Review: Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Just One Day series by Gayle Forman
Reviewed by Maggie: October 23, 2013
Published by Dutton Juvenile on Jan 8, 2013 and Oct 10, 2013
Goodreads • Buy Just One Day at Amazon • Kindle • Indie
Goodreads • Buy Just One Year at Amazon • Kindle • Indie



Gayle Forman became one of my auto-buy authors after reading If I Stay and Where She Went. I loved that If I Stay stood on its own, with so much heart in its 196 pages, and I loved that Where She Went brought even more to the story.

After finishing Just One Day at 3:08 am on January 7, I could not wait to see what else Forman would bring to the story in Just One Year. Nine months later, after finishing Just One Year, my reaction was, "Lovely. But that's... it?"

Just One Day was a story that grew on me as the main character grew on herself. Allyson Healey, like Anna Oliphant before her, is begrudgingly in Europe. Her situation is temporary as she is just on an extracurricular trip before starting college in the fall. To Allyson, it seems like everyone is having fun on the trip except her -- because it's true. Things start to change though when she catches the eye of an actor in a Guerrilla Shakespeare production of Twelfth Night. After another chance meeting, she takes the biggest leap of her life as "Lulu" and agrees to go to Paris with him for the day. Yada yada yada, she wakes up alone the next morning. When she gets back to the States, her life post-Willem de Ruiter takes a Bella Swandive. She's stuck in that moment in Paris despite now being at college. After months of stagnation and blank pages in her life, she finally starts to wake up from her stupor.

Just One Year is the B-side of this story. Willem de Ruiter is on his own journey of self-discovery after Paris. Actually, he's been on one since before Lulu. The death of his father 3 years earlier upended his family and he's been unmoored ever since. I love that Forman gives Willem's character an arc that is as emotional and messy as Allyson's. Willem has a lot of growing up to do and he gets the full YA treatment, which is really nice to see done to a male character.

With both of these books, I loved how travel played such a huge role in the characters' development. I believed the intense feelings because it's such a heightened experience when you're young and alone and in Paris! (90s flashback: Remember when Brenda almost ran off with Rick?) I don't think you need to travel to find yourself, but while you're out there discovering what the world has to offer you, you may find yourself being asked what you have to offer the world.

Here's the thing. I did enjoy reading these books and would've probably rated them 4 stars. However, after finishing Just One Year and considering the books together, I'm actually giving it 3 stars. Why? This should've been one book. Just One Day is an unfinished story that ends in the last two pages of Just One Year. Just One Day ends on a cliffhanger because it's the middle of a scene! This is really one 692-page book, and a bloated one at that. What I loved about If I Stay was the economy of language. Forman expressed so much with a single gesture. Adam blowing on Mia's cold hands to warm them up tells Mia's mom everything about how he feels. I know Cath Crowley and I are the only fans of dual points of view, but I wish this was one book with dual perspectives, or one book with two parts. Unlike Where She Went, which continued the story after the first book, Just One Year mirrors the first book and then gives you one scene more. As much as I liked reading about Allyson and Willem in their sprawling, individually published stories, I would've loved reading a tighter, complete, single volume.

Series Rating: 3/5 stars.

Review: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Reviewed by Maggie: April 22, 2013
Published March 27, 2002 by Viking Juvenile
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Indie Bound



It feels almost sacrilegious to run a Young Adult blog without having read Sarah Dessen. She's one of the biggest names in YA with a massive, devoted following. I wasn't sure where to start but when Anna suggested This Lullaby and threw in Veronica Mars as a selling point, I couldn't resist.

This book definitely surprised me. I expected Dessen to be light and fluffy. However, instead of The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, I got The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diet Zip and Cigarettes. I know it's chic to be geek right now, but I love that Remy, the main character, drinks, smokes, cusses and has sex. And she still got into Stanford! She's not the girl standing in the corner hoping that the boy will notice her. She's the girl guys crash into hoping she will notice them. Believe me, I was not that girl, but there were other elements of her personality I related to, like when she says,

"The only I can't stand more than seeing something done wrong is seeing it done slowly."

