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:

Review: Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1)

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Title: Perfect Chemistry

Author: Simone Elkeles

Series: Perfect Chemistry, #1

Age Group: young adult

Format: ebook

Pages: 361

Release Date: December 23, 2008

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Source: library

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. She's forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Honestly, I don't know what to think of Perfect Chemistry. No matter how hard I attempted, I could not get attached to Alex or Brittany, for that matter. Sure, the book drew me in. I couldn't stop reading. But it wasn't in the "This is an amazing book, I can't stop reading!". It was more in the "I can't wait to stop reading so I can start another book!" kind of way.

Alright, now that I've stated that, let's move on to specific details. First we'll start with Alex. I couldn't help but disapprove of him. He's a gang member! Sure, I get it. He did it to protect his family, but that still doesn't make it right. No, I didn't like him. There were times when I felt a little bit of sympathy, but that fleeting emotion was usually overtaken by dislike.

Now, Brittany, she was okay, to say the most. Of course, she's blonde, blue-eyed, and a cheerleader. She's popular and her boyfriend is the captain of the football team, plus, she's rich. I liked how she was cold to the world and tried to be perfect. I can relate. But, I also liked how she treated her sister, Shelley, who wasn't quite right. But, still, I couldn't help but think that Brittany was a bit to vulnerable and willing to obey Alex for my liking. I like it more when heroines are headstrong and defiant, not meek and vulnerable. So, I still didn't like her.

Over all, I just couldn't approve of this book. There was a lot of drugs, weapons, sex, cussing, and teenage hormones involved. I know, I know. This is a real life kind of book, but it just wasn't my kind of book. The ending I think was the most entertaining. But, still, not enough to make me like Perfect Chemistry. I still haven't decided if I want to read the other two books in the series. I may read them if I never have anything to read one day.

If you asked me if I would recommend you this book, here's what I would say. No, I don't recommend it, but if you're stubborn, go ahead and read it(if you haven't already), but be warned about the drugs, sex, cussing, and weapons involved.

My Rating:

The Sweetest Thing

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Author: Christina Mandelski
Series: None
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Hardback
Pages: 330

Published: 5/10/2011

Publisher: Egmont USA

Source: Local Library
My Rating: * * * *

In the world of Sheridian Wells, life is perfect when she is decorating a cake. Unfortunately, everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.


But Sheridian is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems--only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed.


Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing, will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

Finally, I finished this book! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book. I do have some complaints, though. Sheridian constantly used the dialect "I am" and other similar vocabulary. I haven't met a teenager yet who speaks like that.
Other than that, this was a good book. Slow at parts, and Sheridian's mom really infuriated me. Personally, I love my mom, and I would hate to have a mom like Sheridian's. It would break my heart.
The father annoyed me. Even when he "changed," I still found him annoying. And the whole thing with New York, I did find him selfish. Maybe I just did not see the hidden meaning behind The Sweetest Thing. That's about it, you should read it.


About the Author:

Christina Mandelski was born a stone's throw away from the Atlantic Ocean, which explains her dream of spending every day on the beach with a laptop and a bottomless glass of cherry limeade. For now she gets by at a desk, giving life to the characters that knock around in her head and reminding herself that sand in a keyboard is no fun. When not writing, she's sublimely happy hanging out with her husband and two young daughters in Houston, Texas.

Where to Buy The Sweetest Thing:
Barnes & Noble
The Book Depository
Indiebound
Amazon

The Lying Game (The Lying Game #1)

Author: Sara Shepard
Series: The Lying Game, #1
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: None
Format: Hardback
Pages: 307
Published: December 7, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: School Library
My Rating: * * * * *

I HAD A LIFE ANYONE WOULD KILL FOR.


THEN SOMEONE DID.


The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It's enough to kill a girl all over again. But I'm about to get something no one else does--an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.


Now Emma's desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me--to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she's the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?


LET THE LYING GAME BEGIN.

I feel bad reading The Lying Game before Pretty Little Liars.  I loved the Pretty Little Liars show up to the point where I stopped watching it. Unfortunately, ABC Family was taken away from my cable, and I kept forgetting to watch it online. So...since I loved Pretty Little Liars, the show, I was expecting to begin those books first and love them. But, things did not turn out that way. I ended up reading The Lying Game first, which is not necessarily a bad thing, considering I loved it! It was amazing, enchanting, and a great mystery!


Emma is your average foster child. She has been moved from house to house. Sutton, on the other hand, is...not. She has had the privileged, spoiled life. So, it can rightly be said that Emma got the short end of the stick. Luckily, everything is about to turn upside down. Sutton dies. And Emma gets to live Sutton's life. Amazing, right? Wrong, because someone was out to kill Sutton...and Emma is next. The cherry on top of the sundae.


I love these types of mysteries, but at the same type, I become really frustrated. I just want to know who it is! Should I already know? Who knows? I am just going to wait until the author tells me, which probably won't be for awhile.


Oh, I wanted to talk about one more thing. The love interest. Garrett, obviously, is out of the picture for Emma. Sutton may have liked him, but Emma doesn't. Now Ethan, he is a hottie. "The brooding type," to be more specific. Just like how Emma likes them. But it appears that Sutton did something to him, just like she has done to many other guys. Will "that" tear them apart from each other? Read and find out.


About the Author:
Sara Shepard is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Pretty Little Liars. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. Sara recently moved back to Philadelphia's Main Live from Arizona, where The Lying Game is set.