"Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever." by Caissie St. Onge

For someone who had, prior to that week, never broken a school rule, I'd sure made up for it in two days. I'd become a one-woman crime wave! Okay, maybe just a one-girl minor-infraction machine. Still, I'd gotten pretty bold.

What do you think of when you hear "vampire"? Do you think, fabulous life style? Do you think, sexy undead creature who will never die? Do you think, Dracula?
You probably don't think, "Blood intolerant, flat chested, teenage girl from the Dust Bowl who is forced to live to eternity".
So, basically, you don't think of Jane Jones.

Jane's life is pretty wacked up. She's lived for years, moving around with her family, who just happen to also be vampires. Her brother is a genius, but forced to be a preteen forever. Her dad works long hours during the day (eesch), for minimal pay. Her mom wants to do her best for her daughter, but doesn't really know how, and Jane?
Esh.
If Jane's life sounds weird as it is, what's the adjective when
1. Her favorite teacher starts acting strangely
2. She's accused of being bullimic
3. Two boys, one alive one vampire, fall for her simultaneously
4. She finds a "cure for vampirism"?

Something sharp hit me right between the eyes and before I knew what was happening, I was on the floor defending my life. When I finally got the better of my attacker, I stood up and discovered, to my horror, I 'd been fighting with a pair of antique skis and a long moth-eaten wool robe that had fallen on me from what I now saw was an overstuffed closet.

This was a pretty... interesting book. Unusually, I actually found it humorous, and I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that Jane wasn't fabulously beautiful or rich, but on the other hand, I also think that that card has been played a little two often in the past few years. This is definitely not "good literature" but I don't think I lost any brain cells from reading it. I'd recommend it only as a "I'm bored what can I read" sort of book, or when you've read a big heavy book and need some fluff to recover from it. Or, you know, if you love vampires of all forms and are just looking for another book to read.

Also, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who can't take any jabs at the myths of vampires, vampire slayers, or teenagers.

"Anna and the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins

“Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.  As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?”-goodreads

Wow. This book surprised me. You’ve probably noticed by reading my reviews, I don’t read contemporary that often. I mean, sure, I like a good Sarah Dessen novel, I really liked The Summer I Turned Pretty books, and Five Flavors of Dumb is one of my new favorite books, BUT I read a lot more science-fiction/paranormal/dystopia/mystery/horror stuff as compared to anything supposedly based in reality. I’m not sure if that’s because I like to read about things other than reality or because I think most so-called ‘realistic’ fiction seems so very unrealistic to me, or something else, but regardless, picking this up was REALLY out of the norm. I mean, read the title and description, look at the cover. Geez. Chick-lit-y central, yes? In fact, I really wouldn’t have picked up this book, but I’ve read so many good reviews about it and I kept seeing it at libraries and bookstores and such and thought, hey, I’ll give it a try. It’s just a book. Maybe I’ll dislike it… but so what, you can’t like everything!

While out of my regular-reading-zone, this book amazed me. I pretty much loved it. Of course, I adored European-American love interest St. Clair, and I really liked Anna’s spunky sarcasm and intelligence, but that’s not all (I’m going to try to never say ‘that’s not all’ again because reading that in my head, it sounds like an infomercial). The flaws. If this book was anywhere near perfect, though nothing is, it was because of the character’s flaws. I realize that makes no sense. But it’s because everything wasn’t perfect. Anna and St. Clair didn’t immediately fall for each other. This book was not just completely about their puppy-love. This was not a simple scenario of, ‘girl goes to study abroad, finds perfect boyfriend, lives happily ever after, lalalalalala’. They had their problems and obstacles. There were other characters with the same. Their families were completely dysfunctional at best. I liked that a lot. Most importantly about Anna&St. Clair, first and even in the end I think, they weren’t just boyfriend/girlfriend. They were best friends. Also, the setting: amazing. Paris. So descriptive in a way that didn’t bore me at all, but I really got the feel of it. Additionally, I’m on my second year of French so when a character said something in French, rather than waiting for them to explain it or figuring out what they were saying in the context, I understood it.That has nothing to do with the book itself but I thought it was cool!

So I guess the moral of this story review, is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover/description/concept (even if they're a total cheese-fest) or assume you won’t like it, heck, you shouldn’t judge that way in most areas of life-- gosh knows, you’ll probably be wrong, like me. :P

"The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey" by Lisa Papademetriou

They had disappeared. All that was left was the copy of Queen of Twilight and two smoking coals.
The clerk stared for a minute, then did the only reasonable thing he could think of. He pressed a button on the intercom.
"We need a cleanup in the checkout aisle," he said.

