Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

WARNING: Synopsis contains spoilers for Airhead

Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts.
Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel.
But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts.
How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. Johns - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side...
Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all...especially one model in particular.
But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki.

I am really enjoying this series. We get to watch Em try to adapt to her new life and try to keep her old one – and at the same time try to work out exactly what Stark is up to. Very interesting and being a Meg Cabot book there is a lot of fun along the way. Granted it’s not the most realistic of plots but that really doesn’t matter as it's so enjoyable. I don’t want to give too much away but I’m really looking forward to the next book Runaway as we may finally get to know the big secret! (see Meg’s blog here) And (more importantly) I have to know if she will finally end up with Christopher.

In Your Room by Jordanna Fraiberg

From Goodreads: Molly and Charlie have fallen head over heels in love even though they've never met. Molly is a fashion-conscious city girl in L.A. Charlie is an earthy, mountain-biking dude from Boulder, Colorado. Each of them has big plans with their respective friends for the summer, until they discover that their parents decided to swap houses! Luckily there's no amount of homesickness that a bit of snooping can't cure. Charlie and Molly begin crawling under beds and poking around in closets to find out a little more about each other, and they like what they find. Can Charlie and Molly's long-distance romance survive jealousy, misunderstandings and the thousand miles between them?

This is a really sweet love story. Both Molly and Charlie are really likeable characters – in fact I really REALLY liked Charlie - and there was a realistic connection between the two. You could see how they pushed each other to be better and do things they may not have done otherwise. I also liked that you got the story from both points of view and enjoyed reading the emails they sent each other.

Molly’s struggle to except her stepfather Ron was also done really well and I liked the focus on Molly’s interest in fashion – it gave the story more believability and stopped it just being a love story. Charlie’s wish for a real connection in a relationship felt refreshing and made me like him even more.

I really recommend this – it was great fun and I had a really goofy smile on my face by the end!

2010 Debut Author Challenge

I've signed up to take part in my first challenge! It's the 2010 Debut Author Challenge and it's hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Click on the link above for all the informations and if you wish to participate you can sign up by clicking here.

The books I am planning to read for the challenge are:


1. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
3. The Line by Teri Hall
4. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
5. Guardian of the dead by Karen Healey
6. A Match Made in Highschool by Kristen Walker
7. The Mark by Jan Nadol
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

I want to read that...

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteenth sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. And a boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride… but they MUST STOP. Because when she was 15? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her.

And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

I really enjoyed Prada and Prejudice and this sounds sooo good! I can't wait - why is everything great being published months from now? *sulks*

This is published by Razorbill in August 2010.

Hold Still by Nna Lacour

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

I completely fell in love with this book. Everything about it just worked for me. I adored the writing – it was really beautiful and really bought Catlin to life. I really felt as if I was in her head and was on the journey with her. Her pain was palpable and it felt completely realistic to me.

This is another one of those books that is very character driven and relies on character interaction and development. It is in this aspect that this book excels. I loved Catlin’s progression through the novel and it felt a very realistic portrayal of grief. I also loved the way her parent tried to help – you could see how scared and worried they are yet they still give her the room to grieve. They also provide the tools for her to work her way through her grief which was lovely to see. Her interactions with her new friends were really interesting and you could see her struggle with the responsibility of being a friend and her need for contact. Ms. Delani was a really interesting character and gave insight into the responsibility a teacher feels when a student commits suicide.

I also loved the presentation of the book. The way they incorporated Ingrid’s Journal into the book through different paper colour and drawings had a huge impact and as a result made Ingrid a main character in the novel. The author does a great job in showcasing depression in a real and honest way. When we get to see Ingrid through her own words and through the memories of others we get to see this as a long term illness with symptoms that can easily go unnoticed. It was interesting to see Catlin struggle with the truth behind many of her memories now that she sees them in a different light.

I don’t think I’ve done how much I loved this book justice – all I can say is please read it. It’s absolutely stunning.

One lovely Blog Award.

