When You Were Everything review

Cleo and Layla have known each other since they were both twelve years old and have been the very best of friends. They are both girls of color, living in bustling New York City. Going into their junior year of high school, it seems they've had a major falling out. This is a nuanced young adult contemporary novel about what the aftermath of  an imploded friendship looks like.

There is a plethora of suspense as the story jolts forward in two time-lines, Then and Now, leaving readers to wonder how on Earth such a close and loving pair of friends managed to turn on each other so completely. What starts as a few small incidents showing that the two young women are slowly growing apart, quickly escalates into a death by a thousand cuts, as their friendship is tested by conflicts over cute boys and popular cliques of girls. As the story unfolds, one betrayal after another is revealed, eventually laying bare all of the gory details of the kind of online bullying Queen Bee mean girls are capable of. Cleo is truly a sympathetic narrator, even as she gradually admits to herself how controlling and difficult a friend she has been.  Fans of Angie Thomas or Jacqueline Woodson and anyone who's ever been a friend, or lost a friend needs to read this book.

Boyfriends with Girlfriends review

Boyfriends with Girlfriends
by Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
April 2011

First line: "Lance tapped the beat of A Chorus Line's 'What I Did for Love' on Allie's bedroom door. 'Hi, it's me!'"

In this contemporary ensemble story, four high school friends; gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning, wrestle with their identities. Lance is comfortably out of the closet and is blessed with a very supportive family. His best friend Allie is straight. He brings her along on a group date to meet Sergio, a new guy that he's interested in. As far as Lance is concerned, Sergio's insistence that he is bisexual is only a minor hitch - surely Sergio will come "all the way" out of the closet, soon, right? In the meantime, Allie is intrigued by Sergio's best friend Kimiko. Allie's been dating lovable yet lunk-headed athlete Chip for some time. Allie's always liked manga, and she and bookish tomboy Kimiko connect right away. Allie and Kimiko do end up kissing, which has Allie wondering maybe she's not so straight after all? Kimiko's disapproving Asian mother is the main reason why Kimiko decides to remain in the closet for now.

I wished that the characters had been more distinctly drawn. Each of the four teens are somewhat socially awkward, and of course spend a lot of time thinking about their sexuality. All of them have a constant, restless scheming quality, "How can I tell if so-and-so likes me?" "If I say such-and-such thing, will that impress the person I have a crush on?" "How far can I get so-and-so to go with me? How far do I want them to?" After a while, the characters collective angst becomes exhausting; many of the characters' inner monologues felt repetitive and forced. Still, the book is notable for its frank discussion of teen sexuality and inclusiveness of several different orientations.

Compare to:
Geography Club - Brent Hartinger
Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour
Pink - Lili Wilkinson
Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom - Emily Franklin

I borrowed this book from the library.

Lucky review

Lucky
by Rachel Vail
HarperTeen
May 2008

First line: "Our toaster is moody."

Eighth-grader Phoebe Avery has led a charmed life: good looks, good grades, she's friends with the popular set, and her parents make a "comfortable" living that includes designer clothes, their own maid and trips to Europe. She's in the midst of planning a major bash to celebrate her eighth-grade graduation when everything starts crashing down around her ears. Her mother loses her high-powered job, and suddenly, the whole family must economize.

I found Phoebe bratty and difficult to like. What sort of eighth-grader angrily demands to purchase a Vera Wang dress? The first clue that all is not right occurs when Phoebe dramatically throws away the family's broken toaster. Her mother angrily fishes it out of the trash, very out of character. Phoebe, of course, has only been imitating her mother who had recently thrown away a slightly imperfect tea kettle.

What is strikingly real about the book is Phoebe's excruciating self-consciousness. It's painful to read, because it takes you right back to that feeling of being in middle-school, and terrified of not fitting in. As the youngest of three sisters, Phoebe always feels like she's trying to prove herself. Phoebe feels like she's barely holding onto her spot in her social circle, as her best friend Kirstyn insists on taking their big graduation party to greater and greater excess. Poor Phoebe is so distracted with her family's money worries, she can hardly spare a thought for Lucas, a boy at school that she's been interested in.

There's something very, very intense about going through tight times at this age - Phoebe is old enough to understand very clearly exactly what is going on, but young enough to be completely unable to help out, or support herself at all. She's utterly humiliated at the idea of having to shop at thrift stores and can't bear to tell her friends the truth about her reduced circumstances. Many tween readers may get a vicarious thrill out of reading this, knowing that if their own situation mirrors Phoebe's, at least there's a very good chance that they'll handle it with better grace than she does. This is the first in a trilogy.

Compare to:
Everything I Was - Corinne Demas

The Not-So-Great Depression - Amy Koss

Cross Your Heart, Connie Pickles - Sabine Durant
The Daughters - Joanna Philbin


I borrowed this book from the library.