What would you do if you were transported into a fantasy book with someone you were completely different from?
That's the situation that Heather and Veronica, two teenage girls, find themselves in when they both reach for the same copy of the school's assigned reading... The Queen of Twilight.
Suddenly, they're transported into a magical world.
And let's just say their journey doesn't start out so well.

After accidentally killing the heroine of the book, they're left in a pickle. Only one person can get them out of the book, and back home... But he doesn't get his powers back until the end of the (Real) book... And who knows how that's going to work now that the plot has already changed?
The only way to get out?

To play along to the end.
But as they try to battle the evil Queen of Twilight and her sisters, the Duchess of Breakable Objects and the Countess of Uncomfortable Humidity, they might find out that appearences can decieve...

"My, you dwarves have such cultured phrases," Chanttergee told Veronica s he listened to her, wide-eyed. "Would you teach Chattergee some of your foreign tongue?"
At that, Veronica unleashed some of her most creative and colorful expletives, which caused the squirrel to gasp in admiration and burst into applause.

DO read this book if you enjoy silliness.
DON'T read this book if you take your fantasy novels seriously.
DO read this book if you enjoy a quick read.
DON'T read this book if you get offended by people making fun of teenagers.
Because all of these things feature quite strongly in the book.

I, for one, rather enjoyed this book. Sure, sometimes both of the girls got on my nerves. Sure, it sort of annoyed me about the jabs at D&D being a "geek" game (even though it is).
But all in all?
It was really entertaining, and a fast read.
Everything that YA books dream of becoming...

"Paranormalcy" (#1) by Kiersten White

"Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal."-goodreads

I enjoyed Paranormalcy immensely. It was funny, the characters were great (especially Evie), and the writing was both fast-paced and easy to connect to. Almost immediately after starting it, I was hooked. It was a really quick read, probably because I didn’t want to put it down but also because it was fairly fast-paced (I don’t recall a single slow part), which I enjoyed, and it was just generally easy to read.

Evie was awesome. She kicked those Paranormal’s butts when she needed to and was a strong lead heroine. She was also relatable and funny. As I’ve mentioned before, connecting to the main character is important for me and that happened right away with Evie. The other characters were good too.. Lend was really awesome and sweet. Lish was really funny and a good friend. Lend’s family was very interesting.

The Paranormals were portrayed interestingly in general. They were never what they seemed in small details and big most of the time. I found that whole element really interesting because of the way Evie was with paranormals and the relationships of the paranormals in the book being almost jesting was amusing. The making fun of the stereotypes and such was great. It was interesting to see everyone (except the faeries!) to be cast a different and either loyal or amusing light on. Also, the vampires didn’t sparkle. Points there.

The ending was surprising and an all-around good cliffhanger, and I do look forward to Supernaturally, the sequel, when it comes out in July (hey, can that be moved to tomorrow? Please and thank you!). If you’re looking for a very different kind of paranormal book that’s funny and has a great lead character, then Paranormalcy would be great for you.

"Never Slow Dance with a Zombie" by E. Van Lowe

"Principal Taft's 3 Simple Rules for Surviving a Zombie Uprising:
Rule #1: While in the halls, walk slowly and wear a vacant expression on your face. Zombies won't attack other zombies.
Rule #2: Never travel alone. Move in packs. Follow the crowd. Zombies detest blatant displays of individuality.
Rule #3: If a zombie should attack, do not run. Instead, throw raw steak at to him. Zombies love raw meat. This display of kindness will go a long way.
On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later, they haven't accomplished a thing!
Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky Principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. All they have to do is stay alive...."-goodreads

This book was very peculiar. If I was required to give my opinion of it in three words I would say "Surprisingly, bizarrely epic!". I had no expectations whatsoever of this book (nothing against the author or anything, I don't mean it like that); I'd never seen or heard of it before the book fair where I picked it up at and the description reads like a middle-grade geek to popular and all of a sudden it's perfect world type of book. So often when I have pre-conceived ideas about books (or anything, really, I suppose) I am wrong. This one, I was wrong simply because I underestimated it.

Never Slow Dance with a zombie starts out and basically the main character just wants to be popular and she has one of those super nice, very sensible, best friends. I kind of went... oh... no.... but then, on top of the lessons you would think would come along with a book like this, it was sooo funny. At the beginning I was just like... how could that happen? With the zombies taking over the school and everything and no one even knows why/how/etc...? But then I went... duh. I'm over thinking this. Of course I'm not supposed to believe it, this book is supposed to be fun and funny, regardless of its plausibility!

That being said, Never Slow Dance with A Zombie was hilarious! It was very peculiar (I don't want to call it weird. I've been calling a lot of really dark books weird and this one is anything but). I thought it would be very gory because it's about zombies and it wasn't (not that I would have minded, heh heh). The whole situation the school was in was really amusing. The characters were good, as I said, I really liked Sybil. The geeks were funny. Also, that ONE girl that wasn't really a zombie... I saw that coming. In a good way.

