Populazzi by Elise Allen

Populazzi

Cara has always dreamed of being a Populazzi, one of the popular crowd. But it’s not until she changes schools that she gets a shot at it, thanks to her best friend Claudia’s crazy plan. The idea is simple: The rungs of The Ladder are relationships. First get a boyfriend who's ranked low, then climb up through more boyfriends until you're not just one of the Populazzi, but the Supreme Populazzi. Yet what starts off as a fairy tale turns into a somewhat dark comedy of errors. Just when Cara reaches the top, her life hits rock bottom. She wonders why she wanted to be popular in the first place—and if there’s any way to live happily ever after now.

At First Sight:
I was expecting for this book to be very light, humorous, and entertaining, if maybe a little bit bland. The cover was cool and it looked more like a Tween novel than a YA one, to be honest. OH HOW WRONG I WAS.

My Thoughts:
So I sat down to read this book at the beach and was like, "Okay, I'll read 5% and then put it down," but I couldn't AT ALL. Cara's narration and just the whole idea of the book had me addicted. Archer was absolutely adorable and I liked his relationship with Cara much.

The whole high school clique thing was a bit too cliche for my tastes at some points but then the author would reel back in her characters and they would seem much more realistic. I expected this book to be very tweensy but I was extremely surprised that the book dealt with deeper issues such as bullying, drugs, and sex. Definitely not as light as I thought it would be.

The only thing I didn't love was that there was the parent plot line that didn't really get resolved at the end. It would have been interesting to see how Cara dealt with that but unfurtunately, we didn't get to see it here.

In one sentence:
"Definitely unexpected!"

Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Writing: 4
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 4
Average: 4.2

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Instructions For A Broken Heart
Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which Jessa learns she must figure out life-and romance-for herself.

Praise for Songs For A Teenage Nomad:

"A beautiful, lyrical read-I loved every last word of it!"
-Alyson Noël, New York Times bestselling author

At First Sight:
I was so excited to get this book on the mail because I absolutely loved Kim Culbertson's Songs For A Teenage Nomad. So when I actually got around to sitting down and reading it, I naturally devoured it. The cover is super cute and I couldn't wait to travel to Europe alongside Jessa.

My Thoughts:
I loved the fact that I was going to go travel with Jessa to a beautiful place. I have to say, I was also pretty smitten with her best guy friend. Not only does Jessa do really unthinkable things I won't spoil for you, but she learns a lot about herself, too. Plus, it gives us readers nice ideas for revenge ;)

However, as much as I enjoyed the overall plot, characters, and writing, there was something definitely missing. I kept waiting for that moment were I'd be like YES! GO JESSA! And although there were some memorable ones, the book felt like it was building a lot for an end with...nothing. It sort of left me a little blank. Sure, there's a nice surprise, but it's a surprise that should have been a little bit more emphasized, or, I don't know...climactic.

Overall, it's definitely a good book to read, funny at times and heartbreaking at others but in my opinion, I expected a lot more from Kim and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. This, however, will not stop me from checking her future titles.

In One Sentence:
"An okay read; fun at times yet lacking in the end."

Plot: 3
Characters: 4
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 3.5
Average: 4.1 stars

Are You Going To Kiss Me Now? Giveaway

High school junior Francesca Manning is an outsider, an aspiring writer and secret devourer of celebrity gossip mags. A fake essay to Seventeen wins her the celeb-schmoozing opportunity of a lifetime, but after the plane crashes, she's stranded on a desert island with five of the most clueless, self-involved headcases to escape Hollywood. Happily skewering their foibles in witty observations on her iPhone proves surprisingly educational for Francesca. The group must work together to survive-if they don't insult each other to death first.

