Looking for Alaska by John Green

BookTalk

Miles “Pudge” Halter’s claim to fame is memorizing famous last words. Take Henrik Ibsen, the playwright. Well, he’d been sick for a while and his nurse said to him ‘You seem to be feeling better this morning’ and Ibsen looked at her and said, ‘On the contrary.’ and then he died. Or Civil war General Albert Sidney Johnston, who when asked if he was injured answered, “Yes, and I fear seriously” and then he died. Finally, we have poet Francois Rebelais. Who’s last words of: “I go to seek a Great Perhaps” spur Pudge into a life changing decision.

Previously a slightly friendless Florida high school-er, Pudge transfers schools his junior year choosing his father’s Alma Mater of Culver Creek Boarding School. Here he will make friends with The Colonel, named such for his gift of planning pranks, Lara the cute Romanian, Takumi the rapping chinaman, and Alaska, the sexiest, moodiest, most exciting, self-destructive, reading, smoking, master-pranker Pudge has ever met. Like all good stories this tale hinges on a single event…Before it was all fun, games, and adventure….After nothing will ever be the same…

Review

To be honest when this novel started I thought it was going to go in a different direction. Something not so ambivalent. I thought it was going to have something to do with a prank gone wrong. Maybe a sudden disaster or accident. What eventually happens is unsettling. Not so much because the turning point is a dramatic scene. It’s the swiftness, the unexpected and yet quietly shown change that is so challenging.

I’ll admit that I don’t often look to my covers for book inspiration. While I love a good cover as much as the next person rarely do I rely on the image to portray an actual person/theme/feeling that exists in the book. But that image of the candle just blown out…That is the perfect image for the novel. That is exactly what happens. And that is exactly why dealing with the major plot point of the novel is so hard. There is no reason, no one to blame. Not even clear 20/20 hindsight with which to deal with your emotions. If it’s this hard as a reader imagine the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the characters.

This is the shortest review ever…Looking for Alaska is a YA classic for a reason. Perfect for the high school reader. I won’t go any further because if you’ve read it…you know what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t, I’m not going to ruin a classic.

Rating: 4.5/5 Just short of perfect on my personal scale…ambivalent ending got me… 

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

BookTalk

I want you to meet Charlie. Charlie is a little odd. A little different. We all know a Charlie…Well, we don’t know our Charlies, but we see them. The quiet kids, the filler kids, the Wallflowers. I guess we always think that these people are just quiet, maybe a little weird…Heck, to be honest with you all, we don’t ever really think much about these kids. Our thoughts and eyes just skip over them. Not even a blip on our radar.

But Charlie has found you. You are now not just a blip on Charlie’s radar, you’re going to become his closest confidant. Charlie is going to write you letters.

Charlie is just beginning his first year of High School. And he’s a Wallflower that’s decided to put some effort into participating. As he slowly begins to take a step away from the proverbial wall you’ll get to see his most intimate thoughts, his confessions, his fears, and the truths he hides for others. Charlie is weird and a genius and deeply confused and naive and able to see what others miss and incredibly unable to see what everybody else sees. This is a book about a journey. It’s about the life of a person you and I skip over in life. This is a book that will change how you see your world.

Review

This is the first book in a long time I’ve read cover to cover. It’s 12:15 am and all I can say is Wow. This is what good YA is. It was a journey and smart and quirky and really quiet at times. And because it’s 12 am I’m just jumping in…try to keep up, lol.

Ahh, the scene where all of Charlie’s friends sit around and stare after he gives his Christmas gifts, spot on. Seriously, it was like for the first time these people looked up and saw this Wallflower as a person. Someone who was watching so intently he was able to give the perfect gift to each friend. Charlie is someone so quiet they never really noticed him.

I loved the characters of Sam and Patrick. What perfect people. I never wanted their friendship to end. The innate understanding these two people had for Charlie was amazing. Through them Charlie began to enter the world. The world at large is place where Charlie had never fully “participated”. In the end by being Charlie’s friend they created a really great friend for themselves as well. It makes you want to look at every, ‘slightly off’ acquaintance in your midst and hold out a hand, lend an ear, give that attention that is like water and plant food for the Wallflower.

