Afterparty

by Ann Redisch Stampler
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
398 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read this author's debut Where It Began and found the writing incredibly engaging; however I struggled to connect with the main character Gabby. When I picked up Afterparty, I hoped to find more great writing in addition to a main character I adored. Alas it was the same old story. The writing was compulsively readable but narrator Emma is baffling and eventually incredibly annoying to me.

Starting from the beginning, Emma lives with her very overprotective father under the burden of her mother's poor decisions that have led to his strict regime of rules over Emma's life. All she wants is to be "normal," which makes sense to me. However her normal is so far away from mine. She gets caught up in the life of very rich people involving hooking up and a lot of drugs, especially at the culmination of their yearly social scene the Afterparty (at least this is my understanding; I don't party and do not understand the appeal.) While I sympathized with Emma's desire to break out from her dad who is extraordinarily strict, I thought she went so far in the other direction and made so many poor decisions.

Among those decisions is befriending the wild Siobhan who pushes Emma out of her comfort zone, sometimes with exciting fun result but more often with extremely negative consequences. Their dangerous relationship is at the heart of this book. Like Emma, I initially found Siobhan exhilarating too. My life is pretty dull (basically I work and read-I'm not going out partying ever) and I can see how she would be enticing. However as an adult, I read the writing on the wall about Siobhan who goes full-on psycho near the end before Emma, putting me in the position of waiting for Emma to figure out what I already knew. Unsurprisingly there are also a few boys, namely Dylan, the big crush for Emma. I was initially on her side in pursuing this boy but he wore out his welcome. Her continued profession of affection for him was another reason we didn't quite click.

In the end, though I liked the writing of this book well enough, I found the characters and their motivation exasperating, meaning this was not a perfect read for me nor one I'll necessarily be recommending to all.

Fault Line

Fault Line by C. Desir
3/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
226 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I think I picked this one up after noting that it was a contemporary but without really reading the summary as this is definitely on the darker, heavier side of contemporary. In comparison, my tastes tend to lean toward the lighter comedic side though I venture over from time to time. It raises questions around rape, responsibility, and healing, showing that there are no easy answers in such a situation.

The book opens with a provocative scene, only to flash back to the first days of Ben and Ani's relationship and trace up to a party where Ben stays home and something happens with Ani that sends their relationship off the rails. Ani is no longer the girl Ben knew and loved though he struggles to hold on and to help heal her.

I thought it was an interesting choice to narrate from the perspective of the boy whose girlfriend was raped. Mostly I see novels from the girl herself (see Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson or that Sarah Dessen book whose name is escaping me.) I wish we could have seen more of their relationship in good times but, as you can see, the book is pretty short so everything moves at a good clip. I really struggled with Ben's insistence on trying to "fix" Ani because, from my perspective, it is not. He kept claiming it as his responsibility, letting his scholarship, friendships, and family fall by the wayside. Because it's really not-he does not possess the ability to heal her, only she can do that at her own speed, following her own healing process that may lead to a lot of hurt before anything redemptive can come out of this.

As I mentioned some of the big questions revolve around culpability:

• Is Ani responsible for consuming alcohol while underage in an unfamiliar environment? For not stopping what happened?
• Is Kate responsible for also consuming alcohol while underage and not sticking with Ani, to step in when things took a turn for the different?
• Are the boys (we're pretty sure it's multiple) who had also consumed an unknown quantity of alcohol responsible for not taking advantage of Ani? Did they in fact take advantage or was it all entirely of her own free will?
• Is Ben responsible because he decided to skip the party and wasn't there to protect her?

The book really blurs the issue-for some reviewers, it seem as if if she'd been roofied or more obviously impaired, then it would obviously be rape. But it's so difficult to try to determine what actually happened that fateful night at the party, mirroring our actual world. We just don't know.

Overall: An intense read that will definitely not be for everyone but I appreciated its unique perspective and the realistic depiction of a volunteer advocate to provide information in the aftermath.

Other Opinions: I strongly encourage you to check out some other reviews as people have written from a lot of different perspectives; here are a few but more are on goodreads and other blogs.
A Good Addiction
Good Books and Good Wine
In Bed With Books
Stacked

ARC Review: The Vow

The Vow by Jessica Martinez
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
424 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release October 15

Source: Received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss.

I have read Martinez's Virtuosity so was excited to see this new book by her especially with its very different premise. Annie and Mo have long been best friends, both having felt ostracized from their normal peers. Annie in the shadow of the kidnapping and death of her popular older sister and Mo as a Muslim-Jordanian boy in a post-9/11 Kentucky. Neither quite fits in but they get each other. Until the devastating news that Mo must return to Jordan with his family as his father's work visa ends. Together they hatch the crazy plan to get married so that Mo can get a visa and stay here. Should be easy-peasy, right? Not so of course as both face difficulties with their families and eventually the toll of putting up the front of this fake happy marriage starts to get to them.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book such as the alternating narration between Annie and Mo and how the last sentence of one's section would be echoed in the first of the next. This really tied the story together and kept me turning the pages. Though there are a lot of subplots, I didn't feel like the book was overstuffed; however I don't think everything was handled as well as it could have been as will be discussed below. I would also like to applaud Martinez for diversity and the guts to take on a really different kind of story. I've honestly never read anything in YA about teenage marriage for a green card (and I've read a lot of YA in the past four years.) I've also not read many books about Muslims in America, definitely an underrepresented group (we need more books with this diversity, please!)

