Saturday, July 16, 2011

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt -- Book Review

One Night That Changes Everything
This book was so fun to read. Everything down to the littlest details were creative. I LOVE Lauren Barnholdt to say the least! I'm definitely going to read as many books as I can by her. At some parts in the book I was laughing out loud!

The characters were so funny and relatable at the same time. The only misleading thing about one of them was Cooper. In the bio he's made out to be such a bad guy, but he isn't! Not at ANY points in the book. Eliza just believes he is, which does in fact add extra drama.

My only issue was that the book was over too quickly. But, there are always more books! 5/5 Stars.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson -- Reviewed by Marissa

Hey there! Marissa here and today I'm going to be reviewing the book 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

REVIEW -- 3.5/5 stars is my rating for this book. This book is about a girl named Ginny who receives 13 envelopes from her aunt. In those 13 envelopes, there are tasks she must do all around Europe. Ginny goes all around Europe. Paris, London, Greece, Rome, etc. On/during her journey, she learns different things. Not only things about her aunt but things about herself as well.

This book made me feel like I was also on a journey too. And of course, since I've never been to Europe, it seemed pretty cool. The book was paced very good. I started it last night and finished it tonight. The only thing that bothered me about this book was the ending. It felt almost like everything she went on the trip for wasn't worth anything. 

I do recommend this book though. It is a very good read and perfect for the summer!

Guitar Girl -- Book Review by Sarra Manning

Guitar GirlThis book was about Molly. She starts a band with two of her best mates, and along the way they pick up two guys to join them. It becomes a hit real fast. But she learns that the music business isn't all it's cracked up to be, and the book becomes a kind of downward spire.

This book was extremely creative. I'm not much for books-about-bands but this was reinvented my outlook for them. I really connected with Molly, with most everything she did. There were never any parts where I was like 'OH MY GOSH, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!' I was on her level with it all. Especially the end, where I quote;

*small spoiler*
It might seem strange that I didn't run from the enforced day of fun, screaming at the top of my lungs. But to tell you the truth, I was saving up all the seconds I still had left with Dean. . .

It doesn't sound so great out of context, but believe me I choked up a little over that line. The writing flowed so smoothly and I loved the additions of magazine articles. The only few things I didn't like were;

-Tara and T. They weren't developed at all. The end with Tara made my mind spin. She seemed vicious and just out of character. Then her relationship with T, AND Molly. Which one?!
-I felt like not enough really happened in this book. The plot was great and moved fairly quickly. BUT we the readers already knew she was beginning to have second thoughts maybe 100 pages in. Maybe a few more unexpected plot surprises would have made up for that.
-Mom and dad? Alright. . . You were in the first 100 pages but gone the rest. Unrealistic very much.


Most of all the end with Dean. I kinda knew that would happen, but it just made me want to cry. All in all, this book was pretty amazing. 4.5/5 stars. I recommend this for a sunny day or maybe the beach. It's not a mindless book! 

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Will Work For Prom Dress -- Book Review by Charlotte

Will Work for Prom Dress
This book was mainly about Quigley and her best friend Anne. Anne is making Quigley do odd jobs with her as a scheme to get money for their perfect prom dresses. On one of those jobs Quigley happens to meet Zander, whom right away she starts to fall for. But then David who is the self proclaimed 'Art King' comes into the picture. He's always treated Quigley like crap, but claims to want to date her now. This all happens in the first 50 pages in and this is basically what is written on the back cover. The rest of the book is a little bit of a mystery, inadvertently. Even prom doesn't turn out to be a big plot in this book. I'd like to say that the biggest thing that is always lingering in the background is where Quigley will go to college.
 
I just have to say, this book by far exceeded any expectations I had. I thought it was going to be just a fluffy light book about a girl finding her perfect prom date. It wasn't, it was much more than that! It had depth to it and a lot of creativity.

First off, everything stated in the biography happened less than 50 pages into the books. So I was like 'ohhkayy. .' and prepared myself for a lot of chapters full of prom-related stuff. I didn't know what to expect. I got a really great story out of it, so I'm not mad one bit. That's why I'm not going to go on about it but instead, let you get surprised if you read it.

A few things I predicted. But they weren't big things, mostly stuff along the lines of 'will they, won't they?'. Then there was other stuff that popped out of no where that surprised me with the randomness, but perfectness of it. The writing flowed smoothly and nicely.

There were a few things that annoyed me. 1-the ending. I DON'T get it. She stated that she had her perfect fit 'right here at home.' (Don't worry, it's not a spoiler in any way.) Okay, great. Good for you. Please elaborate a little more for the reader though? Thanks.
2-There's a fine line between romance, and sappiness. I feel at the end of the book that it was just dripping with sap. Get what I'm saying? Again, this wasn't terrible but sometimes it really makes me put-off by a book when the characters have meaningful kiss after meaningful kiss.
3-David. Jerk. All I have to say on the matter of him.
I really liked Anne, although the matter of her father should have had a bigger play in the book than it did. . .

4.5/5 star rating.