"Aphrodite's Blessings; Love Stories From the Greek Myths" by Clemence McLaren

"If I were racing against someone as handsome as Milanion," Filomena said, "I'd let him win... by just a little." She gestured with thumb and index finger.

Atalanta, princess, has been brought up to be an athlete. When her father and his advisers decide, however, that she must get married, she is terrified. The fate of married women is clear- to be kept inside all the time, except with their husband.
But it gets worse.
Her father decrees that if any man can win a race against Atalanta, they will be her husband, and rule over Arcadia. But if they lose? Death.
Atalanta doesn't want the men to die... But which is worse? To marry away your life... Or to destroy someone else's?
...
Everyone knows not to boast too much. Say the wrong thing, and the gods will punish you thoroughly.
Well.
Maybe not everyone.
Andromeda's mother is beautiful... And boastful. When she says that she and her daughter are more beautiful than all the daughters of Poseidon, everyone is worried, except for her. Andromeda is engaged to a wealthy (if short and old) man, she's still beautiful, and the gods never really pay attention to mortals... do they?
But, if the myths are true, and the queen is wrong... How are they to be punished?
...
Psyche has been gifted with amazing beauty, but it seems like it won't do her any good. When a message from a god comes, however, telling Psyche's family to wed her to a mysterious "Lord of the Hidden Valley", Psyche is hopeful.
But even when all seems well, trouble comes in the form of a jealous sister. When Psyche unknowingly ruins her happiness, how far is she willing to go to get it, and the man she loves, back?

Everyone admired my courage, yet it wasn't really courage. I simply wasn't as frightened as they expected me to be. I was actually relieved that I would not have to look at my father's solemn face, or listen to my sisters whispering about me any longer. Even in a wealthy family, an unmarried girl is a burden, because of the shame she brings. I was ready to remove that burden.

I quite liked this book. Greek myths fascinate me (heck, all myths fascinate me), and it was interesting seeing them written out in this way, from the girl's point of view. I found a lot of them to be much more emotional this way, and the characters were interesting.

However. The problem I had with this book was mostly about the last story, of Psyche. I like the story, but I did not like how things just seemed to happen in her favor, with no explanation. I know this isn't the author's fault, but what I do credit the author with is saying something along the lines of "I wouldn't know why until later", and then just not explaining it after all.

Besides that, though, I did like this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the stories anyway.

"We'll Always Have Summer" by Jenny Han (Summer, #3) +Giveaway!

The conclusion to the Summer series by Jenny Han! Preceded by The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You.

I actually can't post a summary for this because it will kind of completely spoil stuff. I can't even say much about the book, but I will say things!

I really love this series. I love how it's more than meets the eye, and how deep and emotional the whole thing is. Jenny Han's very visual, very emotional, very real writing really completes the awesome package that is the series! Admittedly, I preferred the first two books, maybe they were less dramatic, whatever it was. However, this one was a great conclusion to the Summer series. Belly finally gets married... but to who? You'll have to read the Summer series to find out. As in It's Not Summer Without You, the whole story isn't told by Belly. Except, instead of Jeremiah narrating some parts, it's Conrad. I found this really enjoyable, a nice addition. I did like who Belly ended up with and the way Mrs. Han ended the series, and I think you readers will too!
Thank you S&S for the early copy for review of this finale. 

But, that's not all. (woah. I sound like Billy Mays.) To celebrate the end of the series, which I've really liked even though I didn't *really* expect too, I'm giving away a copy of the We'll Always Have Summer. I hope if you read this series you enjoy it as much as I did. Just fill out the below form. lease read the rules and follow them when you enter! Giveaway over, thanks for participating!

"It's Not Summer Without You" by Jenny Han (Summer, #2)

"Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach."-goodreads

I really enjoyed It's Not Summer Without You, just as much as I loved The Summer I Turned Pretty. It was just as emotional, if not more so. My favorite addition to the book was probably that rather than the whole book being from Belly's point of view, we also got to see a chapter here and there from Jeremiah's point of view.

The biggest highlight of the whole series is Jenny Han's gorgeous writing, for me, anyway. Still stunningly emotional, this one still avoids crossing the line of what one would probably consider over dramatic. It was all very real. I liked Jeremiah in this one, a lot more than I liked Conrad, which wasn't so in the first book and wasn't in the following one.

Which brings me to the problem. I can't say a lot more in this review. Both because of the general rule of sequels, but also because I read the third book before finishing this review; therefore, I'm finding it difficult to not spoil that one as well! Anyway, great sequel in a fabulous series! Check back soon for my review of the conclusion!