It isn’t until later in the book you see what an impact Bill, the teacher, is truly having on Charlie. Because the Charlie’s letters are stream of consciousness you know that Charlie must be kinda weird…but normal enough to function and do fairly well in school. It ends up being the barely sketched Bill who in the final section gives an adult viewpoint we can trust because of its sudden fullness of explanation.

And while Charlie’s own ending is slightly predictable I think that by the time you reach the climactic plot point you’ll have realized that it was never the point of the book. For all the issues held within its 200 odd pages (everything from date rape, to homosexuality, to drugs) Charlie’s journey is the whole point. If there were unique circumstances, not all good, that gave such a fresh take on the world, then I can only bless the broken road that this character travels. Because it was a journey that, strangely, gives you hope for having taken.

Rating: 5/5 It’s a YA Classic for a reason people…Just read it!

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The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

BookTalk

“Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After.” (6, ePub ed.)

So begins this tale of After. Laurel Meisner and her once-friend-turned-bad-boy neighbor David ditch their respective families plans to grab ice cream after a seder dinner. David claimed calculus homework with a friend. But given the fact that he’d practically quit school this past year…his excuse was fooling no one. Laurel, however, was in the middle of an intense round of SAT studying. I.E. unyoke: meaning to separate. During Before her SAT Prep mental image for the word was separating the yoke from the white of an egg. When a police officer appears at Laurel’s home hours later to inform her of the car accident that has killed her family her first thought is that she now has a whole new SAT Prep image for unyoke: to separate.

Now begins the After. The grief, the breakdowns, the breakthroughs, and the survival skills. Laurel’s journey is real and at times it’s not pretty. Best friends don’t always know how to be supportive. Hot guys are just trying their best. And maybe the one person she should not fall for is the one she does. After is a hard place to be…but theres no going back to Before. And Laurel will learn that living her life on her own terms is exactly what she needs.

Review

This story was just so real. I personally lived through a death in my family while I was in High School. Granted it wasn’t the mass casualty situation that Laurel lived through, but losing my sister was more than enough to have me empathizing with the main character. So much of what Castle was writing was exactly how I remember feeling. Laurel was doing things and responding to stuff the same way I did.

I mean I had no major breakdowns in public places. And I didn’t hit the low that Laurel did but some of the little things. The allowing yourself moments of pretending everything was ok…that the people  you loved were still here…just out, or down the hall, or asleep. I got that.

I know that this book has had some mixed reviews. And it’s for sure not everyone’s idea of a pleasant read. But I think that as adults we sometimes forget that teens can feel a need to and/or even enjoy watching a fictional character go through something tragic. It’s what realistic fiction is all about. Watching a person deal with a situation in a true life kind of way. It appeases that voyeuristic need in all of us.

Really, that’s about it. There is no big bang, no perfect coming of age, no white horse to save the day, or paranormal angel to reconnect the family. What I can tell you is that this book is real. So real it makes me feel like Castle must have experienced something similar in her own life. When Laurel’s potential boyfriend hugs her delicately she thinks “Seriously, Joe, you can touch me without breaking me. In fact, you might even put me a little bit back together.” (142, ePub). My own potential boyfriend at the time showed up at my house during my own day After…he gave me the biggest, warmest, most crushing,  bear-hug I’d ever had. It was a hug that touched me so deeply I wrote about it in our wedding vows 9 years later.

In the end this book might not be for everyone. But if you’re a lover of realistic fiction this well written novel will fit like a glove.

Rating: 9/10 One of the best realistic fiction novels I’ve ever done.

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Yours To Keep (Kowalski Family #3) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

Day three of this Kowalski extravaganza focuses on Stacey’s latest title in the series Yours To Keep. If you’re just joining this party check out Exclusively Yours and Undeniably Yours for an introduction to the large, loving family that is the Kowalskis. I’m not gonna lie. This was by far my favorite title of the series. You get a couple worthy of each other, lots of post-it notes, and a little granny romance. Oh and more Kowalski abs. Those Kowalski’s are genetically blessed in the six-pack area and this title does not fail to represent the feature well! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s finale…an interview with the series’s author: Shannon Stacey.

