Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas

Very Brief Summary

Chloe drew the short straw to work on Christmas Eve at GoodFoods Market.  The presence of her crush, Tyson, is a slight silver lining, but considering she can barely speak coherent sentences to him it’s not enough.  All her co-workers are very different so she doesn’t have any friends at work.  To add insult to injury, when the charity money the store has been collecting for a month is stolen, Chloe and her co-workers are accused of the crime.

The Good

Top 10 lists – Chloe writes top 10 lists for everything – Top 10 things she likes about Tyson, Top 10 Worst Mom Phrases, etc.  I’m a sucker for Top 10 lists.

Diverse Cast – The characters are diverse and amazing.  Liz Czukas found the perfect way to give each character depth and a backstory in a pretty standard length novel.  At the beginning of the book, none of the characters interact much.  Several of them dislike each other based on stereotypes and misunderstandings.  By the end of the book you can see genuine friendships between Chloe, Tyson, Gabe, Zaina, Micah, and Sammi.  Possibly even a romance down the line.

Minimal Angst / Not Romance focused – Chloe isn’t overwrought.  She’s self conscious like most teenagers, but doesn’t take it overboard and that makes reading this a pleasant experience.  I also loved that while we know right away that Chloe has a crush on Tyson, that relationship is not a focus of the book.  She gets to know him just like she gets to know the rest of her coworkers. 

The Bad

Not so Mysterious – I was fairly certain almost immediately who stole the charity money and absolutely certain by the midpoint of the book.  It wasn’t that big of a deal for me, because the mystery wasn’t the focal point of the novel for me.  I cared way more about the interaction between Chloe, Tyson, Gabe, Zaina, Micah, and Sammi than the mystery.

The Results

A really fun book that made me immediately add Czukas’ other book to my TBR.  I can see myself re-reading this down the line.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

 

Title:                  The Royal We
Author:             Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Publisher:         Grand Central Publishing
Pages:                454
Publication:     April 2015
Book Source:   Library 
Recommend:   Yes

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

 

For the first time in her life Bex makes a decision that separates her from her twin sister Lacey - a year studying abroad at Oxford. Lacey has always been the academic overachiever, but Bex’s primary motivation is the opportunity to draw European architecture. The first student Bex meets when she arrives is Nick. He helps her with her bags, she makes an inappropriate joke about royalty. Then her roommate informs her that Nick is royalty. Specifically second in line to the throne after his father.

There are obviously similarities to Prince William and Kate, but The Royal We definitely stands as it’s own story. I was definitely skeptical about this novel when I first heard about it – it just seemed a little too cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I laughed a LOT and cried. Nothing about the story was easy; no instalove, the relationship built naturally and had all the challenges you would expect (and some you could possibly predict) in this situation. Nick and Bex were both likeable enough, but realistically flawed – they didn’t always make the best decisions, but I always felt like they loved each other.

The secondary characters all get plenty of depth and character traits. As absolutely frustrating as I found Lacey, looking at the situation from her side I could understand where she was coming from – not that excuses her behavior. Nick’s younger brother, Freddie, is great comedic relief, but you get to see glimpses of vulnerability and insecurity stemming from his role as “the spare”. I adored Bex’s dad, he was so genuine and supportive.

I’m a little torn over the end of the novel – it didn’t end fully happily ever after and while I liked the relationship challenges mid book I think I would have enjoyed a cleaner ending, but I think the way it ended absolutely fit the story.

Mini Reviews–Comedy Memoirs

Yes Please written and read by Amy Poehler

I dare you to read this book and not want to be Amy’s friend when you’re finished. In addition to being funny and surprisingly insightful, Yes Please highlights Amy’s warmth as a person.  You can tell how much she cares about everyone who comes into her life.

She tells funny stories, shares wonderful insights

“It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for.”

and gives what I feel is very good advice.

“Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that- that's what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself”

Amy is self deprecating, but also incredibly confident and I was so drawn to that the entire time I was listening.  She discusses situations in her life that have been hard and she also talks about one in particular that she’s ashamed of and the security I think it takes to tell those stories to the world is enviable.

I loved the book and the narration.