Less successful was the depictions of the families, both of which are shattered even before the marriage plot is hatched and only further splinters as the pressures mount. I'm a reader who likes resolution and this book does not provide a sufficient amount for me. Especially of interest to me was the case of Annie's parents who, eight years later, overwhelmingly suffocate Annie with their desire to know where she is at all times without displaying any interest in really knowing her as a person. They are pissed when she gets married with their racist side especially coming out. And that's basically it. Does Annie manage to reconcile with them? I don't know-Martinez does not share. Similarly Mo's family makes a few brief appearances through video chat once they return to Jordan but the full consequences of their separation are not really explored. It left me wanting a lot more. Also leaving me wanting more was the relationship between Annie and Mo, which has always been platonic. By the end though there are hints of it becoming something more. Hints only, mind you and I interpret the ending in one way but they never really talk those feelings out.

I was also a bit skeptical about their knowledge regarding fraudulent immigrant marriages, as in they didn't know much. I mean, have they not seen "The Proposal"??? I understand they're young and not thinking entirely rationally but the idea that the federal government closely examines marriages between citizens and foreigners hoping for a visa/green card to ascertain validity is a pretty basic one and I was mad at them for not being prepared for that contingency. I was also disgusted with the racism on display while recognizing that it's probably pretty accurate and even muted for this time. As mentioned above, Mo is a Muslim from Jordan and while not devout, he does match the appearance many people might have of Muslims and he receives a great deal of racist remarks and looks because of that. Luckily the text in no way condones that and represents Mo as just an ordinary person because that's what he is.

Overall: I feel like my negatives ended up being longer than my positives but I still really liked the writing and the concept for this a lot. The entire execution was maybe not strong enough to make a deep and lasting impression on me but I think this is a book worth checking out especially if you're a contemporary fan who doesn't need a lot of romance and also if you want to support diversity in books.

ARC Review: Just Like Fate

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young
3.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
294 pages
YA Contemporary
Scheduled to release August 27

Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for this book struck me as being very similar to Pivot Point's where at a critical juncture, a teenager's life separates and we follow her fate as she explores both option A and B. However while Pivot Point's premise employs characters with supernatural abilities, this book just has it happen for no reason other than for the authors to spend a lot of time musing on fate vs free will.

Here the book splits when Caroline's beloved grandmother falls ill and is rushed to the hospital. On what will be the last night of her life, Caroline has to decide if she will stay there with her family or go out for a night of fun and relaxation with her best friend. I kind of can't believe she even considered leaving as her grandmother seemed to be in very bad shape that last night but in one version she does go.

Caroline's family life is rocky. When her parents divorced, she found the tension so rough that she moved into her grandmother's house while her older brother and sister stayed with their mother who added another daughter with her new husband. Caroline's relationship with her sister Natalie is especially tense for reasons I never quite fathomed. My theory is that Caroline maybe caught her dad cheating on their mother and duly reported the news leading directly to the divorce. That is where the trouble seems to stem from and the sisters are very antagonistic from the start of the book. Other than that, I have no idea exactly why the sisters are so hateful to each other. Luckily in both scenarios, they seem to gain more understanding of each other although in general I found all the relationships lacking.

But the big difference in the stories is Caroline's romantic partnerships. In one version, she meets a cute new guy and begins a relationship with him; in the other, she finally gets to hook up with her long-time crush. And yet both paths lead her to the same seemingly inevitable conclusion so I'm not entirely sure what the point was. There is also a lot of repetitive talk about the meaning of fate with characters saying that certain events were fated-very heavy-handed!

Overall: I love the premise for this novel but found the relationships superficial and I especially never connected with the main character in the way I like to. If you really love the premise and/or are a big fan of the author(s), by all means give it a shot but otherwise, skip.

Cover: Sometimes, when I glance real quick, I think she looks like Emma Stone, which is definitely a compliment though i do prefer Stone as a redhead.

Other Opinions:
Chick Loves Lit
Paperback Treasures
Reading Teen

OCD Love Story

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
341 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

As has been pretty well-documented on this blog, I adore YA contemporary with romance so the title of this made it pretty much a done deal. Plus how could I resist the call of its pretty bright colors?

The story follows Bea, a young bright teenager, filled with passion and excitement. She has goals for the future (costume designer), she likes kissing boys (kissing is fun), and she's also in therapy for OCD. Initially during her group therapy, she feels like the normal one; I mean, she isn't pulling out her hair or completing tasks in groups of eight. But as the book progresses, we can see the toll her OCD really is taking on her and those around her (like her accidentally enabling friend, the boy she likes, and the couple she stalks, yes stalks.)

This book became super hard to read the further I got into it as the reality of Bea's condition becomes clear. For so long, she is able to convince herself that things are fine, that if she follows certain rules everything will be fine, until she can no longer hide from the truth. Most scary is her stalking of a couple after eavesdropping on them in therapy. She follows them home, she records everything she can, and she even tries to ingratiate herself in their company. Thankfully she doesn't become violent but the extreme invasion of privacy is enough. This is an intense book and all the feelings felt by Bea are well described and were definitely felt by me.