So without further ado…Kowalski Family #3: Yours To Keep

BookTalk

Sean Kowalski has just gotten out of the Military. A free man for the first time in years, he’s ready to explore life, kick back a few beers, and sow some wild oats.

Emma Shaw is an independent woman. She started a landscaping business from scratch and refinished her grandmother’s home and made it her own. Basically, she’s created a life she loves.

Too bad Emma got a little too creative in sharing her life with her Grandmother. You see, while Grandma has retired to Florida a large part of her still worries that Emma is a little lost living alone in that big old house. Enter the Fake Fiance. What started as a little white lie about a man around the house to put Grandma at ease has blossomed into a very complex engagement with a very real man…Sean Kowalski.

So begins this tale of laughs and love…Emma Shaw proposing the wildest of schemes to Sean Kowalski. She’s asked him to play the fake fiance for Grandma’s month-long visit. The gig comes with a job in Emma’s landscaping business and a bed…not 10 feet away from Emma. What neither counts on is the spark of attraction and the slow burn of a fake relationship that begins to feel very real…

Review

I. Loved. This. Book.

Ooooh, this one was my favorite in the series so far. This title centers around another branch of the Kowalski family tree, cousins of the Kowalski’s we’ve all come to love. Sean has just returned from a tour in Afghanistan looking forward to some freedom in his life. Just the ability to do whatever he wishes…to find himself…

Well, Emma Shaw finds him first. She’s integrated Sean into a year-long Grandma deception. Emma’s Grandmother (who raised her from the age of four, after Emma’s parent’s death) while retired in Florida, can’t stop worrying about her granddaughter. Constant phone calls centering on the care of the house and Emma’s single status caused Emma to invent a relationship to put her grandmother’s mind at ease. What starts as a little white lie to help her Grandmother enjoy her retirement has grown into a full-fledged marriage proposal. And Sean comes home just in time for Emma’s Grandmother’s visit.

Crazy right? I think Sean himself uses the term “batshit”. And normally I’d have to agree. I’ve done the invented relationship a few other times in my romance reading…And I don’t usually enjoy it. I always think that a woman who needs to make up a fictional man has issues, not to mention a lack of independence or strong-woman traits. I like my heroines to be strong…Which is where this book started to go so right.

Emma is one strong gal. She is fully independent, but still willing to let love into her life. The relationship that develops between Sean and Emma is balanced, respectful, and flirty. I love a couple that enhances and challenges each other. Emma and Sean are this type of couple. Add to that the fact that Sean helps rationalize Emma’s lie…seeing that it was done out of love rather than an insecurity. And that’s key. Sean and Emma are both very family oriented so purveying an untruth to save a family member from worry…no matter how harebrained the scheme…rings true for both characters.

But back to the romance. My most favorite part of this book, besides Sean’s abs, were his post-it notes. From the first tip about his dislike of broccoli to the final declarations at the end of the novel these post-it notes were the cutest way to watch their relationship grow. I think that most women have a soft spot for love letters and whether it comes in the form of a hand written note, email (that would be mine! lol), greeting card, or post-it the sentiment within is usually enough to melt. So, Sean’s sharpie-penned thoughts were a very special part of the romance.

And what would a Stacey book be without a side romance to complete the package? In this book Emma’s Grandmother gets a second shot at love with an old acquaintance. While the love between the older couple is far easier to achieve it does set a nice balance…Showing the reader that with age also comes the realization that everyday should be lived to the fullest. No need to push away the gift that love is. Which, obviously, is what Emma and Sean end up doing. Youngins…too stubborn to give into good sex, sweet friendship, and true love!

Pick up this book immediately. It’s a quick read and the book will stand-alone if necessary…but why wouldn’t you want to start from the beginning with Joe and Keri. The Kowalski family is a group that keeps the romance flowing and the love alive…They’ll suck you in I swear!