Preach! She also does her crosswords in ink. Basically, she's a Type A personality. This is what got her into Stanford while her mother flitted from husband to husband. She also has Chloe, Jess, and Lissa, her core group of friends. Though they are all friends, they don't necessarily all get along.

This Lullaby starts right after Remy graduates from high school and right before her mother's fifth wedding. While waiting at her soon-to-be stepfather's car dealership, a guy named Dexter clumsily enters her life.

I really liked Dessen's portrayal of family and friendship, but with all the dramatic exits and declarations and breakups, it felt more like a romance book. It was like a YA version of a Kristan Higgins book, aka Type A Bitches Deserve Love Too. (Not that there's anything wrong with being Type A. Or a bitch.) There's even a dog! Dexter was so sweet and rumpled and lovable and his dog, Monkey, just killed me, but there was such a quick turnaround from first meeting to True Love. A lot of issues are brought up and not really explored. It was all very dramatic -- and very high school. Sometimes, like with Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty, it works for me. Sometimes it doesn't. In the case of Sarah Dessen, I liked This Lullaby and can see her appeal, but I'm okay with being one and done.

Rating: 3/5 stars. 

Extracurricular Review: Alpha & Omega Series by Patricia Briggs

  

Cry Wolf • Published July 29, 2008 by Ace • Buy at Amazon • Kindle

Hunting Ground • Published Aug 25, 2009 by Ace • Buy at Amazon • Kindle

Fair Game • Published March 6, 2012 by Ace • Buy at Amazon • Kindle

Reviewed by Maggie: March 4, 2013, ie one day before the release of FROST BURNED

• • •

Do you have a younger sibling? If so, you know the feeling of euphoria that comes from hearing, "Of course you can go," followed by the deflation from, "...as long as you take your brother with you." Why, parents, why? I resented my brother so much for being my skinny, little ball and chain. I hated feeling handcuffed to him and having to be a package deal if my friends invited me over. Likewise, I typically loathe spinoff series, especially if they poach a favorite character or involve a storyline that affects the original series. I hate feeling like I HAVE to read/watch this other series for the sake of the original. When Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice did their crossover episodes, I had a flashback to as long as you take your brother with you and post-traumatically deleted Grey's from my DVR. Even in the recent Lizzie Bennet Diaries when Lizzie talks about going back and watching all of Lydia's videos, I was like, "I know what you're doing. YOU CAN'T TRICK ME."

So it's with this pleasant mindset that I went into the Alpha & Omega series, Patricia Briggs' spinoff of the Mercy Thompson series, my one urban fantasy love.

Surprisingly, I liked it. Unsurprisingly, not nearly as much as Mercy. Still, I marathoned these books over four days, much like I did with the Mercy books.

Cry Wolf is the first in the series and the weakest. It felt like one sidelong glance after another. Does he like me? Does she like me? Mind you, this is after Charles Cornick and Anna Latham are the werewolf equivalent of engaged so yes, you do like each other. Get over it. There wasn't a love triangle, but a lot of the book felt like two people going around in circles when an honest conversation would've cleared the air. If it hadn't been for Noelle's hints of BIG THINGS TO COME, I probably would've dropped the series and waited impatiently for the next Mercy.

Hunting Ground reminded me of the birds in Finding Nemo.

Charles to Anna: Mine! Anna to Charles: Mine! Bran to wolves: Mine! Also, werewolves and vampires loose in Seattle? We've been there, done that.

Fair Game, aka Criminal Fae Minds! Charles and Anna are their own were-BAU. And yes, it's as awesome as it sounds. A serial killer targeting supernatural victims is loose in Boston. Bran sends Charles and Anna to assist in the investigation. This is a nice change for both because Charles the emo wolf has been super emo lately. Due to his role as Bran's enforcer, he's had to carry out harsh punishments that he doesn't agree with. (He's kind of like Katsa in Graceling actually.) Boston is the territory of local alpha, Isaac. What I liked about this book that wasn't in the previous two books is how established the world is. In Cry Wolf, Anna is new to town and she and Charles spend most of their time in Charles's house and then the mountains. In Hunting Ground, they end up traveling to Seattle to oversee a werewolf summit with wolves from all over the world. Aside from a few local wolves, everyone is an out of town guest and it feels like that in the book setting as well. In Fair Game, the characters from Isaac to FBI Special Agent Leslie Fisher are fully drawn supporting characters. I actually wouldn't mind if Charles and Anna stayed in Boston and Isaac and Leslie became regular cast members instead of guest stars. Aside from Bran and Asil, there haven't been many consistent characters throughout the series. One of my favorite aspects of the Mercy books are the wonderful supporting characters like Warren, Kyle, Stefan, etc.

