her first year of high school, Laurel decides to go to another school, so she won't just be the girl whose sister died.  She makes a couple new friends, Hannah and Natalie, who are just as confused as she is.  They are falling in love with each other, but hiding it and Hannah is going from boy to boy in an effort to be "normal."  Also, there is the mysterious older boy Sky who seems to be interested in Laurel but has serious issues of his own.  There is a secret Laurel is keeping and it's eating her up inside.  Can she learn to let the past go and share her problems with someone who can help her move past them?  Or will she go on a downward spiral like May, unable to get back up again?

     I did enjoy the letters in and of themselves, but I agree with another read about some things that bothered them in regards to the letters.  The fact that they were all written to different people did take away from how personal the letters felt to me.  To know all that stuff about all those people and choose to write letters to all of them just felt fake.  Plus the comparisons drawn between them and Laurel didn't ring true for me either.  They turn into Laurel questioning the celebrity's choices for the majority of the letter, rather than examining her own life all that closely.  It was a little disruptive to the flow of the novel.  Overall, I can't say I really enjoyed it necessarily, but I did appreciate the things it accomplished in terms of character development.  It was really all about Laurel learning to become her own person and step out of May's shadow - also to forgive May, their parents and herself for the issues of the past.  I just don't think it was really the book for me, as it read a little too young, naieve and disconnected.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is April 1st, 2014.*

Go On Now, Take It

Published:  December 1st, 2013

Another Little Piece of My Heart

By: Tracey Martin

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13:  9781459254749

What if your devastating break-up became this summer's hit single?  In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart.

At her dying Mother's request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she's ever loved.  Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared's big break.  While Jared is catapaulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire's heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio.

The summer after her senior year, it's been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family.  But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past?  Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?

Review

     Let me just tell you right now (in case for some reason, you didn't already catch on from my other ramblings and related posts: I AM A COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN-OBSESSED FREAK!  For some people this would be equivalent with Austen purism and they wouldn't touch re-tellings or posthumous sequels with a 10-foot pole!  I am not a purist and adore the chance for more of some of my favorite characters in classic literature.  What made this book doubly impossible to pass up was the fact that it was a retelling of Persuasion - my favorite of Austen's novels, now that I've grown older.  Maybe it's because I relate almost completely with poor Anne Eliot and her miserable life spent in service of others.  Not everyone can be an Elizabeth Bennet or an Elinor Dashwood.  Some of us suffer serious heartache for our happiness!  So color me excited that this was supposed to be teenaged, modern versions of Anne and Wentworth! 

     I did enjoy a lot of things about this book.  I liked the fact that it was set during the summer, in a beach town.  It was a lot easier to have it be during that season - especially in modern America, with all the restrictions on the time and energy of today's teens.  I really enjoyed seeing how Claire (Anne) handled the loss of her college fund.  At least she wasn't afraid to go out and get her hands dirty to try and save some money for school (not that her family at all encouraged her in this)!  The writing was gorgeous at certain points and the descriptions of Claire's feelings after the break up were definitely spot on - take it from someone who knows.  My biggest issue was the characters.  With the reader limited to first-person point of view (Claire's) and we don't get any insight into what Jared, her Dad, her sister or her cousins are feeling or experiencing.  As a result of how closed our window into Claire's world is, us readers really only get to know her and her side of the story.  Also, Claire makes some REALLY stupid mistakes.  She has an inability to tell anyone 'no' and it almost causes her to have a serious issue, that could completely ruin her life!  All because she can't tell someone "no" at the least, "NO FUCKING WAY" at the most!!!  