Chicks with Sticks (It's a Purl Thing) by Elizabeth Lenhard

"Oooh, check out the badass knitter." Tay laughed. "Keep her away from any spray-pant cans, you guys. She's gonna start leaving tags in alleys."
Scottie straightened up suddenly.
"You just gave me another idea," she said.
"Oh no," Tay said, flinging her stripy scarf around her neck. "No more! I've had all the bonding I can handle for one night."
What do you do when your best friend seems to have totally turned on you?
What do you do when your favorite aunt has just died?
What do you do when your mom and dad are distant, and look through you not at you?
What do you do when your life is falling apart?

These are the questions Scottie has to ask herself. She doesn't really have any answers, until her great aunt teaches her to knit. Suddenly, even though she's labeled as a geek, a nerd, and undesirable, everything seems to be okay. It's like the yarn and the needles are magic. Or maybe it's just KnitWit, the knitting shop she starts taking lessons at.
But whatever is magic, there certainly seems to be some.
When Amanda starts knitting with Scottie too, and they are joined by two new friends, Tay and Bella, everything seems to be going right for Scottie.
But how long can the knitting keep it's magic?
Bella lowered her hand and allowed herself a little smile.
"Thanks, you guys," she squeaked. "This stuff would be twice as scary without you. I mean, I feel like I don't even know who I am all of a sudden. But I also have this incredible urge to figure it out, like, immediately."
I, personally, found this book incredibly entertaining.
It was witty, funny, interesting... The knitting terms were completely correct, and I loved the way that the author made everything seem so serious, at the same time that the book itself didn't exactly seem to take itself seriously.

The only few problems I had with this book were that (a) I'm not exactly sure I liked how the author portrayed homeschoolers (Bella is a homeschooler. Bella is also a nutjob.), and (b) I found a lot of the "no one is seeing me as myself!" things annoying, when none of the characters were actually acting like themselves.

But besides that, I liked this book. I'd give it 3 stars, and recommend it in particular to female teen knitters. ;)

"The Summer I Turned Pretty" by Jenny Han

"Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along."-goodreads

I have had several people recommend I read this book. It looked cute. It looked like one of those very straightforward, predictable, fluffy beach reads. I was in the mood for a light read, so I thought I'd pick this up. I was wrong. I still enjoyed it. It was still a tad light/girly/fluffy at times, but, it was MUCH more. 


Read the description, think of the title, take a look at the cover. You can't tell me you don't think the plot is like this: Girl hangs out with two boys for her whole life. They're friends, but, girl discovers that she'd like them to be MORE than friends. Girl falls in love with one/both of the boys. Yay. It works out. Dundundun blahblahblah happily ever after! However, the people that recommended me this book told me it was a lot more than what it sounded like, and I believed them. I'm so glad I believed them.

There are much deeper issues in this book. The plot is not straightforward. Most importantly, THE WRITING. The way the story was told, just the way it was written, that's probably my favorite part. The whole book takes place in summers. The main part of the book is in the summer where Belly is almost 16, but as the story progresses there are chapters of flashbacks to previous summers, with related stories to what's going on now and I loved that! It contributed so much important back story when it was needed and helped explain how everything was the way it was. The writing itself is really good too, distinct and clear.

I really appreciated that there were deeper themes and problems running through the book, parent's separations, divorces, and the lack of a father figure: complex family relationships. The impact of Belly's ever-since-she-was-little crush on Conrad. Susannah's illness. They all made this book more complicated, in a good way, and brought deep emotions out in all of the characters.


I really don't have anything bad to say about this book. I'm actually not the biggest fan of the main character, Belly, because I thought she was a little bit hard to connect to because she's a little bit whiny and she just had... interesting logic at times, but I think she was still pretty realistically a teenage girl, and her emotions felt real. I didn't mind that Belly annoyed me sometimes, it doesn't really impact my opinion on the book.


Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a beach-y, coming of age sort of novel with actual substance. It's not your average fluffy-girly-beach book. I'm really looking forward to reading the second one. Read it. :)

"Hex Hall" by Rachel Hawkins

"On her 12th birthday, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. Three bumpy years later, after a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she's exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Then when a mysterious predator begins attacking students, and Sophie's only friend is the number-one suspect, a horrifying plot begins to surface. Soon, Sophie is preparing for the biggest threat of all: an ancient society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her."-goodreads

Hex Hall was a funny, cute book that was a relatively quick read. I enjoyed it, and I liked Sophie, who was a pretty good narrator. I thought it was interesting, with Sophie not really knowing what was going on with her being a witch or anything about her dad. The whole concept of Hecate Hall, where all the misbehaving creatures went was great.


