Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Goodreads Blurb

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. After all, real life will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. But when an unexpected event proves they're missing out on the full high-school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. The trio makes a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge and totally rock it.
Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed; it could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes—until now.
These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want—but that might mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . .

Smart Girls Get What They Want was recommended to me by the ever awesome Eileen. And while it sounded cute, we very rarely agree on contemporaries. But God I loved this one! It's a super adorable read that I blew through, squealing internally.

It's very rare when you find us nerds so aptly described in a book. It's unbelievably easy to relate to these flawed characters and just fun to see myself reflected in them! Do I study? Yes. Do I like getting straight A's? Definitely. Do I spend all my time studying without having any social life whatsoever? No. I hope. (Maybe. I think twitter takes up most of my time!)  

Gigi's voice was just so hilarious and teen that I couldn't help but laugh along or sympathize with her. She was an independent kind of girl who really only needed her friends to support her, though she wasn't immune to a boy's charms. Definitely not! And sometimes, shemay have made a bad decision or say the wrong thing, but don't we all? 

Bea was an awesome character, the fiery best friend to balance out Neerja's more shy personality. She stood up for her friends and wouldn't take crap from anyone trying to hurt those she cared about. While she definitely blew a fuse once in a while, she couldn't stay mad at her BFFs and I loved that about her. Neerja's the more soft spoken one but still as amazing. Throughout the story she deals with her own boy problems and she's, basically, the glue of the trio. 

The three had an amazing best friend dynamic going on and definitely the most relatable characters I've ever met! They're perfectly flawed and, while a little annoying sometimes, were excellently written!

The romance(s) were adorable sweet and made me want to cuddle the characters. Like most YA novels, we have the crush, then the annoying boy who's a little more deeper than expected. While the idea is a tad cliche, the way it was executed put a unique and endearing twist on it! I squealed and giggled many-a-times (and also may have wanted to whack a certain character over the head.) and lets just say I think that that ending? It's perfect. Just. So. Perfect. 

Smart Girls  isn't just a cute romance though. It's a book on discovering who you are, what you want, and the things you have to face to get the. Our characters go through some character development and watching our characters grow into more outspoken people was definitely one of my favorite parts! 

With a real teen voice and admirably relatable characters, Smart Girls Get What They Want is definitely more than just a light fluff. It leads us through the life of a teen navigating a startlingly real high school life with a startlingly real situation. It's a laugh out loud kind of book, but also one that makes your heart thump and your hands sweat, just like when you're back to high school, talking to your crush for the first time. A must read for teens and even more so for adults! 

Pages: 368

Genre: Contemporary/Drama

Series: Stand alone 

Publisher: Blazer + Bray

Release Date: June 26, 2012

Rating: 4.5

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

Goodreads Blurb

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Oh my my my. Oh my. If I Lie was such an amazing book that, by the end of it, I had an emotional breakdown. Or, as close as you can get with a book! This book was absolutely, positively, completely heart wrenching. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was a quality to this novel that just ripped your heart out and made you sob a waterfall. 
I'm not kidding. 

"Just leave Quinn. Nobody wants you here."

The way this story was told surprised me--we start after the big scandal and see what happened through memories. It's a great way to tell this story and somehow made an already emotional tale even more so. Part of it may be that we learn the secret early on in the book, so it wasn't really something that book had to rely on to be amazing. Oh, I don't make sense anymore do I? 

I'm bruised from the inside out.

These characters were so fleshed out and so real that it hurt sometimes. They're easy to connect to and they're wonderful characters in general. Quinn was in so much pain, but she held her head high--God, even her father seemed to hate her! I, honestly, would've blurted out the truth almost immediately, but that Quinn was strong enough to brace herself for all this...it was amazing. 
George was, by far, my favorite character. Even more so than Quinn herself! He was the only one who believed her and stuck by her and he brought a lot of dry humor when it was needed. He was definitely the father figure in this book and I adored him. He was sweet in a cranky kind of way and he just made me smile through my tears a lot of times.
"One day, people will see that about you, and you are going to knock them on their asses with how stunning you are." 

So many things happen in a book that's not really even 300 pages, so I was surprised by how...perfect it was. So many things happen, one right after another, but all of these things just kind of flow into one another and smooth each other out. I had no idea what I was crying for after a while--was it because of this? Was it because of that? Maybe both? Or this thing? They all became just...a story someone had to tell.

Sometimes a moment defines you, defines how people see you for the rest of your life.

If I Lie is a beautifully written story that will stun you. It plays on the fact that there are always two sides to every story and that sometimes you don't always know the whole story. It's a bittersweet kind of book that'll leave you in tears--joyful and mournful ones. It's just that kind of story. Whether you're a contemporary fan or not, this is definitely one you don't want to miss out on.  