There are BIG THINGS in Fair Game, but after reading the chapter sampler for Frost Burned on Patricia Briggs' website, it seems like you can get away with not reading the Alpha & Omega series. However, after a shaky start, I think I'm going to stick with the series. I really liked the direction of Fair Game and Patricia Briggs' writing is so addicting. I want to see what new reason Charles will have for being morose.

If you haven't read either series, I'd definitely recommend starting with Moon Called. If you are a Mercy fan already, Alpha & Omega will help you pass the time til the next Mercy book (2 more hours!!) but thankfully, it's not a forced package deal.

Rating:
Cry Wolf: 3/5 stars
Hunting Ground: 3/5 stars
Fair Game: 4/5 stars

Review: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
(The Ghost and the Goth #1)
Reviewed by Noelle on August 2, 2012
Published by Hyperion Book June 29, 2010
Goodreads • Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


So, my normal allotment of reading time has been booked pretty solid lately but every once in awhile I'll get some unexpected free time when I don't have access to my Kindle or an actual book let's call these times "work breaks".  Eager to take advantage, I troll my library's Currently Available Kindle Book section to get some reading in using the Kindle Cloud function on my computer.  At the mercy of whatever is available at any specific time, I've read some pretty random books this summer.  At first I was hesitant to give The Ghost and the Goth a shot, but you know what? I'm glad I did.  It was surprisingly fun.

Have you ever wondered...what if Cher Horowitz had gotten run over by a bus and everyone thought Josh was schizophrenic because he was talking to dead people only he could see and hear?  You haven't, you say?  How about now?

(Why yes, that is a hastily photoshopped Ghost Cher and nope, I've never been named Employee of the Month. Why do you ask?)

Now before you get too excited, this book isn't nearly as amazing as Clueless (ugh, as if!) but it does feature a heroine in need of a wider world view and a hero that brushes her off as a shallow, narcissistic annoyance.  When a school bus and his supernatural abilities force them into a new alliance, both find they have quite a lot to learn from the other.

This is a lighthearted romp that easily surpassed my (admittedly low) expectations by adding quite a bit of humor and emotional stakes.  If you're looking for a quick, fun read with a great starring duo, this book hits all the marks.  And for those of you worrying that a ghost and a real live boy can't make out, any ghost within 5 feet or so of Will becomes corporeal, so never fear! Ms. Kade has your back.

The sequels aren't available at my library, but I wouldn't be averse to stumbling across them one day.  In conclusion, it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty! Ahem, I mean...Rating: 3/5 stars.

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Reviewed by Maggie: July 30, 2012
Published in UK April 12, 2012 by Orion
Published in US February 26, 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond ($14.60)
Preorder at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository



Timing, as they say, is everything. I read most of Eleanor & Park while sitting by the pool and listening to Call Me Maybe... on repeat. This book though couldn't be further from a Carly Rae Jepsen song and I wondered if I would've enjoyed it more had I read it at a different time.

It's 1986. Eleanor is the new girl in school. She lives on the wrong side of the tracks, wears unstylish secondhand clothes on her larger than average body, and has flaming red hair. Basically, she is a walking target. From the minute she first steps on the school bus, she is heckled and called "Big Red." She can't even find a seat on the bus until the one Asian kid silently moves aside for her. Park is the son of an American soldier and a Korean woman. Being half-Korean puts an easy target on his back, but he's friendly enough with the popular kids to keep himself out of the crosshairs. He takes pity on the new girl, but instantly regrets it and hopes she doesn't take it as an overture. They slowly and silently open up to one another through Park's comic books. Eleanor reads them over his shoulder, Park realizes this and takes his time turning the pages. The volume on their silent connection eventually turns up and they begin to talk about comics and music and Shakespeare and Han Solo.