I liked this book, but I admittedly had a problem with some character flaws. Sophie falls for Archer, the gorgeous warlock, which is fine and everything, predictable, but cute. The problem I had is that Archer was pretty mean to her, and regardless of how that suddenly changes, I don't really like it when books go all, girl likes boy, boy is mean, girl still likes boy, and acts like he has no flaws. Also, Sophie swore a lot, which is perfectly fine, I don't care, it was just that she seemed pretty logical and intelligent and everything and then she seemed to say things that didn't go along with that at all. So, those two things got on my nerves, although they didn't ruin the book for me or anything, I still enjoyed it.


My favorite elements of the book were probably the way the story ended up; who the 'ghost' was, how Sophie didn't know about what she was or what her family was, and the whole thing didn't end up the way I thought it would. I thought it was interesting how the school had all these creatures, the fairies, vampires, witches, warlocks, werewolves, and all of them were there because they'd done something or other they shouldn't have.


Anyway, if you're looking for a cute read, or if you need something light to get you out of a reading rut, this would probably be good. As well as if you want a written version of something kind of reminiscent of the Halloweentown movies for older audiences. I'll definitely be reading Demonglass soon. Also, I like the cover, even more so after reading the book-- but I do think it's a bit preppy/young girly looking for the book.

"The Truth about Forever" by Sarah Dessen

"Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or ... Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all--so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So ... happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before? Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together." -Sarah Dessen's website

Everyone kept telling me to read Sarah Dessen's books because she's amazing, and that this was one of the best, probably a good one to start with. I'm so glad I did. I adored The Truth About Forever. The characters and storytelling were amazing.

The book entails Macy's journey dealing many things, including; dealing with the sudden loss of her father, and dealing with the fine, just fine, attitude that she put on for everyone, as well as learning how to release her emotions and let go of some of the things she's actually feeling; the impossible feat of being 'perfect'; and the always changing definition of 'forever'. Macy's realization that being her mom and hers' vision of perfect is actually an unachievable goal was really great, because I think that (usually someone else's definition) of perfect is something a lot of people try and fail to be and realizing that you are who you are and flaws are important is a big deal; and so's the realization that no matter what nothing and no one is perfect. The ongoing theme of the changing definition of forever was really great too. Wes and her were cute and it was good how they both got to deal with the loss of a parent together, and help each-other out with that. A good book all over! I'll be sure to read another book by Sarah Dessen sometime! :)

"It's a Mall World After All" by Janette Rallison

Chapter two of my dissertation: "You Can Meet All Sorts of Interesting People at the Mall." Don't talk to them though, as this just encourages them to talk back to you. Talking leads to trouble. Most wars, divorces, and political elections happen after a lot of talking. When at the mall, it's best to pretend you're mute. Or from another country. A country of mutes, for example.
Charlotte has learned a lot from working at the mall. From her position as the "perfume-lady"... the person who spritzes pointless perfume on people... she can see half way across the entire mall. She's learned that "Relationships with guys are a lot like shopping." She's learned to tell who is depressed and who's planning to win the lottery to get by in life... just by what they buy at the mall.
She's also learned that her best friend Brianna's boyfriend is cheating on her.
Charlotte goes and tells her friend, and at first it looks like it'll all end out well enough. Brianna will dump the jerk, and Charlotte with be hailed as a hero.
Uh... until Bryant (the cheating boyfriend) somehow convinces Brianna that it was all just a big misunderstanding.
Suddenly, Charlotte's the enemy, but she's not about to just sit there and let Bryant get away with it. Why would she? She knows the truth. She's going to get the moral high ground... no matter what.
The problem is, everyone seems to be against her. Evidence keeps piling up in both her favor, and Bryants, and with Bryant's best friend, Colton, aiming to keep Charlotte from finding out the truth, the job's harder than she thought.
Luckily, Charlotte's prepared.
Colton leaned toward me across the table. "Yes, we know what service projects are," he said, "because you keep making us do them. This year alone we've bought books for the library, done a canned food drive, and volunteered at a soup kitchen, where-I might add- some homeless women tried to hit on me."
"She was a harmless old lady," I said.
"She told me I was the reincarnation of her dead husband, kept calling me Phil, and tried to follow me home."
This book had the most stupid premise ever. I picked it up at the library and went, "wow. That sounds stupid." But I had read My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison, and even though it was going against my better book judgment, I brought it home.
And wow, I'm glad I did.
This book, although it didn't have the most promising premise, was funny, witty, and interesting. (As my mom would say, "Good writing makes up for a bad premise.") I would give this book five stars, and definitely recommend it to a girl who needs a laugh. :)