Loads of thanks to Andrea @ Buried in Books, Yay Reads and Carla @ The Crooked Shelf for giving me this award.

Here are the rules: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

It's taken me a while to post this - I've been waiting until I had 15 blogs to pass it on to. Some are new (ish) and some are established but they are all new to me:)


A Good Addiction
A Passion for Books
BOOKALICIOUS
Ellz Readz
Everything To Do With Books

In Which a Girl Reads
Ramblings of a Bibliophile
J'adorehappyendings
Library Lounge Lizard
Pirate Penguin's Reads
Read Into This!
Reading is Bliss
Reverie Book Reviews
StephTheBookworm
The Page Flipper
WORD for Teens

Oops - turns out I can't count and have done 16!

Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn

From Amazon: After getting tossed from her posh boarding school, wild, willful, and coffee addicted Cyd Charisse returns to San Francisco to live with her parents. But there's no way Cyd can survive in her parents' pristine house. Lucky for Cyd she's got Gingerbread, her childhood rag doll and confidante, and her new surfer boyfriend.
When Cyd's rebelliousness gets out of hand, her parents ship her off to New York City to spend the summer with "Frank real-dad," her biological father. Trading in her parents for New York City grunge and getting to know her bio-dad and step-sibs is what Cyd has been waiting for her whole life. But summer in the city is not what Cyd expects -- and she's far from the daughter or sister that anyone could have imagined.

Simon Pulse, $7.99

I found this in a local charity shop so didn’t realise it’s an American publication – it’s available if you are able to order online.

This was my first Rachel Cohn book and I enjoyed it. Cyd Charisse certainly has a very unique voice – at first I wasn’t sure I was going to like her she was so ‘in your face’ but she soon grew on me. I liked her no holds barred attitude and the way she spoke.

The book is really quirky – one of the characters is a doll called gingerbread (hence the title)! – but is great fun too. The main drew of the book for me were the different relationships – Cyd and Shrimp, Cyd and her family and Cyd and her ‘bio dad’ (and his family). The dynamics of these were really interesting and I especially liked her banter with her half-brother.

I have already bought the second book called Shrimp (which is available in the UK) and there is also a third called Cupcake

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols

From Amazon:
Marching to the beat of a different drum...
Tired of the beauty-pagean circuit, Virginia Sauter tosses her tiara, pierces her nose, and auditions for the most unlikely of roles -- drum major of the high school marching band.
Virginia wins, but is forced to share the title with Drew, whose family has held the position for generations. Sure, Drew is hot, but because of his superior attitude, he and Virginia are constantly arguing. That is, until they share more than just their half-time salute...
But as the drum major's heated competition turns to sizzling romance, explosive rumors threaten everything -- including the band's success. Love seemed to be a sure hit, but Virginia and Drew may be marching straight into disaster.

Jennifer Echols has officially become one of those authors that I will read purely because her name is on the book. I haven’t read a book of hers yet I haven’t really enjoyed.

Major Crush has all the things I’ve come to expect from her writing. The characters had that added spark that made them just that little bit more interesting. They were dealing with some real issues and there was some fun along the way – the band teacher was hilarious! It was also really sweet and romantic.

I can’t wait until next year when I’ll get some more of her books to read.

I want to read that...

Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, &
June by Robin Benway
From Goodreads:
Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.

Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

I loved Audrey, Wait so I'm really looking forward to this. According to goodreads it's published (in the US) in August 2010. I haven't found a UK release date yet:(

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown

From Amazon: Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend opened fire on their school cafeteria, killing five students and one teacher before turning the gun on himself. Valerie, who was shot trying to stop him, is initially implicated in the shootings because of the hate list she helped create. The hate list her boyfriend used to pick his targets. As Valerie integrates back into school, more of an outsider than she ever thought she was before, she is forced to confront her feelings of guilt and loneliness. Exploring the gray area between hero and villain, she navigates the rocky relationships with her family, her former friends, with the memory of the boyfriend she still loves, and with the girl whose life she saved five months ago. As she moves toward graduation and the year anniversary of the shooting, Valerie must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it all in order to make amends and move on with her life.

