A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

Ruby's turning sixteen . . . but the day doesn't turn out to be as sweet as it's supposed to be. Her long lost father shows up, and Ruby doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Instead, she wants to hang out with her friends - loyal Beth, dangerous Katherine, and gossipy Maria. They have plenty of advice for her - about boys, about her dad, about how she should look and what she should be feeling. But really, Ruby doesn't know what to think or feel. Especially when a new boy comes into the picture . . . and Ruby discovers some of her friends aren't as truthful as they say.

Siobhan's writing caught me up in the very first sentence. Her fun and soft style is exquisite and impeccable. Her characters are majestic and rare. Ruby and Beth's friendship is quite alluring and notable. Ruby is so self-conscious and insecure of herself. Whereas Beth is confident and bold. The dialogue is so keen between Ruby, Beth, Maria, and Katherine. Siobhan Vivian knows the meaning of friendship. This is a pick-me-up-when-feeling-down type of novel.

A Little Friendly Advice is a well-written novel. It's cute and sharp. She grabs the voice of friends, growing up, and the truth so very well. It's well intended but bad advice is abundant and in this novel brings plenty of it.

A big part of this book is of Ruby's long-lost father coming back on her birthday. But it's has more to do with friendship then anything else.

I'd grab this novel up for a pick-me-up any day. But it's also perfect for a rainy day. This is one to not miss out on.

I can't wait to read Siobhan's other work in the future. I can tell she's going to be a greatly appreciative Young Adult author. (And can I say how much I adore the cover? It's so cute!!!!!!!!!!)

Read On!

Kelsey

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

From the top you can see everything…except yourself It’s the most exclusive luxury apartment building on New York’s Upper East Side. If you don’t live there—you don’t know how to live… When Casey McCloy steps into The Bramford, she’s overwhelmed by the sophistication and elegance of it all. Fresh from the Midwest, she’s moved to NYC to live with her grandmother and attend the prestigious Meadowlark Academy. Here all that matters is who you know. The girl to know is Madison Macallister: popular, pretty, platinum-blond. So Casey aims to get in with Madison and her gorgeous gal-pals from the start. But after a city-haute makeover from her new frenemy Madison, Casey is wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people—including Drew, the boy-about-town who Madison thinks belongs to her and her alone…

So I liked the novel as a whole but I was a little disappointed. I thought it was much to short. In the whole novel, nothing really exciting happened. But I did like the real-ness of the characters; they all had a deep and hard background to live from and overall the characters were awesomely descipted and full. (If that even makes sense.)

I felt there where some stuff missing, too. I would've liked more of background on Casey, like I didn't know what she was really like from Normal. I'm not a big fan of the rotating chapters, that's me being picky :), but here I thought it was nice because we got to find out what the characters are coming from and there reasons.

Overall the novel was good but like I said above it was shorter then I felt it could be. It wasn't physically short, it just SEEMED like the novel was shorter than it physically was. It would've been nice to actually have more insight of the characters in school instead of the one day. Also, throughout the entire novel I didn't know where the time line was. I thought there was also too much brands in the book. It just kind of got overwhelming for me but I do realize that this is novel has a lot to do with that, but I thought it was a step to high.

But I am excited for In Too Deep out January '09!!! I can't wait to see what happens and I refuse to read the excerpt from the back!

PS: Thanks for sending me the book Jennifer, I appreciate it!

Read On!

Kelsey

Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning

Isabel's friends are terrified of her, her teachers can't get through to her, her family doesn't understand her, and that's just the way she likes it. Nothing gets to Isabel--not even her mother's sudden death. When she meets an enigmatic guy named Smith, Isabel fights hard to keep hold of her cool, narky image, but she soon finds herself coming apart at the seams, feeling the pain, and missing her mom.

I loved this book to death. It was absolutely well written and meaningful. Isabel is such a believable character and is the insanely awesome anti-heroine. She's the girl you hate, the bully, the girl your afraid of, you know the type of girl I'm talking about. But she wasn't always like that, in what us Americans call Middle or Junior High School she was the one being bullied. So she turned it around. Isabel is such a believable character, all though you know she's hiding something.