     I could understand Claire's reasons for breaking up with Jared, but I agree with some other reviewers that have stated that Claire loved to victimize herself and paint everyone else as the villains.  Jared really drew the short end of the stick in this book.  The way the reader is introduced to him is as an asshole who asked his girlfriend to choose between her dying Mom who had cancer, and him.  Then he ran away in a hissyfit when she chose her family!  Plus he wrote a bunch of songs about what a bitch she is and how materialistic she is.  I'm supposed to root for Claire to get back with this guy?  Also, Claire's cousin is interested in him and Claire says NOTHING TO HER.  She doesn't tell her he's her ex-boyfriend or what an asshole he is.  Instead she just seethes and plays the martyr of the situation.  It annoyed me quite a bit.  By the end, I was won over (mostly) by Jared.  But I spent the majority of the book NOT invested in the romance, which is a problem for a book that is completely centered around romance/romantic angst.  The songwriting and singing bits were fun and I truly enjoyed them.  However, overall this book was fun but not very substantial or anything I will reread.  More of a summer beach read than anything.  In other words, classic Harlequin (even if it is the teen imprint)! :D

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Harlequin Teen, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published December 1st, 2013.*

Deadly Inside, Somewhere REALLY Deep Down...

Published:  December 18th, 2012

Deadly Little Lessons (Touch #5)

By: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Hyperion Book CH

ISBN-13:  9781423131625

Camelia Hammond's trying junior year of high school is finally over...but her troubles aren't.  After she discovers a painful truth about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island.  Determined to put family - and boyfriend - drama behind her, she throws herself into her artwork.

At art school, she gets caught up in the case of Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing.  Even though all signs suggest that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise.  Eager to help the girl, she launches her own investigation.  She finds a blog by someone named Neal Moche, a psychometric who might have clues to Sasha's whereabouts.  There is something familiar about Neal, and Camelia realizes how much she misses Ben, despite being committed to Adam.

But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will have to trust her powers if she's to save her.  Will the lessons Camelia has learned in the past give her the strength to do so?

Review

     The last book in a series.  One that I started reading in 2011, a few months before book four was released.  So I didn't have to wait from book to book, like many other readers (I know the agony from other series though).  However these were just a fun, no pressure series (my version of book junk food) to read in between heavy hitters.  That said, I had been enjoying the series but felt like book four was too much  rehash and way too much romantic angst.  I was hoping that this one would get back to the roots of the series, which started out fairly interesting and decently well-written.  Yeah, access denied on that particular dream world/alternate reality.

     So, the synopsis is a big fat liar.  In the first paragraph, it says that Camelia goes to Rhode Island for a summer art program, to get away from her problems.  In reality she goes to Rhode Island to find out what really happened to missing teen Sasha Beckerman, because she has gotten obsessed with the case in the wake of some major family problems.  Her parents have been keeping a pretty big secret from Camelia and she finds out entirely by accident, when her Grandma calls the house looking for her Aunt Alexia.  It was understandable that Camelia was freaked out, upset and angry about the secret and what it meant for her personally.  My first WTF moment was when she went out of her way to hide it from Adam (her "boyfriend" - more on that later) and Kimmie & Wes (her two "best" friends who really are just there to play a part in all her drama).  Yeah, so she bottles it all in and is a dick to everyone.  Plus, she keeps taking Wes' car without his permission when he follows her to the art program and investigating the kidnapping on her own, with no help.  She has no self-preservation instincts and doesn't like to think ahead, just so you know.

     Probably my biggest issue with this book is the love triangle between Camelia, Adam and Ben - more specifically the resolution that Stolarz comes to after five books of angst and uncertainty.  The issues has always been that Ben and Adam are both seriously good guys, with no real asshole tendencies that allow Camelia to make an easy romantic decision.  Somehow in this book Adam becomes an insensitive asshole, who just wants Camelia to just get over her problems.  After all, she should be focusing on their relationship and never giving anything difficult in second life.  What the actual fuck???!!!  And then later in the book, while she's still stringing along Adam knowing it won't ever go anywhere, Camelia reunites with Ben and they get together.  This is less than an hour after finally deciding to cut Adam loose.  After all, he was only her back-up plan.  Also, the way she blew off her classes and assignments for the art program was really spastic.  She acted like a complete moron to her teachers, skipped most of her classes and overall just didn't give a flying fuck about actually doing, y'know, art.  Hence why the synopsis is so laughable!  

