Title: Piece of My Heart
Author: Lynn Maddalena Menna
Genre: Young Adult, Music, Contemporary
Publisher: Merit Press
Release date: June 18, 2013
ISBN-10: 1440561052
ISBN-13: 9781440561054
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley

Still in high school, Marisol Reyes gets the chance of a lifetime to be a real singer, and she leaps at it. After all, this is the dream she held on to, all the days and nights she spent growing up on means streets of East Harlem. Marisol never gave in--no matter what her boyfriend or her best friend had to say. Who cares if only one in a hundred pretty, talented girls make it? She will be the one. In her rush to fame, Marisol tramples on the heart of her loyal best friend, and Julian, the boy she loves. But will it be worth it?

One night at a private gig in the Hamptons, the little Latino girl with the big voice from East Harlem gets a severe reality check. A famous rapper who claims to be interested in her talents turns out to be interested in something else, threatening not only Marisol's dreams but her body and soul. Will the realities of the gritty New York music scene put out the stars in Marisol's eyes forever?




My Review:
'Piece of My Heart' is your typical musician's fairytale; small town girl with big dreams suddenly gets thrust into the industry and finds out that it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's all very Sherrie Christian in Rock of Ages... minus the stripping. But instead of taking place in Hollywood, we're taken across the country to New York. Marisol is blessed with golden pipes and knows that she's made for more than small gigs at weddings and birthday parties. But is she ready?

Told from Marisol's perspective, Menna paints a pretty picture of both the gritty streets and glamorous side of the Empire State with its music, fashion, and nightlife, all of which are described very vividly. The music industry is all about connections, and boy does our starlet encounter a lot of those. Marisol, with all her teenage naïveté, is easily pulled into different situations that she gladly jumps into because, well who doesn't want to become a famous singer, right? She's travelling all over New York and playing gigs with people who, just months before, only played in her stereo as she danced and lip-synched to them in her room with her best friend. Speaking of best friends, while Marisol is living the high life, her relationships with her friends back home goes through the ultimate test and finds out that even those nearest and dearest to her might not be the people she thought them to be.

While I liked the premise (and the fact that the title is undoubtedly taken from one the greatest songs ever), I felt disconnected from all the characters throughout the whole story. But it had potential overall. Marisol's relationships with everyone went back and forth so much that it was hard to keep track of who she was actually friends with in the beginning. Maybe I would've liked it better if it wasn't written in first-person perspective, because Marisol's always moving around and there are a lot of other characters that it's hard to keep track of what's going on. I also wished that the issues Marisol faced were more fleshed out. Sometimes she went through big, big changes in her life and career, but it'd be over and onto the next issue just pages later. The narrative made me cringe at a few places, especially when she was performing. It just got really cheesy sometimes. Like Marisol was too good for her own good, if that makes sense. There's belief in your own talent, and then there's being cocky about it. There was also a lot of focus on describing the settings and fashion that it took away from the characters. Yes, it's interesting to know how great you think you look in that white dress with white-gold shoes, and how gorgeous your friend looked in her skin-tight mini dress that reached just above her knees, but for it to take up that much space? It all felt a little superficial.

'Piece of My Heart' is a light read, but if you're looking for some deep, thought-provoking fiction about someone truly struggling to make it in the music industry, this might not be for you. Behind it all is a rather relatable story about a teenage girl struggling to find her place in the real world as she finds out that sometimes the only person you can trust to make the best decisions for your life is, ultimately, yourself.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Merit Press for providing me with the ARC.

My rating:

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Title: Meant to Be
Author: Lauren Morrill
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release date: November 13, 2012
ISBN-10: 0385741774
ISBN-13: 9780385741774
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts... from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.




My Review:
Julia is the kind of girl who mostly keeps to herself and is quite the stickler for rules; a model student if there ever was one. When the chance to go to London for Spring Break comes along, she jumps at it and is ready to have the ultimate cultural experience. That's until she's buddied up with the class clown, Jason. Next thing she knows, she's breaking rules (against her will, of course) and getting in trouble. She thinks things will turn around thanks to an unexpected mystery person suddenly sending her romantic text messages after attending a party. She enlists Jason's help in figuring out who it could be, and that's where the story really begins.

The main girl -- Julia, right? -- wasn't that likeable (for some reason I kept forgetting her name was Julia. I kept thinking it was Judy). There's following the rules, then there's following the rules to the point where it gets annoying. If I was in one of the most historical cities in the world, I'd be jumping at the chance to go anywhere and everywhere. She was also very judgemental and whiny, which put a damper on my whole reading experience. And then there was Jason, who was a little too childish for my liking, even if he did get Julia to loosen up a little. They were such opposites and personally unrelatable for me, so I had a hard time connecting with either of them. I did like that the progression between them wasn't rushed, even if their romance fell flat for me.

Another thing that bugged me about the book was how it felt like it was trying too hard to be, dare I say, hipster; just pointing out that artwork came from Etsy, milking the Beatles, the word "meta", Julia's friend Phoebe's weirdly awesome and original wardrobe, etc. It just felt unnecessary to point those things out in such detail. The Anglophile in me did appreciate the cultural references and descriptions of London, so there's that.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the book. I did like how things unfolded in the end. I kept expecting some weird but predictable plot twist involving Jason actually being Chris, but luckily the book at least kept that cliché out. The explanations tied everything together, and I found myself surprised at some of the reveals. Kind of a "why didn't I think of that?" thing. The last half was definitely better than the first, which is kind of a downer for me, as I want to be engaged throughout the entire story, not just a certain part of it. But that cover, my goodness. Absolutely gorgeous.

It was a good book for me to pick up on my vacation when I was lounging by the beach every few days, but am I jumping for joy over it? Not really. Not much to say except that it was a good book to pass the time.

My rating:

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Title: Lemonade Mouth
Author: Mark Peter Hughes
Genre: Young Adult, Music, Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release date: March 13, 2007
ISBN-10: 0385733925
ISBN-13: 9780385733922
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Borrowed

Poets. Geniuses. Revolutionaries.

The members of the legendary band Lemonade Mouth have been called all of these things. But until now, nobody's known the inside story of how this powerhouse band came to be. How five outcasts in Opoquonsett High School's freshman class found each other, found the music, and went on to change both rock and roll and high school as we know it. Wen, Stella, Charlie, Olivia, and Mo take us back to that fateful detention where a dentist's jingle, a teacher's coughing fit, and a beat-up ukelele gave birth to Rhode Island's most influential band. Told in each of their five voices and compiled by Opoquonsett's "scene queen," freshman Naomi Fishmeier, this anthology is their definitive history.



My Review:
This is the story of how the band, Lemonade Mouth, came to be. Stella, Wen, Mo, Charlie, and Olivia met one fateful day in detention. They discovered their mutual love for music and slowly, the idea of starting a band formulated, thus turning them into a sensation. Even still, nothing ever comes easy. Individually, they weren't popular; every other student like them who took part in activities and clubs that weren't considered "popular" got demoted to the high school's basement. They're labelled as the freaks of the school, and it's up to Lemonade Mouth to use their newfound popularity to change things.

The characters that made up Lemonade Mouth were so odd and easily classified as misfits. There's a freakishly tall green-haired girl and a guy who's really insecure and hears the voice of his dead twin brother in his head, to name a few. But when they were together, it was magic. It was interesting to read how they formed, as it wasn't a sudden thing where all five kids completely went for it. It took time, and it was realistic. After all, they weren't really friends; they only really got together through detention, and they barely knew each other beforehand. They each had their own stories and struggles, which were touched upon equally and made their story as a band more believable. Hughes never gave one character more importance over another.

The core of the book is about five strangers who never really fit in anywhere, coming together and making something out of nothing. They became influences to their fellow classmates, and even though their journey wasn't an easy one, they never gave up. They were able to cope with the insanity known as high school through their growing friendship, all the while, touching the lives of their fellow classmates with their music and their message.

The overall concept isn't original by any means, but the way the author wrote it really puts it in a class of its own. The book was offbeat and funny; definitely had its own unique brand of humour, which I found totally refreshing. It's original in the sense that when you think of a high school band-- or any band, your mind immediately goes to a guitarist, singer, bassist, and a drummer. Lemonade Mouth throws all conventions out the window. Here, you have stuff like a ukulele, trumpet, bongos, and congas. In other words, this book is not full of your typical high school characterizations.

I picked up the book because I watched the Disney Channel movie that was adapted from it. I loved the movie, I'm not even going to lie. Even bought the soundtrack and everything. I'm such a sucker for feel-good teenybopper DCOMs. So sue me. I was curious to see how the book compared to the film; what they left out and kept in, what they changed, etc. I was surprised at how different a lot of things were in the book, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's a fun and interesting read, filled with quirky characters that I'm sure all of us can relate to, one way or another. The book is definitely more mature than the movie if you've ever seen it; I'd say it's appropriate enough for teens 14 and over. There is, however, now an age-appropriate edition for middle-grade readers as a movie tie-in, with content slightly adapted by the author. Just look for the blue dot on the cover!