Some words hit you like a tree branch slapping you in the face. And some words rip into your flesh, leaving scars so deep, they never completely fade.


Pages: 276
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Rating: 7/5

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Goodreads Blurb

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

This was such an interesting book, but it's definitely hard to write a review since I didn't really feel that strongly about it! Just a warning.

It's definitely different, but, I have to admit, it took me 3 times as long to finish this book than usual. It was a bit slow and took some time to get used to but as you continue to read, the more...invested, for lack of better words, you get. Suddenly you care about the characters and this kind of anticipation sets in where you know the shit will hit the fan (excuse the language), but you're still holding on to some small little hope that it won't and that the book will have a Happy Ever Ever Ever After (I did indeed feel the need to include two extra Evers.)

Since I was born near (No, I'm not giving the exact year) 2000, I couldn't really relate to all the bands mentioned nor am I a comic book fan, so I couldn't relate to that either. I'm guessing, though, that older readers will definitely love it and point out their favorite bands to their friends--hey, it's what I would do! Set in the 80's, it was a bit hard for me to relate to and there were a few things that may have perplexed me...*cough*

I did love the characters, especially Eleanor with her dry humor and witty comments! She made me laugh out loud so many times! and Park was definitely a complex character, but honestly? I couldn't really relate to either of them and they seemed so...different.
Also, I want to point out that even though my mom's Chinese, her English is bad, but not AS bad as Park's mom (Korean, Chinese, Asian.). Though it is close! So I definitely have to commend Rainbow for at least putting some dialect in there!

The romance is definitely something I have to comment on. It was so bittersweet and so adorable I just wanted to hug the two. I don't think YA has ever painted a more real of firsts: First kiss, first feeling, first love and the hardships that come with it. It's possibly the most realistic romance I've seen and in YA...well, it's hard. Don't get me wrong! I love the romances in other books (God knows I have hundred-tweet-wars over some of the guys in YA), but this is possibly the one real relationship, if that makes any sense!

I loved the issues that this book dealed with too. Okay, let me rephrase that: I love how...well, let's just say, it's the same deal with the romance. It's possibly the most real and most heartbreaking kind of family I've read about in a while and it made me want to gather up the broken pieces of this family and glue them together, even if I couldn't really relate. I don't think I can describe it better than that.

The thing about this book is that it doesn't really make a big impact, but it does leave an impression on the reader when you're finished. The ending was...wow. It's not something that usually happens in YA literature, I'll say that! And the ending definitely makes you tear up, just a little. It was such a bittersweet moment...but, oh! I can't say much, can I? You'll just have to read this yourself! I definitely recommend this for anyone who loves contemporaries and anyone who adores those sweet little romances, and someone who maybe wants something...different.

Also, awesome name Rainbow. Awesome name.

Pages: 320
Genre: Contemporary/Realistic
Series: Stand alone
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: Feb. 26, 2013
Rating: 3.5--->4 stars

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Goodreads Blurb

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

So, just starting with this, I''m not quite sure why I loved this so much. When I think about it, the plot was everywhere and the romance was iffy...but, there's just something about Out of the Easy that just draws you in. Maybe it's how real the story is? How there are absolutely no happy endings, how once things look brighter, something, someone, just rips that hope away? Maybe how nothing is perfect, how Septys captures this perfectly imperfect world in her writing? Maybe, possibly, probably.

Just like Just One Day, there's no way I can use my usual reviewing...format(?) because like I said, I'm not quite sure what made me absolutely adore this book.While the plot was really all over the place, a few questions left unanswered, I think that it really does portray how the world is. You know that quote up at the top? "Books say she did this because. Life says she did this"? I think this book was more realistic than most others and just left those questions unanswered because they didn't need to be answered, I think. Or am I just overthinking?

So as there are in the real world, there are some...harsh characters. Willie seemed to me like a mother for Josie, sometimes cruel, but always there and always supportive. However, Josie's real mom? Talk about a character you're supposed to hate! And the other characters, the secondary characters...I loved how they were written. No matter how small a part they played, they each had their own story, their own reasons, and  some of them reminded me of people I actually knew, in a nicer way, of course...sort of.

I'm not quite sure how much this got me thinking how lucky I am not to have a life like this. I mean, this could actually be, for all I know, completely real! Everything touched me in some way and as a person who hasn't read Between Shades of Gray (never mind that it's on the Lone Star List, for all you Texans), I definitely have plans to soon! And hey, I can now brag that I've read Ruta Septys next book!

Stunning and captivating, Out of the Easy was an amazing read that entraps you with an engaging tale about a girl who's trying to find herself and her future in a bleak present. It'll make you cry, laugh, scream, all within minutes. This is not a novel you want to miss!

