Blog Tour: How I Lost You Review + Interview

Jen's Review

 How I Lost You
by Janet Gurtler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: April 23, 2013

How I Lost You turned out to be a story about friendship, romance, and courage. What I liked about this one is that it's sole focus is the relationship between two friends, which isn't common among YA these days. You typically see romance-heavy issues in these types of contemporaries, but How I Lost You's outcome proved to be different. Even though I had some issues here and there, this one is an enjoyable read, with a good balance of sweet, adoring moments and serious, dark ones as well.

When I was first introduced to the main characters Grace and Kya, I immediately fell in love with Grace's character. I think the best way to describe her is loyal. Her obvious love for her best friend is clear and she didn't stop at anything to help Kya. However, my feelings for Kya were at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. To me, Kya felt like an absolutely shallow, meaningless girl. She's the character that has had a dark past and everything, and I understand that it's hard to deal with it all, but that's no excuse to treat everyone else differently just because you didn't have a good childhood. The entire time, I constantly asked myself, "Why, Grace, WHY are you still friends with this girl?" That's how utterly loyal Grace is-- she sticks with Kya, even through the worst. The characters in this book turned out to be a pro and a con; Grace made the story very touching and admirable, but Kya made it annoying and hair-pulling.

I definitely have to mention the romance, even though it played second to friendship in this story. It's a sweet, sweet romance, and I don't think I can describe it any other way. Levi, the love interest, was patient, kind, and shy. His hesitation and carefulness with Grace was just to die for. Aside from the romantic relationship itself, I really admired the fact that Gurtler did not over-exaggerate the romance, because, as mentioned, the main idea for this book was friendship. In other words, the romance didn't overshadow the friendship between Grace and Kya.

There were definitely times when I thought that the plot-pacing was very sporadic. The first half of the novel was fantastic. We were introduced to this colorful cast of characters, and Grace and Kya's summer had just begun. My instant reaction was: YES, A PERFECT SUMMER READ. However, towards the middle, I just got plain bored. Nothing was happening, and every description triggered a thought similar to this: Why the heck do I care that she went to the bathroom with her toiletries bag? I was definitely frustrated at this point, but luckily, the last quarter of this book was redeeming and my initial love for this book returned. The book ended on a good note that I was satisfied with, fortunately!

I think a main aspect that readers will enjoy in How I Lost You is the inclusion of paintballing. I've never read any books that involved a sport with paintballing. I think it added a nice little spark to it that kind of made it stand out. The integration was smooth and played a good role in the story.

How I Lost You had it's good times and not-so-good times, but overall, it's a read that I recommend. It has its useful life-lessons and friendship morals scattered about that everyone can learn from. I know for a fact that Janet Gurtler is an author that I look forward to reading more books from!

3.5 teacups for How I Lost You!

*Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review!*

Interview with Janet Gurtler

1. How similar or different are these character to you? Did you ever experience the issues that Grace and Kya go through?

Grace has a few of my qualities, loyalty the biggest one. She is however way cooler and braver. I never played paintball or had my goals so clearly defined at that age.  Kya is not really like me.  I had a couple of friends who went to things similar to what Kya went through and the emotional devastation manifests itself in so many different ways. I don’t want to give away what it was for spoilers, but something pretty horrible. 

2. Most contemporaries out there today are centered around romance. What made you want to center your novel around friendship?

I tend to write contemporaries that deal with relationships and/or change. Romance is always present in my books, but not necessarily at the forefront. Although, in this story, I think Levi, the romantic interest,  is kind of the catalyst for the changing relationship with Grace and Kya.  But I choose to write about friendship, because man, teen friendship is SO IMPORTANT. In my experience it’s the girlfriends I remember and cherish, way more than the boys I went out with or had crushes on. Girl friendships or platonic male/female friendships are just as important and often more important than romance. In my opinion. :) And the hurt of a best friend break up. Oh. That’s hurt.