      Overall, the ending was predictable and all the plot twists were really uninspired.  The romance and reunion of Camelia and Ben was so sickly sweet and goopy it makes me gag just thinking back on it.  Camelia spent most of the book treating everyone like dirt, making stupid decisions and acting like a brat in general.  Not the worst book I'ver ever read, but if you're new to the series I'd say don't even bother reading it.  The "ending" (which gives more questions than real answers) will just piss you off.  The payoff wasn't really worth the effort.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Hot Nerds, Drug Lords and Buddhas, Oh My!

Expected Publication:  October 29th, 2013

Notable (Awkward #3)

By: Marni Bates

K-Teen

ISBN-13:  9780758269393

I take no prisoners…

I'm Chelsea Halloway and I will happily destroy your social life if you mess with me. Just ask anyone. There is no situation I can't handle. Divorcing parents? No problem. An ex-boyfriend who wants to date Smith High School's biggest geek instead of me? Just a matter of time before I can make him see reason. At least, until my parents decide to ship me off on a study abroad trip to Cambodia…

Now instead of being admired as the queen of the Notables, I'm stuck with a bunch of college students who don't take me seriously, and a professor who accidentally landed himself on the wrong side of a drug lord. And it's up to me to get us all out of the country alive--even the annoying jerk with the green eyes who won't stop calling me "princess."

Oh yeah, what could possibly go wrong?

Review

     Chelsea Halloway is the Queen Bee of Smith High School.  But lately her life has been changing, with her ex-boyfriend choosing to date the biggest geek in school instead, making friends with another shy geek (Jane) and her parents finally deciding to get a divorce and put them all out of their misery.  Chelsea is downright PISSED though, when her parents decide to send her to Cambodia with a group from her Dad's college, without even asking her opinion first.  Now she's being pulled away from her royal position, her friends, and maybe even having her possible career as a professional dancer destroyed by this too.  Unable to get out of it, Chelsea finds herself stuck with some college kids who thinks she's a spoiled princess, and a party-girl with bubbles for brains.  But when their teacher is mixed up in a crime lord's drug deal gone wrong, Chelsea may be the only one who can figure out a way to save him.  And just what is happening between her and the infuriating, yet hot nerd Houston?

     Having read both of the other books in the Smith High series, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed Awkward but didn't really care for Invisible.  So I wasn't quite sure what to expect from mean girl Chelsea's story.  I greatly enjoyed it, more than I expected to!  As a main character she kept me laughing from beginning to end with her snarky, and sometimes just mean commentary.  But there were plenty of moments where we learned about Chelsea's somewhat strained relationship with parents who don't get her and an emotionally abusive relationship in her romantic past - about her overall vulnerability.  I loved her observations about how to turn something into an opportunity to flirt and using things to her advantage.  I've told some friends about this book and as soon as I mentioned the phrase "Buddha full of cocaine" they looked at me like I was snorting the aforesaid cocaine.  I think this is one you have to read and form an opinion for yourself.

     There were some interesting secondary characters, but I did feel like the plot got a little unbelievable and out of control, with a bunch of everyday American teens taking on one of Cambodia's biggest drug lords, just to get their teacher back!  When they set up a sting and brought in the help of the press, courtesy of her ex's new girlfriend, geeky Mackenzie Wellesley.  The growing love-hate relationship between nerdy Houston, who's been asked by Chelsea's Dad to keep an eye on her, was very interesting to read about.  They antagonized each other like no other, but the chemistry between the two was extremely off the charts.  I really liked the scene between the two at the bar when Chelsea accidentally ingests a substance that drugs her and how Houston takes care of her/fights a guy for her that he believes is responsible.  Chelsea truly grows as a person by the end of the book, and while she's still sarcastic and cocky, she has the confidence in herself to back it up.  The resolution of the main plot is no more believable than the plot itself, but you know what?  I DIDN'T CARE.  Because I had such a good time reading it and really ended up loving Chelsea and Houston too.   Maybe it wasn't perfect, but Marni Bates is one of those rare writers that can make you smile, laugh and cry with never a moment ringing false the entire time.  I will definitely be reading the next one in this series and hoping for another book like this one.  I highly recommend it and it can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend reading Awkward as well.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication is October 29th, 2013.*

Don't Look a Gift Horse In The Mouth...

