Review: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

MY TAKE:
This book was just okay for me.

In Boy Meets Boy, Paul meets and falls in love with Noah. However, Paul does something stupid and now he must win him back. Will he succeed?

This book, especially near the end, reminded me of a John Hughes movie. It sounds like a good thing, and it is, for the most part. It's a sweet coming-of-age book with cute grand gestures of love. There are also some interesting characters here, particularly Infinite Darlene. I was actually amazed at how progressive and accepting their town is as a whole when it comes to LGBTs. I wonder if there are towns like this one in real life.

I think the reason why I was meh about the book was because of Paul. He was okay at first, but as the book went on, his self-centeredness irked me. Perhaps it's just because he was young, but I thought it was naive of him to think that it was okay to do what he did with Kyle and that Noah wouldn't get hurt.

THE GOOD:

1. There are some really good lines here.
2. Infinite Darlene is cool.
3. Their town is progressive and accepting. 

THE BAD:

1. Paul can be self-centered sometimes.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“We pencil-sketch our previous life so we can contrast it to the technicolor of the moment. ” 

READ IT IF:

1. You like grand gestures.
2. You like romances about second chances.
3. You like coming-of-age stories. 

RATING:


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Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

Matchmaking gets mixed up in this all-original eBook addition to The Romantic Comedies series!
Gemma can't believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma's heartbroken.
Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max's friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can't help thinking that Max likes her back; it's just too bad he's already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend's boyfriend?

MY TAKE:
This isn't as poignant as, say, the better Sarah Dessen novels, but if you're looking for a light, summer read, this might just be the book for you.

In The One That I Want, Gemma sees Max across the field and thinks he might be into her. However, her friend Addison decides she wants Max for herself and stakes her claim. To complicate matters, Max's friend Carter becomes Gemma's date even though he really likes Addison.

From the blurb, I thought this would be a heart-wrenching story. Normally, I would be against anyone stealing anyone's significant other. However, in this story, that term doesn't really apply. Also, if Gemma had grown a backbone earlier, this would have been a much, much shorter story.

Addison is Gemma's best friend in name only. In reality, she's a self-serving, attention-craving, toxic person. She is Regina George, minus the Mean Girls happy ending. This made it so very easy for me to not want her to be with Max.

As for the other characters, I liked Gemma and Max. Max seemed like a cool guy, and I think had he been real, we would have been friends. Gemma was a fun girl too. She still has low self-esteem, though, which can be tough to watch, especially when Addison was being terrible to her.

I got some Sarah Dessen's Keeping the Moon vibes from this book, mainly because of Gemma's weight loss, her hair color, and her complicated relationship with her mother. Some of Gemma's thoughts also seemed like something Colie would think. However, this isn't a derivative work. This is more of a romance book, with the personal transformation being a secondary focus. If you liked Keeping the Moon, though, you might enjoy this one too.

THE GOOD:

1. Max seems like a cool guy.
2. You'll learn a lot about majorettes and football.
3. It emphasizes how even your close friends can be bullies and you shouldn't keep them around if treat you like that. 

THE BAD:

1. I don't think it was a particularly memorable book.

READ IT IF:

1. You are or dream of becoming a majorette.
2. You have lost a significant amount of weight but still have low self-esteem.
3. You have a toxic friend. 

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The thing I realize is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave.          

..

Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?
Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.
The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

MY TAKE:
I had absolutely nothing in common with Sydney, but I still enjoyed reading this book.

In Saint Anything, Sydney has always lived in her brother's shadow, until something terrible happens. Fortunately, she eventually finds a refuge with the Chatham family, as well as a few old and new friends. However, things are just about to come to a head. Can Sydney handle it all?

I love Sarah Dessen's books, but I don't think anything will ever top Just Listen for me. That book was beautiful and I read at the perfect time. My second favorite book is The Truth About Forever, which is another classic that probably won't be dislodged from its place on my list either.

That said, this was still a nice read. Sydney had my sympathy from the start, but even more so, once I read more about her mother and that seriously creepy guy. The story itself wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be, but it didn't take the heavy topics it dealt with lightly either.

There are at least two Sarah Dessen-novel signatures present here that I loved and which made me happy. One is the little shout-outs/Easter eggs related to her previous novels. It makes me want to read the old books again just to see if I missed any other Easter egg. Second one are the supporting characters. This is one of the things that Sarah Dessen excels at: creating believable and likable (often quirky) secondary characters. I wouldn't mind being part of their group of friends.

As for Sydney, I genuinely liked her. As with most of Sarah Dessen's heroines, I think she and I could have been friends in real life. Mac was also a nice enough guy, but in terms of Sarah Dessen love interests, he's probably in the middle of the pack for me.

I definitely recommend reading this book, but if you do, you should consider having pizza and french fries on hand. I didn't and until now I am craving for pizza and french fries. Yum.

THE GOOD:

1. It's easy to sympathize and like Sydney, even if you don't have anything in common with her.
2. The story is touching.
3. The secondary characters are awesome. 