3. Which character did you feel a closer connection with while writing HOW I LOST YOU? Why?

I felt a really strong kinship for Kya. I understood why she was doing the things she was doing.  She didn’t mean to be selfish and horrible has is kind of driven by a dark secret in her past that damaged her. She hasn’t dealt with it yet, and until she does she is going to be unable to deal with people or things or herself in a respectful way. She is a wounded little bird, and I wanted to fix her, but she wasn’t ready to be fixed yet.

4. Do you have a some sort of message or moral that you were trying to reach out to readers through this book? If so, what is it?

My message in this book is that ultimately in life, sometimes you have to make hard decisions in order to look out for own best interests.  Grace is the type of person who wants to fix Kya and help her and I think a lot of girls/women have this quality. But we also have to realize that sometimes relationships become toxic and we have to make a choice to put ourselves first sometimes. It’s a harder than for females to do. It’s the nurturing gene.  I want girls to know it’s okay to be strong and also vulnerable, but also strong.

5. What can we expect from you in the future? (What are you currently working on?)

 I have a book coming out in 2014 called Sixteen Things I Thought Were True.  It’s about a girl who has a video of her dancing in her underwear to “I’m Sexy And I Know It’ go viral online.  Ironically , she’s hiding out from the real world online, but when life throws curves at her,  she ends up on a road trip with a strange girl and her mean boss and finds out things about herself and her life that she never knew.

Thanks so much for your time, Janet!

Happy reading, 
Jen xx

REVIEW: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Jen's Review

Sweet Evil
by Wendy Higgins
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 1, 2012

Why. WHY.

Seeing Sweet Evil land in multiple lists of 2012 favorites, I knew I had to pick it up. I'd heard only countless things about the amazing Kaidan Rowe (the HOTTIE.), and creativity of the angel and demon aspect. And yes, I can agree to those things. I loved the characters in Sweet Evil, as well as the twist on Nephilim, sure. The start of the story was addicting and I knew I was going to fall in love with it. I thought, "So THIS is what I've been missing out on! You guys were so right about this book." Well, turns out, I was kind of wrong. By the last quarter of the novel, I was bored to death. Because of this, I was left disappointed by Sweet Evil, but at the same time, I still enjoyed it.

But before I start ranting about this book, I'd like to rave about it for a little bit. The characters were one of my favorite qualities in Sweet Evil. I immediately loved Anna Whitt because she was innocent and new how to make the right decisions. She was a little too innocent at times, but it wasn't bothersome for me. I loved her relationship with her surrogate mother, Patti. It was really sweet and genuine and just really touching overall. Of course, I have to talk about Kaidan Rowe, the infamous British bad-boy that everyone seems to rave about. Um, can you say MAJOR SWOON? There was some definite fan-girling and sighs involved while reading the steamy scenes. Not only were the main characters fabulous, a lot of the side characters were just as significantly likeable. Jay, for example. Jay is Anna's music-loving best friend, and he was so supportive, he made me want to have a guy best-friend. He was super friendly and just an overall happy character. Also, previously mentioned before, Patti Whitt. As Anna's "mother", she was really lenient and protective at the same time. Her genuine concern really hit it home for me. The characters had to be one of my favorite attributes of Sweet Evil.

I also have to appreciate the angel and demon world that Higgins has created! It's unlike any other angel story I've read, since she brings in Dukes and Legionnares and it's just a bunch of awesome. The creativity of the demons was able to bring about conflict and little bumps along the way, which I thought was a very smart way to create plot tension.

However, my enjoyment for this book pretty much ends here. Let the ranting begin.

While I do say that I love Anna and Kaidan as characters, I didn't necessarily like them together. Their relationship didn't really seem real to me. I never fully understood why Kaidan liked Anna, as he IS the son of the Duke of Lust, and kind of easily falls for a girl's physical features. Similarly, Anna seemed to fall for Kaidan for the same reason. Because he was cute. Yeah, that makes a strong relationship, right? Their relationship was on-again, off-again for the ENTIRE time, and I just. *face palm* MAKE UP YOUR MINDS, HORMONE-LOADED TEENAGERS. Goodness.