Smith and Isabel make the perfect couple. She's got the attitude and he's got the attitude who won't take her attitude personally. It's perfect. Smith is an awesome character. I have to say though, even as real as Isabel was, she made me mad. Isabel's lies are complicated and annoying. But for me that was really the only problem is this novel.

Sarra Manning wrote this book 3 months after her own mother died. With that, this book really means something. The feeling Isabel has of losing her mother is a real one, because Sarra felt the same. That's just another one of the tons of reasons why this novel is so good.

I highly recommend reading this novel, it's an excellent read. You'll probably see a review soon on here for her first book, Guitar Girl, soon.

Read On!

Kelsey

Geek High by Piper Banks

At this school, everyone's a geek. And Miranda Bloom still

can't fit in...

Miranda is a math genius with divorced parents, an evil stepmother, and no boyfriend in sight. She can't even fit in with the other geeks at the Nottingham Independent School for Gifted Students (a.k.a. "Geek High") because they have talents that are actually useful.

Miranda, on the other hand, is known as "The Human Calculator," which doesn't amount to much when people have, you know, their own calculators.

Then Miranda gets stuck planning the school's Snowflake Gala. And as she struggles to find a date and drum up some school spirit at Geek High, she finds that who you are means more than where you fit in.

When I first started this book, I didn't know what to expect, I thought the books sounded a bit silly to me. But as I was reading the first page, the writing really caught me. Miss Banks is a really talented, funny, and descriptive writer. Her characters were neat and cool. I had a ton of fun reader this book.

The plot was still a bit inane to me, but it was a quick and fun read. The thought of being in a school with such talented people is absurd but interesting. Miranda was a cynical and ironic and glee person that I liked reader with. Her attitude is a bit immature, I have to say. Actually all her characters seemed a bit immature for what they really are.

Piper Banks does really well at description of her characters and the scenery. Her sequel to Geek High, Geek Abroad, just came out this past May, I plan on getting my hands on it when I can, I suggest you do the same.

Read On!

Kelsey

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Meet Jordy. He’s on his own in New York City. Nobody to depend on; nobody depending on him. And it’s been working fine.Until this girl comes along. She’s 18 and blond and pretty–her world should be perfect. But she’s seen things no one should ever see in their whole life–the kind of things that break a person. She doesn’t seem broken, though. She seems . . . innocent. Like she doesn’t know a whole lot. Only sometimes she does.The one thing she knows for sure is that the world is an ugly place. Now her life may depend on Jordy proving her wrong. So they hit the road to discover the truth–and there’s no going back from what they find out.This deeply felt, redemptive novel reveals both the dark corners and hidden joys of life’s journey–and the remarkable resilience of the human soul.

This was an inconceivable novel. Profound and seductive. It was an prodigious. I laughed and felt tears crimp my eyes. The meaning of this novel had a huge impact on myself. The beginning of the novel was so dark and ghastly. After the middle of the novel it started looking up into what you know the world like. It's beautiful with a ton of nice people in it, but there are also terrible people. This read tells both sides of the world.


Jordan, aka Jordy, is a great narrator, he's very interesting and has a dark past. The way he takes care of Chloe, whom he doesn't even really know, she just practically got dumped on him, is a love like no other. Chloe's personality is so unique and so eccentric and compelling. She's a smart girl, who around Jordy seems so child-like and fragile. She's had such a rough past she doesn't even know when something good happens or when something bad happens. It's like Jordy decided that she is his sick, depressed sister. It's really intriguing.


Catherine Ryan Hyde writes a masterpiece of words that means something so colossal. She writing is superb and it really impressed me. I can't wait to read her honest other work.


Read On!


Kelsey

Scrambled Eggs At Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Calliope (or Cal as she calls herself ) wants nothing more than to stay put, to stop traveling cross-country with her mother, sleeping in a tent, abandoning all belongings whenever they pull up stakes. Eliot misses the happy times he left behind when his father decided to open a camp for kids looking to lose weight and find Jesus.When Cal and Eliot meet by chance, they feel an immediate connection. Together they must face their isolation, the threat of yet another move, and the deepening of Eliot’s father’s obsession with money and God.This smart novel, featuring unforgettable characters, colorful backdrops, and even a few recipes, is as funny as it is romantic.