My rating:

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Title: Stalk Me
Author: Jillian Dodd
Series: The Keatyn Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Bandit Publishing
Release date: September 1, 2012
ISBN-10: 0985008660
ISBN-13: 9780985008666
Format: eBook
Source: Author

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because, really, things aren’t all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And, deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom has a creepy stalker.
A hot, older man flirts with her and tells her they should make a movie together.
And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.
But little does she know, there's someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.



My Review:
Keatyn has everything; she's popular, has a loving boyfriend, cool friends, the trendiest clothes, and her mom is a famous actress. Growing up around the movie industry, she has a knack for coming up with her own scripts, reflecting how she wants her life to go. She's been doing a good job... until now. Her relationship isn't exactly perfect, her best friend is threatening to tell everyone about it, she's crushing on someone else, and to top it all off, her mom has a stalker. Can she come up with a script to fix it all, and will real life actually follow it?

The first few chapters were hard to get into. The plot was a little too vapid for me. I'm a fan of the Gossip Girl books (not a huge fan), so I thought, sure, I can probably get into this. I didn't.

Things seemed to pick up after Keatyn broke up with Sander. Although, I don't know why that was. Sander seemed to be a pretty stand up guy; got a little too into his tortured artist role for me, but that was better than surfer boy d-bag over there.

Her "friends" were absolutely heinous. Vanessa was straight psycho and RiAnne was basically her lapdog. I had a huge issue with the parental figures in this book. Almost as bad as the kids... almost. I get being friends with your kids, hell, my mom and I watch tv and go to the movies together all the time, we even go shopping together, and she knows what's going on in my life more than anyone. But Keatyn's mom and Tommy -- throw Kym with a 'Y' and the rest of the "entourage" in there, too -- were just not good people. The biggest issue of all was that they were barely involved in Keatyn's life and were so flippant when it came to all the crap she was pulling. Plus, what mom gets excited that her 16-year-old daughter loses her virginity? Really, you're going to pout over the fact that your daughter forgot to mention that she slept with her friend? "I still can’t believe you slept with Brandon and didn't tell me!" (Actual quote.)

Keatyn's use of "Ohmigawd" made me want to scream into a pillow. Or rip my hair out. Or scream into a pillow while ripping my hair out. Anything to numb the pain. Don't even get me started on the actual use of "OMG"/"OMFG" in the book. ...When I think about it, though, I actually would have preferred the acronym to "ohmigawd". How seriously aesthetically unappealing does that word look?

The writing style worked for this type of book, I'll give it that, but it's just not something that I favour. The scripts that Keatyn wrote were a nice touch. It gave a glimpse into how her mind worked and into her deepest desires... it was strangely romantic, in a way. Her realizations that sometimes things don't always go as planned but everything works out anyway could've been refreshing... if she hadn't been so annoying about it. Kudos to her for actually feeling bad for being a grade-A bitch at times. That's about the only positive thing I have to say.

I literally had the strongest urge to stop reading when she and Brooklyn got matching tattoos for her birthday. First of all, smoking weed before a tattoo? I'd be fidgety as all hell while getting it done, are you kidding? Second, tacky. But no, I didn't stop reading there. I actually did make it to about 80% into the book, but so much kept happening all of a sudden with Keatyn moving to a new school and yet again caring only about boys... it just got tiring.

The stalking aspect took up about 10% of the book. Weird, considering the book is called STALK Me. I found myself literally throwing my hands up in disbelief more than enough times. I felt bad about publishing this review, as I took part in the blog tour earlier with the intent of reviewing. I switched to a promo post, but I felt dishonest about not posting this. The author seems really lovely, and this review doesn't affect my opinion of her as an author, but this book just wasn't for me. I have seen a lot of positive reviews for it, so it really is a judgement call.

My rating:
DNF

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Title: Dancing in the Dark
Author: Robyn Bavati
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Flux
Release date: February 8, 2013 (North American release)
ISBN-10: 0738734772
ISBN-13: 9780738734774
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley

He tossed her into the air as if she were weightless, and just for a moment she seemed suspended there, defying gravity. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I knew what she was feeling. It was in every movement of every limb.

Here was a power I had never seen before, a kind of haunting loveliness I had never imagined. Seeing it made me long for something, I didn't know what...

Ditty was born to dance, but she was also born Jewish. When her strictly religious parents won't let her take ballet lessons, Ditty starts to dance in secret. But for how long can she keep her two worlds apart? And at what cost?

A dramatic and moving story about a girl who follows her dream, and finds herself questioning everything she believes in.



My Review:
Ditty Cohen comes from a strict Jewish household; she is a Haredi Jew, one of the most conservative branches of Judaism. One day, during a bout of rebellion, she discovers ballet and is instantly hooked. She dreams of taking ballet lessons and of a future as a performer. However, she knows her family would never allow her to do so. This story takes readers on Ditty's personal journey through the years, witnessing her struggle with family, faith, and her passion.