 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me written and read by Mindy Kaling

I’ve listened to quite a few memoirs by comedians at this point, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I had a lot in common with the writer.  Mindy’s a reader and I loved her insights on friendship – see chapter “Best Friend Rights and Responsibilities”.  Plus at 5’10” I’m evidently the perfect height to be her friend.

“After all these years with friends who are five ten or taller, I have come to carry myself with the confidence of a tall person. It’s all in the head. It works out.”

Mindy and her roommate put together a two person play entitled “Matt and Ben” that they actually performed on stage and I SO wish I could have seen it because just hearing about it made me laugh.

I will admit the last third of the book was a little scattered.  Like Mindy had run out of memoir material and it got random, but I was still entertained.

Overall wonderful book and Mindy’s narration definitely made it better.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Another library book 
Very Brief Summary
It’s 1977 and Lydia, the daughter of an interracial couple (Chinese and American) is found drowned at the bottom of the town lake. The book starts with her disappearance and then intersperses flashbacks to when her parents met, to her mother’s abandonment a decade earlier, and finally to Lydia herself in the months prior to her death and we discover what happened.

The Good
Well Written – That’s almost an understatement.  The writing is gorgeous. I could see and feel everything the characters did.  Celeste Ng does did an amazing job of putting me into the head of every character.

Three Dimensional Characters – My heart broke for every character. With the exception of Hannah (the youngest) they all had secrets that lead to Lydia’s untimely death.  Each were flawed but trying. I cared deeply for James, Marilyn, Nath, Lydia, and Hannah.

Relationship Baggage – While frustrating, this novel clearly illustrated how much each character’s personal baggage affected how they related and communicated with each other.  None of it felt insincere (like a misunderstanding plot device). Everything they withhold from each other is due to totally believable insecurities developed during their formative years. 

The Bad
Slow Start – This only a note from my personal reading experience.  I started this on the day it was due back at the library.  There were only 22 people waiting to read it so no pressure.  Since the beginning of the book starts with Lydia’s disappearance and death and so much of the story requires understanding each character’s background story, it took me awhile to get into it.  I wish I had started it without the time crunch.  I almost gave up 72 pages in, but by halfway through I could not put it down.

The Results
I wish I was still in a book club because I’d love to discuss this book. I don’t think this is a likely re-read; there’s just too much grief, but I think it will stick with me with the single read.

Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Another library book 

Very Brief Summary

Simon is being blackmailed. He carelessly left his email open on a school computer – the email address he’s been using to communicate with a gay classmate, screen named Blue.  Simon doesn’t know Blue’s real name, but he’s very afraid that if he doesn’t help the blackmailer get the girl (one of Simon’s good friends) he’ll post the screen shots to the school’s Tumbl account.

The Good

Funny Protagonist – Simon’s interesting.  He’s active in the school musical, he hangs out with his friends, and is close to his family.  I enjoyed Simon’s thoughts on how being a teenager is a constant series of “coming outs” that have nothing to do with being gay.  What his interests are, who he’s friends with are all treated as EVENTS by his parents

Family Dynamics – I love, Love, LOVE Simon’s family. His parents are actively involved in his life. Simon has almost zero fear of coming out to his family.  He trusts that they will still love and accept him; his hesitation is that he can’t un-come out and he’s not ready for them to make a big deal of it.  He’s close to his sisters – they bicker, but also support each other.

The Love Interest – I knew about half way through who Blue was, but Simon doesn’t find out until shortly before the end of the book, but I adore Blue.  I love Blue and Simon together.  Once they meet they are definitely a couple but they’ve been talking anonymously for months before they meet so they know each other pretty well already.  

The Bad

I Got Nothing

The Results

When I have nothing to say in “The Bad” section it’s probably a winner.  I loved this book.  

Lies I Told by Michelle Zink

Another library book 

Very Brief Summary

After four foster homes Grace was thrilled to be adopted and have a family.  Okay so she was adopted into a family of grifters and making new friends and lying to them is starting to wear on her.  But she has a Mom and Dad and an older adopted brother to look out for her.

The latest situation feels different.  Grace makes real friends at school and actually really likes that boy she’s suppose to get close to as a target.