This book was really cute. Cal's and Eliot's relationship is sweet and tender. Cal comes from a family of two artist and when her mother, who doesn't act like her mother at all, runs away with her and leaves her father behind. Cal and her mother move around for four years before they come to Asheville, where Cal meets Eliot.

Eliot used to have the perfect family but when his dad starts in this crazy faze and opens up a fat camp for Christian and moves all of them to the mountains from the beach, Eliot just starts doing his own thing.

This book was written beautifully. I really enjoyed reader this novel about Cal's and Eliot's relationship. The book wasn't all that exciting and it was pretty predictable, but I think that's why it's such a charming story, you don't really see many love stories that have twists and turns any more and this one was a nice change. It was a really soft and sweet read that I really enjoyed. The characters were really unforgettable and charming. I highly recommend this book if you want to just sit down during a rainy day and read right through. I hope this book is read my many others.

Look out for there next book, Jar of Glass, out this October.

Read On!

Kelsey

Breaking Dawn Countdown

Here's a great countdown my friends at Twilighters.org made, they are up to date on all the latest stuff to do with Twilight Saga, Twilight the movie, and Stephenie Meyer. Click Here to see them!

Girl At Sea by Maureen Johnson

Sometimes you have to get lost. The Girl: Clio, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-store crush, not stuck on a boat in the Mediterranean. At least she'll get a killer tan. The Mission: Survive her father's annoying antics. Oh, also find some underwater treasure that could be the missing link to a long-lost civilization. The Crew: Dad's absentminded best friend Martin, his scary girlfriend Julia, her voluptuous daughter Elsa . . . and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant research assistant. What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway? As Clio sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her most surprising discovery is that there's something deeper and more mysterious than the sea—her own heart.

There is really no doubt; Girl At Sea is a great read. Clio is a really relatable person. Her thoughts are witty and sarcastic and fun. Her view of things are interesting. She acts like any regular girl, really; what is regular, though?

With romance, mystery, fun, and adventure this novel has it all. The characters are all really different. The story is diverse. At some points I did know where the story was heading and it was pretty predictable, but thats about a fourth of the time. The other seventy-five percent of the time it's totally unpredictable. There was so many surprising things to happen that I would never expecting.

I had fun reading this book, I suggest you read it also.

Read On!

Kelsey

2 in 1: Bass Ackwards and Belly Up and Footfree and Fancyloose by Liz Craft and Sarah Fain

Bass Ackwards and Belly Up:

Harper Waddle, Sophie Bushell, and Kate Foster are about to commit the ultimate suburban sin--bailing on college to each pursue their dreams: write the next Great American Novel, make it as a Hollywood actress, and backpack around the world. Middlebury-bound Becca Winsberg is convinced her friends have gone insane...until they remind her she just might have a dream of her own. So what if their lives are bass ackwards and belly up? They'll always have each other. Harper is going to be the next Jane Austen. Or Sylvia Plath. Or Plum Sykes. Figuring out which should be easy. It's living with the lie she told her three best friends that's going to be hard.Kate doesn't know exactly what she wants. But whatever it is, she won't find it at Harvard. Maybe the answer is in Paris, or Athens? or anywhere Kate can be someone besides the girl with perfect grades, perfect hair, and the perfect boyfriend.Sophie is a star. She's already got the looks, the talent, and a list of demands for her dressing room. Now that she's wrangled a furnished guesthouse in Beverly Hills, it's only a matter of time before she's discovered. Unless she isn't.Becca is dysfunctional. At least, her family is. Which is why she can't wait to flee the drama and get to college. But Becca's friends know she needs more than a spot on the Middlebury ski team and a cozy dorm room. They know she needs to fall in love.Dreams are complicated. They almost never turn out like you imagine they almost always change. Sometimes, they change you.