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

"We should probably go outside, you know, and"-she glanced around the room-"check on the trees, or something."
"The trees."
"Yes. Like make sure they aren't on fire or anything."
Calliope's mom moves around. As in, driving from place to place, and only staying a month or two. As a result, when Cal, as she likes to be called, and her mom find themselves in Asheville, North Carolina, Cal doesn't expect to stay long.... even though her mom has a job at the Renaissance Faire.
Eliot's dad runs a Christian fat camp. As in, people come and pray and loose weight. He misses the times when The Dad, his Mom, and he used to joke around and be happy. Now it seems like The Dad has completely turned over to God... and money.
When Eliot and Calliope meet, both of which are longing for someone... or something... there's no telling what will happen, what with Calliope's mother's infactuation with a self-centered jouster, Eliot's dad's fat camp, a dad Calliope hasn't spoken to since forever, and a romance that just might be budding between Eliot (with one "L"), and Calliope.
But thanks to Cal's mom... will it last?
"I think I know your secret," Abel says from behind me.
"It's called culinary skill," I tell him. "I think I might be a natural."
"I didn't mean your cooking secret, smarty-pants."
"What then?" I ask, pushing my hair out of my eyes with the back of my wrist. "My secret for bouncy hair? Creative witticisms? Fashion?" At this I perform a model turn complete with a spatula twirl.
I know the synopsis I managed to type up for this book is really REALLY lame. And I know that I had a dream, in which one of my aunts picked this book up off my bedroom floor, looked at me, and then said, "this book has a REALLY BAD ending. You won't like it." But just ignore all that.
Because this book, just like Dream Factory, is amazing.
It is cute. It is funny. It is sweet, touching, amusing, suspenseful, and full of (thanks to Cal), sarcasm.
I'd give it five stars, and definitely recommend everyone to ignore my dream aunt's warning about the ending. (because, and spoiler alert... this book ends perfectly.)

"A Kiss in Time" by Alex Flinn

"Talia fell under a spell...Jack broke the curse.
I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...
I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.
I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.
I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.
Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels...The good news: My parents will freak!
Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time" -the goodreads summary

This book caught my eye in the library because the cover was cool (I don't judge books by their covers, but they can definitely draw my attention!), so I read the description, and picked it up because modern re-tellings of Fairy tales are fun, and because Sleeping Beauty was my favorite princess story when I was younger (no idea why), and then I saw it was by Alex Flinn- who I keep hearing awesome stuff about because of "Beastly". (That was an insight into my thought process :P ) Anyway, this book was really good. I liked it because it wasn't just Sleeping Beauty played out in the modern world, or a re-telling of it in an old world- by Euphrasia disappearing and Jack finding Talia and her therefore being 316 (appearing 16), as the story unfolds, it's like a combination of the two! I liked the way it was written, and I also liked the insight brought into the story of both Talia and Jack by the chapters switching perspectives. This was a fluffy cute re-telling of a fairy tale, and I did like the way it was written, so, soon, I look forward to picking up "Beastly", (a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast) by Alex Flinn as well.

For another review of a re-told fairy tale, check out Angela's awesome recent review of "The Poison Apples" which is a re-told Snow White story.

For more information about books by Alex Flinn, check out her website.

Interview: Emily Howse, Author of "Zitface"

Hello Everyone! I'm back with the latest (and probably last for a while) interruption in the normal routine of book reviews! A few days ago author of "Zitface" (which I just reviewed here) contacted me, and offered to do an interview with me for the blog. Thank you so much to Mrs. Emily Howse!
Here's the interview: (Bold Italics are Questions, plain text is her answers).

What inspired you to write Zitface? Did you have a problem with acne growing up that made you want to write Zitface to help tweens and teens deal with it?

I was inspired to write ZITFACE, based on my personal experience. I didn’t have acne when I was a teenager—but I broke out big-time after college. I had ‘adult acne’ off-and-on throughout my twenties…and I STILL get occasional zits (and use Proactiv). I saw various dermatologists, and used just about every antibiotic (including Accutane). When I had a breakout, I felt self-conscious going on dates and being around people. It’s hard to be confident when you feel ugly. That’s why I’m sympathetic toward teens who suffer from acne—they have to face people at school every day.  

Who was your favorite character to write about- or just your favorite character in general- from Zitface?

Good question. I relate most to Olivia (I had a talent agent and went on auditions when I was 13, too) and I think she’s very likeable, but I probably had the most fun writing about Wendy. She can be self-absorbed and annoying, yet interesting…maybe even misunderstood. Wendy’s overly honest in some ways, yet tries to hide her deeper, insecure feelings. I wanted to explore this, so I’m writing a sequel now with Wendy as the main character.   

Zitface is your debut novel. Are you very excited for it to come out in April?