I especially loved the relationships in this book like Bea's with her friend who I described as accidentally enabling Bea. This friend loves Bea and they've been close for a long time but she doesn't fully understand what is compelling Bea so while her actions initially are those of a friend, she also comes to realize that she is not actually helping Bea and takes drastic action to fix that situation. Also of interest is Bea's blossoming romance with Beck, who she meets while he's experiencing his first panic attack and whose compulsions manifest in extreme exercising and repeating tasks eight times in a row. His journey and breakthroughs contrast with Bea's. Though this romance is not necessarily destined for a happily ever after, the relationship has its bright spots within its unconventionality. I do wish the parents had more of a presence as their daughter certainly seemed to need them; I don't entirely know how to account for that although it would have been a very different story otherwise.

I feel like my thoughts about this book are all over the place so really the best thing I can say is to give it a read for yourself-the story is incredibly engaging and though it's not easy, it's definitely worth it.

Cover: Love the combination of pink and yellow-makes me think of lemonade as well as wanting to try to rock this color combination in a real-life outfit.

Other Opinions:
A Girl, A Boy and A Blog
Candace's Book Blog
Chick Loves Lit
Rather Be Reading
The Flyleaf Review

The Program

The Program by Suzanne Young
2/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
405 pages
YA Dystopia

Source: Received a copy through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

This title has been on my radar for a long time as an intriguing take on teenage suicide although I wondered how it would be drawn out and built up into a full-length novel. As I was reading, I told some people about how weird this reading experience was and I struggled to formulate my thoughts. I hope to do better in my review here with the caveat that there are some spoilers.

I think my first problem is the world. In this future world, there is an epidemic of teen suicide. The solution seems to be to put any teen who cries a lot or may be depressed into the program which strips them of their memories and emotions, leaving them alive but as empty shells. All of the adults think this program is the best thing ever: it keeps their children alive. I didn't believe that everyone would be so in favor of this program because the way the kids return renders them vastly different. What parent would be happy with that outcome? I don't see how they would think it was worth it.

The second problem was the overall point of this book. I expected exploration of depression and reasons for suicide. I never really felt like I got that and the ending seems to turn this book more into a rising up against the evil government kind of dystopia. It was a rapid change of pace to me and I didn't think that the previous pages had spent enough time setting us up for this kind of story. For the most part, it felt like a meandering contemporary romance.

As for that romance, well that's the third problem. The main character Sloane begins the book in a relationship with James. Both are sent to the program where their memories are stripped and their relationship is forgotten with Sloane starting up a new relationship with someone else. Yet those memories are not fully excised, setting Sloane up to fight to get those memories back through rebellion. I didn't feel the romance either way but the second guy is pretty sneaky and repulsive.

Overall: I found myself unable to connect with this book, kept back by banal characters and nonsensical plot turns.

Other Opinions-I seem to be in the minority for this one:
Blkosiner's Book Blog
Heise Reads & Recommends
Katie's Book Blog
Princess Bookie

ARC Review: The Book of Broken Hearts

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
2/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
357 pages
YA Contemporary Romance
Scheduled to release May 21

Source: Received an e-ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I must say that I adore this cover! Before I started this book, I was telling my coworker about it as my next read and I mentioned that I couldn't remember what the plot was supposed to be about; however the cover was beautiful. If you do bookish manicures, I think it would be really cute to have eight nails purple and then two orange.

Unfortunately that is probably the element about which I can be most positive as this book irked me in a similar way as Bittersweet did. My strongest memory of Bittersweet, after almost two months, is that main character Hudson pushed aside her friend ostensibly in pursuit of a larger goal but mostly because of some cute guys who ran hot and cold. Similarly in this book, Jude pushes aside her friends, justifying it to herself as wanting to spend more time with her father who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease but moreso because of the cute boy who has entered her life. I found Jude fairly insufferable due to this and as she is the narrator, that made reading this book difficult.

In a weird way though, I felt like the romance wasn't that front and center despite what the summary seemed to suggest with family taking up more space on the page but with nothing sinking into my consciousness and heart. I also found Jude a bit naive. She has just graduated high school and is all set for a great summer before heading off to college. But her father's loss of facilities (diagnosed by the doctors) dominates her thoughts instead and for some reason, she seems to think she can reverse it if she can just restore his old motorcycle (with the aid of Emilio Vargas, youngest brother of the boy who broke the heart of one of Jude's sisters). I understand not wanting to accept the negative prognosis from a doctor but I thought Jude just seemed really stupid not to recognize what was happening. Her dad was not going to magically get better because of this ill-conceived plan. I think that added to my frustration along with how Jude pushed aside her friends while grabbing every opportunity to hang out with this new boy.

As I continue to think about this book, I recollect that it is not only the cover I liked. I loved the cultural heritage of the characters. Jude's family is of Argentine descent and Emilio's is from Puerto Rico with food, music, and language references to these heritages. I don't know how much that added to the story but it was a unique element.

Overall: This contemporary did not wow me at all-it felt pretty familiar although the diversity of the characters is new and appreciated.

