Book Review: Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: Take a Bow
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Series: Stands Alone
Publisher: Point
Released: April 1, 2012
Source: ARC from Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Website: http://www.elizabetheulberg.com/

Book Summary:

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

Take a Bow is told from 4 different points of view.  Emme, Sophie, Ethan and Carter alternate the narrating of the story.  They are attending a prestigious New York performing arts school together. There are also some wonderful secondary characters written into this story who you can't help but love or hate. 

This was a fast paced one sitting read for me, once I started I didn't stop.  This is my 3rd Elizabeth Eulberg book and I'll definitely be reading her next book as well.  I like her characters, like her writing style, I like her story-lines.  Take a Bow deserves a round of applause!

Rating: 4.5 Stars - Highly Recommend

Source: ARC from Publisher

Content: a swear word or two, a comment on getting in someone's pants but otherwise clean.

Book Review: Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

Title: Thou Shalt Not Road Trip 
Author: Antony John 
Series: None 
Publisher: Dial Books 
Released: April 12, 2012 
Website: http://antonyjohn.net/


Book Summary: 

Sixteen-year-old Luke Dorsey is sent on a cross-country tour to promote his bestselling spiritual self-help guide accompanied by his agnostic older brother and former girlfriend, Fran, from whom he learns some things about salvation.

It's been a full six months since I read an ARC of Thou Shalt Not. I didn't write a review at the time which is not the smartest thing to have done. However after six months I still remember the story line and characters from this book which is saying something.

 Antony John's last book, Five Flavors of Dumb, was a big hit with me so I was excited to have a chance to read an early ARC of Thou Shalt Not. I've been on a similar Road Trip when I graduated from High School. My trip was seven weeks long and took a little different path than the road trip in this book but our paths crossed many times along the way. It was fun to hear so many great places I visited years ago described.

There are some Christian undertones to this book which of course is no issue for me.  I found Thou Shalt Not to be well written and very entertaining.  Another great book from Antony John!

 

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: I didn't take any notes and I read this 6 months ago. I remember some language and innuendo. Sorry!

Source: The Teen Book Scene ARC Tour

For all the tour stops visit:

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: None but there are companion novels
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Released: December 2, 2010
Website: http://www.stephanieperkins.com/

Book Summary:

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 Etienne St. Clair: 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.

I so enjoyed reading this one....or I guess I should say listening to this one since I listened to the audiobook.  Usually I get a lot done while I'm listening to an audios... laundry, dishes, errands, etc.  But that did not happen with this book.  I kept finding myself sitting down, getting nothing accomplished, with a silly grin on my face, totally lost in the story.

Full of laughs, romance, and drama this book was a fun read. Anna and the French Kiss was one of those books that I didn't want to put down. I could have done without the F word but otherwise found this to be a fantastic book.

Rating: 5 Stars - I loved it.

Content: Some language including a half dozen uses of the F word. References to sex, some crude comments, teen drinking but nothing is overly graphic or described in detail.

Source: Download from Overdrive


Also by Stephanie Perkins:

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay #2
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Released: April 5, 2011
Website: http://www.gayleforman.com/


Book Summary:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

If I Stay felt like a stand alone book when I read it. It didn't need a sequel, so I was surprised when there was one. Where She Went takes place three years after If I Stay ended. It's similar to If I Stay in the way it is told, we learn what has happened to Adam and Mia through flashbacks of the last three year. However this one is told from Adam's perspective and a lot has changed for Adam in the past three years.

Despite the fact that there was a lot of language and some other content in this book I wish wasn't there, Where She Went was a book I couldn't put down. I was engrossed in the story from the first page to the last. Beautifully written and heartbreaking, I could feel both Adam's & Mia's pain as the last three years of their lives unfolded in this story. So well done!  I loved this story.

Rating: 5 Stars - I loved it.

Content: Lots of it, explicit langauge - (I quit tallying F words but at least a dozen of them), sex talk and implied sex. Adam is living the life of a popular rock star and has everything that comes with that lifestyle.

Source: Dowloaded from Overdrive

Book Review: In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

Title: In Too Deep
Author: Amanda Grace
Series: None
Publisher: Flux
Released: February 8, 2012
Website: http://www.mandyhubbard.com/

Book Summary:

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Wellesley. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That's how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone's on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger--forcing me to make a terrible choice.

In Too Deep is a book I didn't want to put down and stayed up until 2 am to finish. When I took a break from reading I couldn't help but think about the storyline and wonder just how Sam was going to get herself out of the mess she was in and what the consequences would be. Thus I was drawn back to the book and stayed up to finish.