Rating: 10/10

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Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family #2) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

Today is day two of my reviews/booktalks for Shannon Stacey’s Kowalski Family series. I recently discovered these books and blew through them in three days! It’s a series all about a large, loving, laughing family that is way too involved in each other’s lives. Lets just say I’m in love with watching all of them fall in love. Stick around because the week ends with an Author interview where she’ll spill the beans about writing the Kowalskis.

Without further ado…Undeniably Yours (Kowalski Family #2)

BookTalk

Beth and Kevin had a one night stand….At Kevin’s brother’s wedding. Kevin had met spunky Beth previously during a brawl at his bar. At the wedding Kevin finds Beth tending bar. And after a night of calculated flirtation Beth has no more fight left to combat Kevin’s roguish charm. Enter one hot night…followed by an early morning walk of shame.

3 weeks later Beth and Kevin learn first hand that the 2% failure rate for condoms is a real statistic. Beth is pregnant and Kevin is all for an instant family. Over the next nine months Kevin finds himself falling in love with the mother and excited for the baby…But Beth isn’t willing to trust in a love blooming between two people who only know each other through a surprise pregnancy. Will Beth and Kevin remain friends with a baby?…Or can Beth trust in the love and family Kevin is offering her?…

Review

I was super excited for this title. I liked the character of Kevin in the first of this series (Exclusively Yours) and I was intrigued by the pregnancy aspect of this book. Any situation that forces two characters to be so intimate so fast usually makes for some really great emotion and scenes.

This book didn’t disappoint in the emotional aspect. I loved how much Kevin loves Beth. Seeing him care for both Beth and their future child was super sweet. From the very beginning he is supportive of Beth and their decision to keep the baby. And the man doesn’t stop flirting for the whole book! He wants Beth. He wants her bad. And he’s willing to wait till the time is right to get her.

Where I got lost a little was with Beth. She is so insistent that she do everything on her own. EVERY. THING. She pushes Kevin away so many times the guy should apply for sainthood just for sticking around. Beth jumps down the poor guy’s throat for buying her a cell phone, even for offering to help her move to a better apartment. While I expected the independent streak to last quite awhile I had no idea that it would last the entire pregnancy.

Beth spends quite a bit of time talking about hormones making her a little lusty and yet she manages to resist Kevin and his amazing abs. I was so frustrated by this! lol. Maybe its just because my hubby doesn’t have to do a lot of convincing to get me feeling lusty…hormones or not…And as sexy as the hubs is, he doesn’t have Kevin’s 6-pack. Come to think of it, no one may have the Kowalski abs in real life…they only exist in our photoshopped imaginations, lol.

But back to my Beth frustrations. At one point she’s a new mother and everyone is tripping over themselves to help; to give her a break. And she accepts nothing! First off, what new mother doesn’t accept the offer to take a shower while some one watches the baby? Crazy talk for not accepting that. Second, Kevin spends a lot of time running around with no shirt and lots of abs…While begging Beth to accept him in a relationship. Crazy talk for not giving in months before she does.

I’m probably being a little hard on poor Beth…she’s just not my favorite type of character. I think that a little give and take would have saved her a lot of stress. That being said, even Kevin agrees that it was best for them to wait until post baby to truly get involved in an intimate relationship. Without the excitement of a baby on the way, and with the real life schedule of a newborn all fantasies are disproved…and if love is still there then the couple will have a stronger love than most for their sacrifice.

The ending is worth waiting for because of this. The emotional buildup yields great results, results that wouldn’t have had the impact had Beth given in months earlier. Also, the beginning of the novel had some of the sweetest scenes. Watching Kevin and Beth come together over such a big change in their lives while getting to know each other presents smile inducing moments. Throughout it all while I didn’t love Beth…Kevin is by far my favorite Kowalski brother. His looks, his sweetness, and that little naughty smile (he’s always giving shirtless!) had me at hello. He makes this story for me…and by the end Beth knows what an amazing guy she has too.

