Truly, Madly, Deadly

Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne
3.5/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2013
262 pages
YA Contemporary Thriller

Source: Bought

This was another book I bought without really looking at reviews, only to see them be middling. Still I loved the idea behind it so much that I was glad to have some space in my busy review schedule to actually read a book I own.

The part of the summary that I loved was Sawyer thinking her boyfriend died in an accident only to discover that someone carefully plotted his death and assumes she would be grateful for those actions. That assumption comes from knowledge that the boyfriend was abusive to Sawyer, something that she never shared with anyone. Then a teacher who harassed Sawyer ends up dead and things really start getting crazy.

I found this book very easy to read though its writing certainly isn't deep nor do the characters have much development. The most intriguing part was how Sawyer has been prescribed medication (understandable given the death of her boyfriend and also lingering tensions from her parents' divorce) and her narration of events may or may not be accurate depending on how she's coping. Personally I was completely caught off-guard by the reveal of who is behind everything though there wasn't really a large suspect pool-I feel like it could have been one of four people, based on who is named and who is close enough to Sawyer and it was one of those four. But that's only in hindsight. While reading I was completely caught up in the story.

So the writing keeps you gripped. But the characters, where the novel really makes or breaks it, weren't much of anything. I adored the flashbacks of Sawyer to memories of her boyfriend: how he always said he wanted her which felt so good after the turmoil of her parents' relationship but how that turned dark. I apparently have a high tolerance for books with abusive relationships so I valued seeing those sections and how it influences Sawyer's decision in this later chapter of her life. She feared no one would believe her about the abuse because they seemed like the perfect couple and she fears no one will believe her about these other incidents especially because when she does try to go to the police, the small fragments of evidences she has are dismissed as coincidence. Other characters include her best friend Chloe who adds some welcome moments of humor and new love interest Cooper who I didn't get much of a feel for (I pretty much pictured him as a younger Cooper from Meg Cabot's Heather Wells series because they share a name.)

Overall: Addictive writing but not an outstanding example of characterization. Pick it up for a quick read, maybe even this month as there are a few chills within these pages.

Other Opinions:
Alison Can Read
I Swim for Oceans
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
Rather Be Reading
Supernatural Snark
The Book Babe's Reads

If He Had Been With Me

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin
3/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2013
328 pages
YA Contemporary

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

There may be *minor* spoilers in this review.

From what I recall, this book grabbed my attention with the fact that its genre is contemporary and looked to be on the sadder side with the protagonist mourning the loss of her best friend after his tragic death (this is laid out in the first few chapters so I don't want any cries of spoiler!) I tend to prefer humorous books but I also want to push myself out of my comfort zone so I decided to give this a try. My impression of this book being sad was accurate-I mean, even the title and cover work together to advertise that.

I expected the book to look briefly at the pre-accident days of this epic friendship, building to the accident, and then showing how the main character Autumn dealt with the loss of Finn who she has realized she was in love with. To my surprise though the book covers their four years of high school where their history and the fact that they are neighbors whose mothers are best friends keeps them in the same orbit but whose cliques feud and prevent anything more. Indeed Autumn and Finny (I loved that she and his mother were basically the only ones who called him that) spend most of the book dating different people before finally admitting their feelings.

Another thing I didn't expect was for the writing to be quite poetical at times. There were some beautiful passages, perfect as Autumn wants to be a writer. I liked a lot of the side characters but the main focus is definitely Autumn and Finny with the book weighing on her side as the narrator while he remained a bit of a cipher.

Unfortunately I had two big problems with this book that ultimately led to my middling rating of 3. The first is the abrupt ending. Finn dies and then there are a few pages after but far more time was spent on the buildup of their history. It felt unevenly weighted and concluded so fast. I also thought that the book dragged a bit as it rushed to cover four years (plus flashbacks to childhood). My biggest problem with this book though is the two mentions of unprotected teenage sex that lead to pregnancies. I like how there are consequences and yet I feel like it was portrayed as romantic to become a teenage mother when it's anything but.

Content: Sexual references and a lot of underage drinking-the language is pretty clean though from what I remember.

Other Opinions:
Imaginary Reads
Into the Hall of Books

Stealing Parker

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
3/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2012
242 pages
YA Contemporary Sports

Source: Library

Although I had a very negative reaction to Kenneally's Catching Jordan, I thought that might be a fluke and resolved to try another book as well. Unfortunately this one didn't really work for me either, partly for the same reasons but also for its own problems.