I also got bored with the plot in the last quarter of the novel. Nothing was happening, and most importantly, nothing was being resolved. *Insert bored gif here* And you know how usually, novels end with a fast-paced, action scene? Well, Sweet Evil had one of those, but it certainly wasn't exciting or a page-flipper. Needless to say, the ending wasn't even able to satisfy me. There was no craving for more. I didn't even want to know what happens next for Anna and Kaidan. Yeah, super depressing.

This concludes my mixed-feeling review for Sweet Evil. I had every intention of picking this book up in the first place and devouring it, but no intention at all to pick up the sequel. While the characters and the concept of angels and demons were highly fascinating, I couldn't look past the romantic relationship or the plot in the end. However, there are so many other readers out there who enjoyed this book, so I do still recommend it!

3.5 teacups for Sweet Evil!

REVIEW: So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Name: So Much Closer

Author: Susane Colasanti

Publisher: Viking Juvenile/Speak (US)

Release Date: April 12, 2011

Pages: 236, Paperback

Source: Online Library

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

I'm not even going to beat around the bush, I'll just be upfront about it: I have no idea why I picked this one up in the first place. I had heard of Colasanti's books previously, but not necessarily very good things. I never really had any compulsion to pick up one of her books. Nonetheless, here I am, letting you know my thoughts on it. Luckily, I was totally in the contemporary, cute & fluffy mood when I picked this one up, and I ended up really enjoying it. So Much Closer was super fun and light, but had it's problems, for sure.

Right after I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read the book. I mean, the plot sounds so entirely weird and creepy--a girl moves to New York just for a boy that doesn't even know she exists? Doesn't that sound like a downright stalker to you? It had that effect on me and I kind of wanted to know what would happen for these characters. Brooke, the (stalker) girl, did start out as an obsessive, crazy girl that was blinded by her love for Scott. However, she was not this shallow girl the entire time. Her time in New York and her making of new friends helped change the naïve person she was before into a more thoughtful person. I'm glad with the choices she made in the end.

Other than the fact that the character growth was enjoyable, some of the side characters were very under-developed, or simply didn't make any sense. For example, when Brooke moves to New York, she moves in with her dad. Her father was so uninvolved with Brooke's life that it was a little ridiculous. It was a  bit unrealistic in my taste. Another character that was mind-boggling was Scott, the boy that Brooke was obsessed with in the beginning. Scott was portrayed as such a perfect boy, but I never grew to understand him, or like him for that matter. Scott was kind of impulsive, dumb, even. These two male characters really brought it down a notch for me in So Much Closer.

Aside from my love-hate relationship with the characters, So Much Closer definitely had an entertaining plot. I found myself wanting to read more and learn what happens with Brooke's relationships and how she finds her future in New York. It was really quite addicting to read about, in truth.

So Much Closer turned out to be a successful read for me. Even while some of the characters bothered me to no end, Brooke's character growth and entertaining plot line really helped me enjoy the novel much more than I expected prior to reading the book. I will definitely be picking up more of  Colasanti's work. Consider me a fan!

3.5 Teacups for So Much Closer!

REVIEW: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Jen's Review

Starcrossed
by Josephini Angelini
May 31, 2011
HarperTeen
488 pages, Paperback

This book was a MONSTER! A monster as in, a long book… Sadly, not as in "it was absolutely amazing". Because unfortunately,  Starcrossed fell a little flat for me. It wasn't terrible in any way--I quite enjoyed it, actually--it just kind of let me down. I was expecting this totally epic love story with TONS of awesome Greek mythology. While there definitely was a beautiful love story and many elements of Greek mythology that I loved, there were some things here and there in the story that I just didn't like.

For example, probably the major letdown of the novel for me was the amount of characters in the novel. You've got Helen, her family, the ENTIRE Delos family (which was like 10+ people, I swear), and the bad guys, and the Gods. I totally lost track of a lot of the characters, and I thought some of them really didn't even need to be part of the story. It all just confused me and made me frustrated.

The other thing that bothered me terribly was Lucas and Helen's relationship in the beginning. I was fine with their romantic relationship after they fell in love, but in the beginning, their romance just didn't make any sense and it could have been done better. When Helen and Lucas first meet, Helen tackles (yes, the girl attacks the guy) and they have an instant hatred for each other. WHAT? That makes no sense. WHY? Why the hate, people? The reader goes on wondering this for a good chunk of the book. That's way too long, and I still had a problem with when they DID fall in love. Their sudden transition from hate to love was spontaneous and didn't make much sense at all.

