Young Adult Fiction Review June 2013

Here's the way my young adult reviews are going to work. Every few weeks I will go to my library and check out five books at random that are shelved under "New Young Adult Books" I use the term "at random" loosely because the books have to fit some basic requirements like no vampires, no fantasy, no werewolves, no anything remotely Twilight-y. There are plenty of other blogs that cover those books if that is what you are interested in. I am going to review the books in three basic categories- plot, character, and satisfaction (which basically means how enjoyable a read it was) I'm going to try to keep these reviews on the simple side since I feel like I've made some of my other reviews unnecessarily complicated.

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

Characters: 1.5 I found the main character Kate to be a refreshing change from the girls I see on the reality shows that have engaged in every vice known to man. But I also found her judgmental and hypocritical. If she hadn't met Matt and encountered temptation herself, part of me doubts she ever would have changed. Plus, she was all over the place- one minute she's condemning boys and girls for sleeping in the same room and the next she's inviting Matt to sleep over. Her past characters (Parker and Jordan) seemed alot more interesting and a big part of me wishes I had chose read those instead.

Plot: 2 Extremely predictable. The book started out on an interesting note (an extremely religious girl had just helped her best friend get an abortion) but then it spiraled into the usual girl-meets-boy same ole same ole. I wish authors would do their homework and read some other books to make sure that the story they are writing hadn't been told already in about twenty other books. 

Satisfaction: 2 The book had its merits but it was also really cliche and predictable (it is very challenging to write a realistic fiction book that isn't especially a book about the summer but some books do pull it off. However, this was not one of them) However it proved to be a lighthearted book while dealing with some tough issues (religion, abortion). The best part about the book was probably it's ability to juggle the light and the heavy.

Conclusion: If you don't like books with religious overtones or cliches then this book definitely isn't for you. If you like realistic fiction about summer camp or the classic should I lose my virginity now or later debate, then you might enjoy this book. It isn't one of my favorites though and to be honest I will probably forget about it soon since ultimately I found it to be kind of forgettable. 

Overall Rating: 6.5/15

The Look by Sophia Bennett

Characters: 3.5 The book revolves around gangly 15 year old  Ted (short for Edwina) and her gorgeous older sister Ava. But the book is about more than a younger sister envying her glamorous older sister. Because when Ava gets diagnosed with cancer and Ted gets recruited by a modeling agency. Both of these characters were likable and had a lot of depth. I liked both sisters in this book and their interactions in the book but my favorite character was Nightmare Boy. Nothing is more attractive than a boy with mystery.

Plot: 3 Cancer and modeling? An interesting mix. Combine that with the usual high school crap(being picked on for the way you look, having other girls jealous of you) and the theme of finding yourself and you have yourself an intriguing read. 

Satisfaction: 3 This book had potential to become cliche but managed to avoid it. I totally saw the ending coming but there were several plot twists along the way that I didn't. Ted's humorous tone really moved the book along and made it read more like a conversation and less like a novel. 

Conclusion: Another book that manages to balance the light and the heavy. It also manages to cover the issue of being true to yourself without becoming overly corny. I recommend this book for people who want a laid back book that is about more than clothes and parties and guys. 

Overall Rating: 9.5/15

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

I've been eagerly anticipating this book for months now. When your hopes are that high disappointment is inevitable.I honestly wasn't too impressed by this book- I just didn't find it as powerful or engaging as her earlier works. Of course those are high standards to live up to. 

Plot: 2.5 This book deviates from Dessen's usual boy meets girl-boy changes girls life story line. In this case the girl (Emaline) already has a boy (Luke) when Theo comes into the picture. And even though there are two boys in this story, it is less about the romance and more about the girls relationship with her father and her mother. I know that was what some people liked about the book but I honestly felt that it was lacking and that sometimes the pace of the novel was somewhat on the slow side.

Characters: 2 I also think another reason I didn't like this book as much as her others is that I didn't really have a connection with any of the characters. In the Truth About Forever, I enjoyed the catering crew. In This Lullaby, I was amused by Dexter's band. In Along for the Ride, I was happy to get to know the girls from Clementines. But in this book it was too much about Emaline and her family and they weren't even all that interesting. Also I got excited reading the blurb because mysterious new boys are always attractive. But not only did I not find Theo attractive, I just found him somewhat annoying (and a bit inconsistent. Was he that irritating to begin with or did he get worse further on into the novel?) Finally, I can't say that I've liked every one of Dessen's protagonists but I usually understood their motives and sympathized with them. In this case, I found Emaline kind of confusing and not all that interesting. She just seemed kind of bland and unlike Dessens other books this one seemed more plot driven than character driven.