Peeled review

Peeled
by Joan Bauer
Putnam Juvenile
May 2008

First line: "DATELINE: Banesville, NY, May 3rd. Bonnie Sue Bomgartner, Banesville's soon-to-be 67th Apple Blossom Queen, let loose a stream of projectile vomiting in the high school cafeteria."

Sixteen year-old Hildy Biddle dreams of being a stellar journalist. She's the star writer for her high school newspaper in the small, sleepy farming town of Banesville, NY. I must admit I very nearly put this book in my "Did Not Finish" pile in the first few pages. The book opens with a prolonged description of the Apple Valley Pageant Queen vomiting, which went on for far too long and with far too much detail. That, plus the fast-paced, noir-inspired, witty banter that Hildy uses initially felt a bit forced - she was trying too hard to sound like Sam Spade. But, I stuck with it, and things picked up from there.

Hildy reminded me a lot of Veronica Mars... bold, inquisitive and skeptical, and fairly negative on the whole idea of dating. Ever since the recent death of her father, also a reporter, she's been living with her mother and cousin and grandparents.

The local paper, The Bee, starts printing more and more outrageous stories, claiming there's a ghost haunting the old Ludlow place, creating fear and panic in the town. With the help of her experienced newsman mentor Baker Polton, she sleuths out the clues that lead to the real reason behind the hauntings. When the school shuts down the school paper, The Core, she and her friends start a rebel sheet called The Peel.

This is basically the same plot of every episode Scooby-Doo, ever:
"You mean the editor of The Bee faked all the ghost sightings to lower property values in town so he could build a new development?"
"And we would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

This was a fast-paced enjoyable read, a solid pick for younger teens, and the perfect book for YA readers looking for non-fantasy realistic fiction without too much emphasis on romance. I'd actually recommend this as a great introduction to Joan Bauer. If readers like this, they'll love the much-stronger Hope Was Here.

Compare to:
Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer
Famous Last Words - Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike #1) - Kirsten Miller

I borrowed this book from the library.

Anna and the French Kiss review

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
Dutton
December 2010

First line: "Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge."

I put off reading this book for so long because I was a little bit afraid that it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. But it does! It really does! This is a completely swoonworthy book. I knew the main character, Anna, a senior in high school is from Atlanta, and I had imagined that more of the book would take place in the South. That's not the case - her parents ship her off right away to a boarding school in Paris. I was prepared to immediately hate Anna for being a whiny brat about having such an awesome opportunity. That was the problem that I saw with Falling in Love with English Boys, by Melissa Jensen about a girl who has to spend a summer in London. Gee, wouldn't you love to have these girls "problems?" Happily, Anna did not seem too bratty to me. Her father is basically clueless - a less functional version of the real-life Nicholas Sparks, the famous author of badly-written, bestselling melodramatic romances.

When Anna gets to Paris, she's not on vacation - so she doesn't spend a lot of time jetting around, seeing the sights. Mostly, she's trying to get settled in her new dorm, meet friends, and figure out enough French to handle the basics, like ordering food in the cafeteria. She meets Etienne St. Clair, a total dreamboat, but of course, he has a girlfriend, and half the school is crushing on him anyway, so she knows she doesn't stand a chance. They do end up becoming good friends though, and spend the year getting to know each other, developing various in-jokes and so on. I was about ¾ of the way through the book, and Anna hasn't even kissed anyone yet. I was beginning to get worried - maybe the titular kiss would be on the last page? Fortunately, St. Clair soon realizes that his relationship with his former girlfriend just isn't working out, and Anna 'fesses up and admits her sort-of boyfriend back home isn't in the picture either. After they become a couple, Anna helps St. Clair confront his father who has been cruelly keeping him away from his cancer-ridden mother. It sounds more melodramatic than it plays out, and while I don't think high school romances often work out, I could totally picture Anna and St. Clair moving to Berkeley together, getting married and living happily ever after. I hate to say that this is a "When Harry Met Sally" story, since I think that reference will be lost on a lot of younger people, but it is a really good comparison. They're really sweet together, completely right for each other and have a really solid foundation because they were platonic friends for so long before the rest of their relationship developed.

Compare to:
The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen
Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill
Audrey Wait! - Robin Benway
Just One Day - Gayle Foreman


I purchased this book.

Bunheads review

Bunheads
by Sophie Flack
Poppy
October 2011

First line: "My name is Hannah Ward. Don't call me a ballerina."

19 year-old Hannah Ward has given up most of her childhood in pursuit of her dreams... a spot in the corps de ballet of the famous Manhattan Ballet Company. As a very worldly teenager, she's already been living in Manhattan for several years, and is slowly but surely attempting to work her way to the top of the heap in her clique-ish, exclusive world.