A brief summary: Set in the same community as Chasing Jordan, we turn our attention to Parker whose mother came out and who has subsequently set out to prove that she is very much a straight girl by kissing as many boys as she can. When the baseball team gets a new hunky young coach, she soon finds herself playing with fire as they engage in a dangerous flirtation.

I found the first half of this book alternately boring and frustrating. I didn't feel like it really got good until Parker finally turned to her mother (loved her!) for help. Although Parker thinks back to her great life before her mother's scandal, I never really felt like I had a sense of it and thus I didn't sympathize with Parker over losing it (does that make sense?)

Like Catching Jordan, I felt like this book was somewhat anti-girl as Parker has mostly horrid experiences with her fellow females while the guys all have fun personalities who don't scorn her based on her mother's choices (and not just because she's pretty and makes out with some of them). I also thought there could have been more focus on baseball/softball whereas it seemed to be used more for window dressing. Also like in Catching Jordan, the first guy the protagonist hooks up with is just a prelude for the guy she really likes (who I called as being her ultimate date within the first ten pages)-it felt like a recycled plot although the details are pretty different.

Don't worry-I did like some things plus the book is short so I had no problem finishing it. Like I said, I really liked Parker's mother once we got to spend some page time with her. I also liked how angry Parker was. Angry characters can be really fun even when they make tremendously stupid decisions as Parker does. I really loved her growth and that is what made the second half of the book much better.

Overall: Unless someone tells me there is a huge shift in writing style and tone, I think I will have to stay away from Kenneally's Thousand Oaks books no more how much the fun summaries and bright covers tempt me :( We just don't work.

Other Opinions-I'm very much in the minority here:
Badass Bookie
Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
The Book Scout

Blaze #GeekGrlzRevenge

Blaze (Or Love in the Time of Supervillians) by Laurie Boyle Crompton
3.5/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2013
312 pages
YA Contemporary

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

When I first started this book, I was a little unsure if it was a straight contemporary or if it had elements of fantasy with the main character perhaps assuming a secret role as superhero. I can confirm that Blaze, our protagonist, loves comic books but she does not in fact transform into any kind of superhero keeping this book grounded entirely in our world.

This is somewhat unfortunate though as our world features a great deal of slut-shaming and bullying as is horrifyingly depicted in this novel after Blaze's crush turns out to be a major player and jerk. I'm not going to share all the events that lead to this discovery but know that it inspires Blaze to draw a comic using his likeness for the villain, which leads to further retaliation on his part. Yes, Blaze makes a lot of stupid decisions but she doesn't deserve any of that behavior. I really liked when Blaze made a connection with another girl who has long been branded as a "slut" but would have liked even more treatment.

I also enjoyed Blaze's love of comic books and her artistic side. She draws her own strips (see below for an example of her drawing) and is very passionate and well-versed on the subject. This comes in handy when she meets a new friend at the comic book store, something that is sorely necessary since her two main friends are awful. I've read a string of books with great female friendships lately so they really stuck in my mind.

But my favorite part of the book would have to be Blaze's younger brother Josh and his friends. Blaze is in charge of driving the group around for soccer practice and occasionally for other events too. Although she complains about this, she secretly mostly doesn't mind and the boys come through for her in a big way at the end.

Family is very important to the story. In addition to Josh, there are Blaze's estranged parents: her mom working long hours while her father left them to pursue an acting career. Neither is a great parent although at least her mom stayed and is trying. Blaze has to take off her rose-colored glasses toward her father, seeing him for what he is now instead of as the cool guy who introduced her to classic comics.

Overall: I liked this book but felt there could have been a bit more meat in some areas as well as a smarter heroine.

Other Opinions:
Books Are Vital
Parajunkee's View
To Read, Or Not to Read

Below is a sketch of Blaze's artwork, provided by Sourcebooks:

© 2012 Anne Cain

Catching Jordan

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
3/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2011
281 pages
YA Contemporary Sports Romance

Source: Bought

Warning-spoilers!

We're going to have to start with an extended personal note for this long review in order to illustrate how this book and I didn't click. I'm a girl's girl. I did dress very tomboyishly in high school (jeans, tees, sneakers, no makeup because why bother?) but my best friends were always other girls. I've had a few good male friends but nothing compared to my girls. I know media often portrays females as back-stabbing, gossipy meanies but my life has not reflected that. I've always felt supported by and tried to be supportive of other women (um, I attended a women's college!) Consequently I don't really "get" women who eschew female companionship. In my experience, there seem to be two main reasons. The first is cause the girl steals other girls' boyfriends (I know this isn't the best phrasing because he can't be stolen if he doesn't want it but...) The second is because she pursues some interest that is stereotypically masculine (often sports but also technology) and looks down on the more stereotypically feminine pursuits. Such a girl also has often had a bad experience with another girl and uses it to judge the entire female population. Jordan Woods is such a girl and hopefully you are seeing my difficulty with her.

The way she came across to me was as someone who thought she was better than other girls because she didn't hang on a boy's every word, she didn't talk about feelings, she thought home economic courses were dumb, she knew things about football, etc. I loved the hook of her as her team's quarterback and that she was a great captain for her team. But I could not get past her derision of the cheerleaders as slutty and stupid when her male teammates receive little condemnation for similar behavior. Then there was Jordan's repeated disbelief that any other girl might know something about football, as if she has a monopoly on football knowledge among those of us with the XX chromosomes (current events sidenote: go Eagles in their game against the Saints tonight!)

Then let's move onto the romance. For some reason, I thought it was about Jordan and a guy who couldn't quite handle her role on the football team. There is that but the guy is also her ocmpetition because he plays quarterback too. Plus he's not really the love interest. THere's also Sam Henry (I kind of hate when characters have two first names, especially in a book where they are often but not always called by their last name), her long-time best friend who has been in love with her for ages and frequently slept over in her bed because she never noticed! I can't imagine parents letting that happen even if they assumed their daughter only had platonic feelings.

Once Jordan knows, she is interested in pursuing a relationship but he bails, not wanting to risk what they have, leaving her to spend over a month really pissed off at everyone. It's angst! It's drama! It's not for me.

However lest you think there were only negatives, I do want to applaud a few elements. I loved the conflict of Jordan with her NFL dad, who never supported her dream but who comes to experience a change of heart. There could have been more nuance and attention spent on that. I also liked Jordan attempting to go to her dream school but discovering they only wanted her as a cover girl. This ties into her relationship with her father as he helps her to explore other options. Maybe what I really wanted was to read a book about a teenage girl and her parents, given that that element seemed to really appeal to me here. The book was also very readable with some humorous moments although I could have done without the cursing.

Content warning: Lot of language, some underage drinking but not the MCs because they are in training, lots of sexual situations but not too explicit.

Overall: NOT FOR ME.

Nothing Special

Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach
3/5 stars
Sourcebooks Fire, 2012
290 pages
YA Contemporary

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

I requested this under the impression that it would be a fun contemporary read. While not wrong, it did miss that this is a sequel to Stupid Fast, a book I have not read. I think that was to my detriment as there were many points in this book where I struggled; I seriously think the background from Stupid Fast would have improved my reading experience.

The reason for that is the many relationships and assumed history that were completely bewildering to me. There's our main character Felton and his mother (who he calls by her first name, making me think she was his stepmother but I think she is his birth-mother), his brother, and their now-deceased father who committed suicide. His shadow hangs over the family especially as the man's athleticism is echoed in Felton's skills. Their family also has messed-up relationships with the parents of the father, something that is explored in this book. Felton has his own personal mind to work out too including feelings of inadequacy as suggested by the title of the book. His journey to rebuild relationships and understand himself forms the bulk of the story.

Family plays a big role but so does friendship with Felton reconnecting with his ex-best friend as well as struggling to maintain a romantic relationship with Aleah, who it seems plays a big role in the first book. She doesn't make an appearance here but she is uppermost in his mind. But as I said before, I was so confused for most of the book. It wasn't until the story had really developed toward the end that I felt somewhat settled in the setting.

Saying all that about the confusion of characters, I did really like the writing especially since it was written in letter-format (I am a sucker for epistolary novels). The humor is enjoyable and those who are looking for a male protagonist should enjoy Felton's compelling voice.

Overall: Definitely not a standalone. But if you liked the contemporary of Stupid Fast, you should enjoy the further life experiences of Felton Reinstein.

Cover: I really like the cover; as a yearbook setting, it evokes the entire experience of being in school and looking back and thinking about how you'll be remembered.