Footfree and Fancyloose:
Best friends Harper Waddle, Sophie Bushell, and Kate Foster committed the ultimate suburban sin: bailing on college to pursue their dreams. Middlebury-bound Becca Winsberg was convinced her friends had gone insane until they reminded her she just might have a dream of her own. Now the year is half-way through and their dreams seem within reach. Well, almost. Harper has managed to gain the freshman fifteen without ever being a freshman, though locked in her basement bathroom she finds inspiration and finally seems to be writing from the heart. Sophie is forced to leave her cushy Beverly Hills quarters and crashes on Sam's couch while looking for her big Hollywood break. Kate is doing aid work in Ethiopia, where she encounters family ghosts - along with Darby, the handsome but antagonistic Princeton student who thinks she's a dumb blond who couldn't possibly care about Ethiopia "since there are no celebrities here." And when Becca finally emerges from her lovers' nest, it seems her relationship with Stuart isn't as perfect as she thought. Even if "the year that changed everything" has sometimes been less than dreamy, these four best friends will always have each other.

Imagine having a dream, a dream you thought was impossible, and just going after it to find it it wasn't. It's a big impact and a great story. Harper, Kate, Sophie, and Becca went after there dream, and with it a great [fictionalized] story was made.

Harper doesn't get accepted to the only college she applies for, so instead of telling her 3 best friends she lies and tells them that she wants to take a leap year and follow her dream, which happens to be to write the next Great American Novel. In the first half of The Year Of Dreams (Bass Ackwards and Belly Up) she goes threw the fit of being left behind by her friends in the town she grew up in and living in her parents basement. She discovers feelings for her former young English teacher and makes another friend along the way. In the second half of The Year Of Dreams (Footfree and Fancyloose) Harper goes through the torture of keeping up her routine and actually writing her book. Her emotional trip through the year it not exactly exciting but her challenge is extraordinary and interesting, in the different chapters between her friends I kept on wanting to read about her journey then of her other friends.

Sophie Bushell then goes after her dream following Harper's announcement. She goes to Los Angeles to become the next Halle Berry. She's living in a great guest house of her mothers friend. She tries to balance work at a Beverly Hills restaurant and going to auditions. She meets a big time actor who uses her, and that's only in the first book. In the second book she gets kick out of her guest house and has to live with the jerk, Sam, who was her first friend in L.A. in his 2 bedroom shared apartment. In the end things pick up, but I'll let you to figure out what. Sophie has that attitude and confidence that probably works great in L.A. Her personality is fun to read and you want to know where she'll head next in the book.

Kate Foster goes to Europe to try to see what she wants to do with her life instead of going to Harvard. She meets people and learns a lot about herself. When Harper sends her a list of things to do, one thing on the list strikes the most to her: Take the water. That's what leads Kate to Ethiopia. Her adventure and the hardships to overcome are heart breaking. Kate's story made me cry, I couldn't get over how sad her story was. It really touched me. you'll probably get touched too, I'm sure.

Becca Winsberg was already going towards her dream before Harper announced her discion. To ski with her role model of a coach at college. But the one thing her friends new she needed was to fall in love, and that's were her story goes off from. I have to say, Becca's story was the least exciting, I always just wanted to skip her and read the others. But I really liked how her story ended.

Liz Craft and Sarah Fain have a different writing style, it was often confusing to keep along, the story in the book was fantastic though. I recommend these two books without a doubt. There pretty great.

Read On!

Kelsey

ARC-Jet Set by Jill Kargman and Carrie Karasyov

Lucy Peterson is not your typical Van Pelt Academy student. She’s American, first off. And she’s on scholarship. And she’s clueless about posh designers, international royalty, and the best shopping spots in Milan. But now she’s falling all over herself to impress her crush (who just happens to be a prince), is trapped in the middle of a tabloid disaster (literally), and is the unfortunate object of the “It” clique’s evil scorn.

This book literally was unreal. Van Pelt academy is a school like no other. I doubt there is even a school like this somewhere in the world. Okay, imagine going to a school with it's own mall full of designer names and the school having its own jet to fly somewhere for sports. Room Service; a different campus for dinner; etc. It really is unrealistic, but, hey, it's fiction right?

The two authors were O.K. writers. They got the point out but they didn't really describe very well. During the entire read I had no idea what the school looked liked or how big it was, I barely new what the characters looked liked, in fact, I think I only know what Lucy and Antony looked liked. I just felt they could've done better.

The storyline was pretty good. It flowed pretty well. Lucy seemed liked a clueless person, the way she thought. She didn't really seem like a tenth grader. Either did the rest of them, they sounded pretty immature.