Published:  March 27th, 2012
Gift
By: Andrea J. Buchanan
Open Road E-riginal
ISBN-13:  9781453220214

Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life—or kill her
High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about.  Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide, before it’s too late? 

Extra features include:•   A short graphic novel telling Vivi’s story•   Danielle’s journal, revealing her deepest thoughts •   Lyrics and video links for Kevin's music (songs composed by Fredrik Larsson, otherwise known as YouTube sensation FreddeGredde). 

Review

 

    This one I requested off Netgalley, originally because I thought it was a re-pub of some '90s teen paranormal book - and I love those cheesy things to death! :)  So imagine my surprise when I saw a Twilight reference in the dialogue - but it was a nice surprise.  The main character Daisy is the new kid in school for what seems like the millionth time when she and her Mom move because of trouble at her last school.  She has an ability that they've kept a secret, to manipulate electricity and it makes her a death sentence to things like cell phones, computers, mp3 players, and anything electrical.  The only person she tells is her new friend Danielle, until Daisy saves another classmate Vivi from an overdose in the school bathroom.  Afterwards Vivi confesses to Daisy that she has her own personal ghost, Patrick, who's been with her since she was little.  And he says that the girls are connected somehow.  When Daisy, Vivi and even Danielle start sharing dreams of things that never happened to them, and people they've never met - but who really did exist in the past - they begin to wonder what it all means.  With the help of cute senior boy Kevin, the girls begin to piece things together and discover that not everyone is who they say they are, and that someone wants revenge on them.  Can they stop evil from destroying them all or will it consume them completely? 

     It was a little bit short and did read kind of young for my tastes.  But I really enjoyed the fact that for the most part, the main character's special powers weren't the focus of the book.  They were just a part of who she was as a person.  The main focus is really on the relationship between Vivi, Danielle and Daisy, how their past lives intersected and why Patrick (who Vivi is in love with and calls her 'angel') is haunting the three of them.  As the plot moves along, things do get a little bit convoluted with Daisy's inability to be around technology without breaking it getting glossed over and the situation with one of the teachers being solved way too neat and tidy in the end.  Honestly the sarcastic quips, overdramatic flair and fun personality of Danielle kept things moving along for me as a reader.  I liked Daisy, who as a sweet, shy, good-girl was a nice foil for Danielle's over the top ways and Vivi's naïve, stupid, head in the sand life philosophies!  Kevin as a love interest was very sweet and boy next door, but I liked his banter and interactions with Daisy.  I also highly enjoyed how present Daisy's Mom was in the book and in the best possible way.  So nice to see a parent represented in a YA book and not made into a monster, or a complete cliché.  The ending wasn't a complete surprise but the twists and turns kept me going through the book.  Plus this release included some really cool extras: a graphic novel by Vivi of what happened in the book, the lyrics of Kevin's songs and a link to his YouTube channel, and Danielle's diary which clears up some confusing things about her possession.  The inclusion of mythology was nice and the fact that it was the story of Eurydice and Orpheus was pretty awesome - they don't get a lot of play in contemporary fiction.  Overall an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to those who don't mind books that read younger.  It has an awesome enough premise and execution to make up for it. 

