A Happily Ever After with Bumps Along the Way

The story of the School of America in Paris continues with two new characters who are intertwined with the lovable characters you never wanted to give up in the previous two books. In Isla and the Happily Ever After, Stephanie Perkins does what she does best: she gets you to love two human and lovably flawed characters you can't live without even after the last page is turned. 

Isla has always had a crush on Josh her entire time in Paris. Unfortunately, he has never noticed her. Or so she thought. After a chance encounter, it appears she may have misjudged Josh all along. And he has definitely misjudged her relationship with her best friend Kurt. With all the information set straight, Isla and Josh start spending more and more time together, and their connection is undeniable to everyone around them, even friends like Kurt who begin to feel like the third wheel in a whirlwind romance. 

Like most real adolescent romances, not the kind in books, Isla and Josh's future is uncertain and paved with bumps and bruises. Isla is used to life with Kurt, her socially awkward but devoted best friend who can spend the night in her room and not set off any red flags. She is used to always being herself and having Kurt, who has Asperger's, tell her the truth even when she doesn't want it. But a relationship is different. Especially when she already has one very important person in her life. And Josh's life is no easier. The son of a politician engaged in a fierce campaign, his antics have landed him on his final warning at the school, and expulsion would most certainly embarrass his family in ways only the son of a politician could understand. But Josh is daring. And he can't resist showing sheltered Isla a little taste of the world, even if the consequences could tear them apart. 

This is a romance story for the realist in you. Don't expect a perfect story all wrapped up in a bow, but then again, if you like real characters who could be your own friends and family in all their flawed glory, this is the right romance for you! Stephanie Perkins has been as special to me as Sarah Dessen for a long time, and I waited what felt like an eternity for this book, and I wasn't disappointed, but I was definitely surprised by it! Perkins' realism is standard, but this relationship felt so real for two teenagers, I was actually surprised! While some might be turned off by this approach, I also think there are enough teenagers out there who are interested in seeing their own bumbling, awkward, passionate, life-or-death feelings aren't abnormal. Do you remember what it meant to be a teenager in love? I was strange, exhilarating, awkward, and fabulous all in one breath. And that is why I loved Isla so much. It was like being transported to that place all over again (without having to be the actual punching bag for emotions and hormones we all were! So much more fun from afar!).

There was this one part where Josh sends Isla his comic book memoir, and it truly chronicles everything in his life- even the girls before Isla. It is so honest and vulnerable, yet the unforeseen consequence was that it was more than Isla really wanted to know. Just the idea that Josh would bare his soul to her and not see how hurtful it could be to an insecure young woman was so real, it was palpable. This is just one small example of why this book was such a great story for all those young adults in your life. It may look like a cushy romance on the outside, but once you get into the thick of it, you realize just how special the story is. Perkins hits another one out of the park!

Take This One On!

As if you needed one more excuse to sit on the couch all day and read? Well, Katie McGarry does it again in Take Me On, the fourth book in the Pushing the Limits series of companion novels. And you won't be able to say no to West and Haley, mark my words!

Haley was a champion kickboxer, until everything went wrong. She also had a fairly normal life until her father lost his job, they lost their house, and the whole family had to move in with her short-tempered uncle. For Haley, there is no such thing as normal anymore. When she quit her grandfather's gym and started training at the competitor gym, she alienated her entire family on top of that- all for some guy who ended up ruining her entire love for the sport anyway. Now all she can do is pray she can somehow eke out a scholarship to get the hell out of that house.

West is an over-privileged brat, and he knows it. Unfortunately, he is also headstrong, defiant, and always looking for a fight as well. When his impulsive actions send his sister into life-changing danger, he doesn't need anyone to beat him up for it. He is already beating himself up enough. When his father finally kicks him out of the house, no one expected what would come next. West decides to make it on his own. From living in his car while it still has a little gas, to going to the local public school, to finding a job so he can eat, everything changes. But not as much as it changed the moment he met Haley.

When he stops a couple of thugs from hurting her, he didn't realize it would change his life forever. The fight he got into might have been the catalyst for getting kicked out of his house, but it also brought him to Haley. Thinking he was the knight in shining armor, it was like the world had been turned inside out to wake up and realize someone else had done the damage to the other two guys- Haley. Now those guys want to make him pay in the only way they know how- a fight. Challenged to a no-holds-barred fight, Haley must now train West in the hopes he won't get killed in the cage. The problem is, her grandfather owns the gym, and fighting is the last thing Haley ever planned on doing. But she will, to make sure West stays alive!

OK. If you read my reviews, you know I LOVE Katie McGarry. Seriously? I would read ANYTHING this woman wrote. She knows how to write contemporary with a background of romance but a bulk of character and a winning plot like so few authors can today. She belongs in the same crowd as Dessen and Perkins with these books because I a) know I am going to love them and b) am always surprised by what is happening even though I know I am going to love them! She does it to me. Every. Time. So I walked into this story knowing it was going to be fabulous, but clearly curious about how it was going to stack up to Isaiah's story, which I loved unconditionally. Well, West wasn't Isaiah, but I loved him all the same. And Haley? There are no words!

Haley almost reminded me of Eleanor from Eleanor and Park. I loved her for that. She had a clear set of baggage she dragged around with her, and it took you almost the whole book to find out the true depth of those issues. I didn't pity her, but I did struggle with seeing her try to put on a strong, brave face in the midst of everything around her. You just wanted to protect her, but you knew she had to learn to fight back on her own. 

I also loved a few more important themes I found repeating in this series:

1. Romance doesn't need wishy washy woman. I like a romance with a sassy lead, and McGarry always delivers!

2. I love the guidance counselor. So often they are the butt of jokes, but I have known some great counselors, and McGarry always seems to put her in there. She helped Noah and Echo and never stopped! 

3. Boys need love too. None of those stone cold boys in McGarry books. They can be strong and manly and still have deep emotions. I love it! 

4. Girls. Kick. Butt. Cars? Kickboxing? You name it, McGarry's girls do it. I love this gender stereotype busting. It is fantastic and doesn't fail to give new perspective to young woman. 

5. People make mistakes. But you have to forgive and move on. 

So give West and Haley a piece of your heart. And, Ms. McGarry, if I don't get an Abby story soon? There is going to be a kind and praising email that also begs, bribes, and pleads for one! So save us all the time and pitiable begging, and just give Abby a book.... PLEASE?!

Will She Be the One?

Oh, the Land of the Beautiful and Frilly Dresses! It is funny, because these dresses are what drew me to this series, but I also fear they might be what keeps people from reading this interesting story. In The One by Kiera Cass, The Selection series comes a final conclusion as Prince Maxon must choose his final bride.

For America, the Selection started just as a means to better life for her family. All girls in the Selection move up in caste and their families get compensation that could mean the difference between abject poverty and food on the table. So, despite the fact that she cared deeply about Aspen, a boy who was a caste below her, she did her duty and joined the Selection. What she didn't expect was to care deeply about Maxon. And Aspen's appearance on the guard in the castle made things confusing for America... at first. It became clear fairly quickly that America wanted to be with Maxon. For the other girls, the crown was the goal, and Maxon was the means to get it; for America, the crown was just a hassle that came with the man she truly cared about.