I found this a very powerful read. It was such a raw and honest account that it was heartbreaking to read at times. I connected to Val immediately and found it interesting to have the story told from her point of view – having her be the girlfriend of the shooter gave the story a unique feel. I found it very insightful watching her grapple with her feelings towards the Nick she remembered and the reality of what he had done.

Jennifer Brown has a lovely writing style – it’s very accessible and I found myself flying through the book. She uses flashbacks and newspaper articles to bring the past to light and this works superbly – by the time you get to the shooting you really feel for all the characters which makes it even more devastating. I liked that you got to see Nick from Val’s point of view to show that a real person was behind the shooting - even if that makes it even more horrifying and heartbreaking.

I found Val’s journey to be a rollercoaster ride of emotion – the book is very character driven and focuses on Val’s need to overcome/accept what has happened and forgive her role in it so she can move on with her life. She is a brilliantly crafted character – a kind of warts and all approach. I found this extended to the other characters as well – I found their reactions to be realistic – the hate, anger, fear, the need to blame or hold someone accountable and ultimately forgiveness. I think it was her father’s reaction that was the most devastating. It felt realistic though, even if I did spend most of the book wishing he’d be different.

This is definitely a book that will stay with me. Val felt very real to me and I’d love to see how she’s getting on in the future.

A random thought and question...

I was thinking the other day (dangerous I know!) about all the books I'd love to become a film or TV series. I decided I'd love to see Life As We Knew It, The Mortal Instrument series & Shiver as movies and the Mediator books as a TV series - then I got to thinking about all the films or TV shows that could make a good book series.

One stuck out for me.

Veronica Mars!

From tv.com: In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, California, the rich and powerful make the rules. Unfortunately for them, there's Veronica Mars, a smart, fearless 17-year-old apprentice private investigator dedicated to solving the town's toughest mysteries. Veronica used to be one of the popular girls, but it all came crumbling down around her after her best friend, Lilly, was murdered, and her then-sheriff father, Keith, was removed from office for naming Lilly's rich father as the lead suspect. During the day, Veronica must negotiate high school like any average teenage girl. But at night, she helps with her father's struggling, new private investigator business--and what she finds may tear the town of Neptune apart at the seams

I loved that show - then they cancelled it. I got myself over excited earlier this year when it looked like they would make a film - but no! Apparently it's not to be. But the Creator Rob Thomas is a published author (Rats Saw God - which I have but haven't read yet) so don't you think a series of books would be good? Then I could finally have some closure - or just some more LoVe! Whichever.

However, seeing as this is rather unlikely - can anyone recommend any Young Adult Crime/mystery novels along similar lines?

In my mailbox (15)

In the mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

This week I bought:

Hold Still by Nina LaCour
From Goodreads:
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

In Your Room by Jordanna Fraiberg

From Goodreads: Molly and Charlie have fallen head over heels in love even though they've never met. Molly is a fashion-conscious city girl in L.A. Charlie is an earthy, mountain-biking dude from Boulder, Colorado. Each of them has big plans with their respective friends for the summer, until they discover that their parents decided to swap houses!
Luckily there's no amount of homesickness that a bit of snooping can't cure. Charlie and Molly begin crawling under beds and poking around in closets to find out a little more about each other, and they like what they find.
Can Charlie and Molly's long-distance romance survive jealousy, misunderstandings and the thousand miles between them?

Shrimp by Rachel Cohn

From Amazon: If Cyd Charisse knows one thing, it's that Shrimp is her true love. Shrimp, the hottest pint-size surfer-artist in San Francisco - or 'that boy' as her mother calls him. He's the primary cause of Cyd being grounded, and the boy who dumped her before she left home for the summer. Now it's the start of senior year. Cyd has changed, but maybe Shrimp has too. Cyd and Shrimp need to get to know each other all over again to figure out if this time it's for real. But can Cyd get back together with Shrimp and keep the peace with her mother? And can she get a life outside of her all-encompassing boy radar?

Hope you all had a good week:)