But it isn't all comics and mixtapes. While this is a love story, it isn't a light story. Eleanor has just started living with her mother, siblings, and abusive stepfather again after he kicked her out of his house. Everyone lives at Richie's mercy. He's their only source of income, as he's quick to remind them. Park, on the other hand, has a pretty close to perfect family. His parents still make out like newlyweds and they live next to his grandparents. The main issue is his relationship with his father, who calls him a pussy for not being able to drive stick.

I asked my friend to send me this book because I couldn't wait for the US release. Attachments, Rainbow Rowell's debut published novel, was one of my favorite books last summer. She actually wrote Eleanor & Park before Attachments, but sold it after. I make the distinction because Eleanor & Park feels more like a first novel. For example, there's a scene where our two leads are talking and Eleanor thinks,

"Park's eyes got wide. Well, sort of wide. Sometimes she wondered if the shape of his eyes affected how he saw things. That was probably the most racist question of all time."

YA THINK? This passage though didn't make me reach for the That's Racist GIF mainly because it was so awkwardly placed. Eleanor thinks this then goes on talking about X-Men, but it doesn't have the effortless feel of, say, Jessica Darling, who you know says some shit.

The alternating points of view also highlight the lack of gray in the novel. Eleanor's family life is SO low while Park's family life is SO high. Eleanor doesn't even own a toothbrush thanks to her wicked stepfather, and Park is comparing his parents to Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. While we're on the subject of Park's parents, they have an amazing, wonderful marriage... that I found completely unbelievable. I definitely appreciate minority characters, especially Koreans, but if you're going to use them, use the experiences they bring to the table too. You don't have to, but in the case of an Asian war bride in the Midwest in the 80s, not doing so just made it seem unrealistic.

Before you think I didn't like this novel, I really liked that the two main characters weren't your standard leads. Eleanor isn't some quirky but cute Molly Ringwald character, or someone who only sees herself as big and awkward. She IS big and awkward, and that's not the central storyline either. Park says of Eleanor,

"Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something."

The way Park and Eleanor's relationship slowly unfolded and evolved was so well-paced. Behold the power of the mixtape! Their connection to one another was believable and sweet. The cover of the US edition is perfect:

I think people who enjoyed Ernest Cline's Ready Player One would also enjoy this book. There are a ton of references to 80s bands and discussions about comics and Star Wars. I don't know who Boba Fett is and I missed the snap, crackle, pop of Attachments, but I think an audience would appreciate the low, steady beat of Eleanor & Park.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

Audiobook Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Read by Wil Wheaton
Reviewed by Maggie: July 25, 2012
Published August 16, 2011 by Random House
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository



Note to VH1: No one loves the 80s as much as YA authors. This is the 3rd book I've read this year set in the 80s, and it's BY FAR the most comprehensive. 



Goodreads blurb:

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready? 

This may end up being one of those "on the other hand" reviews where I seemingly have 3 hands and keep contradicting myself because while I enjoyed the book, I also had issues with it.

Good hand: The premise was intriguing and grabbed my attention immediately. A virtual scavenger hunt for billions of dollars based on a rich man's love of the 80s? I'm game! Bonus points for keeping my attention in audiobook form. I've listened to exactly one audiobook in full before -- Finnikin of the Rock -- which had 3 things working for it: 1) It had an Australian narrator, 2) I'd read the book before, and 3) Hello, it's Melina Marchetta. None of those factors were in play for Ready Player One, and since I'm more of a visual person, I worried about how much of the story I would be able to retain without reading it. I actually didn't have any problem understanding or retaining the story because...

Bad hand: ...the beginning was really repetitive. I started this while stuck in my car for hours and at one point, I checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally hit the back button on my iPod because he was saying the same. thing. I think part of the reason may have been to make sure the audience understood this virtual world but the thing is...