I need to start off and mention that it was so interesting to me that this was set in Australia, because everything was unfamiliar. Locations, seasons, how school years work and everything. I actually learned quite a bit of cultural information that I've never known about before.

I felt like I related to Ditty quite a bit, in terms of expectations while growing up. Not necessarily in a religious sense, though I have grown up in a religious household and still practice Roman Catholicism (quite progressively, mind you); going to mass, receiving the sacraments, etc. I've never personally felt the same pressures and lifestyle that Ditty had, but on a broader note, I feel like quite a lot of people can relate to her, in the sense that she had a dream that seemed far from her reach and she was willing to overcome everything that it took to get there. I admired her zeal. As for the other characters, I loved that there were no catty ones competing with Ditty in her ballet school. As if she needed any more people to come into conflict with. Everyone was supportive, very nice, and realistic.

The only issue I had with this book, which unfortunately stuck through the whole thing, was how negative the family came off. It wasn't even just the family, but the whole ultra-orthodox community. Almost everyone came off as brainwashed and it felt like the only way for Ditty to pursue her dreams was to have to leave her community. I'm not going to pretend like I know a lot about the different Jewish communities and how much Bavati's portrayal rings true, so I can't really expand on this. But reading that Bavati grew up Modern orthodox made me think that this was why it came off the way it did. Linda (Ditty's cousin who, like Bavati, was Modern orthodox) was very detailed in her arguments with Ditty and the latter could never really defend herself or her community. It felt pretty one-sided, which made me feel a little uncomfortable. As a reader, I really did sympathize with Ditty, which I'm sure was the intention. You want Ditty to succeed, to break free from whatever's holding her back, but at the same time I wish she tried a little harder to find some common ground with her Judaism.

Ultimately, this is a universal story about a girl with big dreams, and her journey in doing whatever it took to achieve it. I loved Ditty's transition as a dancer and that the story brought us through her entire experience from her discovery to finally being an actual performer. It sped through five years of her life, which could have made the story feel really rushed, especially considering the length of the novel, but it was done surprisingly well. It didn't drag on, and I felt like all the important pieces in Ditty's life were touched upon enough for the story to end the way it did.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Flux Books for providing me with the ARC.

My rating:

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Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: October 8, 2007
ISBN-10: 159514188X
ISBN-13: 9781595141880
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret. . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes-- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town...

...and what he discovers changes his life forever.



My Review:
Thirteen Reasons Why touches upon the issue of suicide through Hannah Baker, a teenager who committed suicide and told her story through a series of cassette tapes. Clay Jensen comes home one day to find these mysterious tapes boxed up and addressed to him. He discovers that Hannah sent seven tapes with thirteen reasons to different people who played a part in her ending her life. Clay, as a recipient, apparently affected Hannah's decision, but he couldn't figure out why. Through each tape, the story ultimately tells the tale of how people's actions can cause a ripple effect on someone's life.

It ultimately turns out that Clay, the narrator of the story, was the only one on Hannah's list that didn't leave such a negative effect on her. With each passing tape that he listened to, he started feeling more and more guilty and felt that he could have done something to prevent Hannah from killing herself. He was a good enough character; of course every story has to have a narrator that virtually has no flaws... that's cool. But he was kind of just there. Hannah was the real focus of the book. She didn't really jump off the page for me, either. However, I've seen several people say that her reasons for killing herself "weren't even a big deal" and all these other things, and to that I say: who are we to judge? No one knows the extent of someone's problems or their feelings but themselves. Just because someone doesn't deal with problems the same way you would doesn't mean they're less inclined in any way. Not everyone has the same amount of strength to deal with tough situations.

That being said, I have to commend Asher for not going too over the top with the "reasons". Was it realistic? Maybe not. Was Hannah at fault for a lot of the things that happened to her? Definitely. But she dealt with realistic teen problems, and this book just showed how even the simplest actions can affect someone, and it's possible for it to build up into something that might end in a similar, if not same, situation. I wasn't too invested in the characters, it was more the plot itself and that message of the book overall that kept me invested.

The book got an extra half star from me because of the intricacy concerning the tape concept. The story-telling was done well enough and I kept reading on, interested to read about the next tape. I would've given it a whole star if I wasn't so creeped out by the fact that she sent out tapes for specific people; talk about being haunted for the rest of your life. I found myself asking what exactly the purpose was with the tapes. Was it to make them feel guilty? For revenge? That's a little cruel. And if that doesn't make these people feel like complete crap for a lifetime, knowing that they contributed to her death, then I don't know what would.