Unfortunately, the path to the crown was not so easy. it was clear the king did not feel the same about America as Maxon and his mother did. She did not bow to societal pressures. She would not allow people to be punished beyond their crimes of necessity, like feeding their children. Despite the needs of a princess, America had been brought up to stand up for what she thought was right, and she would let no one, not even the king, intimidate her. She had everything to lose and everything to gain, but America wouldn't be scared away from doing the right thing.

OK. This started out a puffy, goofy story for me, but quickly, in the first book, I new I loved America. This girl had a metaphorical right hook that would knock you on your butt. She was a lot of fun and still a very strong young woman despite her years. I loved her. I also really liked Maxon. He grew up under a tyrant, and he would not let that control the person he was destined to become. I know the premise of this book was a love triangle, but I think if you read the first two books, you would agree with me that Maxon was always going to be the clear winner in our hearts, and I am quite simply OK with that! Don't get me wrong, I liked Aspen and respected that he cared about America, but she and Maxon were wonderful together. In fact, she had the ability to make Maxon rise to the true king he was destined to be.

I still think the story lacked real world-building, but my love for the characters overshadowed that need for me. It was more important for me to hear about the amazing people they had all become, even Celeste, the stereotypical mean girl in the competition! There were so many back stories to the girls and transformations, that it really became a character driven story and even if there was a rich world around it, that world would have quickly faded into the background. I loved the final conclusion, and I will miss this series. It might have started with the frilly dress, but it ended with the revolutionaries who won't settle for a broken world that harms its people.

McGarry ROCKS!

So much divides us. When something brings together two people from such different worlds, its hard to remember all that keeps us apart. In Katie McGarry's romance short, a girl from the wrong side of town meets a boy of privilege who is struggling to find his place in the world. 

Stella has purple hair and is generally ignored by her classmates, when they aren't humiliating her and calling her Trash Can Girl. Jonah is a kid born into every privilege, but he would give it all away to change the events of that fateful car accident. He is called a hero, but the death of the man he couldn't save haunts him. Both are drawn to the cemetery for different reasons, but neither expected to find solace in another person while they were there... especially another person who is from a totally different world. 

OK. Let's be honest. I would read a grocery list if Katie McGarry wrote it. I just love her no-nonsense, incredibly candid, real romances. They are amazing. And this e-short is no difference. Yes, the "wrong side of the tracks" love story screams "Pretty in Pink", but Katie McGarry can make everything fresh and new. There was a deep sorrow in Jonah that made you want to protect him, and Stella's history was hard to read about because it was so sad and yet so real. My only complaint is that there wasn't more! I wanted a full book about these two!

Eleanor and Park Stole My Heart

Every now and then a young adult book comes along that instantly transports us back to our own adolescence, for better or worse. It can be a painful or a beautiful journey (more often than not, a little of both), but it takes a talented author to do so effortlessly. In Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell tells you a story of two misfits that will leave you forever changed. 

Since her mother brought Eleanor back to the house, she, and everyone else, has had to walk on eggshells. Their stepfather is not a nice man, and in particular, he hates Eleanor. In a house as tiny as theirs, it is all but impossible for her to escape him. Sharing a bedroom with her four siblings, worrying about whether or not they will have food each night, and listening to Richie beat her mother are just some of the reasons Eleanor has no interest in seeking friends in her new school. Never mind the fact that she dresses weird (in whatever her mother gets her from Goodwill), she isn't the skinniest girl, and her flaming red hair has a mind of its own. When she steps foot on the bus that first day, no one will let her sit down... until Park lets her sit with him. 

Park isn't a complete outcast, but he isn't popular by any means either. He tries very hard to keep his head down and blend into the background. When he sees Eleanor, he feels bad, but girls like her are who keep the vicious attention of his peers off his own faults. Taking more after his Korean mother, he has always been too gentle, too feminine, and not manly enough for his former soldier father. He doesn't intend to be anyone's hero, but he can't let Eleanor stand in the aisle of the bus and cry the way those beasts want her to. So he tells her to sit. And that changes everything. 

Eleanor and Park don't talk. He reads his comic books and she carefully tries to read them without letting him know she is peaking over his arm to see. He notices her reading the comics and starts turning the pages slower. Then he starts bringing her comics to borrow. All of this happens without a word shared between the two, but slowly, glacially, Park avoids Eleanor less and less. A few careful questions here, a kind gesture there, and the two find the human interaction they miss the most at the end of each day are the interactions they have together on those bus rides. But Eleanor has a lot to hide and is the target of many a malicious teen. And Park is very conscious of how her proximity affects his ability to camouflage himself from the other kids. Their backgrounds, self-consciousness, and situations should have prevented them from ever getting to know one another, but sometimes life's circumstances can't stop love from blossoming, no matter how hard it tries. 

There is something you should know before you read this book. It has been raved about by bloggers, reviewers, booksellers, and readers everywhere. They are right. John Green gave this clip for the New York Times Book Review: "Eleanor and Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book."  He was right. Yalsa, Printz, and every other professional in the field loved this book. They were all right. If you are anything like me, you develop an immediate bias against a book when it receives instant and passionate acclaim. Why? I don't know. I guess the little rebel in us doesn't want to love what everyone loves. But that stupid generalization keeps us from books like Harry Potter, The Fault in Our Stars, and Eleanor & Park, so let's just stop this nonsense already, ok?! Because if we miss out on amazing books like this one, we are just silly little rebels who have lost out on a chance to read some seriously amazing books. 

Eleanor and Park was the saddest and most achingly romantic story I have read since The Fault in Our Stars. Eleanor is a girl who just needs life to cut her a break, but no one stands up for her. Until Park. And he doesn't do it willingly at first, but when he does, you know it goes against every ounce of self-preservation inside him. And it is that simple act of sticking his neck out for this girl that will make you love him unconditionally. Park isn't perfect. Even Eleanor knows she embarrasses him, but he wants to be a better person, and more importantly, he can't imagine life without Eleanor. I loved this boy. I really did. My heart broke for Eleanor, but I loved Park. And his life wasn't tulips and daisies either, but it couldn't compare to the war zone she lived in. 

I imagine some critics of this novel might find fault in the love between Eleanor and Park, but you have to think of the lack of love they have both lived with. Park can never be enough to satisfy his father. Eleanor's own mother left her with a neighbor for a year because Richie didn't want her in his house. For two damaged kids, finding that love was transformational, both for them and for you, as the reader. Rowell has the ability to make you love the main characters with a fierce protectiveness that will surprise you, and the ability to make you hate those who hurt them with a ferocity that makes you want to inflict bodily harm upon those fictional characters like Richie and the girls who bully Eleanor in school. 

This is a book that will steal the heart of any reader. Filled with fabulous 80's music references, comic book references, totally called-for foul language, and adolescence in all its ugly glory, it will change ever reader who turns that first page and can't put it down. There are some dark and dirty parts of this story that are hard to read, but they are just as important as the beautiful, innocent, guarded love that blossoms between Eleanor and park. This book is everything people say it is, and I know it will stand the test of time among readers. 

This Broken Universe

As you look up at the stars, you can imagine a world where any universe is at your fingertips. Imagine if those universes really could be at your fingertips with the mere thrust of hyperdrive. In These Broken Stars, by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, the worlds, planets, and universes collide when two star-crossed lovers fall from space. 

Lilac LaRoux's father is the richest man in the universe. To say she is untouchable isn't an understatement. Her father would make any man who dared to look at her too long, ultimately disappear. Tarver Merendsen may be a decorated war hero, but he wasn't born among these people, and they don't hesitate to let him know. He is on the luxury liner, but he doesn't belong there. When he bumps into Lilac, he is drawn to her. He doesn't know who she is, but she is still out of his league. She is equally as interested, but she will never risk putting another man on the wrong side of her father. Not after what happened to her childhood love. 