Ugly hand: ...the world Ernest Cline is describing isn't SO incomprehensible or wildly imaginative. It's a few steps beyond our current reality, but nothing I can't easily wrap my brain around. I think many readers would say that this is a good thing, but when I read sci-fi, which isn't often, I want to be wowed and blown away. For example, I loved 1984. I loved that it was the world as George Orwell saw it in 1948. Ready Player One is looking at 1984... from 2012. A lot of the world building felt tedious because we don't need all that explanation in 2012. We're already there. It's like when I read articles in the New York Times last year explaining Twitter. Gee, thanks for the tutorial 20,000 tweets in.

Still, the story made me curious enough to stick around for all FIFTEEN+ HOURS of the audiobook, and I'm definitely not the target demographic. The Comic-Con crowd would probably eat this book up. I went to Comic-Con with my friend and when we saw Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, our reaction was,

"Eric from Days of Our Lives!"
"And Dean from Gilmore Girls!"
"What are they doing here?"

Wil Wheaton as the narrator was great, except for when he went into his Asian voice for Shoto. Um, why? He didn't suddenly make his voice higher for the female characters so I don't get why he went all Joy Luck Club for Shoto.

Ready Player One was an intriguing concept that lost its novelty for me partway through, but one that I had to finish nonetheless.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

Review: Zero by Tom Leveen

Zero by Tom Leveen

Reviewed by Noelle: July 11, 2012

Published April 24, 2012 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


Amanda has always gone by the nickname Zero--an apt description of her self-esteem.  When she gets accepted into a prestigious art school, her "nothing" status at last seems a thing of the past.  Amanda is planning to spend her last summer at home hanging with her best friend, making art and going to see her favorite local bands.  What could go wrong? How about not qualifying for a necessary scholarship.

Just like that the best summer ever has become Zero's worst nightmare.  She's stuck in remedial art classes at the local community college, avoiding her best friend after an awkward drunken moment and ducking for cover as her parents' marriage implodes.  When Zero meets Mike, a drummer in an up and coming local band, he creates a bright spot that shines some hope on her summer, but is it enough to enlighten the path to her future?

Amanda's self-doubt and low self-esteem seem pretty overwhelming at first.  Her Zero nickname is the result of her massive and I do mean massive amount of insecurities--insecurities that weighed down the story with their quantity at first and then didn't have enough heft in their eventual solutions.  I think I would have liked Zero much better if one of her insecurities had turned out to be actually valid:

• For a majority of the book, the reader is led to believe that Amanda is a little overweight.  Turns out she's just wearing clothing five sizes too big and actually secretly skinny.  
• Amanda worries she'll be forever alone, but attracts the attention of not one but two of the most appealing characters in the book.  (Don't worry, you're in a no love triangle zone.)
• Amanda had always based her value as an artist on the compliments of her 7th grade art teacher and I admit I cackled at the importance Amanda placed on evaluations of her talent assessed at twelve years old, but never fear--by the end of the summer, despite focusing a questionable amount of her art around rainbows, she has affirmed her artistic genius.  

Luckily, Zero delivers in other ways. The young love was swoony (despite Mike having the girl's haircut on the cover), the drama was sincere in its angst and after a shaky quippy beginning with too many sex and genitalia jokes for a female protagonist the voice evened out charmingly.  The story goes in some unexpected directions that were handled differently than the typical contemporary YA.

I'm also a sucker for artist neurosis and not only does Amanda love art, her obsession with Salvador Dali gave her passion a detailed depth.  Despite having a pretty extensive interest in art history (thanks to my Mom's bookshelves of art books), Dali was never my guy.  Sure, he seemed pretty interesting but I ended up associating melting clocks with dorm rooms rather than the persistence of memory.

Fast forward to a sophomore year visit to the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Whatever you think of his artwork, there is something about seeing it in it's 15 foot tall glory right in front of you.

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

The Hallucinogenic Toreador

It's breathtaking.  I highly recommend visiting the Dali Museum in St. Pete if you have the chance.  My other favorites from the exhibit are Velázquez Painting the Infanta Margarita with the Lights and Shadows of His Own Glory and Galaciadalacidesoxiribunucleicacid (Homage to Crick and Watson).  The amount of detail, the double imagery and layers upon layers of symbolism and meaning in his works are truly fascinating.