It’s been a long coming…so yes! Writing a book is all about delayed gratification. I wrote the first draft several years ago, and it took much time to rework the story, find a literary agent, and sell the manuscript (in 2009). Then I had to rewrite parts of the story again! But I enjoyed the editing process, and received excellent guidance from Robin, my editor at Marshall Cavendish. I had no idea how many steps were involved in completing and publishing a book…but I’d do it all (and certainly hope to) again.

Speaking of Zitface being your debut novel, what made you want to write a book for young people? Have you always wanted to publish a book?

Ever since reading Judy Blume books as a kid, I wanted to be a writer. When I was ten, I cranked out short stories on my blue typewriter (okay, now I sound really old) for my friends. During my twenties, I had several fiction stories featured in (the now-defunct) ’TEEN magazine. Along the way, I became interested in working with teens, so I went to grad school and then worked as a school counselor. Writing was on the backburner for many years. It took me a long time to focus on writing a book, but I’ve had much fun along the way.

Do you have any advice for young authors who dream to eventually want to get their works published?

Mainly, to write regularly. Sounds simple, but it’s true. Life gets busy and it’s easy to procrastinate and do a million things besides write (I should know). Carve out daily quiet writing time, even if it’s just 30 minutes. Consider it a gift to yourself. Maintain your writing habit, and you’ll have something to show for it. If writing a book sounds daunting, try penning a poem, article, or short story—then research publications to submit them to. Seeing my stories in ’TEEN gave me needed confidence to write a book. Know that it’ll take a long time, and that’s okay. Just get started!

Look for Zitface in April! 

"Gossip From the Girls Room" by Rose Cooper

"Gossip from the Girls’ Room fills readers in on all there is to learn about middle school life at Middlebrooke, where Sofia has her very own blog and discusses all the juicy gossip that comes out of the Girls’ room; read along to find out just what happens when class is not in session.
 In Sofia's words . . .
Mia St. Claire is only the most popular girl in all of Middlebrooke Middle School. For three very obvious reasons:
1. She's very rich.
2. She has tons of money.
3. She can buy anything and everything she wants. And she does.
I'm sure people like her for other reasons too, but none of those reasons are obvious enough for me to really know. Or care about, for that matter." -from Goodreads

"Gossip from the Girls Room" is a cute little book. It's the notebook of Sofia Becker, who has a unique voice, and a good way to convey here feelings and opinions- as well as all the gossip at school, in the notebook. It's filled with amusing doodles which really just emphasize the funny bits of the book. The doodles are also cute in that they are unique, with kind of a school girl doodle style with a touch of japanese manga type of flair (ex.. the big eyes in her drawings of people). This book has a nice story where Sofia learns some important lessons about gossip- including the fact that she can hurt people, it's not always true, things aren't always what they seem to be (and neither are people) and she also naturally and importantly learned how it felt to be the talk of the halls, whether because of her mom teaching, or because she was actually the daughter of the mom everyone was talking about because of well something. I don't want to spoil everything. I also liked how author Rose Cooper managed to really inhibit the 5th or 6th graders mind (in my opinion) with Sofia.This book was a bit young for me, but that's a personal thing- and it was a nice book-. I also liked that it reminded me of when I was younger and used to read those American Girl "Amelia's Notebook" books. 4 stars for something I think 10,11,12 year olds will really enjoy.

If you would like to learn more about "Gossip From the Girls Room" go to author Rose Cooper's blog: here.
Thank you Random House for sending me this book to review.
Reader's note: THIS REVIEW IS BIASED IN NO WAY by being sent a review copy. Real Opinions=ForTheWin.

"Zitface" by Emily Howse

"Thirteen-year-old Olivia Hughes has always considered herself a lucky girl. She knows what she wants to do with her life - be an actress. And she's already on her way. She just landed a national ad campaign that should get her noticed.
    But then her luck runs out. A little pimple turns into a full-blown case of acne, with serious side effects for her career, her relationships, and her self-esteem. Now all she wants to do is hide, but she can't. She goes from being the girl at school who everyone wants to be... to Zitface, a girl who is teased, dumped, and even fired.
    What do you do when you've lost control of everything in your life? Olivia has to find out the hard way. And maybe, what she finds isn't so bad, after all." -the back of the ARC

This was good, just because it was a middle-grade girly kind of book that could teach younger girls a lesson, the lesson that can't be taught enough- that looks aren't everything, no matter how much it can seem like they are. You are not what everyone see's on the purpose. I also liked it, because it dealt with a difficult problem for many pre-teens and teenagers: Acne. It's an unfortunate thing; that can happen to everyone (and in varying severity) usually does. I liked that it was written so you could really understand Olivia and her emotions, and you could feel sympathetic with her. There are lots of books out there similar to this, but this one's still good! I give it 3 and 1/2 stars! A solid rating. I'd recommend this to 12 year olds because I think they (if they haven't already) might end up facing this soon, therefore it might be good for them to see how Olivia eventually deals with it. :) Check it out in April!

