Dance Party: Jennifer Echols

This week, we're ditching the duel and focusing on the dance party.  That's right, no competition--just your sweet dance moves.  The theme this week is Jennifer Echols books with the fun, the swoon and the disco chicken:

There are plenty to choose from, from her earlier rom-coms to Going Too Far and The One That I Want.  We'll get you started with two of our picks and then you guys can fill out the form with your submissions.  Let's bust a move.

Noelle: When I think of Jennifer Echols, I think of summer and boys.  Sure, many of her books take place during the school year but details, details. There's just something about the feel of her books that says sunshine and hormones to me.  Hence:

I'm playing The Ataris with their Boys of Summer cover.  If I had to choose a specific Echols book for this song it'd be The Boys Next Door.

Maggie: I love how energetic and vibrant Echols' characters are. If they're not wakeboarding, they're snowboarding or drum majoring. Her books always feature colorful side characters as well so I'm going with:

Don't Go Breaking My Heart by the cast of, ahem, Ella Enchanted! I'm picking this song for Adam and Lori in Endless Summer. See, it's okay if we both picked Adam and Lori because Echols had the foresight to write two books with them!

Your turn!

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Reviewed by Maggie: April 4, 2012
Published August 28, 2001 by Crown Publishing Group
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle



Megan McCafferty, you can't fool me. Sloppy Firsts isn't a work of fiction. It's McCafferty traveling back in time and stealing pages from my high school diary -- not the proper one I left behind for my mother and, okay, posterity because I had a heightened sense of self, but the real one I kept locked in my head, full of doubts, fears, hopes, wants, desires, and prejudices. And yes, those desires were sexual even if I was not at the time.

This is a book that I absolutely loved reading now and would've loved reading then. From the time Jessica Darling thinks "Manda thinks that reading feminist manifestos makes up for her borderline ho-bag behavior" and refers to her as "The Headmaster" on page ten, I knew I was in book love. MASH and Saved by the Bell references cemented it. I don't know if I said the exact things Jessica says, but I could have said them. McCafferty just nails Jessica's voice.

So what's it about? ME!!

Kidding. Although that was one of my reactions while reading.

It's about 16-year-old Jessica Darling, the brunette sheep of the family. She's always felt left out of her blonde sister and mother's golden circle of Stepford perfection. Her father though has always supported her, or rather, he's always supported her running track. Like most girls her age, her real source of support is her best friend, Hope. Unfortunately, Hope's family has just moved back to Tennessee. This leaves Jessica socially adrift but not totally outcast during her vital sophomore year. Every year was vital according to my mother, but I digress. Jess is in love with Paul Parlipiano, who obviously doesn't know she exists, but that's a minor concern. A bigger problem is that she hasn't gotten her period in months.

This is one of the areas in which this book would've been such a comfort to the teen me. I skipped my period all the time, but during 11th grade (or Year 11 -- hi, Aussie friends!), I didn't get my period from September to December and January to June. Same for 12th grade. I realized it after the fact, but I was so stressed during the school year that it basically stopped my cycle. It came back with a vengeance in the summer though. Of course I didn't tell my parents about it even though I was convinced my ovaries were dying and it was stressing me out even more. My best friends were who I went to, for this and everything.

Jessica no longer has her best friend close by and is limited to one 60 minute phone call a week and daily emails. This is where the generation divide shows because there are certain things, like her cycle, that Jessica doesn't discuss with Hope over email. Nowadays, email and text are the standard methods of communication, even for friends who aren't separated by distance, and I'd venture to say that there are less off-limit topics.

In her perpetual state of PMS, Jessica's sarcasm catches the eye of class dreg Marcus Flutie, or as I refer to him, Marcus fucking Flutie. I won't even talk about his appearance. (Noelle, you think a ponytail is bad? Try RED DREADS.) Marcus fucking Flutie is THAT guy -- the one who thinks he is too cool for school, but also God's gift. Think an unattractive Jordan Catalano. Sorry, I can't get over the dreads. Now instead of being illiterate, imagine if Jordan Catalano was secretly a genius.