When I first heard about this book, I thought for certain it would be some kind of exploration of body issues, and maybe an anorexia book with touches of evil competitiveness a lá Black Swan. That is the stereotype of the hard-driving, ambitious, slightly-crazy ballerina, right? I was pleased that the book dispels those ideas immediately. Hannah's not anorexic - she's always been naturally slim. It's just her natural body type. She eats healthy, but "cheats" every now and then with a big bowl of pasta or (thanks to lax city bartenders) the occasional glass of wine. She doesn't hate her fellow dancers - they are her best friends and constant companions. She doesn't even consider herself a true "ballerina." She's a ballet dancer, but she's not a star. For her, it's a living.

Flack's own experience as a dancer lends lots of realistic details to the book. Hannah and her friends are heartily sick of The Nutcracker, a perennial audience favorite which is physically challenging yet artistically boring. They are tired of having to dance through filthy re-used plastic snow every night, which then wends it's way into everything: hair, clothes, even the utensil drawer at home ends up with stray bits of dirty white fluff.

Another detail I didn't expect, but found completely believable was the staff of professional masseuses and sports doctors on hand to treat the ballet dancers - massaging them into shape, even offering an ultrasound machine in the basement, where dancers are invited to wand their tired bones back into fighting form again.

When Hannah meets Jacob, a gorgeous college-student musician, they are both instantly equally smitten. Hannah soon realizes just how all-encompassing her schedule really is as she struggles to make time for him. I loved how from her perspective, she sees Jacob, "all the time" - bending over backwards to call in favors and skipping classes in order to get in a simple date. From Jacob's perspective, he almost never sees Hannah. He likes her a lot... and he'll wait patiently for her, but even so, a man has his limits. In fact, Hannah is only seeing Jacob every couple of months - to her, with a jam-packed routine where every moment is either devoted to rehearsals, auditions, performances or classes, it really does seem like time flies. It would be so much easier to continue to ensconce herself in the world of the "bunheads" - the serious ballet dancers, and date the charming son of one of the ballet company's most generous benefactors.

As Hannah puts on a little weight, she's mortified to have to wear a bra for the first time. A few critical comments from her dance director leave her feeling shaky and unsure of herself. Again, I liked how this is a brief crisis of conscience, rather than an all-encompassing quest for her. I thought Hannah's main struggle was in how her ballet colleagues - who have been her entire universe - will most certainly judge her if she chooses to dial back on what is already a short-lived career for "some boy." Ultimately, Hannah has to do what feels right for her, and I liked being inside her head as she thoughtfully considers her options.

Romantic, funny and totally absorbing, I loved this look into the life of a dancer who struggles with "work/life balance," on a grand scale. I highly recommend this book.

Compare to:

Audition - Stasia Ward Kehoe

Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance - Brendan Halpin & Emily Franklin

Confessions of a Back-up Dancer - Taylor Shaw

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Happy Families review

Happy Families

by Tanita S. Davis

Knopf Books for Young Readers

May 2012

First line: "The surge of chattering, pointing, gawking people pours into the massive auditorium, and I feel a shiver crawl up my arms."

Twin high school freshman Ysabel and Justin Nicholas are leading perfectly normal, happy lives until they discover their father is hiding a secret. Ysabel is a talented artist, hoping to eventually get an art school scholarship with her glass bead designs, while her younger brother Justin is a straight-A student with his eye on the Ivy League and law school. In short, they are both high-achieving, intelligent kids and their father's secret truly turns their lives upside down.

When their grandfather discovers that the twins' father has been renting an apartment several hours away, initially the family suspects that the possibility of an affair with another woman. Nothing could have prepared them for the truth... their father has been living as a woman and is in the process of transitioning to her new identity as Christine.

This is a short little book, that covers a weighty topic in a unique way. Alternating chapters between the twins take you through their turmoil, surprise and hurt that their father isn't who they thought he was. The family suffers from the secrecy and a total lack of communication. As their parents work issues out in therapy, the teens are left in the dark about how this change will affect their lives. It's not until the end of the book, that their father tells them that they are not necessarily divorcing, that the twins won't have to change schools and so on. The whole family eventually makes their peace with the complicated situation. The book is appended with a glossary and guide to speaking respectfully about people who are transitioning to another gender.

Compare to:
Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom - Emily Franklin
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily M. Danforth
Freak Show - James St. James

I borrowed this book from the library.

If We Kiss review

If We Kiss
by Rachel Vail
Harper Collins
May 2005

First line: "Kevin Lazarus stopped in front of me in the hall, turned around, and asked me if I was ready for the bio quiz."

