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: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimée Carter
Series: The Goddess Test (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: April 19, 2011
ISBN-10: 0373210264
ISBN-13: 978-0373210268
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Purchased

EVERY GIRL WHO HAS TAKEN THE TEST HAS DIED.

NOW IT'S KATE'S TURN.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

IF SHE FAILS...



My Review:
When I read the blurb for this book, I got really excited for several reasons: 1) Greek mythology is possibly one of my favourite things to read about, and modern takes of them always pique my interest. 2) The myth of Hades and Persephone is one of my favorites in particular. 3) The whole "seven tests" idea is original and made for some serious potential.

I haven't seen many YA novels about Greek mythology, so this got instant points for it solely being the first one of its kind to catch my attention. I found Kate insufferable in the beginning, but she grew on me slightly by the end of it. I couldn't get into her as much as the minor characters, though. I liked James and Ava, and even Calliope had more likeability than the main characters even though she was a spiteful bitch and the reasonings behind her actions were kind of... ehh. The relationship between Kate and her mother was really sweet and I was rooting for Kate to pull through with the entire thing to save her.

There were some weak spots in the book. The accuracy in terms of mythology is kind of (I'm being nice, here) off, and the tests I felt were pretty underwhelming. Doing little tasks in exchange for immortality just isn't enough. It's immortality. I was expecting some Hercules-like stuff, which might have been a bit presumptuous of me because it's pretty obvious that this is a romance novel above all else. When it comes to YA, I usually find myself more in favour of the male lead, and the heroine is the one that gets on my nerves. But in this case, the character of Henry was someone that I just couldn't find appealing; did he love her? Did he not? Was he confused? Or just very angsty? He wasn't very likeable to me. The story was quite rushed, and Kate was swayed pretty easily when it came to forgiveness and believing that the gods existed.

The concept itself is fantastic. But when I was reading, I kept waiting for something. It just felt like something was missing under all that potential. I found myself looking forward to the reveals of who was who, and that's what motivated me to finish the book. I have to say, the pay-off was pretty awesome in therms of that. Plus, the cover is pretty. I really love the text, the whole ethereal and greenery feel, and the dress that the model is wearing is just gorgeous.

If you're looking for a quick, light read about fantasy mixed with romance, then consider this book. If you're looking for some complexity, hard-driven character development, mythological accuracy and a male lead who doesn't give you Edward Cullen vibes, then maybe skip out on it. You shouldn't go into this book expecting a lot of the original myth to be incorporated. For me personally, I liked it enough to buy the second book, Goddess Interrupted. But if I'm being honest, I haven't read it yet.

My rating:

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