I didn't care for this book very much and when it comes out August 26th of this year, I wouldn't buy it.

(From Harperteen First Look Program)

Read On!

Kelsey

How To Be Bad by Lockhart, Mlynowski, and Myracle

Three girls who couldn't be more different have one goal in mind: to get the heck out of Dodge. Well, Niceville, Florida, actually. But it might as well be called Nowheresville. Vicks is the wild-child fry cook whose boyfriend left for college and isn't returning any of her calls; Mel, the good girl in expensive jeans who just wants everyone to like her; and Jesse, the trailer-dwelling human morality meter who's discovered a life-altering secret - Each has her own reason for climbing into Jesse's mom's beat-up station wagon and hitting the highway for a weekend trip, whether she knows it or not. Armed only with Vicks's ancient, battered copy of a guidebook called Fantastical Florida, a map Jesse picked up with her dwindling funds, and Mel's mom's credit card, they're Miami bound. Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything. And if they don't kill each other first, Vicks, Mel and Jesse will not only have a road trip to remember, they'll have friends for life.

I haven't read any books by E. Lockhart or Lauren Myracle and have only read one adult book by Sarah Mlynowski. I honestly didn't know there writing style or how different they were. I don't much care for rotating chapters but in this book, it worked.

I wasn't sure were this book was heading throughout the book, there was so many twists and turns it was hard but absolutely fun to follow. I adored reading this book.

I loved how different Jesse, Vicks, and Mel were and where they came from. Jesse was the trailer park girl with the looks. Vicks was the youngest in an almost-all-boy family, she was the toughest. Mel was the sweet and rich girl who just wanted to fit in. The beginning Jesse detested Mel, Vicks felt weird around her suddenly strange best friend and didn't know why, and Mel just was trying to be liked by both. In the end...well you'll have to wait and see.

I have a feeling that Sarah was Mel, because in one book of hers I started reading, the setting was in Montreal, where Mel was. So I figured Mel=Sarah, now the other two, I had now idea but my guesstimate is that Lauren is Jesse and E. Lockhart is Vicks, thats my guess. Anybody know?

I recommend this read, especially for summer, It's perfect. The ending was closed, but it wasn't closed tight enough, I don't know? Maybe we can expect a sequel in the future?

Read on!

Kelsey

Deb Caletti Interview

The fabulous writer of Young Adult Fiction has given me one hilarious interview.My FIRST, actually With her great suggestion, this interview will not be about her books, it will solely be about Deb Caletti, with maybe one question about her latest book.

So without further ado; Deb Caletti!!!!

______________________

What's your comfort food?

"Sourdough toast and butter, with the butter all nice and melty. Brownies and milk. Cookie dough, licked from a finger."

What do you do to stop procrastinating?

"The only way I can cure myself of it is to procrastinate all I want, to the point where I'm disgusted with myself for all that messing around. Once the point of self disgust is reached, I'm on my way. Probably this is another thing I should be in therapy for."

What's your worst bad habit?

"Ha - procrastination (see above). My favorite way to waste time is endless web surfing and information gathering. I'm an information junkie. And although books are always my favorite method of acquiring it, you can't quite call them a bad habit. The web, though - love it. I'm addicted. And, as I wrote about on my web site (http://www.debcaletti.com/), I'm still a faithful watcher of the San Diego Zoo's Panda Cam."

Have you ever had your hair cut or/and colored a drastic way?

"Oh God. Once I tried to highlight my own hair. It looks like such a happy, easy thing to do on the box, right? It turned a devastating shade of mango orange and I had to make an emergency-immediate-RIGHT NOW-and-very-expensive-to-fix trip to a hair salon. I'm going to give you a piece of beauty advice, okay? Never highlight your own hair. NEVER."

What's your most embarrassing moment?