Fourteen year old freshman Charlotte (who goes by the nickname Charlie) is harboring a crush on Kevin Lazarus -- and things in her life go disastrously wrong after a quick, unromantic kiss between them. First, Kevin doesn't seem to return her feelings, leaving her hanging after he dragged her out to the schoolyard for a little make-out session. Then, Charlie's best friend Tess starts dating Kevin. Charlie ends up being pressured into going out with unexciting George. And to add final humiliation to it all, Charlie's divorced mother starts dating Kevin's father, meaning that Kevin is fated to become her step-brother. 

Vail does a superb job of capturing the awkward, self-concious voice of early teenhood. For all of her pondering about kissing, Charlie is very young for her age. She throws a party and one of her classmates comments that it feels like a seventh-grade party. That feels about right. The subject matter - forbidden romance between step-siblings - could go very dark indeed, but the overall tone is light, even when Charlie stews over her feelings. Charlie is very pragmatic about her situation, she's not deep or passionate. Charlie's friend Tess, even though she's supposedly more "mature" and experienced than Charlie comes off as oddly childlike as well. At one point, during a sleepover, Tess decides to wash her face and holds her hair back by wearing a pair of used undies on her head. Very strange.

I truly expected something more dramatic such as Charlie deciding to run away from home, or for her to make plans to move in with her father. I thought she might have a huge blowout fight with her mother, and demand an end to the horrible situation she's been put in. This is, after all, the kind of untenable situation that could drive a mother and daughter apart for the rest of their lives. Instead, Charlie kind of quietly bears up under the strain. She doesn't confront her mother until the very end of the book, and even then, doesn't admit that she and Kevin have kissed. She and her mother have a tiff and her mother simply feels that Charlie objects to her dating again. Not that it really matters, but I felt that Charlie very much had the prior claim. She and Kevin kiss before anyone else gets involved. Charlie seems much sharper and bitchier when she has an eventual falling out with Tess.

The story ends on a fairly anticlimactic note with a storybook wedding between Charlie's mom and Kevin's dad, as Charlie realizes that she likes ho-hum George after all.

Compare to:
Forbidden - Tabitha Suzima
Lucky - Rachel Vail
Everything I Was - Corinne Demas

I borrowed this book from the library.

Girls for Breakfast review

Girls for Breakfast
by David Yoo
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
May 2005

First line: "I'm standing on top of the water tower behind my house, thinking about my death and the inevitable bronze statue the graduating class will erect in my memory."

Graduating senior Nick Park is dead certain his lack of success with girls is because he is the only Korean-American in his small white bread town in Connecticut. While this story isn't quite a bildungsroman, surprisingly there are many, many flashbacks to Nick's childhood, as he  reflects on where he could have possibly gone wrong. Starting in third grade, Nick finds himself an outcast when he accidentally kills the class gerbil. His fresh-off-the-boat parents are a deep embarrassment to him and he desperately longs to not be Korean. At school, his white peers commit micro-aggressions on a daily basis - confusing him for Chinese,  assuming that he must be a martial arts master, making thoughtless racist comments without even really thinking about it.

Crass, sex-obsessed, opinionated, dramatic, and self-deprecatingly funny, Nick's story will have appeal for guy readers. His continual social flubs are painful to read and he ends up in a downward spiral. Feeling horribly self-conscious and unpopular, he makes one poor decision after another and tries too hard to win people over, causing him to behave in the most awkward fashion possible, only further cementing his status as an unlikeable loser with his classmates. Even when he finally does make some friends in high school, he is still terrified of losing them, and suspicious of their motivations. When he snags a white girlfriend, he's certain that she'll cheat on him. The only thing that could have made Nick's situation more pitiable is if he had been a Korean adoptee, with truly zero access to other Korean-Americans. As it is, even though he rejects his family, his parents force him to join the Korean youth group at his church, and eventually he does begin to reconcile his cognitive dissonance with his heritage. Hopefully, things will start looking up for Nick, when he gets a fresh start as he heads off to college.

Compare to:
Trouble - Gary D. Schmidt
Bitter Melon - Cara Chow
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

The Other Normals - Ned Vizzini

I borrowed this book from the library.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe review

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Simon & Schuster for Young Readers
January 2012

First line: "One summer night I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke."

Fifteen year old Ari is a loner without many friends until he meets Dante at a local swimming pool. The two of them quickly hit it off, and begin hanging out over the course of a long hot El Paso, Texas summer.

This is a lyrical book with a slow and easy pace. I thought it really captured the way that a summer vacation can feel so long and boring, yet studded with emotional highlights for teens who don't have much to do over the break. The feeling is very masculine but also very sensitive. So often, sensitive, emotional boys in fiction are derided as "not realistic" but here, Ari and Dante's voices feel quite genuine. Ultimately, this is a sweet and tender story about two teens who become best friends and eventually more.