Rating: 7/10

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Exclusively Yours (Kowalski Family #1) by Shannon Stacey

It’s Kowalski Family Week!

So last week I fell in Love…with a books series! I started Shannon Stacey’s series about a large, loud, loving family from the North East. I read the first book and then quickly devoured the rest. So my booktalk/review posts of the week feature the three books currently released in the series. The week ends with an interview with the Author herself to give us a peek into writing about Kowalski family.

Without Further Ado…Kowalski Family #1: Exclusively Yours…

BookTalk

Joe Kowalski was Keri Daniels’ first…Her high school sweetheart, her first serious boyfriend, and her first lover. Together they created memories to the tunes of Whitesnake on lover’s lane. And that fresh young love is still the best sex she’s ever had. But at graduation Keri surprisingly drops Joe heading to the west coast to pursue a name for herself in journalism.

After years of no contact Keri finds herself one step away from the masthead of a major celebrity magazine and Joe has become a bestselling but reclusive author. Once, Joe had been in a relationship splashed across the tabloids, it ended in lawsuit mystery…and no one knows what happened behind courtroom doors. Now Keri’s boss has found out her childhood connection to Joe and has laid an ultimatum at Keri’s feet: Get an interview, and the dirt, on Joe and the promotion she’s worked her whole career for is hers…Fail and she’ll find herself with a pink slip searching for a new job.

Keri wrangles the interview…In exchange for spending a two-week vacation in the country with the Kowalski family Joe will answer one question a day. You see, Keri isn’t the only one with an agenda. Keri is the girl Joe never got over, and after seeing her again he doesn’t plan on letter her go anytime soon…But can a high school love stand the test of time?…and the test of two solid weeks with the family?…

Review

I’ll admit I wasn’t so sure of this book at the start. The main characters were close to 40 and while I’m not ageist, it does tend to mean that the romance is going to be of the mature variety. Full of romantic meals and steamy scenes that end at the bedroom door…what’s happening in the sheets not meant for the readers eyes. While that can be enjoyable it wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for…

So I guess it’s a good thing that this was NOT that mature romance book…Steamy scenes, witty banter, and hot muscles abound!

Keri and Joe had chemistry in high school and from the first time they meet in Exclusively Yours they have it again. The references to the couple’s 80’s love are sweet and funny. Full of clichés including big hair, bad cars, and Whitesnake. What really got me was when Joe puts Keri in “the Locker Pose”. The one where a girl would be leaning against a locker and the guy has one leg in-between hers with either hand on the locker beside her head. I suppose I’m describing this poorly…but I could just picture that pose from high school! Where the couple of the moment flaunted their relationship for the whole 5 minutes between periods. Like a pre-Facebook relationship update.

This family is definitely of the down-home American kind. For the family vacation they take off to camp grounds (granted in a few luxury RV’s because Joe is a famous millionaire author) to take ATV’s (four wheelers) off-roading and cook some smores by the campfire. The family is honest, sweet, and completely involved in each other’s lives. But some of my favorite relationship moments came from the other family couples…

An extravagant anniversary gift that cleared up any hesitation about love in the marriage…

The purchase of an ugly marble table and shoes with sex…

Honestly, the scene with the couple and the table (don’t want to spoil anything!) had me rolling on the floor laughing out loud…an honest to goodness ROTFLOL moment. It was sooo sweet too.

I liked Stacey’s characters. They were real people with real issues. Which makes seeing them reconnect their love over these everyday issues all the more squeal-worthy and heart-warming.

This is the first of a series of 3…and I’ve already started book 2, Uniquely Yours. The promise of the hot, ex-cop, ab-baring, younger brother falling in love was too much to bear! And from the start it seems even better than the first.

Rating: 8/10

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Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater *Spoilers*

Click Here to enter to win a Signed copy of Forever

*Spoilers*

Review

This was by far my favorite book of the series. I know it ends without resolving the wolf/human problem…but still, it seemed strangely finished to me. Having that last image of a fall leaf as a wedding band around Grace’s finger is a beautiful one. Leaving the couple on the verge of transformation and future. Whether that future be a traditional marriage and family, or a life in the wild as wolves remains to be seen. But I guess ultimately the reader feels as though whatever the choice, the love between Grace and Sam will have its forever together.