Aside from the negative, everything else was pretty nice and solid. The Greek Mythology was really fantastic and interesting, probably the best part of the book! I always love reading about different authors' views on mythology, and I couldn't have loved Miss Angelini's mythology more. It was great! The plot was very fabulous as well. I wasn't expecting mystery and thrill. Alas, Josephine Angelini adds it in there and it's done very well! Her crafting of plot line was exciting with tons of plot twists and shocking scenes.

Starcrossed is overall a solid Greek mythology novel--while the romance and characters were certainly baffling, Starcrossed proved to be a great story with exciting scenes and entertaining Greek mythology elements thrown in. Definitely recommended for readers who want to try out a good mythology if they won't mind the romance.

Audiobook Review: The audio was.. Alright. Could have been better, but I'm not complaining. It's long though, so I think it's probably faster and it's easier to understand if the reader physically reads it.

3.5 Teacups for Starcrossed! 

REVIEW: Pretty Girl- 13 by Liz Coley

Jen's Review

Pretty Girl- 13 
by Liz Coley
March 19, 2013 
Katherine Tegen Books
352 pages, Hardcover

I love psychological thrillers. Seriously, like, ever since I read Mara Dyer, I've been dying to get my hands on another creepy, mind-boggling read that will make my brain go, "Wuuuut..". Yes, Pretty Girl- 13 is a psychological thriller, but less in the paranormal way, more in the contemporary way. Liz Coley's Pretty Girl- 13 is a unique read that deals with concepts I have never stumbled upon until now. While this captivating read wasn't the best, I definitely don't regret reading it.

One of the many reasons that I enjoyed this book so much was because of the fascinating concept of multiple personalities. Now, I'm not sure if this is an actual thing (that would be cool and freaky if it was!), but it was so interesting to read about. It's as if this idea physically pulled me into the story and tied me down in a chair until I was knowledgeable in the topic.

At first, I was on the fence about this idea because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to understand the real Angie, but Coley is able to make it work. The main character, Angie, has to deal with this multiple-personality disorder that she never knew about until after she returned from her abduction.

 I loved watching Angie's character grow as she began to slowly recollect and understand herself and her past. As a reader, I didn't particularly dislike or favor Angie, but I appreciated her and what she had to go through.

The downfall of this novel for me was the plot-pacing. The first half was absolutely riveting; I gripped my Kindle like no other and had to know who her kidnapper was, what exactly happened to her, etc. However, the last half just dragged on… And on... And ON. I don't even know how the book managed to keep going for 40%, since nothing really actually happened. There is a bit of a plot-shift, which caused me to lose interest after that. The last 10% picked up again, but the actual ending was a bit disappointing. My thoughts exactly: "That's… that's IT?"

So what's my overall thought? Pretty Girl- 13 is a better-than-decent read, for sure. It held my attention from the beginning, and although it dropped a bit towards the middle, the concept and main protagonist were a treat to learn about. If you're in for a read that is enthralling and haunting at the same time, I recommend you check out this uniquely different thriller!

3.5 Teacups for Pretty Girl- 13!

*Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy!*

Blog Tour: Stung Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway!

Hey everyone! Today is my stop in the Stung blog tour, hosted by The Book Paparazzi Blog Tours. Thank you ladies so much for allowing me to be a part of this awesome tour! Today I have my review of Stung, a guest post from Bethany Wiggins herself, and a giveaway to share with you all! Check out the rest of the tour here.

Jen's Review

Stung
by Bethany Wiggins

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release Date: April 2, 2013 (US)

Pages: 304, Hardcover

Source: For review via Netgalley/blog tour

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Of all things, Stung was definitely an interesting read to say the least. It wasn't jaw-dropping amazing, but it wasn't bored-to-tears awful, either. Pretty much somewhere in between. In my opinion, Stung was moderately creative, but also your typical post-apocalyptic story. The concept behind the reasoning for the chase and action is awesome: bees being extinct and a flu that turns humans into beasts. But the rest of the plot was a bit boring and vague itself. Up until the halfway point, I had no idea where this book was going. Everything was kind of hidden in that cryptic way and there was no explanation as to what was happening. It's a little annoying at first, to put it nicely. Thankfully, the plot picked up later on.