The boys each come from very close-knit Mexican-American families. The closeness they share with their parents is really heartwarming, and the way their families completely accept them is refreshing. Ari struggles with the fact that his older brother is serving time in prison for a homophobic hate crime. Dante is impatient to take things to the next level and ends up kissing other boys while he's waiting for Ari to come around. Eventually, after having worked everything out, it does seem like they'll end up together forever. I think that there are definitely more upbeat, faster-paced gay-positive books for teens out there, but Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe offers a nice happy ending for the two leads.

Compare to:
The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily M. Danforth
Freak Show - James St. James
Dishes - Rich Wallace

I borrowed this book from the library.

Blackbird review

Blackbird

by Anna Carey

HarperTeen

September 2014

Fast-paced second person narration places the reader squarely in the head of amnesiac teen girl who only knows that she has a blackbird tattoo on her wrist, and someone is trying to kill her. Quickly adopting the nickname Sunny, the main character soon finds herself framed for theft. Not trusting the police, she manages to find sanctuary amongst a group of wealthy Los Angeles teens. There is some romantic tension between her and Ben, her rescuer. Sunny soon finds she has abilities she didn't know she had, dodging assassin’s bullets and escaping into a crowd, but also excelling in close hand-to-hand combat when cornered by her pursuers. Tantalizing flashes of memories along with clues from her pursuers reveal that Sunny is a teen runaway without a family, who depended on a handsome friend to survive the rigors of being hunted by jaded elite. 

Plenty of sudden plot twists will leave readers guessing as to who to trust. Inspired by Richard Connell's classic short story, The Most Dangerous Game, the book draws to a satisfying close, but leaves plenty of room for more issues to be resolved. Readers of contemporary young adult thrillers will be clamoring for the sequel.

This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Bitter Melon review

Bitter Melon
by Cara Chow
December 2010
Egmont USA

First line: "'Fei Ting, you are my reason for living,' Mom says to me. 'You give me a purpose for my suffering."

High school senior Frances is a timid and obedient girl, who only longs to excel in school so she can satisfy her mother's wishes of seeing her go to Stanford and become a doctor one day. This story was essentially Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother... from the unhappy daughter's point of view.

Chinese-American Frances has grown up in a cramped apartment with her single mom in San Francisco. The story takes place in the 1980's and obviously, Frances doesn't have access to internet, cell phones or social media, making her isolation from the mainstream all the more possible. Frances is truly withdrawn and mentally beats herself up for always falling short of her mother's impossible expectations. 

The mother in Bitter Melon is incredibly unlikeable. I would have liked seeing some more shades of grey for a more nuanced and compelling story. The book opens with a disgusting scene where Frances is being forced to massage her mother's stomach as her mother loudly belches due to her ongoing stomach problems. Even allowing for the fact that the mom is very hurt at being abandoned by her wealthy husband and forced to raise her daughter alone and close to poverty, it's impossible to work up any sympathy for her. She is tone-deaf to any of her daughter's feelings and seems to enjoy constantly putting Frances down, fearing that any kindness will make her daughter too soft. The mother's plan for Frances to go to med school so that she can treat her mother for free and finally work out her stomach problem seemed idiotic to me. It's hinted that it's a pretty serious problem, possibly even stomach cancer... wouldn't she be dead by the time her daughter finally finishes medical school?

Due to a mix-up at school, Frances finds that instead of being registered for Calculus as planned, she's been assigned a speech class. In a small act of rebellion, she decides to stay enrolled in the class, and begins competing in speech tournaments and winning. She also hides a crush on a boy from her mother, and starts to imagine what life would be like if she didn't pursue pre-med.

Frances finds a friend for the first time in her goody-goody cousin Theresa. She's spent years pitted against Theresa, due to their mothers' continual bragging and put-downs, but when Frances lets her guard down and trusts Theresa she is surprised to discover a valuable ally.

Ultimately, Frances house of cards comes crashing down when her mother finally discovers her complex web of lies. Surprisingly, Frances mom is on board with her new speech class, once she learns that Frances has been winning awards. She shifts gears, and begins to insist that Frances work towards becoming a newscaster or television personality, putting her daughter on a punishing diet so she'll look good for the cameras. Interestingly, Frances and her mother never really resolve their issues. For Frances, the only way to handle things is to start being more outspoken, contradicting her mother in public by challenging her mother's put-downs and finally, to secretly squirrel money away so that she can make her escape and lead her own life.

Compare to:
Everything I Was - Corinne Demas
Dirty Little Secrets - C.J. Omololu
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother - Amy Chua
What Can't Wait - Ashley Hope Perez


I borrowed this book from the library.