I think Isabel and Cole will also have a future. Maybe if Cole is ever cured he’ll join Isabel in California. Their relationship was always far more realistic than Sam and Graces…never an instant forever attraction…instead it seems like one that will grow over time. Not everyone needs to find marriage at 17.

Now for just a few things I loved about Cole and Isabel’s relationship this book:

• The little black mustang Isabel gave Cole, and that scene where Cole drives the car around Isabel’s body. Seeing Cole play with it at inopportune moments. Very endearing.
• The scene where Cole and Isabel are hiding underneath the lab table – making out!? – and getting caught by Isabel’s mom…who (luckily, lol) just kind of rolls her eyes and lets the two of them off the hook.
• Isabel watching Cole give his life for Sam and Grace and then rolling that SUV off the road to save the pack. She, more than anyone, has given to a cause that has done nothing but hurt her throughout this series. For that I will always love Isabel as my favorite character from Mercy Falls. That girl has heart and guts and deserves the kisses and affection of that hot St. Claire boy.

*sigh*

Now more random notes about Forever…

I also loved the scene in the beginning of the book where Isabel loses it at the Italian restaurant and her mother again saves the day with understanding rarely seen in parents in this series. The way her mother instantly understands the situation and helps her daughter was unique and heartwarming. It was just perfect to see Isabel finally show some emotion over all that she’s been dealing with and then getting the support of her mother. That scene made me very happy.

Another happy moment was when Sam and Grace drive off to see the northern lights. Throughout these novels Grace and Sam get one good scene per book. One happy, uncomplicated, field trip where they just get to be two crazy kids in love. The whole thing reminded me of getting lost in the country with my hubby when we were teens. Granted he was never lost because he has a good sense of direction…where as I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag with a map. Still it’s the thought that counts, and it’s always kind of romantic to be alone in a car watching the stars with the man you love.

I guess I’m a little sad to be leaving Mercy Falls. Part of me wishes I knew what really happened to all the characters in the future. But I think that the strength in the ending is really that Stiefvater picked her battle. She chose to focus on the struggle to find a new leader of the pack and the escape from the shotgun of Tom Culpepper. Her characters matured and are now ready to face their lives as adults. At the age of 18 there’s no way to ensure a happily ever after anyway…Because fans of Mercy Falls are all hoping for a long life and relationship between Grace and Sam and to have a full life is to have one full of both joy and sorrow. The ending of this series is really the beginning of life for its characters.

Who else is hoping for a 10 year update? lol. Maybe Stiefvater will return to the falls someday…

Rating: 9/10

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Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

BookTalk

“I remember this: his yellow eyes.

I thought I’d never see them again.” (2, epub)

Grace was attacked by wolves as a child. They took her from her tire swing for a tasty mid-winter snack. But Grace survived. The wolf with the yellow eyes held her to her human world.

Sam is a summer boy. The warmth of Mercy Falls’ Minnesota sunny days brings him back to his human form. Bitten by a wolf as a child, Sam changed. Spending his winters as a part of a pack of others like him. His whole world changed the day he rescued Grace. And for years the two have had an unspoken connection over uncharted territory between the species.

But then it finally happened. In a moment of trauma Sam is no longer the wolf he is supposed to be. Instead he becomes the man Grace has been longing for, for far too long. Their romance is one hanging by the tenuous thread that is the weather. Because, you see, this is Sam’s last transition…his last time to change to his human form. A gust of air too cold to handle will separate Sam and Grace placing them firmly into two very different species. And banishing a love that should last forever…

Review

This book has been sitting in my library for years. Years! And yet I never read it. I think I added it to the collection around the time that Twilight was huge. I was looking for some read-a-likes for my paranormal hungry teens. I think the fact that this was about werewolves put me off. I’ve always been more of a vampire fan…Totally Team Edward, I’m a purest you know. But let me tell you, after finally finding Sam and Grace I’m wondering why it took me so long to pick this up!