Overall I was pleased with this book. The story sucked me in and I like the way the author writes. I could relate to the characters and was grateful this book showed that there were consequences for the choices that were made.

The only thing I could have done without was the language. I'm not a fan of language in books especially the F word.

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Books

Source: ARC Tour

Content: Language including at least a half dozen uses of the F word.



Also by Amanda Grace


By Mandy Hubbard

Book Review: The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

Title: The Anti-Prom
Author: Abby McDonald
Series: None
Publisher: Candlewick
Released: March 8, 2011
Website: http://www.abbymcdonald.com/


Book Summary:

Three unlikely allies team up for a night of rebellion, romance, and revenge in a high-stakes dramedy from acclaimed young author Abby McDonald.

They’ve spent years at the same high school without speaking a word to one another, but that’s all about to change. Popular Bliss was having the perfect prom until she found her BFF and boyfriend making out in the back of a limo. Bad girl Jolene wouldn’t be caught dead at the prom, yet here she is, trussed up in pink ruffles, risking her reputation for some guy - some guy who is forty minutes late. And shy, studious, über-planner Meg never counted on her date’s standing her up and leaving her idling in the parking lot outside the prom. Get ready for The Anti-Prom, Abby McDonald’s hilarious, heart-tugging tale about three girls and one unforgettable prom night.

Under usual circumstances this is a book I would have put down after reading the first couple of chapters, but circumstances were not normal.  This was the only audio book I had with me at work and I had a mundane task to complete so I just kept listening.  By the time work was done I was nearly half way through the book and then kept listening because I wanted to know how everything turned out.

The first half of the book was just ok, it was entertaining but I really didn't care about the characters and found it to be a little far-fetched and cheesy. However it held my interest enough to continue to the end and I did like the ending. So its rating went from a "not my kind of book" or "wouldn't recommend" to a "take it or leave it" kind of read by the end. There really isn't much more I have to say other than if it looks like something you might enjoy perhaps you should check out a few other reviews to see what others thought about it since it really wasn't my cup of tea.

Rating: 2.5 Stars - Take it or Leave it

Content: Too much for my liking. Lots of language including a couple uses of the F word, talk and descriptions of everything that goes with a stereotypical prom, after parties & frat parties.

Source: Library

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: None but read Anna and the French Kiss first
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Released: September 29, 2011
Website: http://www.stephanieperkins.com/


Book Summary:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

First off I should have read Anna and the French Kiss before reading this one. Lola and the Boy Next Door is not a sequel but a "companion" novel. It takes place after Anna and the French Kiss. Anna and St. Clair play a minor role in this story but obviously I now know how their story ended without having read their book.  Having enjoyed Lola I'll be going back and reading Anna and the French Kiss ASAP.

Lola and the Boy Next Door was one of those feel good, make you smile, read in a day kind of books. I loved the quirky characters in this story. Cricket was by far my favorite, he is just so sweet. I'm a succor for the boy next door turns into much more than a friend story line.

I'm not a fan of sex in young adult books. However if it is going to be there I wish it were always written the way it was in this book. It was done without the blow by blow details. Statements such as I lost my virginity on my seventeenth birthday work for me. I know it happened but I don't have to skip paragraphs or pages as every step is detailed. Of course there is still the issue that Lola was just 16/17 and her boyfriend was 22. I wasn't a fan of Max and appreciated Lola's parent's concerns and attempts to monitor and limit Lola's interactions with him.  I don't usually enjoy reading about gay characters but I loved Lola's parents.

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: Some language including a couple F words, there is sex but it's never graphic or described in any details, just things like - on my birthday I lost my virginity or I put my shirt back on, a few crude comments and some innuendo, Lola's parents are 2 gay men.

Source: Download from Overdrive

Book Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Series: None
Publisher: Scholastic
Released: May 24, 2011
Website: http://libbabray.com/

Book Summary

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

First off this is only a partial review because I didn't finish this book. I only made it through the first 7 chapters of Beauty Queens.

This book is irreverent, sarcastic and laugh out-loud funny. It was great fun for an hour or two as the narrator of the audio version gives an amazing preformance.

Unfortunately I don't think I can make it through 400 pages (14 hours) of mockery, shallowness and sheer stupidity. By chapter seven the language that up until then had been bleeped out (Beauty Queens don't swear) was no longer being bleeped and it seemed like the subject matter was taking a turn. What had been funny was starting to get old and instead of laughing I was rolling my eyes.