When the ship starts to pull out of hyperspace, everyone is supposed to run for escape pods. Tarver tries to help people from being trampled, but in the rush, he and Lilac are swept the same way. They find an empty pod and manage to start disengage from the ship, although not all pods make it. In fact, they seem to be the only one that was able to actually disengage from the ship before it plummeted to the nearest planet. Lilac and Tarver have a bumpy landing, but at least they are alive. What they don't expect is a planet that seems to defy all logic. It appears to be terraformed, but there are creatures on the planet that wouldn't exist on a terraformed planet. If that isn't peculiar enough, Lilac keeps hearing voices in the wind. Tarver is convinced they are a result of her shock at the situation, but when they save them from certain death, he begins to realize there is something different about this planet. They had hoped to be rescued by Lilac's father soon, but will anyone find them before they find out the deep, dark secrets that lie in this planet?

This book has gotten a lot of hype and I can see why. It is like Titanic on a luxury spaceliner. And who didn't fall for the love story on Titanic, right?! Well, you will love Tarver and Lilac just as much as you loved Jack and Rose. In fact, this story was captivating. Not only the romantic spark between the two characters, but also the world they find themselves in. It is so unique and interesting, and I can't tell you how much I loved reading about it. I will say I preferred the first 2/3 of the book to the last 1/3, though. By the end it got really trippy and out there, and that is where the true science fiction came in. While this seemed at first like a simple space opera, there was a lot more to it by the end. The deep and confusing back story was interesting, but to be honest, I would have been just as happy following Tarver and Lilac around the planet! That isn't to say I didn't like that last 1/3, I just preferred the beginning of the story more. 

This is a complex story with average to above average language but a clean story that would be appropriate for any age. Given the complexity of the story, I would save this for students of any age as long as they have strong reading and comprehension skills. A student with weaker skills might get lost in the latter portion of the book. I think my favorite part of the story has to be Lilac. Even though she could easily have been a useless, overprivileged brat, she surprised even Tarver when she bit her lip and muscled through the daunting task of surviving on an alien planet. It was an awesome portrayal of a female character, and I loved reading about her! I look forward to seeing where this series goes from here!

The Cutting Edge Meets The Parent Trap

Lauren Morril broke into the scene with her first book, Meant to Be, and she joined the ranks of Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Dessen in the world of contemporary romance. With her next book, Being Sloane Jacobs, she proves her success with Meant to Be was not beginners luck!

Sloane Emily Jacobs has been out of the figure skating circuit for a while, but her mother insists this intensive camp in Canada is the perfect place for her to get back in the game. While Sloane E wants nothing to do with skating anymore, at least not competitively, she is willing to go to the camp just to get away from her politician father and the tension between him and the family. Always the obediant daughter, Sloane E is having trouble these days being the perfect girl his political career demands. Especially when their family is anything but perfect. 

Sloane Devon Jacobs has the yips. Everyone thinks she is just one seriously tough hockey player, but all the checking and aggression is just hiding the fact that she can't make a shot. She can get the puck lined up for the perfect shot, but every time she gets there, she chokes. When she takes it out on a deserving loud-mouthed player, her coach decides she needs to spend a little time a hockey boot camp in Canada. When her father supports the idea, Sloane D feels like she is damaged goods being shipped off and out of the way, just like her mother. Since the camp is Sloane D's only way to keep playing hockey and hopefully get the scholarship that will be her only one-way ticket out of Philly and into a better life, she will do it. But she isn't happy about it. 

Then something happens. Sloane E and Sloane D crash into one another. Literally. When the bellhops bring their luggage up to their rooms at the hotel the night before camp starts, they realize the luggage was switched. Their names are the same, but their lives are vastly different. Both girls are running away from something, and finally they have an opportunity to forget who they are and all their responsibilities. They decide to switch. Sloane E goes to hockey camp and Sloane D becomes a figure skater. What the girls don't stop to think about is that you can ignore your life briefly, but it won't go away permanently!

Oh I so enjoyed this story. It was a really cute "chick flick" of a book that gave me the warm fuzzies. While there is a little romance going on for both girls, the focus of the story really was on the girls and what they were both going through. I did, at a couple of points, think to myself it was a little unrealistic that a hockey player could become a figure skater and vice versa in a week or two, or even do it well enough to fool the people at their respective camps, but if you suspend that belief enough to enjoy the story, it is a really fabulous coming of age story. Both these girls have a lot of baggage and have situations back home they are running from, but by escaping that for only a few short weeks, they have a chance to really find out who THEY are. It was a really fabulous story about two really great young ladies!

I am really growing to love Lauren Morrill. I was lucky enough to have a chance to meet her at our local bookstore a few months ago, and I hope she keeps turning out stories like this one. She has an unabashed love for romantic comedies that even the most jaded of ladies out there has to appreciate. And it really shows in her stories that she is a Dessen and Perkins fan. She pays homage to the greats of the genre while still paving her own unique path, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next! 

I Wish I Could Unread it to Experience it for the First Time All Over Again

When we got Noah and Echo's story, we thought we couldn't love anyone more than the two of them. Then we got Beth's story and realized our love for each character is different, but equally as devoted. And then there was Isaiah's story and I thought to myself, "Katie McGarry! You tricky little devil! How on EARTH do you do this to me with every single book?!" In the third companion novel of the Pushing the Limits series, McGarry brings Isaiah what we always wanted for him: the perfect girl for him. But nothing comes easy for Isaiah. 

Isaiah has only loved two people unconditionally in his life: Noah and Beth. Noah has Echo and is torn between his past and loyalty to Isaiah and the future he wants to start with Echo. Beth just destroyed Isaiah. Now Isaiah finds himself alone again and hanging on by a thread. Barely able to make rent with Noah, he faces losing his freedom from the system if Noah moves to the dorms with Echo. In an effort to make a little money and keep Noah with him, he does something he never does: he decides to drag for a little extra cash. When he goes to Eric's illegal races, he expects meet some rough characters, Eric being the most deceptively terrifying. What he doesn't expect is to meet an angel in a Mustang. 

Rachel has always been protected. Born as a replacement for her sister who died of leukemia, Rachel has never lived up to the vibrant, outgoing Colleen. Instead, her desire to work on cars, irritation with the colors pink and purple, and anxiety attacks have been the ever present source of sadness for her mother. Add to that an overprotective father and four overprotective older brothers, and you have a girl who barely leaves the house. Except to drive her mustang. Her baby. After a rough night, Rachel's twin, Ethan, covers for her while she goes for a ride. She doesn't expect to end up at a drag race, but even less does she expect to be so taken by a guy full of earrings and tattoos. But when Isaiah strides up to her car to approve of its engine for her to race, she can't pull her eyes away from him. And she isn't afraid to tell him to get his hands off her car. 

When the race goes bad and the police show up, Isaiah refuses to leave Rachel behind. In a new kind of race, they manage to get away, but they aren't free and clear. While the police didn't catch them, Eric thinks Rachel had something to do with the anonymous tip that was sent into the police about the race which led to a couple of guys ribbing him. Now he is hunting Rachel to make her pay. But Isaiah has no intentions on letting anyone get anywhere near Rachel. He will do anything he can to protect her, even if it means not calling her when she is the only thing he can think about. But when Eric finds her, Isaiah gives up his exile. Now nothing can keep Isaiah from his angel. Not her brothers, not her father, not even a homicidal criminal like Eric. 