*Sigh* Sam…You have to love a man who loves a girl soo much he manages to go against all animal instinct and not only save her from being eaten alive, he silently watches over her for years…just pining away. The connection Grace and Sam have is one that the reader is able to feel. All of the locking of the eyes, instinctivly knowing when the other is near, heck, even the super sensory ability to smell each other heightens the tension between these two characters. What makes this tension so wonderful is that like Twilight, the tension can be sexual, but unlike Twilight, the tension can also be full of love.

One of my favorite scenes is when Grace and Sam are in the candy store. The girl behind the register is practically getting a contact high from being close to their love. I think I like the scene so much because for most of the book Sam and Grace’s relationship happens in private. This isolation does allow for a lot of intimacy, both physical and mental, but it also gives a serious tone to a love that has the potential to be very giddy and fresh. Thus, the scene at the candy store was a breath of fresh air to me.

Obviously, I’m behind the times. I didn’t read this book when it first came out so I knew the ending before I even began (it is a trilogy people, obviously something has to go right for these two to merit other titles). What surprised me was the depth of the love developed. And how very un-paranormal this werewolf book seemed. But that’s it’s strength. The fact that the book is an honest to goodness love story, rather than a fight for good or evil, or a tale of magic. The humanity of the love is only reinforced by it’s animal counterpoint.

Pick this one up if you haven’t yet. The third book (Forever) comes out today btw. For all those still thrown by the idea of another paranormal book…or a general uninterest in the werewolf trope (holla)…Know that this book is more than it’s summary. Inside you’ll find a love story involving characters you’ll feel for, supported by lots of poetry and song lyrics to warm/break your heart. You’ll quickly find that this is the most un-paranormal book about a paranormal creature.

Rating: 8/10

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Genuine Lies by Nora Roberts

BookTalk

As a child Julia was adopted into a loving family. While she had no record of the woman who gave her up, her childhood was idyllic. Then, as a pregnant teen Julia found herself faced with the same heartbreaking decision…keep her child or give him up.

10 years later Julia Summers is famous for her celebrity biographies. Working with the rich and famous she tells the tales of their lives with panache. Now, Julia and her son Brandon find themselves on a plane to glamorous L.A. to live and research the life of Eve Benedict. The ultimate star for over half a century in a business that chews up and spits out actresses. This story will switch from Eve’s numerous love affairs to the modern romancing of Julia and Eve’s surrogate son, Paul.

But as Eve’s life is revealed man by man, and secret by secret Julia and Eve are about to encounter mysterious people who will stop at nothing to prevent seeing their secrets in print. Secrets that will place some in jail and ruin other’s lives. Unwilling to edit Eve’s legacy Julia and Eve will pay the ultimate price.

Review

Holy 80’s!…Ok, so the book was originally published in 1991 but really, we’re splitting hairs. Eve and Julia walk around in coral colored silk jackets and elegant leisure pajamas. And the trainer Fritz…OMG this quote had me cracking up!

“Standing beside Eve as she lay on a weight bench doing leg curls was Mr. Muscle…He had to be nearly seven feet – a Nordic god whose bronze body bulged out of an incredibly brief unitard.”

Seriously?!…Unitard?!…Sexy?!…

Only in the 80’s (-ish) could this be possible. Don’t worry Mr. Muscle ends up being gay (could explain the unitard) but he is still continuously viewed throughout the book as some sexy, unitard wearing, eye candy. Love It! Aside from the dated cultural references this book still pleases the romance fan. Julia and Paul’s relationship doesn’t get a whole lot of development or play. What is more interesting is Eve’s long history of men.