While Zero falls short of matching the depth and complexity of the artist it honors, it does feature a lot of my grade-on-a-curve topics (music and art appreciation, fictional boys in bands, song lyric appropriation to fictional situations etc.) and I enjoyed it accordingly.  3/5 stars.

Giveaway:  I was fortunate enough to receive a finished hardcover copy of Zero from the publisher and since I already had an e-book copy on my Kindle I would like to share the wealth!  Enter to receive the brand new hardcover of Zero by Tom Leveen below.  One winner will be randomly selected.



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Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Reviewed by Maggie: April 26, 2012
Published April 24, 2012 by Balzer + Bray
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository


Some buzzwords that will automatically make me read a book are: Heathers. Veronica Mars. Tim Riggins. Black singlet. You get the picture. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris had Veronica Mars potential. The main character, Janelle Tenner, is 17 years old, from San Diego, and the daughter of a law enforcement agent (FBI). These are just superficial similarities though. Some other similarities include memories of blacking out at a party and waking up with ripped clothes, a popular and handsome boyfriend who bores her, and her own Wallace Fennel in her best friend, Alex. Janelle, or J or J-baby, is also investigating a mysterious death, except unlike Veronica, the death J is investigating is her own. DUN DUN DUN! Don't worry, that's not a spoiler. J's death, and the handsome stoner who mysteriously brings her back to life, occurs within the first few pages. It's also early on that you realize Unraveling is one part Veronica Mars, more parts everything else you see on TV.

There's a lot to like about J. She's independent, smart, snarky (or at least she tries to be). There's just one little thing -- she annoyed the shit out of me. She says the words that make me roll my eyes harder than anything else:

"But I'm not most girls."

You know who says that? MOST GIRLS. It's one thing to say that when you're dealing with some guy who, while dragging his knuckles on the ground, grunts, "You're not like most girls I know." Then, okay, "I'm not most girls" is a decent answer. A better answer is, "It is dismaying that your expectations are based on the performance of a lesser primate."* The best answer is, of course, "Fuck you!"** J, however, makes her declaration apropos of nothing and revisits this special view of herself throughout the book. Norris even gets the other characters in on it.

"Any girl on this campus would forgive you, but--"
Nick looks away. "But you're not any girl, are you?"
I sigh. "No, I'm not, and I just don't think this is working for me."

Oh. Le sigh of the only girl in the world. J's otherwise likable character was undermined by her constant comparisons to what "most girls" would do, but not her.

So that's J. When you think Veronica Mars, the next thought is Logan Echols, right? WRONG. Mysterious, handsome stoner boy Ben Michaels is more Piz and Duncan than Logan. He's also, and I hate to say this, a bit Edward Cullen. No, no vampires saw the light of day and sparkled in this story, but there were a few scenes and lines of dialogue that reminded me a bit of Twilight.

Still, despite these usual signs telling me to ABANDON SHIP, the story moved briskly along. Not only is J investigating the mystery of her death, but dead bodies with inexplicable burns are also turning up around the city and a device is found counting down to... something. X-Files is referenced a lot by the characters and the story itself takes a sci-fi turn. I have little to no interest in sci-fi and it usually goes way over my head, but I didn't have any problems understanding these elements of the story. I found myself unexpectedly enjoying that part, like I unexpectedly enjoyed Star Trek (the Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto version).

I felt about Unraveling the way I felt about Divergent -- not particularly original but enjoyable enough.

Rating: 3/5 stars.

--
*Quote from Party Girl with Parker Posey.
**Also from Party Girl. You should really watch it. Make sure you have a falafel with hot sauce handy.

Review: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
Reviewed by Noelle: April 20, 2012
Published January 5, 2010 by Simon and Schuster
Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository

It’s the year anniversary of the death of Lucca, boyfriend of Brooklyn, brother of Nico. The lone survivor of the car crash that killed Lucca, his friend Gabe, has just died of a drug overdose and just like that, all the grief comes rushing back to the surface for Brooklyn and Nico.  This time though, Lucca has decided to haunt his brother, leaving him messages that urge him to help Brooklyn. When Gabe starts sinisterly showing up in Brooklyn’s dreams, it seems like she could desperately use the assistance.  Can Nico and Brooklyn work through this together? 