Oh boy. Boy, oh boy. I cannot tell you how MUCH I loved this book. I really did not think it was possible to love a couple more than I loved Echo and Noah, but you know what? Isaiah and Rachel's story is now my absolute favorite. There is something so deep and so tormented about that boy that you just needed for him to find his perfect complement. And that complement was Rachel. She wasn't perfect- far from it- but she was perfect for Isaiah. Not only because of her love for cars, but because she was as damaged as he was. While her life might have appeared to be charmed, it was actually a complete mess. Together, Rachel and Isaiah made a whole. Apart, they were in pieces. That is the stuff of a beautiful (and complicated) romance, and I loved Every. Single. Page. Of. It.

When I describe these stories, I just don't do them justice, though. They appear to be your standard, run-of-the-mill romances, but they are anything but average. McGarry has this uncanny ability to make you love her characters as if they were really in your life. It sounds silly, but I felt like I knew Isaiah and Rachel by the time I finished with this book! She also has the ability to introduce supporting characters new to each book who are just as fantastic as the regulars. When you meet Abby, the snarky, tough as nails, drug dealing con artist, you are going to fall in love with her. You think I am wrong, right? How could you ever love a girl like that? Well, read this book and tell me you don't. I bet you will be begging for a book about Abby the same way I am!!

So here is my plea to Ms. McGarry. PLEASE don't stop writing these stories. They make me so happy and consume my life from the first page to the last. My husband tried to talk to me in the middle of Crash Into Me for about 20 minutes before he realized I hadn't heard a word he said. Luckily the boy understands what happens when I love a book this much! I am so excited for West's story, but the next one should be Abby's story! And by the time you are done with those two, I am sure I will find another supporting character to love just as much as I loved Isaiah and Ryan and Abby and West. I need more! Don't stop! Keep 'em coming! These are some of the best books I have read! I can't get enough!!

Mexican Hat Dance on My Heart

A good book makes you love the supporting characters as much as the main characters, so when Katie McGarry announced Dare to You, the story of Beth from Pushing the Limits, I was so excited I yelled loud enough to wake my husband and scare my dogs. And lucky for me, McGarry didn't disappoint.

Beth has always taken care of her mother. She buys food, pays the bills, and even collects her when the local bar owner wants her out. Beth has never known what it meant to be a carefree child, but at least she has a family with Noah and Isaiah. When a confrontation with Trent, her mother's abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend, leaves Beth in jail, her aunt calls the one person who can help them: Beth's uncle, the famous baseball player, Scott Risk. Scott is willing to help her, in fact, he insists on it, but he has some conditions. In fact, he tells Beth that if she doesn't live with him, go to school, stay out of trouble, and abandon everything about her former life, he will tell the police exactly what Beth's mom has hidden in her apartment. 

Beth can't imagine life in the sticks with prom queens and baseball games, but she will do it to protect her mother. What she didn't expect was to come face to face with the jerk who asked her out last week. Ryan has some demons of his own, but they are well-hidden inside the school's star baseball player. Never one to lose a bet, he continues to try his luck with Beth now that she is permanently in Groveton.  His friends bet him he couldn't land a date with her, and lord knows she has made it perfectly clear she would rather stab him that go on a date with him, but Ryan doesn't give up on anything. Especially a girl who seems like a nightmare on the outside, but turns into a whole different person when you get to know her. 

I don't think my description of this book can really do it justice. It sounds like a typical romance, but there is so much more to this book and this series. In fact, the romance is hidden within a dark, sad tale about a girl who had never had a stable life. Sure, Isaiah and Noah loved her unconditionally, but she never had real parents. In fact, Beth had to parent her own mother. And because of everything she dealt with growing up, Beth was a hard, angry young woman who was the antithesis of the suburbs her uncle transplanted her to. And who can blame her? Anyone growing up around abusive boyfriends and drug addicts would have to develop a wall around themselves just to survive. But I loved that there was so much more to Beth. She wanted to love and be loved, but she never fully believed she deserved it. Even with Isaiah's undeniable love for her, she never felt she was worthy. 

And her relationship with Isaiah was hard for me to accept. In Pushing the Limits, I wanted her to finally realize he was in love with her, so seeing this book wasn't about the two of them devastated me. But once I saw the story play out, I could see how Isaiah would have been wrong for Beth and she for him. She needed something different, someone new, someone whose romance didn't threaten one of the few friendships Beth had. And Isaiah could never be that for her. And trust me, it was heartbreaking. Watching her come to that realization and Isaiah, wonderful, tattooed, devoted Isaiah, come to that conclusion had to be one of the hardest things for me to read as a person who just loves these characters. 

And that is the thing about McGarry. She can make you fall in love with even the toughest and hardest characters. I mean, Beth?! She was the last character you would find yourself siding with in Pushing the Limits, but you always knew there was more to her than just the black hair and nose ring. And McGarry gave you more. And she gave it to you in a way that is absolutely heart-wrenching. I felt such an emotional attachment to these characters that even now, I am looking at this book thinking, "How can it be over?!" These are phenomenal books and I don't think anyone out there could read them and not feel a connection to the characters, even if they could never empathize with them. McGarry has a gift, and I am going to be waiting, very, very impatiently waiting, for Isaiah's story, because he has some unfinished business. I love this series, and I Dare You to read it and not love it too!

It Sure Crossed a Line!

Noah and Echo's relationship was so deep and so emotional in Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits, that you can't imagine finding yourself just as invested in another relationship from McGarry, especially from a short story. However, in Crossing the Line, we see the budding love of Lila and Lincoln despite the fact that they have only met once. And it isn't a relationship to trifle with.

Lincoln's brother was killed in the same roadside bombing that took Echo's brother Aires. Lincoln's parents brought the whole family to Aires' funeral in an attempt to preserve a little bit of his life from the moments before he was killed, but Lincoln didn't expect to find answers at a stranger's funeral. He also didn't expect to find a girl he could fall in love with after only meeting once, either, but that didn't stop him from having hope once he met Lila. 

Lila was confused about a lot of things, but after watching her best friend, Echo, lose her brother, she was even more confused than ever. But one thing made sense: Lincoln. After the funeral, they agreed to write each other real letters twice a week At first, it was something whimsical, but quickly it became more, much more. Soon it became the impossible feelings of love that you shouldn't feel for a person you only met once. But when Lincoln lies to her, it all falls apart. From 12 hours away (10 if you ignore the speed limits), two lives have connected in a way that no one understands, not even them.

Leave it to McGarry to sucker punch me with only a few short pages. This was a relatively short story that was loosely connected to Pushing the Limits, but it was still amazing. I really loved the long-distance connection they had through letters, real letters. It felt like those letter collections you read from famous authors where they spent years of correspondance getting to know the one person who knew who they truly were. It was beautiful, and this story was a modern version of the same. You don't have to see a person every day to let them into your life. And that comes from a few short pages of letting Lila and Lincoln into my life!

And the Claws Come Out!

In a land with a caste system that keeps people stationary and desperate to survive, what better way to calm tensions than have a Selection: a contest for girls of all castes to compete for their chance to win the heart of the Prince. In Kiera Cass's sequel The Elite, the competition has gotten stiffer and the world has gotten more dangerous. 