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 27th, 2012.*

Like Today Never Happened Before

Expected Publication:  May 28th, 2013
Dare You To (Pushing the Limits # 2)
By: Katie McGarry
HarlequinTeen
ISBN-13:  9780373210633

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Review

 

     Beth Risk has been taking care of her drug addict Mom for years and when she picks a deadly new boyfriend who likes to take things too far, Beth is still doing the rescuing.  But then when things get out of hand and Beth is arrested for destruction of property while covering for her Mom (yet again), her Uncle Scott finally steps in and takes custody of her.  Forced to live with someone she hasn't seen in years, who Beth hates for abandoning her to join a Major League baseball team, she's taken away from her friends and her life for a new reality she doesn't fit into.  Ryan Stone has been the baseball star, perfect son, popular guy with the most beautiful girlfriend in school with nothing to mess it up.  But then his perfect family shatters when his brother Mark tells a secret their parents won't hear and is kicked out for it.  And Ryan is picked for a writing competition that might interfere with his baseball games/obsession.  Not to mention the new girl in town who is totally different from all the other girls Ryan knows, who refuses to be charmed by him.  Can something that starts as a dare be the relationship that saves both Ryan and Beth from a life unlived or lived for others?  And can it survive when everyone is against them? 

     I really enjoyed this book, but have since come down from any illusion of LOVING it.  I fell in love with Noah and Echo in Pushing the Limits but went into this one expecting to hate Beth's guts, because in the previous book she was a spiteful, selfish and cruel bitch who had no real reason to hate Echo but tore her down every opportunity she got.  With what a screwed up character she is, I wasn't surprised with Beth's home life being the way it was.  But to be honest I felt like the big revelation as to why her Mom 'hates' her was extremely clichéd and had me rolling my eyes more than anything else.  This whole book revolves around drugs and abusive behavior and sometimes the preachiness of 'doing the right thing' got on my nerves.  While Beth was broken, hostile and self-sabotaging in a such a realistic way I hated AND felt sorry for her, Ryan was the opposite.  He knew what he wanted in life: baseball.  This book was about him branching out and learning to live his own life, along with the fact that it's okay to have more than one interest or passion.  We see that while he has both parents and lives in a fancy house, Ryan still has a miserable home life.  Also, he tends to act like a complete asshole sometimes.  For example, when he nominates Beth for Homecoming Court against her wishes, asks her out based on a dare (but he does tell her about it before they get serious, so props for that), etc.  The whole 'rain in a bottle' thing was cute but kind of not really a ohh and ahh moment for me personally.  Honestly loved the romance, but felt like Beth moved past her problems unrealistically and that her Mom trying to get better wasn't very true to what would really happen.  Her Mom would die of an overdose in real life - just sayin'.  The slut and druggie plot tropes really grated me as well, but as most of the book is spent in Small Town, USA away from direct interaction with those plot lines I could ignore my annoyance.  Also, I would have kicked Beth's ass to the curb for using me to 'run away' with her Mom and getting me almost beat to death.  Yeah Ryan, we get it you're a saint/martyr and you should get laid! :p  A really good book for what it was, which was an issue romance with characters that were overtly unlikable for most of the book.  The fact that I was smiling and happy at the end says that Ms. McGarry has some major talent despite the clichés, tropes and overall bad patches.  I recommend this to fans of contemporary YA issue books and angsty romances with fairy tale endings.  I am a sucker for those FT endings and that accounts for my high rating in some capacity! :)

 

 

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley and a print copy as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is May 28th, 2013.*

The Game of Life Isn't Always Fair

Expected Publication:  August 1st, 2013
Canary
By: Rachele Alpine
Medallion Press
ISBN-13:  9781605425870

Staying quiet will destroy her, but speaking up will destroy everyone.

Kate Franklin’s life changes for the better when her dad lands a job at Beacon Prep, an elite private school with one of the best basketball teams in the state. She begins to date a player on the team and quickly gets caught up in a world of idolatry and entitlement, learning that there are perks to being an athlete.

But those perks also come with a price. Another player takes his power too far and Kate is assaulted at a party. Although she knows she should speak out, her dad’s vehemently against it and so, like a canary sent into a mine to test toxicity levels and protect miners, Kate alone breathes the poisonous secrets to protect her dad and the team. The world that Kate was once welcomed into is now her worst enemy, and she must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.