Wintergirls review

Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Viking Juvenile
March 2009

First line: "So she tells me the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee."

Eighteen year old Lia is struggling to complete high school in the wake of her best friend Cassie's death of complications from bulimia. Lia has been released from a treatment program for anorexia, but is still in the strong grip of disordered thinking and inaccurate body image. She continues to struggle with her weight, relying on cheap tricks such as gulping down a gallon of water and weighting her bathrobe with hidden coins during weigh-ins, to hide her continued weight loss from her stepmother, Jennifer.

To say that Lia is obsessed with calorie counting and food would be an understatement. Her every waking thought revolves around the pursuit of thin perfection. She even refers to her classmates by what they had for lunch, blonde tacosalad, pizzafish guy, or cheesefingers girl. Lia is wracked with guilt over her falling out with Cassie and blames herself for Cassie's dying alone in a hotel room.

I loved the strikethrough font which represented Lia's forbidden thoughts which she doesn't allow herself to say out loud. Lia is literally haunted by images of her dead friend Cassie, who silently urges her on in her mad pursuit of getting thinner.

The language is lyrical and adds a passionate intensity to Lia's inner world. Lia sees how much her little sister looks up to her as she weighs her options and decides if she wants to join Cassie in the world of the dead, or truly make a commitment to getting healthy and staying in the land of the living.

Compare to:
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden - Joanne Greenberg
The Best Little Girl in the World - Steven Levonkron
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Letting Ana Go - Anonymous

I borrowed this book from the library.

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List review

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List
by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
Knopf Books for Young Readers
August 2007

First line: "I lie all the time."

This book was okay. I picked it up because I had love, love, loved Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist written by the same authors. Naomi and Ely are best friends who have grown up across the hall from each other in a chic New York high-rise apartment building. The past year has been rocky for them, as Naomi's father destroyed their family with an illicit affair with one of Ely's lesbian moms. The aftermath is awkward all around for everyone in the building. The main conflict, of course, is that Naomi still harbors a childhood crush on Ely - she's certain that they were destined for one another, and the fact that Ely has been openly and proudly gay for the last few years hasn't put a dent in her affections. Naomi and Ely are like a younger Will & Grace, full of witty banter and extremely close, and of course, totally co-dependent and wrong for each other.

Levithan and Cohn absolutely nail the awkwardness of the late teen years - wanting desperately to seem cool and hip and often tragically failing. I liked how self-conciously arch and clever the characters were, even though there were several cringeworthy moments where they were trying too hard. The book has multiple viewpoint characters, each with a very unique voice. Unfortunately, a lot of the characters were unlikeable and unrelatable. Naomi has an extremely annoying habit of substituting symbols or smilies for words, making some of her chapters read like a rebus. Ely came across as bitchy and mean. Gabriel, the doorman with a crush on Naomi, made many musical references that I'm sure went over my head, and he seemed shallow, only liking Naomi for her looks. There were several different characters named Bruce, and several characters named Robin, which I'm sure happens in real life, but still made the story a bit confusing to follow at times.  I couldn't relate to Naomi's pathetic romantic obsession with Ely, but I've known plenty of women who've fallen head over heels for gay guys and I've helped coach and counsel them through it. In my experience, this kind of thing usually happens when a girl is absolutely not ready for a real relationship, so lusting after someone unobtainable feels more "safe."

Fans of Levithan and Cohn's other works should seek this one out. The writing duo were ahead of the trend for "New Adult" fiction - mature YA featuring college-age protagonists. The New York City setting is critical to the tone and feel of the book. This story couldn't happen anywhere else. I liked how the big city excitement and fast pace didn't stop the characters from feeling like they were in a small town where everyone knows everybody else's business.

Who will I recommend this book to? Glee fans who are Rachel/Kurt 'shippers (yes, sadly, such a thing exists.) New Adult readers. Contemporary fiction readers who enjoy schadenfreude in reading about failed romances.

Compare to:
Pink - Lili Wilkinson
Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance - Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
Freak Show - James St. James


I borrowed this book from the library.

Season of the Witch review

Season of the Witch
by Mariah Fredericks
Schwartz & Wade
October 2013

First line: "You know how it is with little girls."

High school junior Toni is completely ready to forget her ill-fated summer fling with Oliver, but unfortunately, Oliver’s girlfriend Chloe has other plans, marshalling her minions to make Toni’s life miserable. Like Laura with her glass menagerie, self-conscious Toni indulges in a bit of magical thinking, arranging and rearranging her glass figurines at home for the luckiest configuration to help her get through the school day.

Toni’s overweight best friend Ella returns from her summer at “fat camp” with shocking news - her cousin Cassandra is transferring to their school after the death of her younger autistic brother. Cassandra soon befriends Toni with the promise of exacting revenge on Chloe using witchcraft. 