Jordan Catalano - his attractiveness + a genius IQ

Do you know what that equals? Jess Mariano, or as I refer to him, Jess fucking Mariano. I couldn't stand him. He's the guy who not only thinks he's cooler and smarter than everybody else, but also wholeheartedly believes it to be true. Everything is about him, unless he decides that a girl is temporarily worthy. Even the girl in question is a reflection of his ego because it's about getting her.

Before reading Sloppy Firsts, I remember seeing Marcus Flutie's name on lists for Top YA Guys -- alongside the likes of Jonah Griggs, Tom Mackee, and Adam Wilde. AS IF! The girl in my book club who was gushing about Marcus Flutie when the book club pick was announced was suspiciously absent the night we discussed this book. I love my book club because we have differing opinions (ex: I hated Miss Peregrine, some loved it, some were indifferent), but 8 out of 8 girls had the same reaction to him: Marcus FUCKING Flutie! However, what I loved about Marcus was how Jessica reacted to him, and how that changed in the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Like the rest of the book, it felt honest.

Sloppy Firsts is a book that effortlessly takes you back to high school. Luckily, Jessica will make you laugh much more this time around.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Reviewed by Noelle: April 2, 2012

Published March 13, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Goodreads • Buy on Amazon • Kindle • Buy on Fishpond

I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into Wanderlove.  My brain interpreted the cover and synopsis as a fun, sun-baked coming of age story and I foresaw exotic locales and a frothy romance.  And while Wanderlove certainly delivered on those expectations, it packaged them with much more emotional depth than I anticipated.

Bria, the heroine has just gotten out of a less than supportive relationship and her self-esteem is at an all time low.  She's lost her passion for art and without it she feels as if she has no identity.  She is focused on becoming a version of herself that has never successfully existed before and her first few attempts at it are awkward to behold.  She's envying strangers of things they might not even possess, comparing herself to everyone around her and bitterly disappointed at what she sees.   Bria has all of these ideals in her head of what she needs to be to be happy and really living but has no idea how to get from her point A to that point B.

Although Bria makes the huge step of deciding to go on a tour of Guatemala even after her friends drop out of the trip, she soon becomes dissatisfied with her tour group's inability to match up to her preconceived notions of world travelers.  Even in paradise Bria is moping about her ex-boyfriend, being unkind to the fellow members of her tour group for having the nerve to be middle-aged, and feeling the need to exaggerate or outright lie about her traveling bona fides to feel better about herself.  It doesn't work. It never does.

The first few chapters I wondered if I had stumbled into Backpackers: Mean Girls Minus the Hygiene. (That's why their hair is so big, it's full of secrets.)  Bria has a chance encounter with a backpacker sibling duo Starling and Rowan and immediately senses two things: 1) These are the authentic world travelers she aches to be and 2) That she feels painfully inadequate compared to them.  When the opportunity presents itself to break away from her generic tour group for a chance at unpredictable adventure with Starling and Rowan, Bria decides that here is her chance for real transformation, to truly try to become that real person instead of bristling under the potential for the rest of her life.

That is why I liked Bria from the start.  Even at the beginning when she's outwardly being a fraud, she is always painfully honest in the inside.  It is so easy to acknowledge that yeah, you shouldn't let other people's opinion of you dictate your happiness or self-worth but it's so much harder to actually put it into practice.  Her transformation over the course of the novel is subtle and believable.  I loved how being in an unfamiliar environment helped her along.  Bria's matter of fact sense of humor was also a real bright spot for me. 

The evolution of Bria's relationship with Rowan, a guy who is trying to make a difficult transformation of his own, is beautifully handled.  They are both learning to let go of their respective fears and past and learn to trust in themselves, trust in each other and trust in the world around them. A lot of books claim their love interests are "just what each other needs" but this is the rare book that delivers on that promise.  

