A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Summary: Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.
Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about.f
My Thoughts: Kody Keplinger, how I always adore your novels!
We are introduced to Whitley who lives with her mother. She enjoys spending the summers with her father at his condo along the beach. She looks forward to it every year. And this year is no different, it’s her last summer before college.
The novel opens up with Whitley attending a graduation party. Whose party? She’s not sure until she wakes up in bed next to a smoking hot guy. She doesn’t even recall his name, much less anything else. She can barely remember the night before. She does remember he’s a good kisser and pretty good at other things as well.
She storms out of the house, ready to go enjoy the summer with her father. Let all her worries be gone, sit in the sun and absorb the rays. That all changes when her dad picks her up and she meets his new family. She didn’t even know he was dating anyone, much less engaged! And he no longer lives in his condo!
Whitley is thrown into this new families life. Her father’s girlfriend, and her daughter Bailey and son Nathan. I knew right away I was going to like both Bailey and Nathan. Bailey was a fun little sister and Nathan was HOT! Boy, was he hot and sarcastic and funny. From his first words, I knew I was going to fall for him. That boy knows how to wow a girl without even trying! The chemistry between him and Whitley, gosh...
Of course, it wouldn’t be right for Whitley to fall for her almost stepbrother, right???
Whitley was such a fun character. She could drink circles around anyone, and she always knew the right and wrong things to say. She just wanted her perfect little family back together, but knew deep down, she knew it wasn’t going to happen so when she began to be a part of another one, it was hard for her to handle.
And she meets a few friends along the way, and learns some new things.
I loved the family dynamic of this one, I loved the romance between almost step siblings, and I loved Nathan! He wasn’t a bad boy, but kind of a nerd. A hot and sexy nerd! I spent most of the novel smiling! That is how you know something is awesome! I sat out in my lawn chair, and soaked this book right up! Before I knew it, the sun was going down. I was so immersed in this novel!
A Midsummer’s Nightmare= Yummy!
Overall: I was a huge fan of The Duff and Shut Out, and this book makes another favorite on my pile! I swear I will read anything Keplinger writes! I am so excited for whatever else she has in store for us! I enjoyed A Midsummer's Nightmare and I was laughing out loud during parts! You can’t beat that!
Cover: I like it, but I just don’t see Whitley really looking like this girl. I do like her hat though.
What I'd Give It:
The Winners of Just Listen are:
Paige Comfort Books
Juhina Maji Bookshelf
Sarah Book Life
Please respond within 48 hours and email me your addresses!!!
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224
Summary: Megan survived the plane crash—but can she survive the aftermath? An intense, emotional novel from the author ofThe Unwritten Rule and Between Here and Forever.
Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.
Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved....
My Thoughts: Geez, Geez, Geez. I hope some of you enjoy this book more than I did. I miss the old Scott. The contemporary novels that used to make me squee. I was sooo excited to get my hands on the new Elizabeth Scott, but I felt like this book had the same feel as As I Wake which was the book I liked the least of Scott's.
We are introduced to Megan who has survived a plane crash. She is the only one who walked away with a few bruises and scratches. Nothing too horrible. We get to experience the next few months with Megan unfolding what she went through, her memories slowing coming back about the crash, and the way she distanced herself from everyone and everything she loved.
There is also a boy in this story. His name is Joe and he is Megan's next door neighbor. He's a sweet boy. I really liked him but I never really felt Megan connect on a deeper level with him. Yes, he was a bit swoony but nothing like Scott's other past male characters. Joe has his own tortured past so he knows what Megan is going through, to an extent.
Megan starts to lose everything she once held dear due to her pulling away from everything. Everyone thinks she is a miracle while she doesn't even know what made her so special or why she walked away when everyone else died.
I did like seeing Megan interact with her family. However, her mom and dad seemed pretty dense, and I wish they had acted up and tried to help more.
Honestly, Miracle was just an okay read for me. I did finish it and it had its moments but like I said above, I miss the older Scott books. I want her to go down that road again and write another contemporary that I fall in love with.
