#INT #Giveaway of a "Confessions" Book by @Louiserozett

I was thinking about Molli at Once Upon a Prologue's post about "Authors Behaving Like Rockstars" and was inspired to celebrate a great author by giving you all the chance to win one of her books. That author is Louise Rozett with whom I had a nice exchange on Twitter. I wanted to share the love by letting you choose to win one of her books. Maybe you haven't started the series so you'll want book one or maybe you loved book one but haven't got book two yet; here's your chance!

~My review~

~Goodreads~

~My review~

~Goodreads~

Rules:
1. There will be 1 winner, who must have a mailing address in a country where Book Depository ships. So this contest is international :)
2. You must be 13 years of age or older or use parental information to enter.
3. You do NOT have to follow although I appreciate it; I have a couple of extra entries because I am experimenting with giveaway requirements but all it takes to enter is to input a valid email address.
4. Contest ends July 27 at midnight, EST per Rafflecopter standards
5. Winner will be contacted via email by July 28 and will have 48 hours to respond with book selection and address or else I will move on to the next person. I pledge to keep your address confidential and to delete it as soon as I have shipped your book.
6. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me at bookworm1858@hotmail.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend by Louise Rozett
4/5 stars
Harlequin Teen, 2013
288 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of the biggest book revelations for me last year was reading Confessions of an Angry Girl. I was just blown away by its compulsive readability and the relatability of main character Rose. The ending was a bit abrupt, which makes sense when you realize there is a sequel covering Rose's sophomore year of high school and chronicled in this book.

The book opens in the summer and follows Rose through another crazy year at school: continuing to deal with the aftermath of her father's death, her anger with both parents and her older brother, drama at school, and of course her ongoing crush on Jamie Forta who is almost her boyfriend if not for a ton of extenuating circumstances.

As in the previous book, I appreciated Rose's vocabulary and the care she took to express herself to the best of her ability, which is far more eloquently than a lot of us could manage especially as teenagers. She does not always make the best decisions as she acknowledges but she knows right from wrong and she can stand up for right.

I was also touched by some of her self-conscious thoughts, in particular the following quote, which really spoke to me, even today when I am (thankfully) far away from my teenage years:

"What bugs me is that what I see in the mirror doesn't match what I see in my head. In my head, I'm prettier than I am in real life, so when I look in the mirror and see what I see, I feel let down. And also a little crazy. Where did I get that image in my head if not from the mirror?" (page 148)

My big problem nowadays is thinking that I have much thicker voluminous hair (kind of like a Disney princess) when I have quite the opposite. It's often a shock to look at myself in the mirror and realize that I don't have nearly as much hair as I think I do and how that changes my perception of myself. Quotes like this and others really helped me click with Rose.

Of course I couldn't finish this review without mentioning the situation with Jamie. The first book ended with him standing her up and though she tries to shake her Jamie problem she just can't, which is well articulated in the book (there is some kissing). I personally don't much see the appeal of Jamie on his own but I fully understand the way he makes her feel.

Overall: A great sequel-that fans of the first book must pick up (if you haven't read the series, definitely start with the first before moving on to this second; it will make more sense and be more meaningful that way.)

Other Opinions:
Fluttering Butterflies
Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks
Mostly YA Book Obsessed
Pure Imagination

Confessions of an Angry Girl

Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett
4/5 stars
HarlequinTeen, 2012
266 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to sound really bad but I didn't have very high expectations for this book. I just thought, "Oh cool, YA contemporary. That's my fave genre." And I've read a good amount and they can run together sometimes without the defined mythologies of fantasy or the various disintegrations of order in dystopias. So my expectations were minimal.

What I got though was a compulsively readable story with a very intelligent heroine who I could empathize with very strongly. Not that my family situation is anything like hers. First her father died in Iraq (not as a soldier but as a contractor). Then her shrink mom basically shut down and no longer talks while her older brother Peter throws himself into his first year of college, basically leaving Rose alone. Well, not entirely as she does have her best friend Tracy but Tracy is dating a jerk, seriously contemplating losing her virginity to said jerk, and joins the cheerleading squad in an effort to claim popularity. The two are very much at odds throughout most of the book. One last situation is junior Jamie, who Rose knows through her brother and who she kind of crushes on but who has a terrifyingly mean girlfriend who runs the cheerleaders. So there's a lot on Rose's plate.

Even though the specifics of Rose's situation differ greatly from mine, I still identified with her. Why? Because of her uncertainties in navigating high school for one. Like Rose, I sometimes felt like everyone else had a rulebook or had received some guidance that completely passed me by. And as a teenager I felt very uncomfortable in my skin. Additionally Rose is a good student with an interest in vocabulary, something that should connect with us bookish people.

I thought Rose's narration was excellent with a good balance between levity and seriousness. A prime example of the funny would be the oddly hilarious scene of Rose's first gynecologist appointment. I don't know why that struck me so but I was cracking up. On the more serious side is Rose's attempt to build a website honoring her father, part of her grieving process.

I did have a couple of problems with the book. Firstly Rose at 14 seemed a little young for everything that was happening but I think that is because the author wants to have multiple books covering her years in high school. Second was her crush Jamie. I think the conflicted feelings that Rose had were very well-written as was the kissing (not that this is a kissing book) but I didn't think much of Jamie himself. He certainly wouldn't have been the guy I crushed on.

Overall: I'm so glad I picked this book up because I ended up really loving it and I can't wait to find out how the cliffhanger is resolved in sequel Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend.

Cover: Not my fave but I feel like the block characters convey a certain amount of anger as does the model's posture.