Ah, verse novels.  They give with one hand and take with the other.
 
In the pro column: Lisa Schroeder pulls off some pretty impressive characterization within the spare confines of verse. I thought the dual narrative was a success and had two distinct voices and personalities. There are several lovely passages and more than a few emotional gut punches as Nico and Brooklyn go through the healing process together. 
  
In the con column: as the ending of the novel grew near, I felt it deteriorated into endless, simplistic metaphors, practically written in a list.  With regular prose the metaphors may not have been so obvious, but in verse the repetitiveness yanked me right out of the story. And that's not even mentioning Brooklyn’s dreams. First of all, isn't it funny how people in fiction dream extremely relevant meaningful things? The last meaningful dream I had was about getting pissed at Ryan Gosling in a Barnes and Noble when I thought he was just teasing me when he asked if I wanted to make out. I still can't believe the last words I ever said to him were "shut up."

Tragic.

But back to Brooklyn's dreams--they were not only all, "here's a metaphor!" but "here's a metaphor with directions and a map!"  At one point she had to choose between the literal light path and dark path, you guys.  

The figurative language got so heavy-handed I felt like Schroeder was telling me how to feel instead of trusting me to react naturally to characters I was already emotionally invested in.  Rather than build on that investment, the ending only served to emotionally distance me from the outcome of the story.

Despite my disappointment in the execution of the ending there were definite bright spots along the way and I'd still recommend checking it out if you are interested in verse novels or intrigued by the blurb. Rating: 3/5 stars.

Some random notes: I absolutely loved when Nico wrote the "dude, be specific" note to Lucca after all of his vague ghostly messages. Being haunted equivocally would be such a pain in the ass. Also, if I were Brooklyn I'd have tried to float "I keep having horrible dreams of Gabe, do you have any thoughts on that?" in the first lull in conversation. But that's just me and I guess if ghosts (and teens) were good communicators I wouldn't even be writing this review, huh?

Bonus points: Italian boys. Always relevant to my interests.

Review: Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Reviewed by Noelle: April 18, 2012
Published May 25, 2010 by Henry Holt and Co.
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Tara Kelly has a knack for writing engaging stories.  In fact, this is the second book by her that I have read in nearly one sitting.  But while her writing can certainly grab a hold of me, it doesn't have a particularly strong grip.  I was engaged while I was reading but didn't spend much time thinking about it when I put it down. Still, Harmonic Feedback is an interesting novel with a unique voice.

Said unique voice is a result of heroine Drea's "touch of Asperger's".   In this case, "touch of Asperger's" means the inability to recognize social cues or sarcasm and difficulty censoring her spoken thoughts.  She also dresses like Courtney Love back when she was the girl with the most cake.  As you can imagine Drea is a real hit on the first day at a new school. 

Despite her social awkwardness, Drea attracts the attention of wild child, vivacious Naomi who appreciates her blunt honesty and seemingly good little rich boy Justin who turns out to understand both Drea and Naomi a lot better than they think. The trio connect through their love of music and the story grows from there, primarily focusing on Drea's evolving relationship with the world around her.

As you all know (Stockholm Syndrome has set in by now, right?) I am a music lover. Although I have my favorites, my love isn't restricted by genre.  Yet, when I think soul-gripping, speak-directly-to-my-heart music, "let me adjust the stabilizers on the distortion" doesn't come to mind.  So while it was intriguing to think of how someone like Drea might react to music in different ways than I do, Drea's passion for producing music didn't sweep me off my feet, you know what I mean?  When I think of the power of music, I expect something more like this:

Let's just say one of these things had me sniffling in my cubicle and Harmonic Feedback wasn't it.  The book is about a lot more than music of course--would it be hypocritical of me to say I kind of wish it had focused more on music?--and while the middle of the story grew a little repetitive,  I remained invested in Drea, Naomi and Justin's story the entire way through.  In the end it just didn't resonate with me as deeply as I had hoped.
Rating 3/5 stars.

Review: The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Reviewed by Maggie: March 22, 2012
Published February 16, 2012 by Dutton Children's Books
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Something that 18-year-olds and potheads have in common (if they're not one in the same) is that they think everything they say is so DEEP and PROFOUND. The problem is that I don't belong to either group.