The plot is original and I sympathized with both Hannah and Clay, but I didn't love the book as much as I wanted to. It was recommended to me by a friend and I've seen a lot of people talking about it, so I decided to check it out. It only took me a couple of hours to read, and while I was entertained, I wasn't blown away or anything. The ending was also a little disappointing. I would have liked for it to be more fleshed out. It's a good, quick read, and I'm glad to have read it because it seemed to have impacted a lot of people, but I was conflicted. It does send a good message that people should be mindful to how they treat others, because you never know what kind of impact your actions can have on someone. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I listened to it via audio book; that would've been interesting considering the context of the story. Of course, if the plot sounds interesting (which it is) and you're the kind of person who is intrigued by these kinds of stories, then definitely check it out for yourself and be the judge.

My rating:

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Title: The Lighter Side of Life and Death
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Random House Books
Release date: May 25, 2010
ISBN-10: 0375845895
ISBN-13: 9780375845895
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true and the future looks golden.

Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive 23-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world. Fans of John Green and Sarah Dessen will savor C. K. Kelly Martin's sexy, smart, soulful story of one confused boy, two girls, and all the complications that ensue in this feel good celebration of friendship, first love, first lust, and second chances.



My Review:
Mason Rice is living the life. With good friends and a successful run in the school play, nothing could touch him. After one amazing day, he heads over to a party to celebrate his recent accomplishments and finds himself alone with his best friend, Kat. They end up sleeping together, and this changes everything. Kat wants to pretend nothing happened so she starts avoiding him, and their other best friend, Jamie, is mad at Mason because he's also in love with Kat and was kept in the dark about what happened between the two. At home, Mason is dealing with some big changes in his family. He butts heads with his step-sister-to-be and they can never seem to find common ground. Mason then meets Colette, his future stepmom's 23-year-old friend, who he starts a secret forbidden liaison with. As their relationship prolongs, Mason starts slipping away from his old life.

Here's a little personal history for you: I first read this book the year it came out. I just turned 21, but was at that stage where I still felt 20; right smack in the middle of Mason and Colette's 7-year age gap. Fast forward to today, 23 on the verge of turning 24-- same age as Colette. When I was reading this book in 2010, I was just "meh" about their relationship. I got that it was taboo but for some reason I wasn't as affected as I am now. What a difference 2 years makes. My feelings about their relationship changed immensely! Can I imagine myself messing around with a 16-year-old? The thought makes my stomach feel weird. And not in the good way. God, no.

The plot was great and the execution was better than I can imagine. Martin had this style that never went overboard, no matter how big the issue. It was nice and made for an enjoyable light read. The book was full of adolescent problems but instead of taking them and making a big unnecessary show out of it, she wrote it so that the characters actually could deal and the reader could actually see these kinds of reactions to things in real life.

What set this story apart for me was the narration from Mason's perspective. I've never really come across a lot of contemporary romance novels from a guy's point of view. It worked really well for this story, and his voice was so refreshing. He went through a lot of emotions, like every teenager goes through, and it was interesting taking a look into the inner workings of a teenage boy's mind. Mason was easy-going and handled everything great on the outside, but he was slowly losing it inside as the story progressed. He had this illicit affair with an older woman and eventually admitted to it, but the consequences weren't too drastic. Actually, the whole book wasn't as dramatic as it could have been. I personally love Martin for that; the story could have gotten really over-dramatic and cliché, but it was all done with subtle grace. Of course Mason wasn't without his flaws, as all the characters in this book were, but he was definitely a great narrator for the story.

The other characters were all very diverse, which I commend Martin for. Various age groups, ethnicities, and sexual orientations were represented without going overboard. It gave it a more realistic feel that I definitely appreciated. The story went in the direction it did because of Kat, Mason's crush who just so happens to also be one of his best friends. It was interesting that she was Filipino when there are virtually none of us in contemporary literature, so that was kind of cool. And hey, look at that, the story took place in Canada. But that aside, Kat reacted to what happened between her and Mason in such an odd way. It was exasperating. I wanted to like her more and wanted to know more about her. But of course, she was avoiding Mason for more than half the book so that didn't happen. I had mixed feelings about her, but I'm happy with how the story ended. Jamie, though. The other best friend. I could have done without his whining and total abandonment of Mason. I can't even talk about him properly without getting worked up. Colette... I don't know if the readers are supposed to like her. It's just bad right off the bat; she had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy. Freakin' illegal. If it's not illegal, then it's definitely lacking in common sense. She clearly had some issues that she needed to work out; re-evaluate her life a little bit, maybe, because... woah. Ick. All in all, I think every character served their purpose, and it was done well. The fact that both of the leading females in the story were so different in every single way was a nice touch. They could have been severely butchered, one being an immigrant teenager and the other a 20-something woman having an affair with a minor, but Martin managed to stay away from stereotypes.