Other Opinions:
Angieville
Anna Reads
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
Rather Be Reading

Bittersweet

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
378 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Library

This book had a lot going for it: Sarah Ockler has a fine YA contemporary pedigree; I adore books with cooking/baking; and there are cute hockey boys (including one named Will!) After reading this though, my feelings about it, alas, are bittersweet.

Let's start with the good, which would definitely include all the food related moments. Main character Hudson makes cupcakes for her mom's diner and each chapter title is a description of a kind of cupcake. And these are no ordinary cupcakes; these are gourmet absolutely delectable mouthwatering cupcakes. I got a little bit hungry just reading some of the samples.

Another highlight is the yummy hockey boys. Although Will has his moments, the real star is Josh (who shares a name with hot Paul Rudd in Clueless so that's fine with me). I am way too old for high school boys but for a time, I was able to pretend that everything was age appropriate. There are also some really excellent friends in here, way better than Hudson deserves as she treats many people poorly.

A third highlight I should mention is the ice skating. Hudson was on track for figure skating glory before throwing it all away over the dissolution of her parents' marriage. A chance for a scholarship (and thus the ability to leave her tiny town for greener pastures) prompts her to get back on the ice and also entangles her with the hockey boys. This book was really fun for me to read as Ockler ably gets us to feel the ice and cold while I got to actually chill in the So Cal sun (seriously the best weather!)

The more bitter part would be just that everything felt a little too predictable like how Hudson was slowly losing sight of what means the most on her quest for the scholarship and just how overstuffed this book is. There are family, friend, romantic, and money troubles included as well as general teen anxiety over the future-I'm not sure that everything was as smoothly handled as it could have been had a few elements been taken out. I ended up really frustrated with Hudson especially in regards to the way she handled her sole friendship.

Overall: A tasty jam-packed treat for YA contemporary fans!

Falling For You

Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder
4.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
355 pages
YA Contemporary Issues

Source: Library

So because I'm bad at reading reviews, I thought this book was solely focused on an abusive relationship since that is what the blurb was teasing. Actually it has a wider perspective, looking in on the dark private drama of a family (flashback to Eleanor and Park for me). I found this to be an intensely emotional read and I had to put it down and gasp for breath several times before the halfway mark.

Rae lives with her mother and jerky stepfather whose bad decisions and selfishness at first seem almost manageable but that facade quickly disappears as he dogs her steps and demands her paychecks to cover his debts. At school, romance with new kid Nathan seems like it could be a dream come true but his real self is soon revealed.

This is a hard review for me to write, just because my experience with this book was more about feeling. Usually I can point out what I really liked and what bothered me pretty easily but here everything is tangled up in a ball of emotions and it is hard to separate all that out. There are two points I would like to mention though.

I guess I could say that I liked that this was not "just" an abusive relationship book because Rae figures out pretty quickly that Nathan is bad news and spends more time ducking her stepfather. Still I wonder some things about Nathan. It seems like he left a bad situation at his previous school and I wondered if he had hurt a girl there. Also was he telling the truth about his bad family life or was he making up a story in order to get attention and sympathy from Rae? As a reader who likes getting answers, I would have appreciated knowing.

Something else I liked was that Rae's school had a poetry column in their newspaper that originally allows for anonymous content but Rae ends up questioning this decision. Does keeping the writer's identity secret mean we are encouraging everyone to look perfect and never admit the bad things that are going on in their life? This is something I've thought about a lot in terms of social media, especially facebook. Some days it seems like everyone has the best life ever while you're the only one struggling, which is just not true.

Overall: This is a story with so much depth and emotion-be prepared for an intense journey that thankfully ends on an optimistic note.

Cover: Doesn't this cover look like it belongs on an intensely romantic story?

Other Opinions:
A Reader of Fictions
Addicted 2 Novels
Good Books and Good Wine
Pure Imagination

ARC Review: Legacy of the Clockwork Key

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey
3/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
403 pages
YA Historical
Scheduled to release March 5

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled over this book but I remember perusing Goodreads and adding it to my to-read list and then hoping it would show up on Netgalley or Edelweiss; then it did and I prayed to be accepted. Let's just say there was some serious happy dancing when I received notification I could download this.

The plot summary just sounded so exciting: secret societies, mechanical inventions, cute stable boys named Will...what more could you ask for in a book? Well, unfortunately I did want something more although it's the kind of something that is difficult to put in words. Basically as I was reading this, I never felt connected to the characters, the setting, the plot, the overarching mythology. I flipped the pages in a daze, hoping for something to spark my interest but never found it.

The main character, Meg, is a very young recently orphaned teenager who has accepted employ as a maid before embarking on an investigation of a mysterious clockwork key in her possession that holds the answer to questions about her family. The stable boy Will reluctantly comes along and a romance blossoms. I mentioned that Meg is very young-I don't remember if her age is mentioned but she seemed really young and naive to me. I don't know if it's because I'm more used to reading savvy contemporary teenagers or if it was some other reason. Will is confusingly hot and cold to Meg, annoyingly hot and cold to me, which just about breaks my heart because if there's a book boy name that I love, it is Will.

There are some other characters and I'll admit that the plot picked up a bit once Meg and Will began their search but it was never full-throttle action or anything exciting like that. I found the writing competent and that there were some cool concepts (I'm thinking of the maze as well as all the inventions in general) but nothing extraordinary.