Canary is told in a mix of prose and verse.

Review

 

     Kate is desperate to keep her family together, but since her Mom died they've drifted dangerously apart from each other.  So when her Dad gets a new job coaching basketball at privileged Beacon Prep, she is more than happy to start school there.  Especially since it means she gets to leave behind all the 'friends' who deserted her when her Mom got sick with cancer.  Her brother Brett is angry and withdraws even more, especially when Kate starts hanging out with the popular kids who make fun of him all the time.  Enjoying the all of the perks that come with having a basketball God for a boyfriend, when things start to go downhill Kate starts to have serious doubts about who her real friends are and who's even worth her time.  When Kate is assaulted and tries to speak out, she needs to decided whether or not to let herself be silenced, or to speak the truth and maybe begin healing all the poisonous hurts in her life.  Will Kate be forced to choose between herself and her Dad before all is said and done?

     This book was really powerful.  At the beginning, Kate is a typical teenager worried about the shallow things in life.  She's focused on her appearance, popularity, getting a boyfriend and surviving high school.  But as the book moves forward, we get to see her changes as she matures.  The blog posts in a combination of prose and verse were a really nice touch and added an extra element of reality to the book for me personally.  When I was a teen, I wrote poetry constantly to express myself and I know that a lot of teens still do.  A poem can be a life-changing event.  As things go from bad to worse with the basketball boys and the popular girls, readers get to see Kate taking a stand for things she believes in (especially when they all attempt to cheat off of her homework) but letting things go too (like when they make fun of her brother Brett and his girlfriend Julia).  The decision that Brett makes to go into the military and the backstory/thoughts from when their Mom was sick, and how this all affected Kate definitely makes her more relatable.  I could see how after all that personal pain she'd be so mixed up about what her values were and what she wanted.  The way she handles the assault is realistic, but still portrays her as a strong girl who is willing to stand up for herself. 

     I liked that the author managed to show the Father's road back to his daughter from the major disconnect he's been in, without vilifying him to the readers.  When all is said and done, you are sure of the fact that he's a human being, albeit one who made some VERY huge mistakes.  All of the interactions with her boyfriend (who abandons Kate in favor of the team) and the girls who were her friends, but start bullying her after the assault were pretty realistic to how entitled/spoiled teens seem to react to things they see as threats to their freedom or way of thinking.  My only complaint would be the way Kate made excuses for Josh's douchebag/borderline abusive behavior for most of the book.  But I know it happens all the time in reality which makes me sad.  The ending was definitely in keeping with the overall, never-give-up strength and attitude of the rest of the book.  All in all I enjoyed it a lot, even when it was breaking my heart into tiny pieces.  A very emotional and gripping book that I would recommend to teens who like books dealing with real issues, reluctant readers, teachers and librarians.  Or anyone wanting a great book! :)

 

VERDICT:  4.75/5  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 August 1st, 2013.*

Dawn Goes Down Today

Expected Publication:  May 14th, 2013

Golden 

By: Jessi Kirby

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9781442452169

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a mystery in her lap—one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