The Good

Non Romantic Relationship – I enjoyed the relationship between Grace and Parker, her brother.  They viewed their adopted situations differently – Grace naïvely accepts her adoptive parents con artists ways because she really wants a family whereas Parker recognizes the manipulation, but sticks around for Grace. 

The Nemesis – The school’s queen bee Rachel doesn’t warm to Grace and at first when reading she comes across as the one dimensional mean girl who doesn’t like the new girl, but there is more to her than that – she’s protective of her friends and not purely from a jealously standpoint.

The Bad

Not Standalone – I had a hard enough time getting to the end of this one with all the lying to friends and manipulative parents.  I seriously sped read the last 100 pages or so just to find out what happens only to have it end very abruptly without any resolution at all.  I can’t figure out if the reason I’m not going to read the follow-up is because I don’t care enough or because I’m so totally annoyed by the non-ending.  Probably both.

The Results

Overall there were some good elements and I cared enough to finish. But I didn’t enjoy the last third of the book and don’t plan to read the sequel.

99 Days by Katie Cotugno

I requested it at the library the first time I heard about it.  My turn came up last week. 

Very Brief Summary
Molly messed up pretty big.  Love triangle between brothers big.  When people at school found out and the bullying started her solution was to run to boarding school. Now she’s back for the summer, exactly 99 days until college starts and since she can’t run for the time being her plan is to hide out.
It turns out hiding isn’t in the cards and Molly stumbles into a job, a couple of friends, and back into the arms of Gabe (older brother).

The Good
A flawed heroine – I’m torn about whether to put Molly in the Good or Bad category.  She’s just…frustrating. I chose good, because I like flawed characters in novels.  Too often female characters are expected to be good and are judged way more harshly then their flawed male counterparts – a point that is made in the book.  When I look back on the reading experience I realize that Molly is 18 and just doesn’t know who she is.  She’s not purposely playing the brothers – she’s just stagnant – not choosing because she’s afraid.

Great female secondary characters – Imogen, Tess and even Julia are given depth even if they are briefly in the novel.  I thought Julia was going to be a classic bully, but the author does a really good job of giving you her side; not justifying the behavior but giving it context.

The Bad
Molly’s mother – I have two huge parental no-no’s that are chronic in YA novels. First, publicizing anything that your child told you privately.  I think this is going to get more and more common with children growing up with their parents on social media.  Second, parents trivializing their teen’s feelings.  I know it can be tempting because there is so much drama and angst associated with it, but that is because they genuinely feel that level of angst.  Minimizing it doesn’t help it makes them not feel heard.  Anyway Molly’s mother is the one who publicized the issue that resulted in the bullying and then in the first 4 pages of the novel proceeds to trivialize the trauma her daughter has faced because of it.  I was so seriously pissed.

The Results
I had strong feelings about 99 Days both good and bad.  That can make for a difficult read, but it’s not one I’ll forget anytime soon and I really want other people to read it so we can talk about it. 

For those who like star ratings – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Daughter of the Forest

Juliet Marillier

400 pgs, Tor Books, May 2000

 

 

 

 

Sorcha is the youngest of seven and the only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters.  Her mother died right after she was born so she has been raised mostly by her older brothers – wonderful brothers who do everything in their power to protect her and make sure she is content. Pretty much the only unhappiness in Sorcha’s young life is that her father barely acknowledges her.  He seems to only have a use for the sons who are interested in fighting the battles to maintain their land.

When Sorcha is 12 her father brings home a new wife – who immediately puts Sorcha and most of her brother’s ill at ease. Their unease is justified when the step mother casts a terrible spell that transforms Sorcha’s brothers into swans. The Queen of the Forest gives Sorcha a task she can complete to reverse the spell on her brothers, but it will be emotionally and physically painful. She much complete this task in silence and never communicate in any way WHY she is doing this task that seems mad.

At first Sorcha works to complete her task in isolation only seeing people during the 2 nights a year her brothers return in human form. After a personal tragedy, Sorcha finds herself kidnapped/under the protection of her father’s enemies and taken far from home.  For the first time she struggles between love and desire to save her brothers.

