Review: The Secret Year

Title: The Secret Year

Author: Jennifer R. Hubbard

From GoodReads, "Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept."

This is a novel about rich girl verses poor boy, but it has a huge twist. Julia and Colt were together, but it was a secret for a whole year until her sudden death. Julia haunts Colt in many ways: the journal she left behind, the mystery of her death, and the closure to their relationship that no one knew about. The Secret Year was a love story and a mystery, all in one. I kept reading to find out how he was ever going to get past his misery and if anyone would ever find out about their affair. In the end, Colt reveals a secret of his own regarding their last night together. The novel concludes with Colt learning a lot about himself. The cover fits the mystery within the novel. I really felt for Colt, I couldn’t image going through his situation and not being able to tell anyone. This was a great read!

Review: The Lonely Hearts Club

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

From Shelfari, "Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . . ."

I'm a Beatles fan, so I really liked the premise of the book (and the cover). Penny Lane is the main character whose parents love the Beatles so much that they name their two daughters after famous Beatles songs. Penny decides, after some bad experiences, to form a club. The Lonely Hearts Club is committed to not dating high school guys.

The Lonely Hearts Club is the perfect girl-power book. Reinforcing the themes of friendship, trust, devotion, and never having to sell yourself short to catch the attention of a guy. What I loved most about the book, is that the characters are so believable. You can go to any high school and find these characters. I also liked the way in which the book was written. It was like you were a confidant of Penny and in on all the drama. The funniest thing about the book was Penny's dilemma of being attracted to guys (one in particular) that she isn't allowed to date because of a club that she formed.

The biggest lesson in the book is the power of resilience. No matter the bad experiences of the club members, they figured out a way to support one another and come out stronger because of their experiences. I would recommend reading this book if you've been beat down by a failed relationship or to just have a great time reading. You won't be disappointed.

Review: Slob

Title: Slob

Author: Ellen Potter

From GoodReads, "Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he’s also a genius who invents cool contraptions— like a TV that shows the past. Something happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen can’t outthink. Like his gym coach, who’s on a mission to humiliate him. Or the way his Oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. He’s sure that if he can only get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation for Owen, not science, to see the answer’s not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesn’t have to feel small on the inside."

This summer I was looking for authors on Twitter and came across Ellen Potter. She had just announced that she was giving away an autographed copy of her book to the first several people who sent her a direct message... luckily, I was one of them.

The front cover of Slob is simple, yet appeals to the kid in all of us. After reading the book myself, I purchased a copy for the library and the cover draws many readers to the book. The book is about Owen, who at twelve, is both intelligent and overweight. Owen isn't the most likable character, mostly because of how much he brags about his own intelligence. However, what makes him stand out is his determination to get even with the classmates (and teacher) that bully and steal from him. There were many times in this book, that I was rooting for Owen and secretly wishing that his unique inventions would be his ultimate revenge.

Potter tells Owen's story with humor and compassion and anyone that has ever witnessed or experienced bullying will be able to identify with. I especially liked that the book was not predictable and its twists and turns made it even more enjoyable to read. Every time I thought that I had this book figured out, something new would emerge and totally throw me off.

Ellen Potter is a wonderful writer who deserves to be read. Here's hoping many of you will pick up this unique, endearing, and funny book!

In Our Mailbox (1)

In Our Mailbox is a weekly post, created by The Story Siren, which explores the books that have been delivered to our mailbox.

For Review:

The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Scheinmel

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubband

Top Ten Uses For an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro (Many thanks for the autographed copy and The Abc's of Kissing Boys bookmarks!)

We were extremely excited to receive our very first ARC! Thanks to Alyssa B. Scheinmel for making that happen for us!

Review: Geek Magnet

Title: Geek Magnet

Author: Kieran Scott

From GoodReads, "Everyone loves KJ Miller, especially the geeks. She's pretty, smart, and super nice to everyone, which has made her the geek pied piper of Washington High. If only Cameron, the star of the basketball team, would follow her around and worship her the way her dorky entourage does.

As the stage manager of the spring musical, Grease, KJ has to deal with a few geeks, but she also gets to hang out with Tama, queen of the popular crowd and star of the play. Tama has the solution to all of KJ's problems: get cruel. After all, the nice girl never gets the guy. Can KJ actually pull off a transformation into a mean girl?"

Have you ever met a girl that was too nice? Well, that's KJ Miller. She is popular in school, but not with the crowd that she would like. For some reason, geeky guys are just drawn to her. More than anything KJ wants to be popular with the right crowd and get the attention of her crush, Cameron.