Miracle was an interesting look at surviving a plane crash and what it can do to you physically and mentally but I just didn't relate to this story or to Megan. I never really felt myself like her very much. I didn't like watching her throw everything away, I didn't like watching her sink fast. The thing I liked the most was Joe. Oh sweet Joe.
Overall: Liked it, it was okay, but didn't really do it for me. Gosh, I hope that next Scott book I read I fall madly in love over and have some fangirl squee moments.
Miracle is more like a 3.5 cupcake book for me. I hope you like it more than I did.
Cover: Like it, its a bit dark but it fits.
What I'd Give It:
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Summary: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.
My Thoughts: Oh gosh, it literally took me about 5 days to read this, that is a long long time for me to read a book. I had trouble getting into it. I couldn't find a stable ground to really liking it, at first.
I've been on a mermaid kick, I've read numerous books regarding them and Lies Beneath is from a male's perspective and I thought that would make it really unique and good, it was different but I didn't love that aspect like I thought I would.
We are introduced to Calder who has a few sisters. He comes back to the lake during the summer to spend with his sisters. He's drawn to it. His family has a debt to collect so when mysterious new girl Lily and her family moved there, Calder and his sisters hatch a plan to collect the debt; killing Lily's father.
Of course things don't go as planned as Calder starts to actually care and like Lily.
I wanted Lies Beneath to feel magical. I wanted it to be really really really great for me, it was good and I started liking it to the point where I can say I really enjoyed it, about halfway through. The first 100 pages were hard for me to get through. I felt myself drifting to other things and wanting to get up and move around.
Lies Beneath was a good read as I get more into the book. I debated between 3 and 4 cupcakes because the beginning was slow but by the middle, I was intrigued and found myself wanting to know what happen. The ending was a bit off for me, but by the end I was happy to give it 4 cupcakes.
Overall: I really liked it once I got started. It took me a while though. All in all, it was a fun book.
Cover: Love the cover! Love the colors and it's really pretty.
What I'd Give It:
Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Release Date: October 10, 2011
Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Summary: As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.
But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?
My Thoughts: Why, oh why did I wait so long to read this novel? I’m not sure because I ended up eating it all up in two days. I loved it.
We are introduced to Hannah, who is part of the Manhattan Ballet Company. She loves what she does but she’s no famous ballerina. She’s more like on the level with everyone who is ordinary. She’s not famous, she’s not popular, she’s just average.
But she wants to be famous, she wants everyone to know her name, she wants everyone to come watch her perform. Hannah suffers through everyday with sore feet, sore muscles and bones, all so she can do what she loves, and work her way to the top.
Hannah left her parents when she was 14 years old, to follow this dream. She wanted it so bad she would let nothing get in her way.
Hannah has two love interests throughout the novel, a rich guy Matt and a musician named Jacob. I always liked Jacob more even though Matt knew more about what she was going through. He understood it. He could feel her love for it. But Jacob, was just ordinary and he showed Hannah that there is so much more to the world than just one thing.
I loved this novel. I loved how it took place in New York City. I love reading about NYC because it makes you feel like you are there, you are enjoying walking Times Square or walking down a crowded street. Or riding the subway. Hannah’s journey became my own and I wanted to see what this world was all about.
Hannah was a likable character but at times she could get annoying. I think that happens with every character. While reading a novel, we see the good and the bad usually. I loved seeing her go through her days and spending the evenings in her apartment with her best friend. I loved seeing her get excited when she got a part.
I also liked meeting all of her friends and fellow dancers. They each had their own personality and I enjoyed seeing who each one really was. I liked all their attitudes and how they present themselves.
Bunheads is a charming story that will wow any girl who ever imagined being famous or even a ballerina. Or even a dancer at all. Bunheads was such an interesting honest true story.
Overall: Awesome novel. Loved every single minute of it. Loved seeing firsthand what it could be like to be a dancer/ballerina. I really enjoyed Bunheads and I think you will too if you like reading novels about dance or YA Contemporary. And sweet Jacob is a plus too.
Cover: Like it! Like how there is a girl all over it, in a dress! Its cute.
What I’d Give It:
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