Overall: I was completely unable to form a bond with the main character and trudged through the book, mostly being too stubborn to DNF.

Other Opinions:
Books Live Forever
Whatever You Can Still Betray

If I Lie

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson
3.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
277 pages
YA Contemporary Military

Source: Picked up from library.

This book caught my eye with its thought-provoking premise. Quinn kissed a guy who is not her boyfriend. Her boyfriend Carey is a Marine, a hero, serving his country overseas, the pride of their small military town. And although Quinn did not cheat* on her boyfriend, she cannot share that without hurting the person who means the most to her and violating her promise.

I saw a couple of reviews of this book that absolutely raved about it and as someone who loves contemporary and has been enjoying the YA military stories that have been released, I figured I would love it too. However I ended up having major problems with some of the plotlines.

Main plotlines:

• Years before this book, Quinn's mother cheated on her military father and then abandoned the family for her lover (aka the father's brother-ew). So now people think Quinn's a slut just like her mom and her father especially treats her poorly, essentially ignoring her presence and limiting her freedom. Over the course of the book, the mother returns leading to some much needed family discussion and healing although they still need help even by the end. Both of her parents are very flawed people

• Quinn caught on camera with a guy who is not her military boyfriend-this is the main problem I had with the book as indicated in my footnote. There had always been some tension between Quinn and this guy and as soon as she and Carey break up, she heads to this other guy for a night of passion. I mean, as soon as they break up-there is no break in-between.

• But then after Carey faces consequences, he asks Quinn to pretend they're still together while he's deployed which leads to Quinn keeping his secret at all costs, from her best friend, her other friends, her father, Carey's parents, the town. Everyone feels free to ostracize Quinn but nobody knows who the guy was and Quinn doesn't share, feeling there is no point. But Quinn still has that passion for the guy and I a. did not understand as I thought the guy was a loser and b. got kind of tired of her martyr routine.

• Quinn working at a veterans' hospital with George-this was by far my favorite plot. Quinn is initially signed up to work her by her dad as a punishment but soon comes to enjoy it for her own sake, partly due to her friendship with George, basically the one person in her life who doesn't judge her. He nourishes her love of photography and helps her see the world beyond her small-town. His impact on her is great.

*OK, technically they had broken up but her first reaction to that was to go hook-up with another guy-not sure why she didn't take some time to herself to be alone without a guy but whatever...if she had exercised even a modicum of discretion, this whole thing could have been avoided.

Overall: I loved the subplot of Quinn volunteering with George but I was less enthusiastic about the other parts of the book, which unfortunately took up more space.

The Story of Us

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
3/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
389 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Library

After enjoying the powerful Stay, I eagerly picked up this latest release from Caletti, anticipating another great story (and hearing Taylor Swift in my head; I love this song!) Would this "look (sic) a lot like a tragedy now"?

Well, sad to say this was most definitely not to my taste for many reasons. The premise I expected was a character narrating the romance and break-up with a guy. That's part of it with main character Cricket tracing her relationship with Janssen up to and past the awful thing she did to him (this is not revealed until toward the end so I will not share it here). The story as a whole ended up being more expansive, including her family's history and their moving on to create a new family as her mother prepares to marry a really good guy. The story takes place over a few days at the beach house where people gather. I didn't have a problem with that. I had a problem with other parts.

First I had the hardest time with the characters. There were a lot of them introduced as people gathered for a wedding and while I could keep track of their relationships, sometimes their specific personality quirks eluded me and I confused two people.  Furthermore there are a lot of references to the past to trace how the characters reached the present. This was usually clearly marked and I've often liked the mingling of past and present in a story but I did not like that method for this one. I think I found it more distancing because of Cricket's voice.

Then there was my uncertainty about what Cricket did that was so awful to her boyfriend. I figured she had cheated...or come very close. Nope, nothing that bad, in my opinion. I think it was perfectly understandable for their situation in life. Furthermore while Cricket thought about this, she became upset that he was friendly with another girl. Meanwhile Cricket was cozying up to another guy! Hypocrite and another reason I was unable to bond with this girl.

I also really didn't like that we saw the letters Cricket sent to her boyfriend, who was presumably responding but whose responses are not shown. This felt very one-sided to me. I think I might have been more interested in this book if it had been alternating Cricket/Janssen chapters to tell the story of them from the beginning to the end.

Lastly there is a lot of talk about dogs. Now I am a cat-person (remind me to show you pictures of my cat some time) but I still like dogs. Or at least I thought I did. I was a little tired of how they were used in this story to prove some kind of point, I think. I didn't really get it. I mean, I understand the relationship between human and pet and I value mine but it was too much.

Overall: I feel like this is definitely not up to the standard set by Caletti with the masterful Stay; it was abstruse and emotionally distancing. While I wish I could recommend this contemporary, it did not work for me.

Cover: Is appropriate as the setting is near a beach and I love the pinks on the side and the book itself.

Never Enough

Never Enough by Denise Jaden
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
375 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an e-galley via Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab Program (RIP).

I didn't know much about this book before starting it other than being familiar with Denise Jaden's work from her debut Losing Faith, which I read as part of The Contemps Challenge. My favorite part of that book was anticipating the relationship between sisters and I was pleased to see that sisters were also in this book. I wondered what the relationship would be like here.