I also really enjoyed the art aspect as well and Bria's rediscovery of her passion for it.  I particularly appreciated the depictions of how much practice it takes to maintain such a passion, the intense privacy of it and the paranoia involved with others seeing your art outside of a controlled environment.  Hubbard's illustrations add a lot to the story.

Besides being absolutely lovely, Hubbard's writing has a kind, good-humored quality to it directed at both her characters and the reader, from Bria's false bravado at the beginning of the novel, to my horror at Rowan's hair.  (My ultimate ponytail amnesia test: the french braid.)  It's like the story is being told to you by a good friend. Hubbard's descriptions of the locations Bria and Rowan visited are delightful to read.  As someone who has traveled to many of the places depicted (I'm no backpacker but I have been on a broken down bus in Belize) it was a pleasure to revisit them through Hubbard's prose.

They say the unexpected adventures can be the most satisfying and that theory definitely holds true with this book.  Rating: 4/5 stars

PS. For this review, one of Rowan's leg bracelets just has to be this.
PPS. To all the lovelies who participated in the ponytail referendum over on Goodreads,  I gave Rowan a hair cut just for you.

Bookmark Binge: April 1, 2012

The Bookmark Binge: like a link cornucopia, without the genetically altered wolf mutations.  


Haven't gotten enough of Shyness yet?
Don't miss Leanne Hall's marvelous guest post on Shirley Marr's blog.
Give a listen to Leanne Hall's official Queen of the Night and This is Shyness playlists.
Check out Jo's review complete with an impressive Wolfboy lineup.

Oh look at these links just lying around...
Get a sneak peak at the first chapter of Night Beach exclusively at Between the Lines.
Scope out some new book boyfriends at The Readventurer.
A very cool look into the cover design process of the eagerly anticipated Preloved.
Don't miss Noelle/Gingerhaze's (not YAA Noelle to be clear) amazing Hunger Games comics.
An illustrated review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower from The Curious Files of Valerie.

Preview of upcoming reviews on YAA:
Maggie: 

Noelle:

Review: Queen of the Night by Leanne Hall

Queen of the Night by Leanne Hall
(This Is Shyness #2)
Reviewed by Maggie: March 31, 2012
Published February 27, 2012 by Text Publishing
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond or Text • Kindle



Almost immediately after finishing the first book and leaving Shyness, I found myself thinking, "We have to go back!" This Is Shyness (and okay, Wolfboy) pulled me into its trance with its strange, enchanting lullaby and I awoke from the dreamy, all night adventure with a contented smile. When you have a night that special, that magical, it's safer to keep it encased in your memory. There, it's protected and lives forever. But would you rather have one perfect night with Wolfboy or risk shattering that memory for another chance to see him? Me, I'd take that risk every single time and I'm so glad Leanne Hall did as well with Queen of the Night.

Queen of the Night picks up 6 months after Nia left Jethro a note with her number -- 6 months where they haven't seen or spoken to each other. Why am I calling them by their given names instead of the names they gave themselves? Like Jethro says,

"I look at Nia. I can't think of her as Wildgirl now that she's in front of me. That name belongs to that first night."

I love this. It simultaneously acknowledges what was, what isn't now, and what can be. Hopefully. There is a lot of hope and longing in this book, and it isn't just Nia and Jethro's. It's also Paul's, Wolfboy's friend and Wildgirl's dance partner from Shyness. Nia may have left Wildgirl behind with Wolfboy, but she took Wildgirl's take-no-prisoners attitude with her. After 6 months of radio silence from Wolfboy, she says,

"I thought I'd have to wait until I finished school and moved out to change my life, but then I decided to start changing it immediately. [...] I'm sick of being patient, so here's my new theory: boys can go to hell. I'm going to focus on my schoolwork and get the best grades possible. I don't need anyone or anything to interfere with that."