Daughter of the Forest takes a little while to really get into. The author take her time making sure the reader not only knows Sorcha well, but also have a very good understanding of each of her brothers. Time is also spent world building so the reader feels the magic of the forest and the sea.

Her brothers are all interesting in their own right – the payoff for the slow buildup at the beginning of the book. I love how protective they are of their sister and how hard it is for them to watch her struggle for their benefit during the curse.  They also drive me a little crazy when they make decisions for her after she has proven herself more than capable.

I did enjoy reading the first slower section of the book, but once the spell is cast the story does speed up. Sorcha’s an amazing heroine. Steadfast and strong, while also showing vulnerability.  She’s smart, caring, patient and talented. She immediately tackles the daunting task given to her by the Fair Folk and stays determinedly on it with one small exception. 

Even when kidnapped and taken far from home she immediately starts planning how to complete her task in unfamiliar territory. Adding to the challenge are confusing feeling for her kidnapper, Red.  Kidnapper is really a fair term for Red.  When Sorcha first met Red he was pulling her from water to save her from drowning.  She was undernourished and refused to speak. By the time they returned to his home she was following willingly.

Feelings develop between Red and Sorcha, but these are confused by the many obstacles between them.  Red’s brother disappeared near Sorcha’s lands, and Red’s people don’t like or trust Sorcha.  Her main priority is her brothers, but despite all this they grow closer. 

My biggest complaint is not a failure of the book – it’s a personal reading quirk. I struggle with foreshadowing.  My reaction to foreshadowing is to want to skip ahead any miss the sad/scary/bad stuff.  I’d rather just be surprised.

Overall I loved this book and I’m so happy Elizabeth recommended it!

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

I found this on a list of the best books coming out this year and recently my hold came up at the library.  I don’t want to give away too much plot but Aysel has an infamous father and is a social pariah at school.  She struggles to relate to her mother and has decided she wants to end her life.  Her biggest concern is that she’s attempt suicide and be unsuccessful.  Enter FrozenRobot (Roman), a boy she meets on a website for suicide partners.

The Good

Physics/Math – I’m a math nerd. So I loved that physics and math are important to Aysel.  It’s how she sorts through her life and what causes her the most questions about her suicidal intentions.

Well built story - There’s no info dump.  The author does a beautiful job of alluding to Aysel’s past and what happened with her father, giving pieces so it’s always on your mind.  I really wanted to know what happened in the past but was interested enough in the present to continue reading without skimming to find out what happened.

Opposites Attract – Aysel might be a little stereotypical of what we think a depressed teenager looks/acts like, but Roman isn’t.  Until a year ago, he was a popular athlete.  Even though he’s not participating anymore the people around him still care and are concerned.

The Bad
I got nothing – I’m not saying it’s a perfect book, but there are no clear flaws for me.  It took me three weeks to complete this review trying to find something to criticize and decided to throw in the towel.

The Results
Really, really good, possibly excellent.  It’s on my list of books to purchase for reread.
For those who like star ratings – 4 out of 5 stars

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

This was an impulsive library pickup.  I vaguely remember seeing it on blogs last year, but nothing specific.

The Good
Great Concept – Chloe (or Bonnie^TM ) Baker grew up on a reality TV show.  From birth to age 13 she lived on camera.  It’s well executed to show how not real reality television is from all of Bonnie’s clothing on the show being selected by someone else, to reshooting certain scenes for product placement.

Sibling relationship/friendships -  I enjoyed Chloe’s relationship with her brother Benton (Benny).  Most of her siblings don’t get much time in the book (there are 12 of them), but Chloe and Benny and fun together and supportive when they both really need some emotional support due to the show.  The friends Chloe made at school during the year before the show went back on the air are supportive when I REALLY needed her to have some.

The Bad
One dimensional villains – It’s hard imagine a mother being as insensitive her daughter’s emotional trauma as Beth seems to be.  And the show’s producer Chuck is evil.  Neither of these are deal killers for the book because they are both totally possible – just unbelievably frustrating.

The Results
This was an entertaining, fun read.  I don’t want to give away much of the plot so I didn’t say much but this was definitely an enjoyable quick read.
For those who like star ratings – 3.5 out of 5 stars