Review

     Parker Frost has spent her entire life being the good girl, and playing it safe.  Now she's almost ready to graduate from high school and she's never broken any rules, given in to her feelings for the bad boy or truly enjoyed herself just being a teenager.  But when she is thrown into the middle a mystery, holding the piece of the puzzle that might solve it over a decade after the fact, Parker must decide whether or not to do the 'right' thing, or follow her heart for once.  Things aren't always what they seem though, and the town tragedy may be more tragic than anyone ever suspected.  Can Parker set things right, or will she only make things worse? And can she learn from the mistakes of two doomed, teen lovers or will she repeat them?  I felt sorry for Parker and yet wanted to smack some sense/adventure into her at the same time.  It was admirable how much she loved her Mom and wanted to make things easier for her by being good.  But to let her Mom map out her entire future and control every last aspect of her life, at the age of eighteen?  That was a little much.  I couldn't imagine going that far for someone I loved, if it would make me miserable for probably the rest of my life.  The relationship between Parker and her best friend Kat was amusing, touching and wonderfully written.  There were sparks between Parker and Trevor were more sweet than hot for me.  But after the all-consuming nature of Alison and Willem's relationship from Just One Day, it was a welcome change.  The mystery of what happened to local teens Shane Cruz and Julianna Farnetti was interesting, but it was also pretty predictable.  I did like the ending that allowed for some happiness though and it was good that Parker got a dose of reality and learned that life isn't like a Nicholas Sparks book/movie, while still maintaining her romantic outlook.  Overall it was an interesting book.  Seeing Julianna teach Parker to live by these words by Mary Oliver,  "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" was definitely a different approach to the usual dead girl guide trope.  It reminded me somewhat of the coming of age novels that have made Susane Colasanti, Sarah Dessen and Jennifer E. Smith famous.  Jessi Kirby is well on her way to being in their league.  Also, the cover is gorgeous and the tag line is in keeping with the story for once.  Good on you S&S, good on you. :)

VERDICT:  4/5  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 May 14th, 2013.*

Painting the Roses Red

Published: January 1st, 2013
Splintered
By: A.G. Howard
Amulet
ISBN-13: 978149704284

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.  When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Review

 

     Alyssa has grown up with a very valid fear of losing her sanity - the women in every generation of her family since her great-great-great Grandmother Alice Liddell have been committed to asylums.  Yes, Alyssa's three times great Grandmother was the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's books about the twisted world of Wonderland.  But she insisted that it was real.  And since Alyssa has been communicating with bugs and plants for most of her life, she's pretty sure she's going insane too.  Until she discovers that it's all true and she has to travel to Wonderland in order to break the family curse and free her Mom before more drastic measures are taken to 'cure' her.  But Wonderland is not the same as it was before Alice fell down the rabbit hole and Alyssa must fix all her mistakes if she's to ever be sent home again.  She didn't count on her best friend (and secret crush) Jeb getting dragged down into the rabbit hole with her.  And who will she trust with her life - Jeb or Morpheus, her childhood guide thorough Wonderland who has his own selfish and possibly deadly motivations.  When Alyssa uncovers a secret from her family's past that changes everything, can she still save Wonderland without sacrificing who she is?

     I was expecting disappointment when I went into this, even though I was giddy with excitement.  Thankfully it lived up to my expectations, unlike the 2010 Tim Burton film redux.  Everyone should skip that and go with Syfy's Alice miniseries from 2009.  There's a very HOT Hatter in it...but I digress!  The book managed to take a darker spin on Wonderland and still make it relatable and not completely out of context.  It was like coming upon a treasure chest of Gothic jewels.  And they were very well crafted.  It was pure awesomeness having a heroine, who while pretty much crush obsessed, managed to not let it overtake her entire life.  Alyssa was brave, strong, independent and wonderfully snarky.  I liked that she was being tested and (supposedly) had to fix Alice's mistakes to break the curse of madness in her family.  The author managed to make both Morpheus and Jeb both likeable love interests, even though about 80% of the time I wanted to smack one, or both, of them upside the head.  The mystery of all the original characters' true stories, Alyssa's family lineage and the motivations of everyone offering to 'help' her finish her quest make for a truly gripping story.  Some truly creepy scenes had me flipping pages, desperate to find out what happened next.  The ending leaves things open for a sequel, but could also be a fairly satisfying ending which is nice in a world full of never-ending trilogies and quartets.  Highly recommended for anyone looking for an innovative and well crafted tale with romance, adventure, twisted fairy-tale elements and pure surprise.

 

VERDICT:  4.75/5  Stars (I can't go higher because of the loose ending.  I would have liked more definite closure or cliffhanger.  One or the other.)