See, girls? This is how you deal with rejection, not with blank pages in your life. Jethro has also recalibrated his life without Nia. However, that doesn't stop him from remembering Wildgirl's advice and reconnecting with Ortolan and his niece, Diana. It also doesn't mean that he's stopped thinking about Wildgirl.

"It seems to be getting more difficult to forget Wildgirl the more time passes by. That's the opposite of what's supposed to happen."

In contrast to Nia and Jethro's mutual longing, you have Paul. Paul broke up with his girlfriend months ago, but unlike Nia and Jethro, he refuses to even try to move on. Also unlike Nia and Jethro, Paul's girlfriend has directly and knowingly rejected him. Unable to accept reality, Paul seeks assistance from the ever present shadier elements of Shyness. Paul retreats further and further into another type of darkness and away from himself. When the story starts, Paul is beyond Jethro's help and thus Jethro finds himself calling once more for Nia -- and actually hitting send after dialing the numbers.

I absolutely loved this book. Whereas Shyness skewed more toward the fantastic, Queen of the Night is an equal blend of reality and dream, hope and disappointment, light and night. It doesn't try to recapture the lulling enchantment that was so special about Shyness, but rather walks you back hand-in-hand while fully conscious. And reality? It can be just as magical and unforgettable as a dream.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

This concludes our week in Shyness. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. And Leanne?

YAA Confessions: I'm a Fictional Band Groupie

Just an example of how our brains are hard-wired over here at YAA: we went from browsing this Etsy store to "Personalized? Obviously we're getting a YA band name!"  

Fresh in our memories and hearts we naturally thought of Wolfboy's band from Leanne Hall's This is Shyness/Queen of the Night.  (Sorry 'bout your band name, Adam Wilde.)

Ta da! Our version of YAA BFF secret bat signal bracelets and a tribute to our Shyness/The Long Blinks fandom all in one:

If you need us, we'll be working at the merch table at Wolfie's next show.  See you there.

YAA Soundtrack: This Is Shyness/Queen of the Night

By Noelle

I know you might be shocked, but the very same girl who sends you 6am tweet updates to remember to vote in the DJ Duel likes to make soundtracks for her favorite books too.  You never saw that coming did you.  Now not every book merits a full-fledged soundtrack---that's what our DJ Duels are for--but if you scroll through my favorite books on Goodreads, chances are I have a soundtrack for them in my iTunes.  And like any music-obsessed person, I live to force my favorite songs on others.  Ask my sister.  I once circled the block three times so she would "get to" (sister mandated air quotes right there) listen to the entire song playing on whatever mix CD I was playing over her conversation attempts.

Ahem. Yup, I'm that person. 

Buuuuut, just in case there are any other playlist aficionados out there who enjoy making and listening to book-themed soundtracks, YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!  I will occasionally be posting links to playlists from my personal soundtrack collection.

First up is my soundtrack for Leanne Hall's This Is Shyness series. For this soundtrack I picked songs I thought had a Shyness-vibe of the settings (the streets, the clubs etc) or the people (the Kidds, the dreamers etc.) and as you will be able to tell, I'm unable to resist a good title pun/nod.  I'm weak, people.  You're lucky I couldn't find a Tarsier song.

You can listen to the playlist on Grooveshark by clicking here or check out the tracklisting and liner notes below:


1. Nightcall - Kavinsky: Like I could even resist---it starts with a howl, how perfect is that?
2. DLZ - TV on the Radio
3. Howlin' for You - The Black Keys: OH YES I WENT THERE.
4. Your Lips Are Red - St. Vincent
5. What You Do To Me - Blackroc feat. The Black Keys
6. Breaking it Up - Lykke Li
7. You Know What I Mean - Cults
8. Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
9. Eye - The Smashing Pumpkins
10. Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio: OH YES I WENT THERE x 2.
11.  Midnight City - M83

Thanks for listening! Hope you had fun with my This is Shyness/Queen of the Night soundtrack.  How'd I do?  Do any of you make your own book-themed playlists?