Review: Rockoholic

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Title: Rockoholic

Author: C.J. Skuse

Age Group: young adult

Format: ebook

Pages: 358

Release Date: November 1, 2012

Publisher: Scholastic

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

She's got it bad, and he ain't good -- he's in her garage?
"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me..." 
Gonna have to face it: Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she's front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit and bodysurfs backstage, she's got more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody -- oops -- kind of kidnapped him. By accident. With a Curly Wurly candy bar. And now he doesn't want to leave. 
It's a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series...but who got punk'd?! 

Almost everyone has that famous person that they admire. Maybe you've even had that dream where you could talk to them, date them, or even marry them. Well, Jody has the opportunity to kidnap her beloved Jackson, and she takes it. The whole kidnapping scene baffled me. If only it were that easy to kidnap your favorite musician. I would have a few in my garage.

After all, Jody has dedicated her life to Jackson. Her grandpa just died. It is understandable that she would commit such an act. At least, in a book it's fine. In real life, she'd probably be sent to the loony bin. Jody's lucky that she always has her best friend (possibly gay?) Mac.

I never could figure out Jackson's personality completely. For the better part of Rockoholic, he was usually puking, throwing a tantrum, or sleeping. For all his fame and fortune, I did not find him appealing. Jody just seemed like that really annoying fan-girl. I could just imagine her room covered in Jackson bobble-head (I'm not too far from the truth). I guess you could say Mac was my favorite character. I certainly enjoyed him the most. He was always there for Jody and had that irresistible protective thing going on.

In the end, Rockoholic was a simple sweet book to pass the time. There wasn't any deep philosophy going on, but it was enjoyable. I could definitely see this being a cute movie.

My Rating:

Shade (Shade #1)

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready


Series: Shade, #1


Pages: 309


Published: May 4, 2010


My Rating: * * *














Summary
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a crucial gig and Aura's plans for an intimate party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and talk to ghosts. This mysterious ability had always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she could undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because Dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.
Opinions & Thoughts
When I began this book, I will admit that I didn't have high expectations(drugs, alcohol, sex-can you blame me). I was right. Halfway. The first fourth was terrible for me, and I almost put it down. Logan made some very stupid decisions, and Aura(kind of an ironic name) just seemed selfish and bratty. So....I braced myself and kept reading.
Guess what? It turned out better, as I progressed. I would say the arrival of Zachary(and Logan's death), spiced things up. But, afterwards, Aura kept saying that she felt attracted to Zachary, yet she wanted to remain loyal to Logan(even though he was a ghost), and it became annoying again. Could you just choose? Nevertheless, Aura's love for Logan did surprise me, after all she is a seventeen year old(not exactly at a loyal age). But, I did end up liking Zachary more. He was kind and sweet.
Not too light and fluffy of a read, since it deals with issues like death and moving on after a loved ones death. Since Logan(and Aura too) were obsessed with music, there were a lot of songs listed throughout the book. Overall, an OK book, definitely not something I would reread(thus the rating), yet something I would recommend(hint, hint-go out there, get a copy, and read it). I will be reading the next book in the series.
About the Author
Jeri Smith Ready is an award-winning author and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world's goofiest greyhound. Her plans to save the Earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a problem maker than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her drama drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that
Like many of her characters, Jeri loves music, movies and staying up very,very late.
Click here to visit Jeri Smith Ready's website.