The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook - 2011

Title: The Education of Hailey Kendrick

Author: Eileen Cook

Year: 2011

Date Read: 1-16-2011

Overall Rating: * * * 1/2 (3.5/5)

GoodReads Blurb: Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life--and her reputation--are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

Plot: * * * *

Characters: * * * *

Style: * * *

My Review: I liked this book, but not as much as I liked Cook's previous two novels. (Edit: somehow missed that she wrote another book, Unpredictable, which is now at the top of my "Must Find This Book Now" lis). What Would Emma Do? and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood really grabbed me and I loved the stories and characters. Hailey Kendrick is caught vandalizing a piece of her school campus, and refuses to give up the person she is with because he has more to lose than she does. The story follows the repercussions of her decision not to tell and how this affects her relationships with just about everyone in her life.

I like Hailey, though she was a little too easy a character to peg, and I really liked Drew, the "townie" she meets on cleanup detail. Their conversations were really well done and I loved their back and forth banter. However, the supporting characters, like her friends/boyfriend Tristan, Joel, and Kelsie seemed so boring to me. There was no spark, no reason that I could see to be drawn to any of them, even when Cook explained why/how Hailey and Kelsie became friends.

I felt like the emotional scenes, particularly the weird chemistry that could have happened between Joel and Hailey, the fight between Hailey and her father, and the scenes between Hailey and Tristan could have been more powerful. They felt lacking. I wanted Hailey to scream at her dad, not just forgive him and talk it out and be "closer than ever" in a day. On its own, I would have liked this book more, because even though it was well-written, it didn't feel as strong as her other two books.

Though I would recommend it just because Drew was such a nice character and even though it was a little predictable and had a very "wrapped up in a bow" ending, it was still nice and had a great message to convey about standing up for yourself and learning who you are.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

2011 Audio Book Challenge

I was very excited to stumble upon this today. I have been wanting to try out audio books for a while, but I am always hesitant because I have trouble paying attention when listening.

So this is the 2011 Audio Book Challenge set up over at Teresa's Reading Corner. The challenge runs throughout this year (Jan-Dec 2011). You can read more about it and sign up here and here.

There are four levels of the challenge to choose from:

Curious: 3 books

Fascinated: 6 books

Addicted: 12 books

Obsessed: 20 books

I am going to try for the "Fascinated" level, since I don't know how much I will like them, and because I think 6 books is a better challenge number than 3. We'll see!

Fall for Anything - Courtney Summers - 2010

Title: Fall for Anything

Author: Courtney Summers

Year: 2010

Date Read: 1-12-2011

Overall Rating: * * * * 1/2 (4.5/5)

GoodReads blurb: When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?

Plot: * * * *

Characters: * * * * *

Style: * * * * *

My Review: Courtney Summers is on a roll. Her characters, especially the lead female characters, are so real, and never perfect, and never fit into that "oh, but I'm so boring and mousy and normal" cliche that seems to happen so frequently in YA lit. Eddie was so mixed up, and flawed, and just sort of broken (temporarily), that she brought me down with her in her grief. Milo, Eddie's best friend, was really what a best friend should be for everyone. When he broke down and finally told Eddie about "that night," it brought another level of understanding to his relationship with Eddie and how he acts towards her. Culler was strange, and also broken, but he should have known better than to manipulate someone's emotions like that, especially a teenage girl grieving her dead father.

The only issues I had with this book, were mostly that I just kept wanting to punch Beth (Eddie's mother's friend) in the face whenever she spoke, because it felt like everyone was forgetting that Eddie was broken too, that her mother should be taking care of her, instead of her mother's friend telling her to get out of the house all the time. This is actually just a sign of a well written character though, since Beth was so convincingly annoying that she made me angry.

Summers' writing always feels true and real, and not glossed over or romanticized like many authors tend to do. I think this is part of what draws me to her books over and over. Nothing seems fake or perfect or set up. Her first three novels have really hit home with me and I look forward to her having a long career. So much care seems to be put into her stories and the lives she creates, it's so refreshing and so raw.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

New layout and colors

I decided to add some new colors to the blog the other day, and then tonight decided to change the layout as well. I will try to keep it looking this way for a while. I might add more gadgets or take some away, but nothing too major for a while.