The plot for the second half was gripping and intense. The characters are constantly on the run from society. You all know those chase scenes are lovable and extremely awesome. I'm one of those people who highly enjoy these parts in the story, therefore my liking for this book increased. It kept me intrigued and wanting to know what happened next.

Now the characters are a curious thing in Stung, as was the romance. Since finishing the book, I am still not quite sure what to think about them. I didn't particularly connect with them on any emotional level; these characters were just kind of there. Fiona, the main protagonist, wakes up from a coma, so it was bit difficult to sympathize with her when she didn't really know what was going on half the time. And Bowen, the love interest, was your typical guy-- nothing special. Their romance can definitely be considered insta-lovey. I was not a fan of this, but I can see how their romance developed after trying to survive together for a week.

To sum up my thoughts, readers will enjoy Stung if they are a fan of post-apocalyptic stories with lots of action, chase scenes, and an addicting plot. While lacking in the character and romance department, Stung was enjoyable and can pass as a quick action-packed story.

3.5 Teacups for Stung!

*Thanks to the publisher and TBPBT for the review copy!*

Guest Post

My question for Bethany Wiggins:  How did the idea for Stung come about? (What was your inspiration?)

Inspiration is a funny thing! You never know when/where/how it will hit. The story of how STUNG came into existence is this:

The first was an early morning nightmare that woke me from a dead sleep (I usually don't wake up from nightmares, let alone remember them!). This nightmare was so vivid and riveting, I wrote it down and it became chapter one of STUNG. 

Also, I started writing STUNG at the time the swine flu scare was running rampant through the USA. I watched these crazy people on the news who were swarming the health departments, frantic to the point of violent to get the swine flu vaccine for their kids, and it made me wonder, "What if the government told us there is this huge flu to scare us into taking a vaccine that is really going to harm us?" 

Lastly, I remember getting a Discovery Magazine that talked about the decline of bees. And all of sudden, it was like a puzzle clicking into place. I had everything I needed to write a book. And that is the recipe for STUNG!

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HAPPY reading,
Jen xx

REVIEW: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Name: Shade

Author: Jeri Smith Ready

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: May 4, 2010 (US)

Pages: 320, Hardcover

Source: Online Audiobook Library

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart. Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Prior to starting Shade, the only thing that I had heard about it was "Amazing", or "one of a kind"--things along that line. What could I do? Of course I had to pick it up! I'm always up for a good ghost story, especially with romance involved. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it, but there was definitely a lot of things I could complain about, such as the love triangle and the characters themselves. However, I loved the plot and creativity of Shade. My conflicting thoughts for Shade equal out for it to be an overall good read.

As I mentioned before, there were definitely things I thoroughly liked in Shade; that is, the creative paranormal aspect, and the plot. Jeri Smith Ready takes the ghost creatures onto a whole new level. In Shade, only people born after the Shift can see the ghosts, and they can turn into Shades: bad ghosts. I thought that was totally original of Jeri and I really appreciated her for trying something new. Likewise, the plot was really fun to read about. I constantly wanted to know more and it keeps the reader entertained and captivated.

On the other hand, there were things that I think could have been better, like the romantic relationships and the characters. Throughout the entire novel, I never understood for a second WHY Aura was so in love with Logan, and vice-versa. There relationship together didn't work very well. It was very quarrelsome and I just did not like it. Moreover, the characters in general didn't stand out. They definitely weren't terrible, but they were just very mediocre. The only exception to that was Zachary, the third person in the love triangle; he was so patient and a gentleman, and he was very lovely.

As a result, Shade was an okay book: very entertaining, but had it's character flaws that derailed it's potential for an awesome ghost story. Still, if you're looking for an exciting, fresh ghost story, Shade would be a great pick!