THE BAD:

1. Some may argue that it's a bit formulaic. 

READ IT IF:

1. You are a Sarah Dessen fan.
2. You've felt like you were living in a sibling's shadow.
3. You like relationships that develop gradually. 

RATING:


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Review: Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #3) by Louise Rennison

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

As I was going out of my bedroom door I remembered my nungas. Perhaps I should take some precautions to keep them under strict control. Maybe bits of Sellotape on the ends of them to keep them from doing anything alarming? I'd like to trust them, but they are very unreliable.
The irrepressible heroine of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging is back, and funnier than ever! Georgia has finally landed Robbie the Sex God, but he's never around, and Georgia's ex, Dave the Laugh, is starting to look quite dreamy. Strangely, so does just about every other guy Georgia meets, even the new French teacher.
In this third installment of Georgia's hilarious confessions, Georgia's "red bottomosity" is out of control! Whatever will happen next?

MY TAKE:
I rarely reread books, but since the last book I read was quite emotionally heavy, I felt like I needed a good laugh.

In  Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas, Georgia shares what her life with her crazy family and friends, as well as her relationship with the SG.

It's nice to see that even after all these years, I still find Georgia funny. She's quite frank and a bit self-absorbed, but in an entertaining way.

Her brand of humor can feel a little mean sometimes, but her remarks and observations are still funny for the most part. She's the type of person who will say out loud what everyone else is thinking, although thankfully, most of the time, she just keeps it to herself.

If that's your sort of thing, you should definitely check this series out.

THE GOOD:

1. Georgia is funny.
2. She seems like she could easily be your friend.
3. The other characters are interesting.

THE BAD:

1. Georgia can be mean sometimes.

READ IT IF:

1. You are looking for a good laugh.
2. You have ever liked two guys at the same time.
3. You like people who tell it like it is. 

RATING:


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Review: Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.
So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty... no matter how much she wants him.
As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.
Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust... and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.

MY TAKE:
This book was the first book in a very long time which had me feeling strong emotions (mostly anger and sadness) through almost every page.

In Rites of Passage, Sam joins the Denmark Military Academy to complete a dare given to her by her brother. She and a few other girls are to be the first female cadets at the academy, if they succeed. However, there are many people who don't want them to succeed, and will do literally anything to stop them.

Before I started reading, I thought that this would be like Cadet Kelly (the movie starring Hillary Duff and Shawn Ashmore), but less happy and more adult. I wasn't prepared for the violent things that the Society did to Sam, though, and that's where most of my anger comes from.

I don't think there was a book before this one that made me want to swear so much. The disrespect towards women and belittling them even when they've proven they can take it? I wanted to scream and rant.

I didn't think it was possible for me to hate anyone as much as I hated Dolores Umbridge, but Matthews proved me wrong. I was absolutely livid at him. He's so evil that he puts many television and movie villains to shame.

I loved Sam. She was tough and strong, emotionally and physically, but not to the point that she didn't let herself be vulnerable around people who cared and wanted to help. I loved her romance with Drill. At first, I was unsure about it, but as they got closer, I started getting into it. There were several scenes between them that had me grinning like an idiot. I wasn't too happy with the ending, though. It felt unfinished. I certainly hope that there will be a sequel eventually, because I want to see what happens next for everyone.

THE GOOD:

1. Sam is tough.
2. It will make you FEEL.
3. It's an interesting look at life in a military academy. 

THE BAD:

1. The ending may not satisfy everyone. 

READ IT IF:

1. You like strong heroines.
2. You hate it when women are put down and treated like they are worthless.
3. You like forbidden romance. 

RATING:


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Review: Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

MY TAKE:
I think I would have liked this book more if I had read it when it first came out.

In Delirium, Lena is looking forward to have the procedure done and have her whole life already worked out. However, after meeting Alex and discovering what the dreaded delirium is really like, she realizes that maybe she's making a huge mistake.

I have read lots of dystopian books over the years, which was probably why I didn't enjoy this as much as I could have. Well, that and I wasn't that big a fan of Lena either.

I don't think there were really any big moments that I hadn't anticipated in some way. There are certain elements that I have come to expect when it comes to YA dystopian novels and there were plenty of those here. As such, the book was predictable for me. However, it wasn't terrible at all, because there were plenty of beautiful and heart-wrenching lines here that made reading this book worth it.

The love story was like that for me, as well. Predictable, but still beautiful to see, and I was definitely rooting for them.

As for the characters, to be honest, I liked Hana more than Lena. Lena was anxious for a great deal of the book, and I felt it in my core. It made for good atmosphere during action sequences, but for the rest, it made me feel uneasy and made me want to skip ahead.

THE GOOD:

1. There are plenty of beautiful lines.
2. There are well-written action sequences.
3. There are quite a few interesting characters. 

THE BAD:

1. If you've read a lot of dystopian novels before, you may find this book predictable. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well. 

READ IT IF:

1. You love forbidden romance stories.
2. You are just starting to get interested in dystopian novels.
3. You've had your heart broken.

RATING:


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