Funny thing, while I was reading this book the first time in 2010, I always pictured Logan Lerman as Mason. I don't know why. Seems like a character he would play if a movie adaptation was ever made. I've seen several other places online suggesting Aaron Johnson, which would have been good, too, at the time (not now, though). I've always thought he and Logan looked pretty similar. Anyway. When I start getting into potential movie casting is when you know I like a book a lot. It was one of my favourites in 2010, and re-reading it now brought back the feelings. They've shifted a bit, because like I mentioned earlier, 2 years can change a person, even by the slightest. A lot of things that I liked during my initial reading, I changed my opinion on. To add onto that, I noticed more things the second time around that I wasn't really paying attention to before. Regardless, this book remains one of my favourites, and I would recommend it to those looking for a light and not so over-exaggerated read, considering the subject.

My rating:

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Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release date: February 26, 2013 (North American release)
ISBN-10: 1250012570
ISBN-13: 9781250012579
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.



My Review:
Eleanor & Park is the story of adolescence and first love. It takes place in the 1980s in the Midwestern United States; Omaha, to be exact. Eleanor is the new girl at school. She's described as being slightly overweight with wild red hair and dresses in ill-fitting clothes. She's a target for your typical high school bullies, and unfortunately her home life isn't any better. Park is well-liked at school and has a loving family, but he still stands out from everyone else. He's half-Korean in a neighbourhood full of white kids, his younger brother looks way older than him, and he'd rather read comic books than play sports. Both are misfits in different ways, and after begrudgingly encountering each other one day on the bus ride to school, they find themselves drifting closer and closer together.

As the title suggests, the book focused on Eleanor and Park's relationship, all the way from the ground up. It started with Eleanor getting on the school bus and being forced to pick a seat, only to discover that everyone already had some pre-arranged seating plan. One kid, Park, speaks up (unwillingly and rather rudely) and lets her take the seat next to him. They didn't interact initially -- in fact, they developed preconceived notions about each other that made them speak pretty foully about one another. But after a while, they started discovering common interests, taught each other a thing or two along the way (which was done beautifully, by the way, through wordless interactions) and found themselves enjoying each other's company. By the middle of the book, they were clearly past sneaky glances and silently sharing comic books. It moved a tad fast for me at this point (there's a line where Eleanor stated that he made her want to have his babies and give him both of her kidneys. Woah. And they were only setting up a phone date!), but that aside, the build-up prior to that was near perfection. They fell in love, though Eleanor kept her guard up for most of the book, not wanting this part of her life destroyed by her situation at home. Eleanor lacked self-confidence, but Park always made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world, even though everyone around them didn't quite understand why they picked each other.

They weren't only great together, but they were likeable as individual characters as well. I feel like this is such a plus when it comes to romances. It pains me when I love two people together, but not apart; that just emphasizes their dependency on each other. I loved Eleanor. She was snarky and hi-laaarious, and she liked the Beatles, so obviously she had great taste in music. Park, on the other hand, didn't know much about the Beatles. Which was a shame, but he made up for it with his adorable love for comic books and nerd references. They were completely different from each other, from their looks and personalities to their families. Eleanor's family was broken and impoverished while Park's was whole and very involved in his life (he even lived next to his grandparents). Their contrasting lives eventually weaved together and ended the story on a very heart-wrenching, very high note.

Rowell is an amazing writer. She ended off paragraphs with quotes and lines that had me clutching my chest and aww-ing more than once. There were parts that made me laugh and parts that made me cry. It was a whole range of emotions for me while reading. The book was written in both Eleanor and Park's perspectives, where Rowell would switch between the two. Thankfully it was written in third person narrative and not first, otherwise it would have been pretty confusing. The switching perspectives worked because it gives readers an inside look at both of their lives away from each other. Their familial situations were so different, and I felt horrible for Eleanor especially. Rowell didn't hold back on tackling the serious issues when it came to Eleanor's home life. It was utterly heartbreaking to read, but it made the story as a whole more real. It wasn't just a romance perfectly packaged and tied up in a pretty bow.

Ah, the pre-90's references. Loved them. I was born at the tail-end of the 80's, so a lot of the pop culture references were still pretty fresh; that, and my parents totally brought me up on all of it so I wasn't lost along the way. The references that Rowell used were the ones that stood out in the 80s; the timeless ones that won't be forgotten even 20 years later. I also think it's safe to say that we live in a time where the younger generation can actually appreciate a more older sound in music. I was at a bookstore one day and an older gentleman was talking to the cashier about how he and his 20-something year old son bonded over Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. I'm the same with my parents and know a lot of people who are also, so for me, this book wasn't dated at all. In fact, it seems like the perfect time to release this book.

Also, how perfect is this cover? It's the perfect representation for this story; simple but attractive, quirky, innocent, and depicts the connection that Eleanor and Park have with each other, away from the prying eyes of those around them. The incorporation of music in the cover also adds to the overall effect, as music plays quite a big part in the two character's relationship. This US edition will be released by St. Martin's Press on February 26, 2013. I'm happy to admit that this has been one of my favourite YA reads for 2012.

I also have to point out that Rowell has a book coming out in late 2013 called "Fangirl". About a girl who would rather live in other people' stories instead of her own. Are you kidding me? Sign me up.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the ARC.

My rating:

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Title: Uses for Boys
Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release date: January 15, 2013
ISBN-10: 1250007119
ISBN-13: 9781250007117
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer.



My Review:
It all started when she was just a kid. It was just Anna and her mother, and no one else mattered. But as she got older, her mom began slipping away, instead slipping into the hands of man after different man. On the verge of adolescence, Anna then finds herself surrounded by boys that, to her discovery, can fill that void. Like mother, like daughter, after all. She's barely a teenager and she's had more experience than your average. She's a romantic, chasing after the perfect story to make her own harsh reality go away. She meets Toy, a girl whose stories of love make Anna try harder. But does she really know Toy? This book follows Anna as she discovers boys, love, family, and her experiences in losing it all just like that.

Interesting premise, but wow, was I ever disappointed. I wanted to like this book, I really did. But I literally spent most of my time reading it just because I wanted to finish it. I hate when I have to struggle to read through something, like in the back of my head I kept telling myself, "keep reading, maybe something epic will happen"... and nothing did.

I think my biggest problem with this book was the writing style. I didn't quite get it. I've read my share of contemporary books; very minimal in narration, but the heart was there. I didn't feel that with this book. The story was very disjointed and incomplete most of the time. There was no proper transition between chapters and even sentences. It was just so awkward. Anna goes through a lot in the early stages of the book, but she doesn't connect well. It's like she just narrates the events that happen, not so much how she feels. So there's a lack of connection with readers. The other characters weren't much better; her mom was never around, and her would-be best friend Toy was just as unlikeable as Anna. Then there were the titular "boys"... I can't even remember their names, save for one. Sam. In fairness, he was the most interesting. But that doesn't make much difference because even he was pretty bland.

The only part that I felt gave it a little redemption was when she and Sam met and they started up a relationship -- a real relationship. Anna spent more and more time with his family for dinner, they accepted her, they liked her. I actually found myself enjoying the fact that she finally found a family that she could spend time with, especially after having her own be practically non-existent. Then it got a little weird when she started wishing that she... was her boyfriend... and that his family was her family...? Yeah. This is the reason for my remaining stars in my rating; this, and the fact that I kept reading-- I saw the potential but I came out of the other end with very little satisfaction. Then after that, some stuff went down and she was back to the unlikeable Anna that I spent the last 70% of the book trying and failing to understand. I understood that she had issues, yes, and she wanted to be loved so she went out and found that in the male species, but maybe if the story was fleshed out a little more, I could feel more sympathy for Anna. I felt none at all.

The ending was also really random. It just sort of ended. I was honestly expecting another chapter, but it just stopped! It's like the final episode of The Sopranos. Either I'm just too shallow to understand that it was supposed to mean something really deep and meaningful, or it's just that bad. I thought it was a glitch in my eReader or in the file I was sent; I went back and forth between that last page and the acknowledgements and was all, "where's the next chapter?" but that was it!

Pretty cover, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the ARC.

My rating:

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Title: Harmonic Feedback
Author: Tara Kelly
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Music
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release date: May 25, 2010
ISBN-10: 080509010X
ISBN-13: 9780805090109
Format: ePub
Source: Purchased

Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn't have friends. She has, as she's often reminded, issues. Drea's mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger's."

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea's preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It's obvious that Drea can't hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she's found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?



My Review:
Basic summary: Andrea -- Drea for short -- is a sixteen-year-old girl who has just moved into town with her mother into her hard-to-please grandmother's house. A new town means new people and a new school. She tries to keep it to herself, but Drea also has Asperger's and ADHD. This showcases how different she is, especially in situations with her peers; people she's never been comfortable with. She's struggled with being labeled due to her conditions, and to top it all off, her mother tries to make her life easier by telling everyone. She means well, but Drea is tired of being treated differently. Then, she meets Naomi and Justin; a rebellious purple-haired girl from across the street, and a sweet guy who takes an instant liking to Drea. Turns out they're into music, too. Good thing, because Drea is a complete music junkie -- she loves sound design, producing tracks, and playing the guitar. Music is the one thing that makes her feel free. It's through her newfound friends, Naomi and Justin, and a couple more along the way, that she discovers how being "different" can make her special and that even the people she sees as "normal" aren't as they seem.