I really liked the character of KJ mainly because I can think of a lot of teenagers who are just like her. KJ's life isn't what it's cracked up to be, she has a father who is an alcoholic and a mother who doesn't know how to deal with it, so she pretends there isn't a problem. With all of the family drama that KJ has, she still manages to be a decent student and involved in school activities, in this case drama. KJ often worries more about herself than others, which causes rifts in her relationships. To me, that's just a typical day in high school.

The story moved along at a quick pace and although predictable at times, was enjoyable reading. KJ's interactions with her family were realistic and you could feel KJ's embarrassment with her father's antics. The scenes at the theater rehearsal's were appealing to me because I'm a musical theater geek myself and I could relate to KJ's fear of being on-stage and her comfort being the stage manager.

I thought this was the first book I had ever read by Kieran Scott, but Kieran also works under the pen name of Kate Brian. I've read several of Brian's novels. I really like her writing style, which is very conversational and gave me the feeling that I was living KJ's life. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in theater, loves Grease, likes romance, and doesn't mind a strong female character.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

From GoodReads, "Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along."

Did your parents hang out with another family and their kids felt like your own sisters and brothers?? I think most of us can relate with that scenario. Did you ever notice when you were younger those kids were just annoying? But the as you grew older they became not so bad and maybe a crush began to develop? Well this is a book you need to pick up. The only difference between this story and myself was the beautiful beach house and hanging out all summer in paradise. Belly, is her nick name and used to be that annoying little sister that followed the older ones everywhere. But this summer is different….she isn’t so annoying anymore. She is turning into this pretty girl isn’t so bad after all. As you read this novel you will see how quickly things change. What a feel good book that will leave you smiling the whole time! Definitely would recommend this book.

Review: Leaving Paradise

Title: Leaving Paradise

Author: Simone Elkeles

From GoodReads, "Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares—has been canceled. After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers. Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other."

This is the second book I have read by Simone Elkeles and I have to say she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved this book! I wondered if she could write one as good as Perfect Chemistry. This book was just as good. I recommend her books to all the students that come into our library because I know they won’t be able to put them down. I love the characters Maggie and Caleb. It’s a story about overcoming an event that dramatically changed their lives. I loved how she brought them together in unique ways and it was so true to life. I actually felt I was there!!! I can’t say enough good things about this book, you just need to read it and you will see what I mean. I also recommend her book Perfect Chemistry. I noticed on her website both of these book have a sequel to them and I am anxiously waiting for those to come out!!

Review: Nothing Like You

Title: Nothing Like You

Author: Lauren Strasnick

From GoodReads, “You think he’s yours but he’s not, I thought. You think he’s yours but really he’s mine.”
"When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had."

Lauren Strasnick’s novel, Nothing Like You, hooked me in the first couple of pages. I love it when an author starts right off with such excitement that you can’t even think of putting the book down. We ordered this book for the library, based on the description alone and when I pulled it out of the box and saw the cover, I took it home that night. Up until one in the morning, I fell in love with the main character Holly Hirsh and her problem: Hooking up with one of the most popular guy in school. Are you wondering why would that be a problem?

He has a girlfriend and its not Holly! Plus, the affair continues and he tells her nobody can know about their secret. So here's Holly getting used by Paul while a perfectly great guy lives right next door. Nils has been her best friend since they were kids and he always has her back. So that’s why I couldn’t put the book down. I couldn’t wait to see who she ends up with. The ending surprised me, but I won’t give any hints on what happens... you will have to read it for yourself!

Review: Hush, Hush

Title: Hush, Hush

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

From Shelfari, "For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan.
She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her.
Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust.
Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends.
She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide.
And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life."

I purchased the audio book version in an attempt to do something more productive on a recent long car ride. I enjoyed the book so much that when I reached my destination and realized that I would be unable to listen to the book inside my hotel room, I made an emergency trip to a nearby Barnes and Noble.

I have never read a book with such a unique concept: a fallen angel trying to earn his way back. I found Patch to be the James Dean of fallen angels. I was drawn to his story and really wanted to know more about why he was on earth. Patch's bad boy antics attracts good girl, Nora. His mysterious pull is just too hard for her to resist. I liked how the plot moved at a thrilling pace which made it difficult to put down. I really liked the chemistry between Patch and Nora.

Although I really liked the book, my one criticism is that it is difficult to believe that Nora's mother would leave her alone so much after the death of her father, especially in a farmhouse that is so isolated. Granted, Nora's mother constantly makes Nora check in with her, but what would she be able to do so far away? Even though this part of the story was a little far-fetched, I would still recommend reading this book. I felt very connected with the characters and found myself wanting to know more about them. The sequel, Cresendo, is coming in the fall and I can't wait to see more of Patch (and Nora)!