The Disenchantments is the story of four friends and bandmates who hit the road after three of them (Colby, Bev, and Meg) graduate from high school. Colby, the lone boy, is our narrator and manager of the Disenchantments. On the eve of the trip, Bev tells Colby that despite their plans to visit Colby's mom in Paris and then backpack around Europe for the year, she's going to college instead. To further complicate matters, Colby has been in love with Bev since they were kids. Nothing like awkward tension and feelings of betrayal to kick off a trip.

Needless to say, this wasn't the light, fun road trip book I was expecting. It was my own fault because I saw the cover, read "road trip" in the summary, and assumed it would be FUN in the SUN! Still, throw France in a story in any shape or form and I'm usually appeased. Unfortunately, I didn't feel engaged in the story until page 246 -- of a 307-page book. For the majority of the book, I felt little connection to the characters. Colby's DEEP 18-year-old thoughts just made me roll my eyes. For example:

We drive past a lumberyard, full of a forest's worth of felled trees. I slow as we pass it. It's almost too big to comprehend.

Okay, homie. He's not the only one emo-ing out, although he does have the best reasons. Alexa, the band member with a year of high school left, gets a splinter in her foot. But to a 17-year-old, a splinter is not just a splinter.

She says, "The world is against me."

Inevitably, when you put 18-year-olds in a room or car together, they come to MEANINGFUL and PROFOUND realizations.

"It's hard."
"What's hard?" I ask.
Bev shakes her head, as if the answer is too big to put into words.
Finally she says, "Growing up."
And there is nothing any of us can say to that. It feels too true for a response.

I was mid-eye roll until I thought back to 2am conversations with my roommates freshman year. Let she who is without self-importance cast the first stone, right? As insufferable as some of the Disenchantments' musings were, they are the typical musings of the age group. The story took a Graffiti Moon-esque turn on page 252 and my interest raised tenfold. The 50 pages that end the book are where the story should've started. That story, and the story that begins at the end of the book, is one I would've loved reading. There is an audience for this book and these characters, but unfortunately it wasn't me.

Final verdict: 3/5 stars.

Review: The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
The Ashbury/Brookfield Series #3
Review by Maggie: February 26, 2012
Published May 1, 2008 by Scholastic Inc. (orig. published 2006)
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My best friend's mom is a doctor and one of the most patient, compassionate people I've ever met in my life. Whenever I hear about the latest disease, I immediately call her with my deadly symptoms. Now this same woman, after five minutes of watching Lea Michele in Glee, will ask, "What is that bitch doing now?" Lea Michele's character is just one of those people -- she can make people who have devoted their entire lives to helping others want to commit murder.

Now imagine reading 491 pages of Lea Michele's diary.

The first 150 pages, as you may have seen from my SOS masquerading as status updates, were excruciating.

But it's Jaclyn Moriarty!, I thought. I loved the first two books in the Ashbury series. (If you haven't read Feeling Sorry for Celia and The Year of Secret Assignments, I highly recommend them.) Surely this one is going to pick up. And it did -- after 200 pages that took me nearly two weeks to get through.

And the thing is, I ended up liking Bindy. I loved her sense of humor. In her Reflections on Glandular Fever (street name: mono) on page 222, she writes:

As for glandular fever, I don't believe in it. I don't think it exists. It's one of those "teenage" ailments that students invent to get themselves extra study time. I have no respect for it.

What I didn't like was the minutiae of her life carefully transcribed on the 200 pages prior. Sure, a lot of what Bindy wrote came into play later, but this isn't a Megan Whalen Turner book here, where every word and choice has meaning. I thought a lot of the first half could be cut. I didn't really start enjoying the novel until page 225, when the gang from The Year of Secret Assignments was mentioned, and then the story went full speed from there. I'll still read The Ghosts of Ashbury High... eventually... but I'm a bit hesitant after Bindy.

Final verdict: 3/5 stars -- 2 stars for the first half and 4 stars for the second half.

Full disclosure: I've only watched two episodes of Glee, both times against my will. In fairness to Lea Michele, I thought everyone was annoying.