Audiobook Review: The audio was pretty good for this one! It's acceptable; the only problem I had with the narrator was that she made the male characters (Logan) sound like a 5 year old. If you don't mind your 17 year old male protagonists sounding like a kindergartner, definitely check out the audio!

3.5 Teacups for Shade!

REVIEW: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Name: Remembrance

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: July 25,2011

Pages: 314, Paperback

Source: Received for review from author

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Being a huge Taylor Swift fan, I jumped at the chance to read a story that was inspired by her music video. I mean, how cool is that?! The plot sounded interesting, the cover was beautiful, and I'd just heard too many things about this book! That's a major MUST for me! I'm glad to say that it was definitely enjoyable, but unfortunately, there were those problems that definitely brought this book down a notch.

To start off with the enjoyable things, the book was really addicting, like really addicting. Maybe it was because of it's light, fluffy, easy nature, but I found myself speeding through this book because it was just pure fun to read about! I constantly wanted to know what happened next, even if it was a little predictable. Madow has a flowy way with words; the storyline was just very easy to get through! This was the main reason why I liked this book so much--YAY! However, the good stuff pretty much stopped there.

The concept of time-travel itself was really cool at first, but it kind of just fell off for awhile. Is the main genre of the book supposed to be time travel, or romance? The time travel was forgotten in the middle of the book. I was a little disappointed. Events started to get a little repetitive as the story progressed towards the middle, but it was still fun. Things just could have moved along a bit quicker!

The romance was also a little awkward-- awkward as in cliché. It wasn't TOO bad, but there was the whole "new guy moving into town, trying to stay away from the attractive/painfully mediocre girl, because it's dangerous" thing. I didn't mind it too much--I was still able to enjoy the story-- but it lacked a little bit of originality.

That being said, while Remembrance definitely had it's flaws, I'd say it's still a really entertaining read. I thoroughly adored it and will be continuing with the series! I can't wait to read more about this time-traveling romance. If you're in dire need of a cute, easy, romantic read, Remembrance would be a great pick!

3.5 Teacups for Remembrance!

*Thanks to Michelle Madow for providing me with a copy for review!*

REVIEW: Brave New Girl by Catherine Johnson

Name: Brave New Girl

Author: Catherine Johnson

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Date published: 3rd Nov 2011

Number of pages: 191

Source: Luisa Plaja

Rating: 3.5 stars

"I can make things happen - good things - I know it!" Seren is so full of brilliant ideas - it's just that she always seems to put her foot in it! First there was the dance routine where she fell off the stage. And now her plan to get her sister Sasha noticed by gorgeous Luke Beckford looks like it could backfire… Seren reckons she's just hopelessly accident-prone! But there's one person who believes in Seren. Her mate Keith is making a film for a national competition and he wants Seren to be in it. Could Seren turn out to be a star after all? This is a funny, big-hearted story with a lovable heroine who will make you laugh and cry.

I was quite hesitant to start reading Brave New Girl mainly because it's aimed at younger children.  But when I started it, I found myself actually enjoying it. 

Seren is a wonderful character who tries to make everything good for everyone but in doing so, she makes things worse.  She is kind and bubbly and desperate for everyone to see that she's just trying to help.  I felt quite sorry for her at times but I did laugh at some of the things she does!  She has the qualities where you just want to hug her and tell her that everything's okay.  And her best friend Keith is such a geeky, lovely person that I really warmed to him as well.  He sees Seren and her big-heartedness and stands by her as a true friend.

Apart from believable characters, the setting is perfect for this year.  It is set before the London Olympics and is a kind of sub-plot because it is intertwined throughout the novel and many of the characters are involved in it in some way.  It was a great read to get me in the sporting spirit!

Overall, I did enjoy this book but I would have loved it much more if I had read it as a younger child.  There are a few flaws here and there but I think that is only due to the fact that it is for a younger audience, and I loved the mention of White Rabbit Chinese sweets (they are so yummy!). Brave New Girl is a beautifully warm, hilarious book filled with family love, friendship and the Olympics! It would be perfect for little sisters or as a light read for yourself as I'm sure older teenagers would like it as well!

Happy reading!