Usually I'm hesitant to read books that deal with Asperger's or any mental illness, but seeing that this is the second book that I've reviewed within the last few weeks with the subject (albiet very different situations entirely), I'd say I'm beginning to warm up to them. It's just such a sensitive topic that I get really apprehensive to start reading. But Tara Kelly did an amazing job with Drea's voice, which was really honest and blunt. Drea's syndromes are handled with care and understanding; they shape her character and the story. In the end, though, this was a story about friendship and all the characters overcoming their own internal struggles.

Plus, I have to say... Justin? *swoon* I want one. I really loved his character and his relationship with Drea. They were so sweet! His interactions with the others and understanding of Naomi just added to his overall charm. I love a good "good guy with a past" storyline.

The music aspect wasn't as big a factor in the book as I thought it would be; I thought their band would be focused on more, but wow, when Kelly did get into the topic of music, she really got into it. You can tell that she knows her stuff and that she herself is a musician. I loved every bit of it! Sound design, especially, is something that isn't common in music fiction, so I thought that having a main character who wasn't just all about "yeah, let's start a band and get popular" was really, really awesome. These kids were passionate about it, and it was shown through just the right amount in the narrative. When Kelly described the music and their band's lyrics, it's like you can almost hear it, or have this strong urge to want to hear it.

Being a huge music junkie myself, I was really intrigued by this book. It paid off, because I couldn't put it down. I'd say this is one of my favourite reads this year. I'm also a very visual person, so if a cover is nice, I'll at least pick it up and read the synopsis. This cover is absolutely gorgeous and I was happy to know after reading it, that the image plays a part in the book. The story and the voices were captivating, the relationships were nicely paced and well-developed, the music terms were refreshing to my eyes... and yes, I cried. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry unless you're Nicholas Sparks, so 5 for you, Harmonic Feedback.

My rating:

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Title: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Author: A.S. King
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release date: October 12, 2010
ISBN-10: 0375865861
ISBN-13: 9780375865862
Format: ePub
Source: Purchased

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?



My Review:
This is the story of Vera Dietz, an 18-year-old high school student who works at a pizza parlour whose best friend died recently. The story starts off at Charlie's funeral, and following this, the book jumps back and forth between flashbacks and the present. Vera is a responsible, smart student who would rather fade into the back of huge crowds; another invisible face. This is thanks to her mother, who had abandoned her a few years back and the fear of growing up and essentially becoming her. Charlie, on the other hand, had a rough family life and began slipping away from her as they grew. He fell into a crowd made up of burnouts and "detentionheads", as they were called, eventually leaving Vera behind. As different as they were, both kids have been through so much crap that the outpouring of sympathy I felt for them went through the roof.I really didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this book. There was so much going on in the first chapter already, I was kind of thrown off. One thing is for sure, though: Vera's voice was really engaging and was the sole thing that kept me reading. King did an amazing job with Vera's personality and putting it into words; she's incredibly genuine and relatable. The way she describes the people and situations around her, and just the way she talks is funny, witty, and so the way a teenager would.

There's also the complication of her relationship with Charlie. They were on the outs when he died, and the cause of his death stays a mystery throughout the first part of the book. Knowing this and reading her memories with Charlie during their better times was absolutely heartbreaking. There were times where I was frustrated with the way Vera acted, and times where I detested Charlie. But then it turns around and I like them both, or one more than the other. I wanted their friendship to be mended, then there were moments where I was hoping Vera would get him back for some of the stuff he did. This book was just a rollercoaster, and I loved it.

Another reason I really liked this was Vera's relationship with her dad. They're both clearly suffering the aftermath of her mom leaving, albeit in different ways. Her father, Ken, is doing his absolute best to keep Vera from making the same mistakes he did when he was younger, and even though Vera is doing the same in terms of her mother, they both clash horribly. Ken's got these flow charts going on in the book that I found hilarious. Plus, a pagoda gets its own POV, which is absolutely ingenious. Another thing that I learned from this book is that we should definitely appreciate our pizza delivery person technician more.

Be warned that this book has a lot of themes better suited for an older YA audience. There's swearing, drug use, abuse, and even a smidge of unbelievably creepy paedophilia. That's probably where it lost that half star for me. Not that I'm uncomfortable reading about all of it -- it was just one after the other. At times I was a little incredulous that one person could go through all of that before they even hit the legal age. But who am I to judge? Overlooking that, though, it's a book about relationships: Love, friendship, family, schoolmates, and work all wrapped up in this little gem of a book.

My rating:

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