And wow did we get a doozy of a relationship in this book, told from the perspective of Loann who is constantly unable to measure up to her beautiful popular sister Claire, making the title poignantly fitting even from the beginning. However as the book progresses we see more of Claire's perspective as well as a friend of Loann's, both of whom also live up to that title in absolutely heartbreaking ways.

But before we get to that good stuff, there was the choppy beginning. I felt very much in a daze and prepared for one kind of story based on the beginning. That story had more about friendship with one of Loann's friends stabbing her in the back and acting bizarrely cruel-the worst aspects of high school. Happily that passed and Loann begins to develop a friendship with loner Marcus, who I just adored.  As mentioned, his backstory and the ways he feels he is not enough are sad and we are teased with those details before they all spill out while also showing the many good things he tries to do. I really loved Marcus-he was a stupendous book boy!

The other element of note in my opinion is that of the relationship between sisters, always complicated, rarely easy (at least in my experience). Claire is the golden girl who has the world at her feet until she delays going to college and seems to throw herself into ballet, into work, into anything but confronting her dwindling frame. Meanwhile Loann, while never popular, has her strong friendship with Marcus and is the first to notice that something is not right with Claire, attempting to bring it to their parents' attention with lackluster results. The way Claire's eating disorder ends up consuming the family adds to the sadness. However I never felt overwhelmingly sad while reading this (which has happened to me while reading some books); I guess because I still felt some hope for the future and there were elements of humor along the way.

Overall: I was very thrown by the beginning but soon settled into the meat of the story, wiling away a pleasant afternoon with this book.

Cover: The girl looks pretty wistful as she contemplates the ways she can't measure up.

When You Were Mine

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
2.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
334 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I came in to this book with a bit of baggage. Like many I read Romeo and Juliet in school and at the time, I was very into the love story. Rosaline was a non-entity, the girl that Romeo thought he loved because he didn't know what true love was. As I got older, I became more skeptical of that romanticized view but I still didn't care about Rosaline. Could this book make me do that? And second the title is the same as this Lady Antebellum song, which I love but which constantly gets stuck in my head (mostly just that one line) and which I sang many times while reading this book.

Alas this book did not make me root for Rosaline. She and her friends are the popular girls, with a significant amount of vapidity that I ate up because it was easy to read but hated myself for liking. Then there is Rob (the Romeo of the book) who was away for the summer. Before he left, the two seemed on the brink of a relationship and it seems like this might finally be the time that they get it together. After one date, Rose is convinced it's going to happen...until her cousin Juliet returns to her hometown and sets her sights on Rob. Being a fun vivacious person who goes after what she wants, the two are soon in a relationship and Rose is left weeping.

Given that the story hangs on loathing Juliet as the mean girl who steals Rose's true love and brings destruction, it was a problem that I didn't hate Juliet. In fact, I kind of liked her. She didn't receive much characterization but I admired her determination and ambition. Furthermore, Rose spends plenty of time outlining why she is not worthy and at some point the reader will agree with the narrator.

Then there was the fact that Rob was barely Rosaline's as claimed by the title. There was a bit of kissing but no official declaration of relationship status nor a serious discussion of their feelings. If Juliet likes Rob and wants to try for a relationship, Rose can protest but if she doesn't put up a fight, then she is just going to have to deal with the consequences of that.

Another problem was the family feud, the one that has been ongoing for generations in the original play but originates with the teens' parents in this version. Surely there could have been something more longstanding as a nod to the original? One other big change was a love interest for Rose; she goes from mocking a guy and finding him creepy to tentatively flirting and moving forward. If she hadn't been such a mean girl to him initially, I might have been more into the relationship. But she spent so much time talking about his weirdness, sometimes even to his face, that I didn't get what he saw in her.

Overall: A guilty fast read that did not endear me to an alternate hypothesis about R&J.

Cover: I'm not a fan of this cover with the close-up on the faces and the font over it. I think girl in a pretty dress would have worked well :)

Miracle

Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
4.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
217 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I think I may have mentioned one or two times that I love Elizabeth Scott's writing. While I do have my favorite books of hers, I appreciate that she tries different stories, mixing the light and the dark to always create something interesting.

I could tell this was going to be one of the darker stories just from the cover. And this was confirmed upon opening the book and realizing that main character Megan is the only survivor of a plane crash after being reported dead. Her parents are so grateful and she is promptly branded a miracle. Meanwhile all she wants is for things to go back to normal.

Her soccer coach, her teachers, people at school treat her like glass, allowing her to skip assignments, classes, and other commitments in order to get used to her regular life. Her parents continue to call her a miracle, giving excuses and allowing her to get away with anything. Her younger brother loathes her since previously he was the miracle able to get away with anything but no more since Megan's experience. The only people who treat her normally are Margaret, her oddball neighbor, and Joe, the loner boy from next-door who have their own experiences with grief. These relationships help Megan on her search to feel normal again.