America isn't sure what to do anymore. She was finally admitting her feelings for Maxon before Aspen arrived at the palace as one of the guards. Seeing Aspen changed everything. All those feelings she had thought she left behind came rushing forward and she struggled with the conflicting feelings building up inside her. Meanwhile, the competition was down to only a handful of girls, and with America liked some of them, there were others she downright despised, like Celeste. Celeste knew how to push American's buttons, but more importantly, she wanted America to remember her place in the world: as a Five. As the lowest caste girl left in the competition, she wasn't the country's popular choice, but she seemed to be Maxon's.

Then something happened. When one of America's dearest friends among the selection is caught with a guard, punished severely, and banished to live life as an Eight, the lowest caste, America can't imagine how Maxon could stand by and allow a young girl to be treated like that. She begins to see the true nature of the monarchy and everything it entails. Where America once thought she could change the country from the top, now she has begun to realize there might not be any chance to change anything. The people with control might have such a dangerous and all-powerful grip on the country that a girl like America doesn't have a chance. Especially as rebels from their own country continue to break into the palace in an effort to destroy the Selection and wars across oceans threaten their very existence. 

One thing I wanted more of in The Selection was world-building. I can't say I got as much as I wanted from this sequel, but I definitely got some more background than the little amount in the first book gave me. We learned a lot about the creation of the new monarchy from generations ago and how the caste system was created, but we still don't know much about the different kinds of rebels and what they were up to. Since this books is a dystopia, it seems strange we would be able to get through two whole books without real answers about the world the story is set in. Still, I focused more on the relationships between the girls, America and Maxon, America and Aspen, and the rest of the cast. And that kept me happy throughout the book.

And usually I despise love triangles, but this one doesn't bother me, mostly because I still really, really like Maxon and don't have much interest in Aspen. You see a lot more of Aspen in this story, and you are supposed to question Maxon's position and choices in a few places, but I still really liked Maxon. Only once did I want to slap him around a little bit, but if you consider all the mixed signals America sent him and her lack of real interest in the competition, I am not sure you can completely blame the guy for trying to find a back-up plan to the princess problem. I think if things were different and he just pined after American with all her indecisiveness and wavering nonsense, he would be completely unrealistic! In fact, had I been Maxon, I would have given up on her LONG before he actually started to. 

I started reading this story during the busiest time of our school year, the bitter end. It meant I fought to find time to read, and the book took me an unusual 7-8 days to finish. Usually this destroys a book for me, but The Elite still held my attention even with the gaps in my chances to read it. I think that is a sign of a pretty good story, and I am really looking forward to the next one. I just hope we get the full story behind the world they live in because it has the potential to be incredibly interesting! 

This Story Was Meant to Be

"I ended up acting like every single word out of Mark's mouth is a jewel crapped out by a fairy princess."

There is something about a trip to a foreign land that makes romance so inevitable. Especially for a person who has never really experienced romance. In Lauren Morrill's Meant to Be, London sets the stage for crushes, love, and adventure.

Julia is a rule-abider. She follows the rules, does her homework, and is obsessed with all things British. She read Romeo and Juliet when she was in sixth grade, her favorite band are the Beatles, and she can't get enough of Jane Austen. This may have been the result of hearing of her parents' magical time in London before they had her. After her father died when she was seven, London became the connection Julia had to him, and to the magical love her parents found there. So when she has an opportunity to spend ten days in London on a school trip, she jumps on the chance... before she realizes none of her friends are going along. Leaving all of her friends and her crush (or Meant to Be, MTB), Mark, home, she packs her guide books, her No. 2 pencils, and her pocket Shakespeare and decides to take a risk once in her life.

Once in London, it is clear to Julia why her parents loved it so much. All the history and culture surrounding her is everything she could have hoped for. Unfortunately, she is stuck with Jason as her "trip buddy". Forced to go everywhere with Jason is a nightmare, but nothing is going to stop Julia from experiencing the London she has dreamed about for years. When Jason makes her sneak out of the hotel and drags her to a party in the city, she decides to break the rules for once. Of course the hangover she experiences the next day pretty much solidifies it won't happen ever again, but she is intrigued by one experience from the night before- a boy she apparently met (but doesn't remember) named Chris keeps texting her. He wants to meet her. He finds her irresistible! 

When in London! Julia answers the texts, but with Jason's advice, plays a little hard to get. Meanwhile, she realizes Jason is quite so bad after all. He might be annoying and his brutal honesty might blow her romantic ideals out of the water on a daily basis, but at least he isn't as awful as she thought he was. But now Julia, a girl who has never even told a boy she liked him, is caught between the crush she has romanticized for so long, the boy who believed she was a model, and the boy who makes her so angry she could throw him into the water. Sometimes it takes a foreign country to bring out the truth in your emotions! 

At first, when I started this book, I thought Julia was a little too juvenile for the age she was, but it didn't take me long to realize she was just very sheltered. She had self-imposed that sheltering, throwing herself into books and school and anything else that couldn't get her hurt, because she had experienced the biggest hurt a child could ever experience- the loss of a parent. Basically, Julia was a big ole nerd! And she was unapologetic about it! She loved her No. 2 pencils and her Shakespeare, and she didn't make any excuses about it! But she is also pretty sassy. And there is nothing that makes me happier in YA than a snarky nerd who loves her nerdiness and isn't afraid to tell people to stuff it!

But the romance in this story is so much fun. Lauren Morrill is the next Sarah Dessen or Stephanie Perkins, who are some seriously heavy hitters to be in league with! But Morrill belongs there. She can write fabulous contemporary romance without all the "I saw him. He is the one. My life will be over if he doesn't pledge himself to me" nonsense we see too much in YA. She was able to make Julia finally see into the depths of her different relationships, friendship, crush, parental love, etc., without making it feel cheesy. Instead, it felt really honest and beautiful. I loved this story, and if you like Dessen and Perkins, you are going to love it to. It is also an incredibly clean romance, so feel free to give it to any age who meets the reading level (moderate). I truly feel my journey to this book was Meant to Be!!

And if you get a chance to swing by Rhinebeck today, Lauren Morrill will be there with Lauren Oliver, Jess Rothenberg, and Nova Ren Suma for the latest Hudson Valley YA Society Reading! I know I will be there! Will you?

First and Lost Loves

In Anna Banks' Of Poseidon, we were so wrapped up in Galen and Emma's lives we barely got to see Galen's brother Grom, the prince who shall inherit the throne and carries all the burden of such a post. Grom is the brother whose marriage and mating has been decided on for generations before their own existence. He is the brother with the least ability to make decisions for his own life. 

But Grom's story is one of young love and tragedy. In Of Poseidon, we know he lost his first mate, Nalia, but you never learn how. In Legacy Lost, you not only find out about the tragedy Grom was victim to, but also how he really loved Nalia. One would think an arranged marriage is awful and loveless, but Nalia's dangerous side and impulsiveness draws the series Grom to her. And finally, even his mother can't hide the knowledge that Grom's love for Nalia is written all over his face. But Nalia's desire for more and more danger will be her undoing... and Grom's.

Sometimes these short stories are pointless, but I was really happy to read Grom's story. I always thought he was a little cold or too devoted to the throne, but it was nice to see him young and in love. Even though this is a prequel, I think the addition of this story will lead very nicely into Of Triton where Grom's position will take on an even larger purpose than in the first story. Nice addition to the series!

We've Reached the End

Cassia, Ky, and Xander have survived a lot, but they have no idea how the Society will end up after the  rebels have executed their plan. But the plan may have more consequences than anyone prepared for in Ally Condie's Matched finale, Reached.

Ky is a pilot for the Pilot, the leader and inspiration of the rebels, and he delivers to the people who need them. Cassia's sorter skills are going to help find the ultimate cure. But it is Xander who is there, on ground zero, helping the people who have become "incidental casualties" to the rebellion. He is a physic, a medic who helps the people suffering from the Plague. It is easy enough to do, as part of the rebellion, because the Plague was supposed to happen. The Society's very own control measure backfired and infected the general public, so the rebels created a cure. And isn't it convenient that they were able to swoop in and save the day just before the Plague took too many lives? Xander knows this was the plan all along, and he understands people wouldn't support the rebellion without a good reason, but no one prepared for what happened next. 

The Plague mutated.

Now the stakes are higher. The rebellion's cure doesn't work on this strand of the Plague, but there has to be a cure out there because a large portion of the outsiders, the people not living within the Society's control before the Plague, are immune. But it will take a lot of work and many sorters to find out the basis for the immunity. Meanwhile, Xander has been quarantined with the victims of the mutated plague and Ky begins to question the true nature of the rebellion. But one thing is for certain. Without a cure, all the lives lost and things sacrificed will be wasted if a cure isn't found. And no one knows the stakes more than Cassia.

I have to say this was my least favorite of the three books. I am fine with how it ended, I understand both the execution and the conclusion, but I just didn't like how I got there as much as I did with the first two books. If you remember, Matched was just so beautifully written, poetic, melodious. Crossed took the story to a new level, getting Cassia outside the Society and really expanding the story. But Reached lost the magic of both previous stories. Yes, the writing was beautiful, but not as much so as before, and the story hit a weird point where the crossing between Society and Rebels became too much for me to invest in fully. I even liked the separate stories of our main characters, which eld my interest, but there was just some kind of magic missing from this last installment that I simply can't put my finger on. Maybe it was just me, but this book didn't captivate me like the rest of the series did. 

On a whole, though, this is a really beautiful story. It is meant for people who liked The Giver, not those who loved Hunger Games because the story is less about the action and more about the beautiful human emotions tied to the circumstances. Condie does a beautiful job of getting to the root of all this conflict- the human will for freedom, expression, and beauty. It is amazing to see those complex emotions and desires displayed with such ease on the page, and in a way young adults can fully understand and talk about. That type of metacognition is not something the average teenager engages in on a daily basis (or adult for that matter) so it is beautiful to see a popular series that would encourage (or even force) them to do so. I did like this series, and I am starting to think if I reread this book and took more time to digest it (instead of devouring it because I wanted so desperately to know what happened), my opinion might just change. So I will do that. I will reread it after a while and let you know if my initial reaction was jaded. So stay tuned! 

A Dysgraphic Romance

Who would move to a new city just to follow the boy you have a crush on, even though he barely knows you exist? Brooke would in Susane Colasanti's So Much Closer. A new city, a new school, and all in her senior year? Nothing can stand in the way of her love for him!

When Brooke moves to New York City, she has only one thing in mind. She wants to get Scott to finally notice her. Who cares if it means she has to ditch her friends, leave her mother behind, and move in with her absentee father who continues to ignore her even when she is under his very roof? Not Brooke. That is how much she loves Scott. Utterly and completely. It doesn't matter that he barely knows who she is.

And what are the chances that they would go to the same new school? Well, they do, and it gives them the opportunity to get to know one another. The new school is actually good for Brooke, despite her unhealthy attachment to Scott. She starts to tutor a fellow classmate who is dysgraphic and struggles to get his brilliant ideas onto paper. It gives her a chance to realize that her incredibly high IQ is a gift that she has been squandering on mediocrity and hiding for too long. She also has a chance to make a new friend. And most importantly, she falls deeper and deeper in love with New York City with each passing day. But can she win the boy she sacrificed everything for?

I hate to say it, but I had some real problems with this book, which was incredibly difficult because someone had compared this author to Dessen and Perkins, and there just aren't enough Dessen and Perkins books published to keep me satisfied. So I was excited to find a substitute while waiting for the next Dessen or Perkins, but that wasn't what I got with this book. Instead, I was really disturbed by this girl, who was a senior, dropping everything, her friends, her mom, her school, to follow a boy who didn't even know she was alive. And if that wasn't stalker enough, she would walk through his neighborhood day after day after day in the hopes of running into him. It was just creepy. Not romantic. Creepy. Add to that the fact this girl was brilliant. I am talking off the charts gifted, and she hides it. Now, I get kids being embarrassed by their smarts, but I really want a role model of a main character- a girl who can be cool AND super smart. Who rocks the genius gene with flair. Not Brooke. She is totally embarrassed to the point that she doesn't even try in classes and skates by with Cs. This has ruined her chances of going to a great college. And then she gets near perfect scores on her SATs? Why didn't anyone get to the heart of this behavior BEFORE she was ready to graduate? It was just not a quality I want to see in a main character my students are reading about. 

One thing I did like about the book was the connection to the beauty of NYC. As someone who has lived close enough to NYC for a day trip, I love what it contains but struggle with the bad parts of the city- in particular the stench. But Brooke sees the beauty in the city, especially in reclaimed structures like the High Line or rooftop gardens. It was nice to see. And my favorite part of this book was something that was so great at the beginning of the book and then ignore, sadly, for the remainder- the boy Brooke tutors is dysgraphic! Now, I teach dyslexics and dysgraphics, and I have seen a number of dyslexic characters in books, but none are really described very well, but this kid was a great representative of a typical dysgraphic- brilliant but totally unable to translate his brilliance into the written word. I was so excited to finally find a dysgraphic character, but then Colasanti ignored his dysgraphia after the first few chapters. Why? Why not run with that or not bring it up at all? It didn't make sense to me.

So, I would say this is a book for a younger student, as most young adults would find it cheesy and inauthentic. Still, I don't think I would recommend it to any of my girls, as I would rather give them Dessen or Perkins and know they have a great book in their hands. It is unfortunate because I really needed a good girlie book to read. I think I will give Colasanti one more chance, but I hope my next book by her is far better than this one. 

There are No Limits

Do you know that feeling when a book far surpasses the expectations you had for it? When you read a book and think to yourself, "It is so good I don't want it to end!" When I started katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits, I expected teen romance. What I got was so much more.

Echo was once the popular girl with everything going for her, but two years ago she fell off the grid. Her brother died in Afganistan, her mother disappeared, and her father married her former babysitter, but Echo has a secret almost no one knows. Her arms are horribly scarred from something that happened to her at the hands of her own mother, something so terrible Echo has repressed all memories of that day. Living life like an empty shell, Echo is back in therapy, but something is different this time.

Noah lost his parents in a house fire, lost his brothers to foster parents, and the only thing that keeps him in line is the idea that he might get them back when he turns 18. After punching his first foster father (who was abusing his own son), Noah has been bounced from house to house, but he has been at this house with his foster brother and sister for a while. Isaiah and Beth are just as damaged as Noah, but together they make a decent but dysfunctional little family who actually care about each other. But when Noah continues to press the courts and the system to get more visitation with his brothers, their foster parents block him every time. In order to appear to be following the rules, Noah agrees to therapy to deal with everything he has lived through... as long as getting his brothers back is the end result.