Interestingly, the possibility of witchcraft or psychic ability is left open - while in all probability the girls simply imagine themselves to have special abilities, the reader never really knows for sure. This darkly honest look at bullying, high school cliques and teen drama amidst family tragedy will have readers glued to the page for every last unexpected plot twist and turn.

Compare to:
The List - Siobhan Vivian
Shattered Dreams - Ellie James
Evermore - Alyson Noel


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

Just One Day review

Just One Day
by Gayle Forman
Dutton Juvenile
January 2013

First line: "What if Shakespeare had it wrong?"

I just read this book for the Not-So-YA book club - an awesome group of ladies who are as obsessed with YA fiction as I am. I must admit, I was highly skeptical of this pick, because I had attempted to read Gayle Foreman's If I Stay, and I just couldn't get into it. Just One Day really surprised me - I loved it. It provided some great discussion for our book club.

Straightlaced high school senior Allyson Healey decides on a single act of rebellion during her tour of Europe. While her friend Melanie covers for her, she runs off to Paris for just one day with mysterious, good-lucking Shakespearean actor, Willem de Ruiter. He quickly dubs her "Lulu," and Allyson is only too happy to ditch her old persona in favor of trying on being edgy rule-breaker. About half the book recounts her amazing, turbulent, exciting and romantic day. Together, they take the train from London, meet up with Willem's (ex-girlfriend?) Celine, travel the canals, make new ex-pat friends, get lost, ride a bike to the Louvre, break into an artists studio and impulsively end up in bed together.

In the morning, Willem is gone, and over-protected Allyson is absolutely shattered. In a panic, she calls the tour group chaperone, who kindly arranges for Allyson to rejoin the group and head home. At home, Allyson starts her freshman year of college in a deep depression. Her overbearing mother demands that she major in pre-med. Soon Allyson finds herself overwhelmed, flunking classes, and unable to make new friends. This is a real coming of age story, as Allyson struggles to reinvent herself. When she switches gears her second semester and takes a Shakespeare class, she picks up a sassy gay best friend, D'Angelo Harrison, or Dee for short. I loved Dee and wished there was more of him in this book. Dee veers dangerously close to being a Magical Negro in this story - he uses his amazing code-switching abilities to support Allyson, effortlessly transforming himself from campy queer to New York hoodlum, to liberal arts intelligentsia as the situation needs it.

Allyson's mother is seriously crazytown. That woman needs to cut the cord, and find other means of fulfillment in her life! Her obsession with Allyson bordered on the disturbing. Allyson is an only child and the entire focus of her mother's attention. In a way, I shouldn't have been surprised by Allyson's obsession with Willem - since she's seen that kind of behavior modeled by her mother. Allyson decides to get a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and learn French so that she can return to Paris and find Willem. When she goes back, I found the string of lucky coincidences that lead her back to Willem kind of stretched credulity. This was a blazing fast read. With a slightly tweaked ending this would have made a fine stand-alone book. As it is, we will all have to wonder how things resolve in the sequel, told from Willem's perspective, Just One Year.

Compare to:
Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill
A Long Way from You - Gwendolyn Heasley
Falling in Love with English Boys - Melissa Jensen
Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

I borrowed this book from the library.

Formerly Shark Girl review

Formerly Shark Girl
by Kelly Bingham
Candlewick Press
May 2013

High school senior Jane Arrowood may have physically healed from the loss of her arm in a shark attack the year prior but she still grapples with emotional scars in this narrative poetry novel sequel to Shark Girl. Jane struggles as she tries to decide what path to take: continue her love of art as a painter, or try becoming a nurse - a way of paying it forward for the nurses who saved her life after the attack. 

Poems are interspersed with “fan mail” which are condescending and inspiring by turns. Some of the letters say things like, “Seeing you makes me realize how lucky I am,” while others simply offer encouragement. No one is more surprised than Jane by a budding new relationship with college freshman, Max Shannon. She discovers that he’s dealing with troubles of his own as he’s chosen to give up going away for college to stay at home and care for his mentally troubled father. 

This coming of age story showcases Jane’s mental turmoil and ultimately, her strength of character. Recommend this to teens who are looking for something that falls somewhere between the poetic melodrama of Ellen Hopkins and the soul-searching realistic fiction of Sarah Dessen.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

Spoiled review

Spoiled
by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Poppy
June 2011

First line: "Arugula, put them down. You know thigh-high sandals give you cankles."