Currently reading: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

Opinion so far: I am still a Courtney Summers fangirl!

Deadly Little Games - Laurie Faria Stolarz - 2010

Title: Deadly Little Games

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Year: 2010

Date Read: 1/10/2011

Overall: * * * (3/5)

GoodReads blurb: Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to sense things through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control and hurting people. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend.

Before either teen has a chance to fully grasp these abilities, an unresolved family tragedy resurfaces in Camelia's life, irrevocably changing everything she cares about...

Plot: * * * *

Characters: * * * *

Stlye (writing style): * * *

My Review: This is the third book in the Touch series by Stolarz. I have to say, there are many points throughout this series where I just get really mad about the whole idea of psychometry, but I love the drama and intensity of all the creepy weird situations that I stick with it. This might be mostly due to Camelia's friends Kimmie and Wes, who I wish were real people who's conversations I could actually listen to. They are really funny! Camelia and Ben are just sort "alright." Boring people made interesting by this strange thing they can do. Adam is actually more interesting to me than Ben is, but I guess we aren't supposed to feel that way.

I love trying to figure out who the crazy person is in all of these books. Though the therapy sessions and crossword puzzles throughout the book were a bit strange. It would be nice if there would stop being this back & forth bit with Ben and Camelia, their relationship drama isn't a necessary part of the story in my opinion, because there is enough drama with everything else that happens.

I like Stolarz's writing style for the most part, though at times Camelia sounds a bit too grown up and uses not-so-teenage language. Not that I'm a teenager anymore, but sometimes it sounds forced or fake, because let's face it, teenagers don't always use perfect grammar and all their SAT words.

Part of my 3 star rating for this book is due to how much I loved the first one and haven't felt the same about the 2nd and 3rd books in this series.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

Also, big thanks to Peaceful Reader for linking to my blog in her Along for the Ride post, here.

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins - 2010

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Year: 2010

Date Read: 1/8/2011

Overall: * * * * * (5/5)

GoodReads blurb: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

Plot: * * * * *

Characters: * * * * *

Stlye (writing style): * * * * *

My Review: I really don't have any complaints about this book. The writing was smart and funny, the perfect mix of humor, romance, and intense emotions. I loved Anna and her friends and the "will they? won't they?" back and forth with St Clair. The humor reminded me so much of Maureen Johnson's, which was wonderful because I love truly clever books. If I had the time, I would read this book again immediately. It really was that good. Anna was a great protagonist, the right amount of "insecure girl in a foreign place" mixed with a strong personality. St Clair (aka Etienne) was so sweet and protective, while at the same time being an equally insecure boy. The mixture of Anna's new friends and the troubles with her friends back home showed how Anna actually learned about all types of relationships while at boarding school. She learns about romantic relationships from Etienne and her coupled friends, and learns the different levels of "bad parenting," and really learns what it takes to be a good friend and to hang onto good friends when you find them.

I am in love with this book.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Deadly Little Games (a Touch novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Choker - Elizabeth Woods - 2011

2011 Debut Author Challenge - Book # 1

Title: Choker

Author: Elizabeth Woods

Year: 2011

Date Read: 1/6/2011

Overall: * * (2/5)

GoodReads blurb: Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.

Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.

But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?

Plot: * *

Characters: * * *

Stlye (writing style): * * 1/2

My Review: This is the first book for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge over at http://www.thestorysiren.com/ . From the very beginning of the book there was just this creepy vibe surrounding Cara's friendship with Zoe. And it just kept getting creepier. I caught onto the plot twist early, and just kept hoping that I was going to wrong about it. I was disappointed that I guessed correctly when it came to the end of the book. It would have been way more creepy to actually have a real friend that was as much of a creep as "Zoe." Also, I felt like the writing was a little bit forced. Some of the dialog just didn't ring true to how teenagers talk or thing, and it felt like some of the descriptions were just added in there without actually contributing to the quality of the story. I did, however, really like how some of the characters were portrayed, particularly "Zoe" and some of the snotty high school girls. Cara's clumsiness and awkwardness felt really forced at times, like "oh there she goes catching her feet on things again!" So overall there were some good and some bad aspects to this book, but I just didn't dig it like I had hoped to. I love creepy books!

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins