How to Ruin your Boyfriends Reputation by Simone Elkeles

Summary:

Guess who’s jetting off to the Holy Land this summer!

Yes, it’s me—Amy Nelson-Barakmy Nelson-Barak. I’ve volunteered for ten days of military training in Israel with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a “fun” summer experience. Okay, so I didn’t sign up to prove I’m not a princess…I did it to surprise my hot Israeli boyfriend stationed at the same base.

Too bad nobody told me:

- It’s hot in the Negev desert…like, so hot your makeup melts off and you get under-boob sweat spots.
- You can’t sleep in until 11 a.m.
- You shouldn’t kill bees with your flatiron—don’t ask.
- Peeing in a hole isn’t easy (when you’re a girl)—double don’t ask.

When I find out our team leader is my boyfriend Avi, I’m totally psyched…until I learn he has to treat me like all the other recruits. Can you say OY VEY!

Review:

How To Ruin your Boyfriend’s Reputation is yet another hilarious addition to Simone Elkeles' How To Ruin.. series. A series that I highly suggest all check out because of the following reasons.

For one, Amy is a character that is so easy to like and relate to which leaves me to personally think that Simone perfectly captures the teen voice within her. Plus, I like how Amy and Avi's relationship is realistic in the problems that they face, such as the long distance and staying true to one another. Oh, and Avi's sweetness/ hotness totally adds to how much I adore these books.

Another thing that I enjoy about this series is that the different plots that contained are ones that are never exactly alike. Since, seriously you get a whole new journey with every book.

In all, How To Ruin your Boyfriend’s Reputation is a cute and funny read that proves yet again just how great of a writer Simone is! Oh, and I really hope there's going to be a 4th book to this series that is coming out soon. :)

Grade: A+

How To Ruin your Boyfriend’s Reputation is now out!

Source of book: Bought from Barnes and Noble!

Waiting On Wednesady: Week 52

My pick this week is a book by one of my favorite authors ever:

The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C.K. Kelly Martin

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


Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake, and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if that means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive twenty-three-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world.


The Lighter Side of Life and Death is the sexy, soulful story of one confused boy, two girls, and all the complications that ensue—a romantic feel-good love story that celebrates friendship, first love, first lust, and second chances.

My Thoughts:

ME WANT, ME WANT, ME WANT! :)  Seriously, I'm dying to read this book, even more after seeing the amazing cover featured above and reading chapter 1 here.

The Lighter Side of Life and Death is coming to a store near you May 25, 2010!

Stunning Covers: Take One!

( This was partly inspired by The Story Siren's Books To Pine Posts, but mostly it's just me wanting to talk about books that are coming out in what seems like the way distant future. :) )

I recently came upon several Young Adult 2010 catalogs which are filled with SOOO many great books! Seriously, I think I've added over 200 books to my wishlist over the past couple of days. :)

Anyway, with this I decided to give you all I glance at some of the titles that I'm personally dying to read and would love to talk about!

The Extroaordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway ( This looks sooo fantastic!)

Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.

Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

 

Spells by Aprilynne Pike ( Haven't read the first one yet, but I coudln't resist posting the cover ( so pretty!) and summary)

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there and hone her skills as a Fall faerie. But Laurel quickly realizes that her human family and friends are still in mortal danger and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

In this stunning follow-up to the #1 nationally bestselling Wings, Aprilynne Pike continues to weave Laurel’s story with unique magic, heartstopping action, and thrilling romance. Spells will leave teens breathlessly awaiting the next novel.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong ( I adore this sereis!)

Chloe Saunders would love to be normal.

But she’s not.

For one thing, Chloe’s having a hard time dealing with her feelings for both an irritable, antisocial werewolf and his charming, sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—and she’s leaning toward the werewolf. Not normal.

She and her friends are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of them—permanently. Definitely not normal.

In this final installment to the tremendously popular Darkest Powers trilogy, which includes New York Times bestsellers The Summoning and The Awakening, Kelley Armstrong delivers another irresistible combination of supernatural suspense and high-action thrills. This fast-paced finale is the best in the series!

And finally, Chloe is a genetically altered necromancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying. As far away from normal as it gets.

Brilliant by Rachel Vail ( I love Rachel's books!)

Consistently praised by readers and reviewers for her authenticity, warmth, wit, and penetrating insight, Rachel Vail brings her finely honed voice to the issues closest to the hearts of teen readers—friendship, school, family, love, and growing up.

In Brilliant, the conclusion to the Avery sisters trilogy, Rachel Vail delivers the ultimate summer story. Sixteen-year-old Quinn is in love, but it’s not that simple. Quinn is just about perfect: She doesn’t make a fuss—even when her family is facing the loss of their home and a financial meltdown; she doesn’t get angry—even when her younger sister screams her head off straight in Quinn’s direction; and she certainly does not fall head-over-heels for a guy totally out of her league and then mistakenly go off and kiss her sister’s boyfriend…till now.

Rachel Vail concludes her compelling sisterhood trilogy with her most dramatic story yet. Timely, poignant, witty, and heartwarming, Brilliant is the perfect conclusion to Vail’s interconnected and inspiring sister stories.

Stranded by J.T. Dutton ( Stunning cover!)

Who abandoned Baby Grace?

A farmer’s discovery in his cornfield thrusts a small farm town into a raging media frenzy—and Kelly Louise into a new home. Who knew a person could feel so completely stranded somewhere with national news coverage?

How is Kelly Louise supposed to shed her virginal status when the baby in the cornfield shadows her every hair flip, every wink? And the one boy around who rates anywhere near acceptable on the Maximum Man Scale only has eyes for her cousin, Natalie (who only has eyes for Jesus).

But Natalie has a secret. Everyone is so busy burying the truth about Baby Grace, they can’t see who they’re burying alive.

Welcome to Heaven, Iowa.

Compromised By Heidi Ayarbe ( Again, this looks great!)

With a con-man dad and a long-gone mom, the only thing that makes sense to Maya is science. In fact, every time her dad’s cons go wrong, she has a scientific way to fix it, to keep both of them safe and together.


Only this time Maya’s scientific method doesn’t work. She finds herself stuck in an orphanage, and then living on the street, where scientific laws don’t apply, with two unlikely allies, and she has to learn to live on instinct alone. But when Maya goes off in search of an aunt she’s never met in hopes of finding some semblance of stability in her chaotic world, she finds something even more important: her own strength.

Wayfarer by R.J. Anderson ( Oooh, I've been dying to read this since I read R.J.'s debut novel!)
 
The faeries of the oak are dying, and it's up to a lone fairy named Linden to find a way to restore their magic. Linden travels bravely into dangerous new territory, where she enlists the help of an unlikely friend—a human named Timothy. Soon they discover something much worse than the Oakenfolk’s loss of magic: a potent evil that threatens the fate of all faeries. In a fevered, desperate chase across the country, Timothy and Linden risk their lives to seek an ancient power before it’s too late to save everyone they love.

R. J. Anderson has artfully crafted a world of stunning magic, thrilling adventure, and delicate beauty, where a girl far from home must defeat the pervasive evil befalling her beloved faery realm.

Friend Is Not a Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft ( What a great title)

From the author of the Edgar Award–winning The Wessex Papers comes a hilariously offbeat novel about Henry “Hen” Birnbaum, a teenage boy who dreams of becoming a rock star despite a minor setback, namely: his girlfriend just dumped him and kicked him out of their band. Now his social life consists of night after night of VH1 marathons with his best friend and next-door neighbor, the neurotic Emma Wood.

Then there’s the matter of Sarah, his sister, who mysteriously disappeared for a whole year and just as mysteriously returned. As the story unfolds, the reasons for her disappearance seem more unbelievable than Henry ever could have imagined. Maybe rock god status isn’t too farfetched for Henry. After all, crazier things have happened.

Lost For Words by Alice Kuipers ( Again interesting premise)

Ever since Sophie Baxter’s sister was killed in the London terrorist bombings, she has retreated into herself. But there’s only so long she can keep everything bottled up inside before she explodes, and Sophie comes to realize that she must confront the horror of her past before she can face the future.

Up-and-coming talent Alice Kuipers lets her teen sensibility, humor, and fresh perspective shine in this remarkable story of family, hope, and perseverance in the face of tragedy.

     

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis ( Love the sound of htis one!)

Joy is used to Hearing whispers—to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a mysterious and frightening whisper from Jessica’s own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

Whisper is a thrilling debut novel from talented newcomer Phoebe Kitanidis.
 

Mistwood by Leah Cypess ( This has been compared to Graceling, which makes it a must read to me! )

Isabel is a shape-shifter, able to shift at will into any animal form. She senses that her power is great. She knows—deep in her soul—that she exists only to protect the king and the royal family. But when she awakens in Mistwood to the sound of approaching horses, she can’t remember anything and she flees. How long has she been in the forest? Who hurt her? Why is she hiding—because it is certain she is hiding. Who are these men riding after her with such determination? And most importantly, why can’t she shift?

Captured and thrust into the mysterious and dangerous royal court, Isabel must uncover her past, separate the truth of her heart from the legend of her magic, and, above all, keep the unbearably handsome new king safe. Even if protecting him means disaster for her. An astounding debut.

Since, I have some more to share, look for Part 2 coming soon! :)

* Please take note that covers and summaries are subject to change at any moment* 

Quick Q and A's with Robin Brande

Robin Brande is the fablous author of two YA books- Fat Cat and Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature. You can check out her site/ blog here.

~~~~~~~~~~

1) First off, I’m going to give you a couple of categories and I would like you to list your favorite.

Book:

Tie: GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J.K. Rowling

Author(s):

Same tie. See above.

Movie:

Tie again! THE PRINCESS BRIDE and the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

Season:

No tie. Autumn, for sure.

Food:

Mexican! Could eat it every day.

2) Your latest book, Fat Cat, recently came out. So, can you tell us what the inspiration was behind it ?

I decided to write a book for the overweight girl I was in high school. I would have loved to read about Cat’s experiment and try it for myself. In fact, when I did my research for the book, I did try Cat’s experiment, and it totally worked!

3) Fat Cat partly deals with different types of science experiments which leaves to me to wonder if you did any type of research on the things talked about in the book while working on it?

Besides giving up the foods Cat gives up, and cooking all the foods she cooked (which was so much fun), I also did TONS of research into nutrition, health, and our food supply (factory farms, etc.). Even though I did much more research on this book than I ever have for any other, none of it felt like work, because I’m so interested in the topic anyway. It’s one of the best parts of my job that I get to spend as much time as I want exploring topics I’m fascinated by, and then I get to create a whole story based on what I find. I just love that this is how I spend my time all day.

4) How did the title Fat Cat come to be?

I started out with a much more complicated title—something like “The Einstein of Weight and Boys” (I’ve never told anyone that! Congratulations on getting it out of me!), but then a friend of mine who read the early manuscript talked some sense into me and asked, “Why don’t you just call it ‘Fat Cat’?” Der. She was obviously right.

5) Do you have a particular scene in Fat Cat that’s your favorite?

The Valentine scene. Without a doubt. Shhh—let’s not give anything away.

6) Out of all the characters you’ve written about in your two books- Fat Cat and Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks Of Nature- which one has been most like you?

That’s a hard question! Both Mena from EVOLUTION and Cat from FAT CAT have so much of me in them. But if I had to choose, I’d say Cat is more me. So much of her life is so much like mine.

7) I recently saw on your blog that Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks Of Nature has been optioned by Hollywood. So, have you have your heard any other news surrounding this since then?

I’m so excited about that! I won’t be hearing anything more for a while. The screenwriter/producer who optioned the book has a while still to write her screenplay and take it to the next step. So I’ve just tried to put it out of my mind for now and go about my business. But I’m very excited to hear what comes next.

8) What type of setting do you usually write in?

Truth? In a completely messy office that I tell myself every week I have to clean up. Siiigh. There are always so many other—and more fun—things to do. One of these days . . .

9) Is there any book out there that you wish you had written yourself?

AUSTENLAND by Shannon Hale. I love that book so much. It’s funny, romantic, and totally taps into my deep love for the BBC miniseries of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. That book was like chocolate to me.

10) Are you currently working on anything?

I have a new book due in the spring. It’s a romantic comedy that involves quantum physics and string theory. Trust me, it will all make sense.

11) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Nope, except thanks for the interview, Lauren! And thanks for your review of FAT CAT—I really appreciate that!
 
~~~
Thanks for the great interview, Robin! :)

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter

Summary:

18-year-old Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by telling you how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother, still devastated over her husband's death, hung herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation. Now Lainey's five-year-old brother is an orphan and her estranged older sister moves back home to act as his guardian. Dealing with her brother has always been a struggle, but sharing the responsibility with her sister is proving to be just as challenging.

Lainey knows that this is all her mother's fault, but she also knows that she eventually has to move out of the "anger" phase of the grieving process. What she can't figure out, though, is how to make peace with a dead woman.
 
Review:

I seriously just LOVED The Snowball Effect so much that I feel that there's not a good enough word out there to express just how much I enjoyed it.

I'm not exactly sure why I specifically liked it so much. Since, there was a few flaws to it such as how the story kind of jumped around a lot. Though, by the end all the flaws came together with the perfections and formed a fabulously told story.

One of my favorite parts of The Snowball Effect was how unique yet real it was. I mean who hasn't lost a loved one, let alone three in one year. Yeah, I doubt a lot of you haven't, so that's just one tiny thing among others that teens can relate to with Lainey. Since, The Snowball Effect is basically her story of coming to terms with the lives of her lost ones all while moving on, forming a better life for herself in the process even when she screws it up at times. Plus, I adored Riley simply because he was so sweet and loving towards Lainey even when she was acting like a bitch to him. Oh, and I loved how Vallery, Lainey, and Collin had formed their own little dysfunctional family by the end.
 
Further more, Holly's writing flowed extremely well and she certainly has the talent to form a fantastic story because of her ability of making a sad story hysterically funny at times but moving at others. It just shows what great of author she is and gives you a taste at what’s to come over the upcoming years.
Overall, The Snowball Effect is one of those books that will leave you with a goofy smile on your face at the end, leaving me to highly suggest it to all of you teens (and adults!) out there.

Oh, and because I know there's some Sarah Dessen lovers out there who read this blog, The Snowball Effect actually reminded me of something Sarah would write several times. :)

Grade: A+!
 
The Snowball Effect will be realeased March 23, 2010!
 
This review was brought to you bescause of a little site called the 1 ARC Tours. You should check it out sometime! =)