Enter HERE
*Provided by Publisher
** Closes May 7th

Percieval's Angel by Anne Eliot Crompton

Percival's Angel

Lili, an apprentice of the Lady of the Lake, is the childhood friend of Percy, the boy who will become one of Arthur's greatest knights. But as they grow older, Lili begins to see their differences. She has otherworldly magic while he has the magic that lives within the Human Heart. Lili dreams of knowing human love while Percy dreams of finding the Holy Grail. Neither can succeed without the other.Once again Crompton weaves together nature, feminist perspective, and Arthurian legend for a tale that is sure to appeal to readers of all ages.Praise for Percival's Angel: "Crompton succeeds in incorporating the mysticism of medieval romance into her fantasy... This well-written fantasy can be compared to Katherine Paterson's Parzival." -Voya

At First Sight:
First I thought, a King Arthur retelling? I LOVE THAT! I really loved Meg Cabot's Avalon High and I was that type of book with this one. The cover's beautiful and the blurbs are pretty fantastic.

My Thoughts:
This will be a short review--and not in the very good way. But let's start with the positive. There were some parts of the book that entertained me enough to keep reading. Only a few, though. That was it.

Overall, this book has many aspects that I didn't like. The narration was weird and very unusual for me. It was more of a narration that you'd see in poems. Don't get me wrong, I love lyrical language but when the actual sentences of the paragraph turn into verse-like sentences it just doesn't work for me.

I didn't connect to any of the characters, to be honest. I didn't understand Percy's motivations or Lili's significance at all. I couldn't get into them. Most of the time they sounded distant and untouchable.

And the plot--well, there was really no real excitement to it. Maybe it's because I haven't ever heard of Percival's legend but to be honest, I didn't get it. And the whole fairy aspect just didn't work for me.

In one sentence:
"A rather empty book."

Plot: 2
Characters: 2
Cover: 4
Writing: 2
Overall Feeling: 2
Average: 2.4 stars

Interview: Holly Schindler

Holly Schindler is the writer of two successful YA novels, Playing Hurt and A Blue So Dark. In Playing Hurt, atar basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

We are lucky to have Holly Schindler here to visit us!

1. What are some key factors to remember in developing romantic relationships?

Let’s face it—the story of two people who meet, date, fall in love, and ride into the sunset with no hiccups whatsoever is just…dull. You need some drama—some reason the two can’t get together, something that tears the two apart.

But you know, in all honesty, developing the drama for my romance wasn’t really all that different than developing the drama for my debut, a literary novel—I mean, a literary novel is character-driven…But so is a romance novel, to a great extent.

2. Chelsea goes through a tragedy that stops her from following her dream or living to the fullest. What advice do you have for other people in that same situation?

Wow—what a question! I think that the worst thing you can do is continue to focus on the tragedy. That’s not to say you shouldn’t mourn the loss of something you loved. But you’ve also got to keep moving forward, too…

I never had a life-altering injury, but along the way, as I sought a publishing deal, I had all these, “This is it!” moments, where an agent or editor would express interest in one of my manuscripts, and I’d feel certain that I was finally going to break in…Only to have the deal completely fall apart last-minute.

It can be devastating to go through a near-miss like that. But you really do have to dust yourself off and take another step forward. You’ve got to figure out how to reinvent what you’ve got and keep going. That’s what Chelsea realized she had to do at the end of PLAYING HURT—figure out how to reinvent her life, keeping sports in it.

3. First a literary novel, now a romance novel. Is there any other genre you’d like to try? What genres would you stay away from?



I’m always working on a new novel—and, yes, I’ve written other work in other genres that I’m actively trying to place. There’s probably no genre I’d count out. In that respect, I’m constantly surprising myself. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d write a novel about a couple of athletes, I’d had said you were crazy. I’m NO athlete—I’m a complete klutz.

4. What other projects are you working on now? Can we expect more novels from you anytime soon?



The sooner the better, I say! Yes—my next novel will be released in 2012, with Dial. And—how’s this for yet another new genre?—it’ll be my first middle grade novel.

Thanks Holly for stopping by. I have to say, one of my friends is currently reading both of your books and I can't wait until she gets back to me on what she thinks! Here's a list of links you can use to find and contact her:

HollySchindler.com
Twitter @holly_schindler
Blog