Pages: 348
Series: Stand alone
Genre: Historical/Romance
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: Feb 13, 2013
Rating: 5 stars

52 Reasons to Hate my Father by Jessica Brody

Goodreads Blurb

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. 
Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.
Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.
In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

Ok, I'll be cutting this review a bit shorter than normally since I'm in a time crunch! Sorry, guys!
The short pitch: Hilarious and fun, this is definitely one to read if you need a good LOL moment!

Now the only thing that I didn't absolutely LOVE was the romance. While it was endearingly sweet, it wasn't very well developed or believable. The two characters were hating each other, slowly (like, turtle slowly) becoming friends, then BOOM. Love.It just didn't match and I really didn't like it. It was more like it was thrown in for the more...crazier stuff that happens in the second half of the book.

Character development is obviously a giant thing here and I loved that! Lexi was such a...well, let's face it. She was a huge, spoiled bitch in the beginning, but by the end, you have this fun character who jokes around, but knows what's right and that she's not entitled to everything. And it wasn't as sudden as the romance, trust me. You could see her personality change from spoiled to caring. She learns so much throughout the entire book and it was so...I can't say touching, since it wasn't, really. But it was amazing seeing how much she slowly changed. 

So I read this during the summer and let me say, it fit the season perfectly. It was a fun, light read that will make you laugh and make you smile. It will fill you with emotional turmoil, so BEWARE. 52 Reasons was a wonderful read that made me want to read more of Jessica Brody's books! And I have no doubt they'll be just as amazing and sassy as this one! Definitely pick this up if you've liked her other books or if you're tired of all those sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal books!

Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Amy McNamara

Goodreads Blurb

A resonant debut novel about retreating from the world after losing everything—and the connections that force you to rAnd I loveejoin it.Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somehwere she can be alone.
Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Wow. Just absolutely wowness. Lovely, Dark, and Deep is actually the perfect words to describe it--minus the deep and adding emotional. This is definitely an amazing book to debut with and that cover is just plain gorgeous in my opinion! Seriously. WHAT is with all these beautiful covers, and premises that I just can't resist? 

The writing was so, so, SO stunning. I think it's because McNara decided to use present tense, unlike most books which use past. Personally, I love it when people use present terms. "The snow falls softly" sounds more...poetic, I guess than "The snow fell softly". And I just love how the words seem to flow more like that. So seeing that this was in present tense? Well my expectations went a bit higher and I was a bit worried that it wouldn't quite reach my expectations.

I loved the characters. they weren't necessarily far from perfect, but they had feelings that you could fell with them. They had the reactions some of us would have. Wren was such a real character, you guys. She went through so much, and even though she could be considered " self-centered", everyone has to admit, we'd probably do the same or at least something similar. And that's what I loved! the author captured these emotions, these actions, so perfectly, in my opinion. And that was...that was wonderful, for lack of a better word.

Cal, was, on the other hand, not perfect, per say, but very very close. He did react like some people would too, but...he's like, a mix of all the kind reactions. Nothing he did was ever really mean or even slightly annoying. He was just a character you had to fall in love with, sweet and so understanding, so I guess I can't complain there!

The romance was something I was iffy about. For someone who was heartbroken about her old-ex-now-dead-boyfriend, she fell in love pretty quickly. I guess I would've liked the romance to slow down a bit instead of going as quickly as it did. I expected Wren to feel denial at her feelings, honestly, so when she didn't...well, it surprised me for sure. I'm still deciding if that was a good or bad surprise.

The plot the plot the plot the plot. Lovelovelovelovelove. It wasn't like, full of twists or anything, but it told the story of a broken girl who was looking for her place in the world again. Seriously. What's not to love? The plot was just so emotional and while I didn't cry, Lovely, Dark, and Deep definitely pulled a few heartstrings. It was just...too good for words honestly. It's something you have to read to get!

The best thing was that it didn't have a happy ending after all, no matter what I thought. There's nothing perfect about the world, and there was nothing perfect about how this book ended. Am i allowed to use the word real again? No? How about believable? This story was so believable in so many ways, good and bad. I would've liked a happy ending (I'm a sucker for HEA's) but the way it ended...well, it was infinitely better. LOVE

Pages: 352

Series: Stand alone

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: October 16, 2012

Rating: 7 stars

LDS Authors Giveaway Hop

I am participating in the LDS Authors Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer & The Book Bug. So, I'm supposed to be giving a book by any LDS author, and that's what I'm doing. The book I'm "featuring" is My Double Life by Janette Rallison.It's a realistic Romance that I bought a couple years back and is perfect for this giveaway!