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Your Kiss Just Might Kill Me

Published: October 1st, 2012
Who I Kissed
By: Janet Gurtler
Sourcebooks Fire
ISBN-13: 9781402270543

Samantha is new at school and just recently joined the swim team. She’s been flirting with one of her teammates, Zee, who invites her to a party and just as quickly dumps her for another girl. Hurt, but pretending not to care, she turns to his best friend, Alex, and gives him a kiss. And he dies—right in her arms. Alex was allergic to peanuts, and Samantha had eaten a peanut butter sandwich right before the party. She didn’t know. Overnight, Samantha turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she will have to find the inner-strength to forgive herself for the tragedy.

Review

 

     Sam just moved to a new town and is starting to make friends, even if it is just with the kids on her swim team.  One of her teammates, Zee, invites her to a party and because she likes him Sam decides to go.  But when he spends the party hooking up with another girl, Sam decides to flirt with someone else.  When they kiss, Alex has a seizure - and dies right in her arms.  It turns out that he was allergic to peanuts and Sam ate a peanut butter sandwhich before the party.  She had no clue about his allergies, but now everyone blames her for Alex's death.  Sam retreats into herself, in agony over Alex's death thinking that she killed him.  She quits swimming and talking to anyone at school, and lets herself be used by a boy she thinks likes her.  Will Sam be able to find the strength to move on?  Especially when it may never have been her fault at all.  I spent the majority of the book feeling really bad for Sam.  It wasn't her fault that she didn't know about Alex's allergy.  She was just a girl who kissed a guy at a party.  How many of us have done that without knowing that sort of thing about the person?  Sam has a really supportive Dad and her Aunt is awesome.  I liked the depth of her issues of not knowing what really happened with her Mom - the fact that it took this long for them to tell her that her Mom was bi-polar is sort of pathetic.  I couldn't understand what she saw in Zee though.  I thought he treated her like crap even before what happened with Alex, and then after that he was a total asshole to Sam.  I could understand the grief of Alex's family and thought the author handled that really well.  My major anger was that Sam went through all of this, when at the end of the book you find out that it wasn't really her fault (and two of the teens blaming her knew that all along).  Overall a really thought-provoking read that keeps you guessing the entire time.  I recommend it for fans of Sarah Dessen, Susane Colasanti, and Jennifer E. Smith.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Your Own Enemy

Published: June 5th, 2012

A Midsummer's Nightmare

By: Kody Keplinger

Poppy

ISBN-13: 9780316084222

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.

Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Review

     Whitley Johnson is definitely ready to get away from everyone and everything by going to college.  But first she's spending the summer hanging with her Dad, away from her shrewish Mom.  But then everything is ruined when her Dad springs on her the fact that he's engaged!  To a woman (Sylvia) with two kids, and moving out of his condo.  Oh yeah and Sylvia's son, Nathan, is her one night stand from graduation!  Whitley spends the summer partying hard and doing everything she can to let Sylvia and her kids know that she views them as interlopers.  Somewhere along the way she manages to get herself a best friend and a new family that cares about her.  How can Whitley make things right with her Mom and Dad, if they want to pretend the bad things never happened?  Can she decide to be a better person that she ever imagined, by leaving the past behind?  So, I feel like every one of Keplinger's main characters are slutty, loner, damaged girls.  It seems to be a trend in her books.  Maybe I had a hard time relating to Whitley because of casual way she treated sex and how she was always drunk.  And yeah, she had a really bad relationship with her Mom, brother and Dad.  But most people don't use those things as the answers to their problems.  Not to mention the pretty shitty way she treated her soon-to-be step-sister Bailey for almost the whole book.  The romance with Nathan was well-written and believable, but the way he kept liking her even after she treated him like crap and totally crushed him with angry words kind of baffled me.  Before reading this book I never realized just what a nice Midwesterner that I am at heart.  I just don't get this kind of behavior.  I did like Whitley though and was glad that she got her happy ending - nice Midwesterner or not, I definitely know how much parents can screw you up! :)

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

* *No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**