If you'd like to find out more about "Zitface" go to the goodreads page for it here.

Thank you Marshall Cavendish publishing for sending me an ARC of this book and giving me the opportunity to review it.
To Readers: Receiving Review Copies does not cause me to bias my reviews in any way. These are my REAL OPINIONS.

The Poison Apples by Lily Archer

Revenge- A Comprehensive Plan (calligraphy by Mlle. Paruchuri)
The Enemies:
R. Klausenhook, actress/evil stepmother
Shanti Shruti, yoga instructor/evil stepmother
Candy Lamb, pregnant housewife/waitress/evil stepmother
The Heroines:
Alice Bingley-Beckerman, student/wronged stepdaughter
Reena Paruchuri, student/wronged stepdaughter
Molly Miller, student/wronged stepdaughter/lexicography expert
The Goal:
1. Destroy what is dearest to the enemy.
2. Get away with it.

What could these three girls have in common? Alice Bingley-Beckerman is "...[T]he quiet girl in the funky clothes. Everyone likes me. Kind of." Reena is one of the "it" girls... always has been, thinks she always will be. Molly Miller is a nerdy... nerd, who grew up in a tiny town where no one but her seems to appreciate learning.
How are they connected?
1. They all go to Putnam Mount McKinsey- a posh boarding school for "brats".
2. They all have an evil stepmother.

When the three girls meet, they have no clue that they are all in the same boat of suckfest-ness. But when they each eventually learn about each other's step mothers- R. (short for Rachel), Shanti (she's not even Indian!), and Candy (who just wants a live in maid, after all)- they know they have a common goal.
Revenge.
Together they form The Poison Apples, an organization for those who have evil stepmothers... By those who have evil stepmothers... In the goal of using The Poison Apple... on their stepmothers.
Same marble white mansion, same green lawn, same puny dying palm tree next the driveway that Pradeep had always refused to let us chop down. (He had a tendency to get attached to random nonhuman objects and attribute them with human traits. "That tree is a good tree!" he would scream at us. "It knows right from wrong!")
This was a pretty darn good book. It was hilarious, it was interesting, it was a fluff book... and yet, it had a meaning. Meanings are pretty hard to find in YA books as far as I can tell, and surprisingly, most meanings pop up in fluff books like these. Weird.
But anyway, this is a grand book, and a quick read. I'd give it five stars.

Amazing Grace by Megan Shull

"Try it!" She dares me.
And it's weird, because normally, normally I am not the type of girl who does crazy high-rish, illegal activities. I'm more of the seat-belt wearing, rule-following, stressing sort. After four years of professional tennis, I have several advanced degrees in crying, throwing up, and stressing myself to sleep. So, I don't know, maybe it's my new haircut, or the pierced nose, or maybe this Emily O'Brien chick has taken over my body and she's braver than me.
You know the "it" celebrities. The ones who are always staring at you from the cover of the magazine. The perfect ones. The ones that everyone wants to be like.
Grace is one of the it ones.
Until, escaping the paparazzi, escaping the tennis match she was in, escaping the photo shoot... she drops out of existence.
No, she didn't die.
She had a make-under, threw away all her stupid expensive junk, and moved to Alaska. At least for three months. At least until it's safe for her to come back and live with her mom.
She lives in a little cabin (a rustic one, not one of those super deluxe ones) with a woman named Ava, who looks like Julia Roberts.
The town's population?
813.
And one of those 813 people is Grace- now Emily O'Brien.
Another one of those 813?
A cute boy. No- a gorgeous boy. A gorgeous boy who happens to like Grace/Emily.
Let love in.
I don't know what has come over me.
All I can say is that this crying thing, the purging thing, the get-the-sadness-out thing. IT WORKS!
This was one seriously epic book. The characters- Grace/Emily, Teague, Fisher- all of them were amazingly unique and interesting. I recognized a lot of myself in Grace/Emily, and I think that most girls my age would too. She makes for a very interesting person- and a very interesting character.
The plot was also fairly interesting. This wouldn't be what you'd call a page turner. Don't get me wrong, I definitely wanted to keep reading, even after reading only two paragraphs, but it wasn't too gripping that I couldn't fall asleep at night. (Thankfully).
The plot was also interesting in the fact that it was a romance, without all the stupid, predictable plot twists that usually accompany romances. For example- there was none of the stupid "boy or girl makes stupid decision. Boy or girl dumps their girlfriend or boyfriend. Boy or girl and girlfriend or boyfriend make up." It was pretty straight forward, which I liked a lot.
This was a quick but enjoyable read, and I'd give it five stars.
There's a daisy tucked behind her ear. A daisy. I cannot compete with a DAISY, people.