This is definitely a novel for those who like excellent descriptive writing because that is the main thing you'll get. Megan is suffering from PTSD and is emotionally unresponsive-I felt deeply for her but I didn't have a real connection to her. The reader can't really because Megan is in no position for that. It is also quite a sad novel as we explore Megan, Margaret, and Joe's grief in painful detail. Their stories individually are very sad but combined together, it makes for a very intense emotional experience. While this is not a long book, it will impact for you a long time so make sure you don't read this in a hurry.

Miracle was released today-hopefully your pre-order will arrive promptly :) Mine is scheduled to arrive later today!

The One That I Want

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
3.5/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
259 pages
YA Contemporary

Source: Library

While most of the books I read, I pick up fully anticipating to like, that was not the case here. Although I have loved Echols' writing, I have had serious problems with some of the plots and characterizations in her most recent books, perhaps most notably in Love Story.  And this book features a plot I hate: girl with awful best friend falls for said friend's boyfriend.

That girl is Gemma, a band geek who is trying out for majorette after being pressured by best friend Addison. Gemma considers herself overweight and has been teased about that so there is little that sounds good about performing in a skintight leotard in front of a crowd. But she tries out, she succeeds, and she goes on to lose a good amount of weight, giving her a bit more confidence at band camp where she spies a hot football player from a rival high school. Addison spies the same guy and soon they are out with two guys. One is Carter, the QB, and the other is Gemma's crush, Max, the kicker. But through Addison's aggressive flirting and Gemma's diffidence, the pairs are swapped with Gemma going on her first date with Carter while falling for Max and his quirky personality.

There were so many times where Gemma talked about how she hated Addison and I just could not understand why she had stayed friendly with her for so long. Addison could barely speak without insulting Gemma and she had no qualms about manipulating situations for her own advantage. I know Gemma doesn't have much self-confidence but I think it would be better to have no friends than to have one who is so eager to stab you in the back. Of the several books I've read with this basic plot, Addison is probably the worst friend and the one where I most wanted her to get some comeuppance.

As for the guys, Max and Carter have their own complicated relationship, perhaps akin to Gemma and Addison's. While I didn't swoon for either guy, I can see why different parts of them appealed to the girls. One thing I wondered about was how fast they became boyfriend/girlfriend, ie after one date. I understand that it ups the ante but I don't understand why they wouldn't keep things casual. And of course there is a serious lack of communication between all parties that leads to most of the problems in this book. If people could have just been honest, well, this book wouldn't have happened.

I also wish we could have gotten more insight into Gemma and Addison's childhood friendship as well as into their personal family dramas. Gemma's father is not present in this book although he does send her a brand-new Mercedes-Benz for her sixteenth birthday (yeah, they're super rich). But they don't talk and I think there could also have been more about her distance from her mother. Their relationship is very fractured with her mother basically a workaholic.

Overall: I really didn't like this but dang is Echols' writing absorbing. I absolutely flew through this book because she just makes it so easy.

Shine

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
401 pages
YA Paranormal
Book #3

Source: Bought

After enjoying Shade and loving Shift, Shine moved to the top of my want to read list of 2012 so I was so happy when my copy finally arrived in the mail. I was pretty good about avoiding spoilers so that I could read this with little expectation beyond what Smith-Ready had promised throughout the earlier books. This review is more aimed at those who have already read the first two books and avoids spoilers for this book.

I was pretty happy to dive into this book and with the developments about the shift. We get answers to the questions we had about why Aura can see ghosts, why Zachary can repel them, about the powerful corporate and government interests and the lengths they will go, about the ancient Irish history, etc. Yay for answers from YA paranormal!

I appreciated that there was no more triangle. Logan passed on at the end of Shift and he does not return in this book. Although he will always have a little part of Aura's heart for the history they shared, his part is done and she can move forward to building a new life with Zachary, who goes through some hell in this book. While Zach and Aura move to new levels of trust with each other,  there is conflict from a dark situation experienced by him. Honestly I was a little frightened by him in some scenes but how could that not wreak havoc on a person?

But for whatever reason, this book didn't blow me away with awesome the way that the previous book Shift had. I don't know if it's because I had my expectations too high or if it's because I'm in a bit of a reading/reviewing funk. This was still a very enjoyable reading experience, well-written and fast paced (I flew through the book). There is character development for our leads and we get at least a glimpse of every character we've cared about from the previous books.

Content Warnings: Language and sexual situations-I feel like this series is definitely for the older end of YA.

Cover Rant: While I find the yellow more understandable now (in the context of what occurs in the books), I am seriously upset that the covers of my books no longer match. I actually bought this series as the books came out, expecting no changes and then there was. I also hate when the cover model is staring out at us-creeps me out!

Where It Began

Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
4/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2012
369 pages
YA; Contemporary

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

The early buzz I heard on this was that the writing was really good while main character Gabby was...not. I wanted to sample the writing no matter what the plot so I requested it.

The first thing I noticed was that the chapters were pretty short (with 70+ total) and the writing style was easy. I was able to move quickly through the story meeting main character Gabby who is stuck in the hospital, unsure of how she landed there.  This leads us to flashbacks on Gabby's life before a makeover, after a makeover, and eventually her life after the accident.

Her first life featured her as a disappointment to her social climbing aspirational parents. Honestly her life during this period didn't seem that bad, to me. She actually had two good friends even if her parents sucked and she secretly hoped for popularity. At least she had those friends, her art and the promise of a future through that.