Beauty Queens was a Best of 2011 pick by one of the Best I've Read Blogs so I gave it a try.  There are many people who love this book and I totally understand the mixed reviews. There is no denying that Libba Bray is a great writer. I really enjoyed her Gemma Doyle trilogy but 400 pages of Beauty Queens was just too much for me.

Rating: 2.5 Stars - Take it or Leave it

Content: language, lesbianism, innuendo, crude humor (after reading a few reviews my understanding is there is a lot more content in later chapters)

Source: Library

Also by Libba Bray

Book Review: Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler

Title: Girls Don't Fly
Author: Kristen Chandler
Series: None
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Released: October 13, 2011
Website: http://www.krischandlerstories.com/

Book Summary:

Myra is used to keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She's got four younger brothers, overworked parents, and a pregnant older sister, and if Myra wasn't there to take care of everyone, they'd probably fall apart. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, Myra feels like she's lost her footing. Suddenly she's doing things she never would've a few months earlier: quitting her job, applying for a scholarship to study birds in the Galapogos, and falling for a guy who's encouraging her to leap from her old life . . . and fly.

Set in the Salt Lake City area, Girls Don't Fly is full of intelligence, humor, and is a refreshing change of pace for teen readers.

I thought Myra was a character who was easy to relate to. Her story rang true and reminded me of many of the feelings, doubts and insecurities I remember having in high school. The story was a cute, quirky coming of age, contemporary family drama.

Set outside Salt Lake City, UT and written by an LDS author I expected this to be LDS fiction but it was not. This could have been a book set in any town, anywhere. Other than a mention or two of the religious kids who went to church on Sunday there was no mention of anything about Mormons in this book.

Each chapter begins with a tidbit of knowledge about birds that ties into that chapter.  Very clever.

Girls Don't Fly was an enjoyable, quick read.

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: Some language

Source: Review Copy

Also by Kristen Chandler:

Book Review: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Author: Melissa Jensen
Series: None
Publisher: Speak
Released: February 16, 2012
Website: http://www.melissajensen.com/

Book Summary:

Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy.

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

I loved the way this book was written, it was quite witty. It starts off with Ella sharing her undying love for Edward Willing. The only problem with this is that he died...long ago, as in years before Ella was even born. Through the course of the book she has many an interesting conversations with her idol Edward. If only she could find someone alive who could live up to Edward. Of course there is always her crush Alex Bainbridge, but he's a "Philitte" who will likely never notice her.

Ella and her friends Sadie & Frankie attended Willing School where they are at the bottom of the social ladder. Sadie has money but has a less than perfect body, Frankie is gay and Ella is a scholarship student with a scarred body. This leaves the three of them nearly invisible among the many elite students (Philittes) who attend Willing. At least they have each other and their close friendship with many a game of Truth or Dare.

When Alex is assigned to be Ella's French tutor Ella finally has a chance to be noticed by Alex.

I loved the first couple chapters but then found it really slow going for a while. It picked up again by mid book and I enjoyed the story.  I ended up really liking many of the characters: Sadie, Ella & especially Alex.  I liked Frankie too but I just don't enjoy reading about same-sex relationships and was a little turned off by how often his relationships were mentioned.

Full of many great quotes and laughs I'm sure this will be a hit with those who enjoy contemporary young adult literature.

Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Content: a little language include 1 use of the f word, one of the main characters is gay so there many conversations about who he was dating/liked, one of the characters makes crude comments to and about Ella, a scene where a shirt is removed but done to show a scar, etc.

Source: ARC Tours set up by The Teen Book Scene

Also by Melissa Jensen:

Book Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Title: If I Tell
Author: Janet Gurtler
Release Date: October 1, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

Janet Gurtler is a phenomenal writer of Young Adult contemporary fiction.  Her book I'm Not Her was a very realistic portrayal of life with cancer.  If I Tell delves into so many topics it almost sounds like a soap opera: teen pregnancy, homosexuality, biracial issues, depression, betrayal, teen drinking & drugs, romance, secrets... However the novel is not soap opera like at all, it has a very realistic feel to it.

The characters are quirky, likable and easy to relate to in this coming of age story. Valuable lessons about trust, choices and rising above difficulties are taught. The subjects dealt with in this book are not light and fluffy but I didn't find anything to be over descriptive.

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: a little bit of just about everything but not enough of anything to make me quit reading.