"Probably when my muffler dropped from my car while I was picking up my son from school, although maybe this was equally embarrassing for him. It fell nearly at the feet of a gaggle of PTA ladies, who certainly disapproved of single mothers who lost car parts in school crosswalks. By the way, when a muffler falls from a car, it makes a HORENDOUSLY LOUD screeching, scraping clatter of metal on metal. I wrote about this in my new book, "The Fortunes of Indigo Skye," except that it is Indigo's boyfriend Trevor who loses his muffler right in front of a bunch of very wealthy people. I, like Trevor, had to summon some sort of dignity as I got out of my car while the PTA ladies watched. I tried for a casual demeanor as I picked up the muffler, as if it was something I did every day, no big deal. The only problem was, the muffler was VERY heavy, and it was so hot that I was doing that eech, ouch, eech, ouch thing we do when our flesh is burning."

What's the best birthday you ever had?

"When I turned forty, my kids (my daughter Sam and my son, Nick) bought me an inflatable rubber raft and blew it up in our living room as a surprise. They knew that my sister and I had loved ours when we were younger, and that on April Fool's Day, I would inflate it in her room and put all of her dolls in it to freak her out. So, Sam and Nick also jammed it full with every stuffed animal in our house. We all got in, too, and ate apple crisp in there - my favorite dessert that they'd made. I named the boat the S.S. Monarch, and we had some good times in it later (on water, not just in the living room!! :). I loved that they remembered these stories about my growing up - it was not only a fun thing from my past, but a fun thing for us to do together afterward. Great kids. Happy mom."

How many animals have you ever had? What type of animals were they? Their names?

"I had a cat when I was growing up. His name was Luigi. He was a mafia-type, a big tough guy who went around kicking the crap out of all the neighborhood cats. There were assorted fish along the way, too, naturally. But now we have our beagle, Jupiter. Jupiter makes an appearance in "The Nature of Jade," but she is a he - Milo. Don't tell her, as she'd likely be highly offended."

What's a moment in High School you'll never forget?

"When I was made into guacamole in front of the whole school at an assembly. I was the president of a club and it was a rival-club fundraiser thing. Guess who lost. It was awful, really. All kinds of horrible stuff squashed on my head. And I'm sorry, but no one ever put eggs in guacamole. Can I say for the millionth time that I am so glad high school is over???!!!"

What did you want to be when you were little? (Besides being a writer)

"I wanted to be Nancy Drew. And then for a while I wanted to be an FBI agent."

What's your favorite movie of all time?

"Hmm... Beauty and the Beast? It's because of that romantic scene where the beast gives Belle his library."

What television show can you not watch every week?

"I'm not much of a television watcher because of all those books that are stacking up beside my bed, but my daughter and I used to watch The Gilmore Girls together. Her friends always said it reminded them of us, and maybe we thought so a little, too. I have lately developed a fondness, though, for the Food Network. I like Iron Chef America, especially when they make really disgusting stuff and you can point at the television and go, EEEEYUW! Love that."

What's your next book about?

"I'm really, really excited about the next book. It's called, "The Secret Life of Prince Charming," and it's about a girl and her sister who join forces with the half-sister they never knew to return some objects that their father has stolen - one each from every woman he's ever been involved with. In it, I finally get to put to good use all of my bad romantic history. It's everything I know about love, all in one place. I hope you'll look for it!"

Thanks so much, Deb! I really appreciate you doing this!!!!

Read On!

Kelsey

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

When Ava's fearless boyfriend dies in an accident. Ava blames herself. She isolates herself in her house.

When she notices the cold air around her and the dreams that feel so real and the strange things that are happening to her when shes alone. She realizes it's her dead boyfriend, Jackson.

Jackson keeps her from sleeping and from leaving her house because he can't go there. He's keeping her from having a life.

When she finally tells him to go, she knows when Jackson goes, all of her guilt will have to go with him.

This novel was told in verse. I thought the verse was good, the plot was good, too. Ava was lonely, and I felt for her.

This is a good read to read right before bed.

It was a little quick paced and short but the writing was great and I can't wait to read her newest book, Far From You, which comes out January 6th, 2009.

Read On!

Kelsey

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

This book is catorgorized as Adult Fantasy. I'm not a big fan of fantasy. When I bought this book I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. Stephenie Meyer has only written the bestseller, fabulous Twilight saga before and I wasn't sure how Stephenie would go from Teen Romance with a hint of Fantasy to fullblown, as I had thought, Adult Fantasy.