What Echo and Noah don't expect is to be put together with Echo tutoring Noah by their mutual therapist. It seems like it would end in disaster, bad boy with tattoos and little rich girl with everything she ever wanted, but their mutual demons give them something in common. Two people who have not had the happy loving lives all children should have find comfort and respect in one another. Together they fill in each other's empty spaces until they become whole again. But there is more at stake than anyone understands. With the emergence of every repressed memory, Echo gets closer to the terrifying truth of what her mother did to scar her, physically and emotionally, and with everything Noah does, his actions and choices are scrutinized to the point where he could lose all hope of getting his brothers back. They know the risks, they fight the feeling, but how can you turn your back on the one person who makes your shattered life whole again?

Oh, sweet Zeus. I loved this book. I read this book, turned the last page, closed my eyes to digest for a minute, and started at the beginning again. This book defied all my preconceived assumptions with buckets of dynamite. With 50 pages to go, my husband came into the living room to find me holding the book with a troubled look on my face. He asked me what was wrong, and I said, "I don't want this book to end!" Yes, he laughed at me a little, but it was true. I didn't want to let go of Echo and Noah. They were the most dynamic, tragic, and beautiful characters I have read in a long time. By 50 pages into this book, you know these characters so well you find yourself laughing, crying, living, and dying along with them. I couldn't believe such characters could exist... especially with such a cheesy cover!

And why would publishers choose to cheapen this incredible story with such a craptastic cover? I will never understand that, but I hope people will look beyond the cheese to see the heart of this really fantastic story. It isn't just a romantic story. There is so much more to this story that the feelings between Echo and Noah are only a fraction of what makes this story so wonderful. The writing is so raw and real you will find yourself hanging on each and every word, living the story along with them. The demons these two carry with them are so difficult to digest, and you never really know the whole story. But most of all, the sacrifice they make for themselves, for their families, and finally, for each other, is beautiful. I loved this book both times I read it and I know I will be reading it again soon. This is the kind of book that stays with you for a long time. So give Noah and Echo some life, because every page makes them just a little more real.

Such a Romantic Rush

High School is a battlefield and the kids are at war. What side would you be on? In Jennifer Echols' Such a Rush, we get the story of Leah Jones, a girl whose trailer park home and absentee mother have branded her, but she doesn't want to live up to that brand. In fact, she will take unbelievable risks to break out of that mold.


Leah's mother moves every time she gets a new boyfriend. Always a trailer park, which is almost always by an airport. When they moved to Heaven Beach, Leah decided to take control of her life and got a job as a receptionist at a small private airport. But receptionist wasn't enough for Leah; she wanted to fly. Forging her mother's signature, she gave Mr. Hall the money for a lesson (all the money she had) and demanded a lesson. Seeing the fire and love for flying in Leah, Mr. Hall took her under his wing and taught her to fly. Mr. Hall's sons, however, didn't think their father's generosity was as charitable as it sounded. They assumed Leah was paying for the lessons in a less than appropriate way. Why else would their old man be helping this girl?


When Mr. Hall dies suddenly, Leah's hope of becoming a pilot is gone along with him. No one else would take an almost 18 year old girl seriously as a pilot. She assumes Mr. Hall's business is gone, but when the twin sons, Alec and Grayson, return to Heaven Beach, they announce they are keeping the banner business going. Grayson wants Leah to continue on as a pilot, but she doesn't trust him or the longevity of his business. When Grayson blackmails her to not only fly for him, but to also date his brother Alec, she can't figure out what his motives are. But flying is more important to Leah than anything else in her life. So how far would she go to make sure she could fly?


Jennifer Echols has written books under the MTV imprint, and they are edgy, mature, and fun. They fall in the older realm of Young Adult books, and are best left for older teens in high school. There are some intimate scenes and graphic language, but none of it is filthy. But what Echols does best is appeal to those older teens who can smell BS a mile away. We all know teens are BS detectors of the most critical kind, so they require a book that doesn't patronize them or treat them as a children. They might not be "adults" yet, but they sure don't want to be treated like children. Echols' books are upfront, no nonsense, callin' it like it is, whether you want it or not. And this book is no different.


Leah's life with her flighty, always unemployed, leech of a mother in the trailer parks is a sad one. She is labeled the slut because of the way she dresses and her mother invited Leah's boyfriend to move in pretty much sealed the deal. But you know Leah is a proud, bright young woman. She takes the insults in stride and holds her head high. But internally, she struggles to see past how others define her. And she certainly doesn't take any crap from Grayson. I am going to say that I had a tough time with another female YA character falling for the absolute jerk, but I have come to expect it now. Of course, they always have a reason for acting like a toad, and the reason can be healed or fixed, but it doesn't change the fact that they treat these girls like crap and then the girls want them desperately. I wish we could have a romantic story that doesn't start with a verbally abusive male lead... ahhh... if only....


But Grayson's cantankerousness aside, this was an interesting story. I loved Leah and everything she stood for, even in the face of a world where the only person who ever cared about her was basically a stranger and who passed away. The grief Leah suffered at his loss was touching and quiet, as she felt she didn't really have a right to grieve the same way his sons did, even though she spent more time with him than they did. This is still a mature book better left to older teens. It is fairly romantic and emotional and would probably appeal to older girls most. But the best thing about Echols? She is a BS free zone!

Who Has All the Power?

How do you get teenage boys to listen to you and stop acting like idiots? Well, if you are their girlfriends, you can withhold the one thing they can't live without... nope, not food, but you are close! Kody Keplinger's edgy but adorable novel Shut Out shows exactly what goes on in the heads of teenagers... And you might not always want to admit that you were once exactly like them!


Hamilton High is at war, and while the two rival sides, the soccer team and the football team, seem to enjoy their war, their girlfriends wish it would just end. The war started years ago, but the boys are just as serious about it now as the original teams were when it started. They egg each others cars, they interrupt dates, and they even get carried away to the point of a few guys getting hurt. Lissa made her boyfriend Randy promise to stay out of the war, but when he treats her like a "drive by" on the way to more mischief, she has had enough. She calls the girls together with a plan.


The girls are staging a Shut Out. The football girlfriends and the soccer girlfriends are banding together to withhold all sex and "other stuff" from their boyfriends until the stupid feud is called off. At first the girls are skeptical, but by banding together, they not only learn something about the boys they are dating (and not always something good), but they also learn something about themselves. Can the girls end the rivalry once and for all before it rips everyone apart?


I know what you are going to say. This is too provocative and too sexual for a young adult novel. You would be both right and wrong. Yes, it is provocative and sexual, but no, it isn't too much for the older end of this age group. I probably wouldn't give it to a young middle school student, but for the older YA crowd, this is a really well done novel that discusses the sexual intentions and understandings of teens. And not all girls are monogamous, not all are virgins, but not all are sexually active either. Some are embarrassed by their lack of experience, and some are ridiculed for being open about enjoying sex. There is a wide variety of girls and experiences, but they have one thing in common... they are all unsure in themselves and the world around them. Yes, this is a provocative and sexual novel, but it has a wide variety of young women our YA readers can relate to and look up to. I liked this. It is important to speak candidly to teenagers, and Keplinger never fails to do so. It may be her age (total lack of jadedness that comes with advanced age), but Keplinger doesn't hesitate to write about REAL teen issues, and sexual experience and pressures are a common issue. 