After the makeover, championed by her mother, she attracts the attention of golden boy Billy Nash, earning some level of popularity, her mother's attention and approval, as well as leading to her fateful accident.  Her life was consumed with Billy-everything revolved around him, without letting him know so that he wouldn't find her clingy. She knows she doesn't live up to his mother's standards but she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Billy and his bad boy, probation-breaking ways.

Then she wakes up in the hospital and cannot remember anything. It seems as if she stole Billy's car keys and crashed his car while drunk. But Billy loved that car-could she really have stolen it? What isn't she remembering? I was honestly shocked when I found out the truth; namely that Gabby was forgetting several key points and the other students all knew what she had forgotten. They assumed that Gabby was lying in order to protect Billy when she truly couldn't remember. I was just flabbergasted with how the entire student body knew that Gabby was so into Billy, she'd do pretty much anything for him.

And that obsession with Billy is definitely the hardest part of the book. The reader deduces much faster than Gabby that Billy is a jerk, unworthy of her time and it makes it hard to understand why Gabby can't figure it out.  I understood her position somewhat; he makes her feel desirable and pays her attention beyond what her previous contacts could.  But he was obviously unworthy and selfish. I can see why some reviewers could not get past that. Still I found the writing absorbing enough that I read through to the conclusion.

Content Warning: Language, drugs, and sexual situations with drugs being the most prevalent.

Overall: I found this to be a well-written contemporary that I imagine would appeal to fans of contemporary books. I would not necessarily recommend this as a book to get someone hooked on the YA contemporary genre though; it is not the best example.

Cover: Really not a fan of books where the model is staring at me; I find it creepy.

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse

Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss
Simon Pulse 2012
401 pages
YA; Contemporary; Faith
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

When I originally read the official summary for this book, it looked like a cute contemporary romance from the point of view of the boy rather than the girl, the perspective I usually read. But after skimming more reviews, I saw that it was more about boy meets religion; while some reviewers felt misled (understandable), it only made me more excited about reading it. Most of the novels I read that involve faith are from a Christian writer and publisher so I thought this would be an interesting change.

And in that regard I was right. The parts with main character Phillip investigating religion (as prompted by the "unconventionally hot" Rebekah) had some parts that resonated so strongly with my experiences from when I first began my exploration of Christianity and eventual acceptance of Jesus. His feeling of bewilderment at church services, general unease and confusion, and awkwardness with people in his life who are not Christians-these were all experiences that rang true with me and helped me immerse myself in the story.

Of course he also had a lively sense of humor and that combined with Klauss' engaging writing style kept the book moving. I flew through this over the course of a lovely evening, enjoying being kept a little off-kilter and not entirely able to predict what would happen next.

Saying that I had some problems with the book as Phillip is a bit of a sad sack with little motivation; I was able to feel a little bit for him but I didn't fully identify (also possibly because he is male). There were also some extremely painful parts as Phillip has awkward social skills and has basically no idea how to handle a romantic relationship; there were also parts with his friends, with his family, with other adults that made me cringe. He pushed and pushed at Rebekah and it was so wrong of him and yet so understandable.

Warning: Language and underage drinking (something I did not like)

Overall: Mostly enjoyable mix of pleasure and awkwardness over the course of a teenage boy's encounter with Christianity and his first relationship.

Virtuosity

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Simon Pulse, 2011
288 pages
YA; Contemporary
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-ARC through Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

I was really excited about this because I play viola but haven't read many books where characters play instruments, let alone ones where that is the focus. Carmen is the main character here and she's a brilliant violinist who is preparing for the most important competition of her life so far. If she wins, she'll get to borrow a gorgeous violin, earn significant prize money, and perform around the world. But to win, she'll have to power through her stage fright, her reliance on pills, her stage mother, and face down the competition in the form of hot Jeremy.

I really liked parts of this book. Carmen's performance anxiety was wonderfully described as were her performances. When the music clicked and flowed through her, I felt so happy for her and elated for the audience that got to listen to her.  I also loved her struggle with taking pills for stage fright-both whether it was morally right and then through her decision to stop taking them, although I think she should have struggled more as she was dangerously dependent on them.

But my very favorite part was Carmen's conflict with her mother, a soprano whose voice was destroyed and now has all of her hopes and dreams pinned on Carmen's success-what pressure! Her mother micromanages everything about Carmen, going so far as to commit an unthinkable act that is the final push for Carmen to uproot her entire life.  As a former teenage girl, I know that the relationship with your mom during that time with can be difficult; but their relationship had even more difficulties than most. There were some painful scenes as Carmen rebels and tries to think for herself while her mother becomes ever more controlling.

There was something that blindsided me though. Based on my skimming in the blogosphere, I thought it was mostly about Carmen's interaction with violin and performance but there is actually a significant component involving a romance with a male competitor. This can be seen from the actual synopsis which I didn't read. The synopsis asks: "But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?" And as someone who has read this book, I say that Jeremy is not better. I didn't think much of him and his character for the most part is not good for Carmen. I thought he was scummy and her innocence allowed her to fall for him. A more experienced girl would have past him by and not wasted any time with him.

Overall: Some unique subject matter for YA with decent writing in this debut marred by a lame love interest who comes to dominate the pages.