Stephenie Meyers first book out of the Twilight series was phenomenal. Really. It was pretty slow in the beginning, but about 80 pages or so into it it picked up, big time. You know 80 pages isn't big at all for a 619 page book, right? When Wanderer and Melanie started to really talk to her, it was interesting. I like how Wanderer descibed her pain and feelings for the two men Melanie had lost. The feeling had gotten so powerful, she just had to find them. And that is when the books takes off.

I was so sad in many, many parts of this novel. For Wanderer and Melanie both. In some parts when Melanie spoke often you just felt trapped. Like whenver Melanie was trying to help Wanderer in terrible situations, she couln't.

The love in this novel was very powerful. Wanderer loved many people and Melanie loved them too. It hurt when they didn't love them back for how much they were feeling.

After reading 3 fabulous books in the mind off Bella in Twilight, you might've thought that they would have huge similarities and that they were, actually the same people. Because, truth be told, some authors DO write different novels and the main characters DO act the same. But here in The Host, this wasn't the case. I didn't not think of Bella whenever I was with Wanderer and Melanie, at some points I actually thought how much they were SO different. It was incredibly great.

Stephenie Meyers writing is the most unique I have seen lately. Her vocabulary is huge and her interest in the characters in apalling. You just cannot like her writing. You can't.

Read On!

Kelsey

Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

At first it seems that she’s living the elusive New York City dream. She’s subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen. Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the “Cupcake”—the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to “breeders,” and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her “genderqueer boifriend.” Freelancing for an obscure journal can’t put a dent in Jessica’s student loans, so she’s eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can’t postpone adulthood by going back to school. Yet it’s the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he’s just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to... marry him? Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus’s perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope and Marcus.

The second to the last book in the series...I'm so sad.

This book was good. But it was also I think the worst of the four. I didn't like that the whole book was only a week long whole. I thought the reactions to a lot of people where a bit lacked.

Otherwise I thought this book rocked liked all the others. Jessica was as thought ful as every and her expressions were so hilarious.

I love this series so so so so so much. (As I've probably said before.) Jessica Darling is, seriously, my favorite new best friend, ever. She's just so awesome.

The fifth and final book in the series, Jessica Darling Series, will be released in Fall of 2008, hopefully. Nothing is confirmed yet.

Read On!

Kelsey

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Jessica had finally left her New Jersey hometown/hellhole for New York’s Columbia University; she’s more into Marcus Flutie than ever (so what if he’s at a Buddhist college in California?); and she’s making friends who just might qualify as stand-ins for her beloved Hope.

But Jessica soon realizes that her bliss might not last. She lands an internship at a snarky Brooklyn-based magazine, but will she mesh with the uber-hip staff? As she and Marcus hit the rocks, will she end up falling for her GOPunk, neoconservative RA…or the hot (and married!) Spanish grad student who is her partner on a summer project…or the oh-so-sensitive emo boy down the hall? And what do the cryptic one-word postcards from Marcus really mean? With hilarious insight, hyper observant Jessica struggles through three years of college—and the summers in between.

Have I ever told you how much I love Jessica Darling? No? Yes? Well, if not, I'll tell you now. Jessica Darling is the most awesomest and fabulousest character I've read in awhile. Her personality is full of wit, cynicism, and candor. How can somebody NOT like her is my question?

In this installment, Jessica faces the years of college. It brings some new people in and makes you laugh out loud no matter what. The hardships she goes through is in possibly funny. But also this is probably the sadist installment to date. With the trouble with Marcus, its just so...sad. I also liked this book because Jessica went through her entire college years thoughout it. It's just nice to read it all in one book. Not having to worry the book'll end at a cliffhanger ending and such.

The Jessica Darling series is probably the most original thing EVER, but, really, with all the attitude Jessica has it makes it also one of the best original stories ever told, too. I suggest reading these books, if you don't, well.....I just despise you. Haha.

Okay, now, if your reading this, and didn't care for this series, I want you to comment right here and now and tell me why, and I won't take "Just 'cause," either!

______________________________________________________

Okay! I am back! School is finally over, I am done taking Finals!!! Yay! Now I have the next three months to just read! (Cause I have nothin' else to do this summer, then again what else is better then reading all day?)

Read On!

Kelsey