And that is where this novel works for me. It isn't sex for the sake of having sex, it has a purpose. Girls doubt themselves, they succumb to pressure, and they do things they are unsure of. The mixture of girls in this story really represents any clique of girls out there in the world, and they can all be different and still make it work. I also love the strong message that sex isn't something to be ashamed of, but also isn't something to keep your boyfriend around and not cheating either. In fact, when they were still planning the Shut Out, one girl expressed she was worried the boys would cheat on them if they Shut them out. Another girl responded by saying that if they did cheat, they weren't worth their time anyway and they should be happy to learn about that side of their boyfriends if it was there. Shut Out really had strong characters and ideals behind the mature and realistic topic.


I would probably give this to a high school student, although I can't imagine many boys would want to read it (or want their girlfriends to read it for fear of them getting any ideas!). I really like Keplinger's books. They combine realistic issues with fun stories, and always a little romance! You can root for the characters because you always see a little of yourself in at least one of them. I am impressed with this author's candor and look forward to seeing more of her writing. She knows how to speak to young adults in a way that neither patronizes them nor trivializes their issues. I wish I had an author like Keplinger out there when I was a young adult! 

Math Can Be Dangerous and Fun!

Math? Fun? You have got to be kidding, right? Well, for Farrah Higgens, in A Girl Named Digit, by Annabelle Monaghan, math is more than just something she is good at. It is almost a compulsion. So much so that her nickname is Digit. But math gets Digit more than she bargained for when she cracks a terrorist code embedded in a teen romance television program.


Digit is the girl Farrah has worked very hard to hide. Her parents even made the school promise to seal her SAT and placement scores in order to protect her from unwanted attention about her scores (which got her into MIT for the fall semester). Farrah works very hard to hide Digit, but when she notices a series of numbers flashing briefly on the screen of a silly teen drama one night, she can't help but notice them. Over the next couple of episodes, Digit realizes there is more to the numbers and cracks a code that leads her to the discovery of an event at JFK. Unfortunately, she doesn't know what the code means until she sees the news where a plane was destroyed and people were killed by a suicide bomber at JFK. Terrified, Digit and her faithful father go to the FBI to report her findings, at which point they are essentially laughed out of the office. But Digit doesn't give up.


She goes to the show's studio to get more information about the code, but she is immediately followed. Being the smart girl she is, she manages to get herself arrested and her attacker recorded by security cameras in order to be taken to the FBI safely. Finally, with the face of her attacker, the FBI realizes her code breaking is legitimate and that Digit is now being hunted by the same eco-terrorists who blew up the luxury jet at JFK. In order to protect Digit, the FBI lets the media think she is kidnapped and puts her in hiding with a particularly young and handsome FBI prodigy named John. When John and Digit crack another code, they can't help but track it down, but it means they will be running for their lives. But when you can't help but crack the codes, what can you do when they are right in front of you?


This was a really cute story for anyone who likes any books from Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls, Heist Society) or the like. It is a cute, girly middle reader adventure that sucks you in and keeps you reading. Digit is an interesting character because she is absolutely brilliant and still embarrassed by it. We all know what it is like for kids to stand out for being smart and have seen kids "hide" their smarts, so this story would be a great way to bring that out into the open. Why are they ashamed of being smart? Why would anyone hide the fact that they were a mathematical genius? I think you could find some really interesting conversations popping up within this realm. And the coolest thing is that Digit ends up foiling a terrorist plot with her smarts! Not to mention, I love the idea that John finds her intelligence one of her best features. Gotta love a boy who likes a girl for her brains!


I would say this is an excellent book for the pre-teen to teenage "girly girls" who like to read about boys and romance, but it still has a smart, strong young woman as the lead character. It is a fun, fast read so a struggling reader would be able to finish it fairly quickly and have success with the accessible reading level. The terrorist plot is particularly relevant for the world we live in today, making this story more than just your average "boy meets girl" story. All I can say is I hope we see more of Digit! 

Funny and Touching Romance

If you are anything like me, you have been looking at this cover for a while but were unsure of the description- a dystopia with glitter and jewels? Isn't that like shimmery vampires? But I urge you to ignore the description of this book and give it a chance because Kiera Cass has started a new trilogy that will keep you coming back for more... even if the description doesn't do it justice!


America Singer is a five. In Illea, the caste system has royalty as ones and the lowest level, eights, are essentially non-humans who barely survive in society. As a five, America's family struggles to make ends meet, but at least they aren't as bad off as the sixes. People in Illea don't date out of your caste because no one wants to move down... upward caste mobility is always in the back of people's minds, but America doesn't care about that when it comes to Aspen, the boy she loves who just happens to be a six. But when Prince Maxon comes of age, the Selection is held to find his wife. All girls in Illea are possible candidates and one girl from each province is chosen at random (although the number of girls below a four is low enough to suggest otherwise) to be one of the 35 girls who is moved to the palace to compete for Maxon's hand and the crown. America only agrees to enter in the selection to pacify her mother, but when she is chosen, Aspen can't bear to see her give up the opportunity to move up in caste just to move down for him. 


With a broken heart, America begrudgingly heads to the palace, but she refuses to play the game all the other girls are so intent on playing. In fact, when she accidentally happens upon Maxon before they are supposed to officially meet, she doesn't hesitate to tell him just what she thinks of him and this bizarre mating ritual that is the Selection. Surprisingly, Maxon isn't offended, but rather intrigued by America's spunk and sass. She tells him she wants nothing to do with being a princess, but they agree to be friends and he convinces her to stay if for no other reason than to keep him company and to enjoy the delicious delicacies she could only dream of back home as a five. The agreement makes sense for a girl with no chance of falling for the man in question, but when that man is Maxon, there is a chance America's feelings might not be as cut off as she originally thought...


I really loved this story! BUT I must caution that the dystopia part of this story is so minute you could almost miss it if you weren't looking hard enough. In fact, I think the description and billing of this story as a dystopia is going to hurt its reputation because people who like serious dystopias are going to be disappointed by the lack of world building and people who would love the romance might be turned off by the dystopia angle. I think the rest of the forthcoming trilogy may delve into the dystopia more heartily, but for this book's purposes, the dystopia label is a little misleading. 


But let's talk about the characters! Oh America. I love this girl. She is sassy and determined and fantastic. When she mistakenly thought Maxon was out for "one thing" she actually kneed him in the "royal jewels"! And she isn't cowed by his royal status, even before their friendship blossoms. She has no problem telling him exactly how she feels, and when she shares with him the true state of life int he lower castes, Maxon actually does something about it. He is a man any one of us could fall madly in love with! He is the epitome of lovable male lead who is kind, generous, funny, and takes his responsibility as future leader very, very seriously. Even his shyness with the girls in the Selection is endearing (he is terrified of crying girls, but really, what man isn't?!) I loved Maxon! I think Aspen was a bit of a dud for me, but you don't see much of him except the very beginning and the very end of the book. I think more of him would have made this a true "love triangle" for me, but as it stands now, I am team Maxon all the way! 


I loved this story. I think the billing should be altered to not mislead dystopia fans, but if you like a great romance with spunky characters, you will enjoy this story. I know the story ended on a little bit of a cliff-hanger, but it wasn't so bad it made me livid, it just made me impatient to read the next book! I can't wait to see where Cass goes with this story! Your eye might be caught by this beautiful cover, but the book will hold you to the last page!