Sixteen year old Molly Dix is shocked to discover that her biological father is actually Brick Berlin, a rich and famous Hollywood movie star. Molly is overwhelmed after the loss of her mother to cancer and even more stunned when she moves from her small town in Indiana into her father's mansion. Brooke Berlin is the bratty shopaholic half-sister that she's never met and is none too pleased at this sudden intrusion into her domain. Meanwhile, Brick's heart is in the right place, but he's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer and cluelessly thinks that the girls will quickly become the best of friends.

It takes Molly and Brooke a long time to settle their differences and realize that the real enemy is a catty "friend" of Molly's who's been pumping her for info to sell to gossip magazines.

Cocks and Morgan, the creators of the GoFugYourself.com, deliver plenty of typical Hollywood shenanigans including run-ins with the paparazzi, exotic health food diets, celebrity children with "unique" names such as Arugula, wild house parties, cute boys and a social scene with plenty of backstabbing young starlets. 

Compare to:
Gossip Girl - Cecily Von Ziegesar
Private - Kate Brian
L.A. Candy - Lauren Conrad
The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Salvation review

Salvation
by Anne Osterlund
Speak
January 2013

High school seniors Salvador Resendez and Beth Courant both struggle with family pressures and dream of leaving their tiny impoverished town where the only opportunity is working in the local onion factory. Salva’s father demands perfection from his son, to that prove leaving Mexico and creating a new life in America was worth it. Popular, funny Salva is determined not to let his family down the way that his college-dropout older brother has. Shy and clumsy bookworm Beth copes with her mother’s recovering alcoholism and wants to leave her trailer park home behind to attend a good college on a full scholarship. 

Forced to work together for a school project, Beth and Salva soon experience a tender connection that has them flirting over Shakespeare in this modern Romeo and Juliet story. A melodramatic ending leaves their parents realizing that star-crossed lovers Beth and Salva have been a good influence on each other after all, as Beth encourages Salva to defy his father and attend Yale’s pre-law program. Readers looking for a gentle story of first romance will enjoy this sweet offering.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This review originally appeared in School Library Journal.

Gingerbread review

Gingerbread

by Rachel Cohn

Simon & Schuster

March 2002

First line: "My so-called parents hate my boyfriend Shrimp."

Cyd Charisse has been expelled from her New England boarding school and is back in San Francisco with her family, mom Nancy, step-dad Sid, and adorable younger half-siblings Josh and Ashley. She very much feels like the unwanted step-child in her family. Her thoughts keep circling back to an unintended pregnancy with her ex-boyfriend Justin and the abortion she had. It doesn't completely rule her life... but it does haunt her. She has an almost-too-wise sound, kind of like Diablo Cody - the arch 30-something hipster attempting to speak in a teen's voice. The book came out in 2002 and already sounds just a wee bit dated... the all-pervasiveness of cell phones and internet was beginning but not at the zenith that it is today. I found the parents being named Sid and Nancy a bit distracting at first, but by the end of the story, I barely noticed.

Forced to do community service, Cyd befriends "Sugarpie" an elderly woman at a senior center. Sugarpie was a psychic and tarot-card reader who faced some heartbreak of her own in her day and provides the kind of womanly advice and support that Cyd finds lacking in her career-driven, money-obsessed parents. Cyd's new surfer boyfriend Shrimp dumps her just before she sets off for a month in New York to reconnect with her father, something which upsets her very much, especially after finding a warm relationship with him following her dysfunctional relationship with Justin. Cyd carries around a ragdoll with her everywhere -- Gingerbread, named after a dessert her father brought her on their one meeting at an airport when she was five. Cyd comes to realize that her biological father "real-dad-Frank" is a jerk and a disappointment. Embarrassed by his affair, he first tries to pass her off as his niece and later as his goddaughter. She connects with her older half-brother Dann; as a gay man, he shares her outsider status in the family. Older sister Rhonda (Cyd later finds out she goes by the name Lizbet) is a disappointment as well -- a snooty, preppy, pious Catholic, who's horrified to learn that she has an illegitimate sister. Despite all she's been through, Cyd remains somewhat boy-crazed, crushing on her boyfriend's brother Wallace as well as her father's New York Italian driver Louis.

I enjoyed Cyd's quirky sense of humor. She refers to her room (when grounded) as "Alcatraz." She finds an outlet for her energy working as a barista and is always ready with a clever come-back.

The tearful confession that Cyd finally makes with her mother, Nancy at the end of the book didn't feel forced at all. It felt as though she was getting her life back on track, and connecting the pieces, especially as Nancy confesses to her that she'd considered adoption -- choosing the name Cyd so that it would be unique and memorable so she could find her daughter if they were separated. Sid-dad comes across in the end as a real hero as well. He may not be Cyd's biological father, but he's the guy who is always supportive and there for her.

Compare to:

This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart

The DUFF - Kody Keplinger

I borrowed this book from the library.