Satisfaction: 2.5 It was a Sarah Dessen book so of course it's going to score above a 2. Not to mention that it did have it's merits (No Sarah Dessen book could ever be bad) This book is living proof that Dessen writes well enough to salvage a book with a limping plot and a somewhat awkward cast of characters:
Conclusion: I recommend this book for only hard core Dessen fans. If you are new to Dessen, plllleasse don't read this book- there are better options. Nevertheless, I will keep my eyes peeled for her next book and let you all know what I think.

Overall Rating: 7/15

The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik

Note: This book is loosely based on Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Except I never actually read Mansfield Park so I can't say how it stacked up. 

Characters: 4 This book had a large cast of characters (pun intended. And it's a pun because the story takes place at a summer acting program) which some people might find distracting or confusing but I loved it. Keeping track of multiple characters is one of my favorite things to do when reading a book (and no that is not sarcasm. I actually enjoy it) Unless they have long complicated names and I tend to confuse them with each other. Which is not the case in this book. The main character was Franny Pearson, who arrives at the program not as a camper/student but a worker. Her aunt is in charge of costumes and Franny's job for the summer is helping her. But Franny is also able to get to know the campers which include the The Flirt (Harry) and Former Crush (Alex) I found Franny to be completely relatable as a character (she's the kind of girl that goes to the beach and immediately steps in glass. In other words, me). I will admit that the characters weren't all that well developed but their interactions with one another were amusing and fun to read about. 

Plot: 3 As I explained before, Franny is at the program helping her aunt but she does make sure to get her fair share of socializing done. There are trips to the beach, trips to town, dances, dinners- basically a great time. The campers are also busy preparing four plays to be performed at the end of summer so there is also casting, costumes and remembering one's lines. But the story is driven more by the characters than the plot.

Satisfaction: 3.5 This book was so enjoyable. A distraction from my problems, a quick and amusing read.
Conclusion: I devoured this book.  It's a bit of a fluff book. But a pretty good fluff book  I found it a fun and relaxing read and I recommend it if you want something light that avoids the heavy issues and entertains.

Overall Rating: 10.5/15

The Fame Game by Lauren Conrad

This book is not really the kind of book I had in mind for two reasons: A) it's a book in a series and I really didn't want to take on a book in the middle of a series and B) It's about reality shows which I already get enough of (as you know) But I have this thing- once I start a book I feel really guilty about not finishing it.

Characters: 1.5 What saved this book from getting a 1 (or less) was that the book was told from multiple points of view which always spices things up. Unfortunately I only found one of the characters (Madison) interesting so I actually wished that the book was told from her point of view the entire time. I felt like Madison actually had some depth (a past, an agenda, a plan for the future) whereas I felt like Carmen and Katie had little to no personality. Not because they were nice but because they were just so boring! Kate was just like any other girl who comes to Hollywood with a dream to make it big and Carmen was just a sweet but overly privileged budding starlet. My eyes glazed over a little when I read their chapters.

Plot: 2 I took an interest in the plot just because I wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes with a reality show (The book was written by Lauren Conrad who was on a reality show herself so she should know) But my favorite aspect of the plot was Madison and her family (the romance storyline was a little too cliche for my taste) But I find it somewhat tricky to judge the plot of this book since not all loose ends were tied up by the end of the book since it's in a series which is another reason I prefer to review books that are not part of a series.

Satisfaction: 2 The reason I got so much satisfaction out of this book is (as I mentioned before) because this book gave me an idea of what filming a reality show was like since I honestly had no idea. It was a fiction book but since it was written from someone with firsthand experience on the subject, I learned alot. 

Conclusion: Unoriginal, cliche, superficial (for the most part) This book wasn't that great even for a trashy novel so unless you're pressed for reading materials I don't recommend it.

Overall Rating: 5.5/15

And that concludes my literary review. Check out my recommendations and let me know what you think. Please comment, subscribe and check out my next post!