Roberts traces Eve’s romantic history from her very first husband/lover to the multiple affairs still in Eve’s life at the age of 67. This woman has it going on. What’s so refreshing is that Eve’s character is able to look back on her history and honestly relate the specifics of each relationship. She admits when she’s made a mistake, and also proves true emotion where most tabloids have written her off. It made me wonder about the celebrities we all follow, and the judgements we place at their feet. There’s definitely a lot we don’t know and a lot we take for granted. To see a fictional account of a celebrity life made me interested in real celebrity relationships. What really went down with Bennifer? Brad and Jen? Brad and Angelina? heck, I’d even like to see an honest breakdown of the Speidi ordeal.

Maybe I should pick up a celebrity bio…anyone have a good suggestion?

Anyway, back to the book…Alongside Eve’s romances are a slew of industry secrets and lies. Seriously, I had no idea who was threatening Julia and Eve because so many people were accused of hideous ordeals in Eve’s stories. S&M sex with the underage, torrid secret affairs, aborted love children…murder. This woman was mowing people down with her tale. Just about anyone had more than enough reason to want to stop the story. How all the secrets wind together is really fun to see. And the big shocker of the book is one you’ll probably see coming about halfway through (Paul tipped me off) but it’s not a secret you’ll see coming from the start of the book…definitely a really good twist.

In the end what I enjoyed most about this Roberts title was that it was different. The big love story of this tale happens in Eve’s past…not Julia’s present. It was fun to go back in time to the golden days of Hollywood and see all that old school romance. This book is full of champagne, love affairs, and secrets. It’s a fun romp through the 80’s with a murder mystery to boot. A good choice if you’re in the mood for some retro-trashy-romance.

Rating: 8/10

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Beach Week Book Three! This one is all about spending summers at a beach house and finding yourself old enough for that first love. Told in retrospectives of Belly’s past summers you’ll get to know her and why this summer is so very important…Enjoy the sun, sand, and the love…

BookTalk

Isabel, a.k.a. Belly, a.k.a. Belly Button spends every summer at a beach house with her mom and brother, as well as her mom’s best friend and her two sons. Belly lives for the summer, discounting the rest of the year (and the boys that come with it) in favor of the summer months she spends in Cousin’s Cove. Every previous summer has led Belly to this turning point in her life…The summer she turned pretty. Belly is entering adulthood and is hungry for the adventures and relationships that come with it. Drunk on the pleasure of finally having boys notice her, she focuses all of her attention on her first loves…the Beck boys…to whom she’s been a surrogate little sister. Belly is soon to learn that with the joys of adulthood also come the hardships, First love is not always what it seems, and being self-aware and self-absorbed are not the same thing. Belly is in for one hot summer…the summer that changed everything.

Review

This book should be in the dictionary next to ‘Summer Read’. It’s full of cute guys, first loves, and the dramas of growing up all set in the quintessential beach house. That being said, The Summer I Turned Pretty was not what I was expecting. I read a review of the title on GReads! and put it in my TBR pile. I guess I assumed that this book would be a light beach read about a summer where everything came together. I was expecting a first love story…something simple and sweet.

That is not this book.

I completely agree with Ginger when she says you continue to think about the characters long after this book is over. I felt like the whole point of the book was character development…that by the last page I was really just getting geared up for the story. The story is told alternately from the current summer (the summer she turns pretty) and in flashbacks to previous tween summers. I don’t know that I understood where the book was going in the beginning. I found myself wondering if the title was more appropriate for a tween audience, that it was a little young for my personal taste. What became apparent later in the book was that Han was slowly feeding me a history of this beach-side group. So while this was a Super Summery read…it was turning into a book that was about more than light-summer-fun stuff. What I was learning from the flashbacks soon began to color my understanding of the present time, giving the story depth beyond the surface storyline.

This understanding really helped me see that I was watching Belly mature before my eyes. Be warned, Belly is very much immature for the better part of this novel. She whines, she thinks everything is about her…that the world simultaneously revolves around her and yet is shafting her at the same time. No need to worry, by the end of the book Belly has perspective but because this understanding happens so late in the text, I felt like I was just gearing up for the meat of the story.

This book reads almost like a prequel. You intimately get to know all of the characters but the main plot points of the story are just beginning. Good thing the trilogy is already finished and published…you’ll be ready to move onto book two right away.

Rating: 7/10

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