Review (75): Rules of Seduction by Jenna Mullins

Rules of Seduction

by Jenna Mullins

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Publisher: The Studio

Format: eBook

Source: Netgalley

My Thoughts: 

Dani Young has just graduated college and is ready to start her screenwriting/directing career in Los Angeles. Her very first day in the City of Angels doesn't go as planned, but she reunites with her childhood best friend, Elise, who snags Dani a job on the set of Vamp Camp--a popular teen show where Elise's boyfriend (Tate Lawrence) just happens to be the star. Burned from a past relationship, Elise asks Dani to seduce Tate because she wants to be sure that he's a loyal boyfriend even when she's not around. Dani sees no harm in helping a friend out seeing as she has no intention of ever falling for a shallow and egotistical celebrity. However, Tate surprises her and she has no idea how to derail their growing friendship. 

This is written as a flashback--the main character, Dani, is getting her hair and makeup done and begins telling the story of how disastrous her first few months in LA turned out. We don't find out what she's getting ready for or who exactly she's talking to until the very end when everything is wrapped up. I thought this was a unique spin that added depth to the story. 

Overall though, I wasn't impressed. I felt like the dialogue was unrealistic and I didn't particularly like any of the characters except maybe Tate (who was a sweet, animal lover) and Dani's roommate, Brit (who was the most eccentric of the bunch and who was Dani’s only true friend in my opinion). Dani was a bit too snobbish for my taste and Elise was self-absorbed and annoyed me to no end. I thought that the drama between her and Dani ended a little too perfectly and conveniently to be believable. I also didn’t think that Dani and Tate had the best chemistry, but I did enjoy watching their friendship grow.

Even though this wasn’t one of my favorites, it is a quick, fun read and I think it might still be worth picking up if you like lighthearted new adult romances. 

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* Thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC in return for my honest review *

Review (53): Daisy and the Front Man by Rebekah L. Purdy

Daisy and the Front Man

Rebekah L. Purdy

Series: Backstage Pass, #3

Release Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 232

Format: eARC 

Source: Netgalley

Author Website

My Thoughts: 

Seconds to Juliet is the hottest boyband around and, after winning a concert, Daisy Morris just so happened to snag their front man, Trevin Jacobs, to be her Homecoming date. Too bad he stood her up. Now, almost a year later, she is given the perfect opportunity for revenge: she is spending the summer with her father who happens to be on tour with the band as their bodyguard. She plans on humiliating Trevin just like he humiliated her. As for Trevin, when he meets the gorgeous redhead, he has no idea who she is. But he is intrigued by her icy personality and so when one of his bandmates proposes a bet—one that involves him getting Daisy to fall in love with him by the end of summer—he can’t resist. (Although this is the third book in the Backstage Pass series, they are all written by different authors and do not need to be read in order).

I was excited to read this because this type of story is right up my alley, but unfortunately I did not enjoy the writing style and could not fully immerse myself into it—there was just too much telling and not enough showing. I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary dialogue and the plot was too predictable and cliché (and this is coming from someone who loves clichés).

The characters also missed the mark for me. I didn’t find myself liking either Daisy or Trevin. I think the reason is that by the end, I still didn’t feel like I knew them. Yeah, Daisy has trust issues because of her parents divorce and is still mourning her grandfather, and yes, Trevin is dealing with the fact that he seems to be a disappointment to his father even though he is hugely successful. But these are all things that are told to us, almost just so we will feel sympathetic towards them. Both were just a bit too dramatic for my taste and didn’t feel natural or believable to me.

I did like how Daisy’s relationship with her father progresses throughout the story (but I wish more time could have been spent on this part of the plot). He has been a huge disappointment in her life ever since her parents’ divorce which she has always blamed on him. Throughout the summer she learns some things that change her perspective and it was nice seeing them forming a better, stronger relationship.

Although this wasn’t my cup of tea, I know that my 13 year old self would have enjoyed it. I think this could have been great if it was longer and the proper time had been spent on the development of the characters and plot. Maybe there was just too much trying to happen in a short amount of time? I will definitely be picking up the first 2 books in the series as well just to see how they differ and how the stories fit together.

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* Thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC in return for my honest review *

Review (35): A Royal Match by Tyne O’Connell

A Royal Match

by Tyne O’Connell

Series: The Calypso Chronicles

Other Reviewed Titles: None
Release Date: February 15, 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Pages: 512

Source: Purchased

Challenge: None

Author Website

My Review: 

This includes the first 2 out of 4 books in the Calypso Chronicles which is a series about a girl named Calypso Kelly who is an American teenager attending boarding school in England. She yearns to be popular and gets just that when the heir to the throne, Prince Freddie, takes interest in her. A picture of them kissing ends up in the tabloids which causes big problems for both. Calypso is able to tackle the disaster and hopes that her second term (semester) at school will be better. But Honey O’Hare, her nemesis as well as the reason her picture ended up in the trashy magazines in the first place, has different plans. She turns most of Calypso’s friends against her in the hopes of pushing them, as well as Freddie, away.

I was actually so excited to read this because it sounded really cute and fun from the synopsis, but it just wasn’t. There were so many good ideas in this book and it really had the potential to be great. The plot just seemed to jump from one event to another randomly. I think if each book had been longer this wouldn’t have happened and it wouldn’t have been so confusing.

The characters were also problematic for me. It might just have been me, but they felt ridiculously immature for 14-15 year olds. And obviously I wasn’t expecting them to act like they were 20, but the only thing they ever talked about was pulling boys (the British equivalent of making out). Well, that and their pet bunnies.  

Despite how long this is, I finished it rather quickly but only because I couldn’t wait to get it over with. Like I said, it had potential, I just don’t think it was executed well. 

Rating: * *

Review (12): The Magnolia League

The Magnolia League

by Katie Crouch

Series: The Magnolia League (Book 1)

Other Reviewed Titles: None

Release Date: May 3, 2011

Publisher: Little Brown Books Young Readers

Pages: 368
Source: Publisher

Challenge: 2011 OTS

Author Website: http://www.katiecrouch.com/new/index.shtml

After the death of her free-spirited mother, sixteen-year-old Alex Lee must leave her home in northern California to live with her wealthy grandmother in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful, if unwilling, member of the Magnolia League, Savannah's long-standing debutante society. She quickly discovers that the Magnolias have made a pact with a legendary hoodoo family, the Buzzards. The Magnolias enjoy youth, beauty and power. But at what price?

As in her popular adult novels, Crouch's poignant and humorous voice shines in this seductively atmospheric story about girls growing up in a magical Southern city.

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Why I Read This: I got an ARC from the publisher to review.

Plot: I found the Magnolia League world very interesting and exciting. The fact that the girls could do and become basically anything they wanted due to the hoodoo was fascinating. I particularly liked how every few chapters there would be one that had information about hoodoo or about how the League was created. The facts about the League were evenly spread out throughout the story, not all clumped up in one very long chapter. This kept me interested and wanting to know more. Unfortunately, this was my favorite part about the whole book. The plot was not as exciting as it could have been. 

Characters: The characters in this book are very unrealistic and that took away from my overall impression of the book. The characters just seemed bleak and hollow. Everything they did and said was like one big contradiction because it never made sense with what they had said and done previously. At the beginning of the book, Alex, the main character, is a pot smoking hippie. At first, she seemed unique and interesting, but then she randomly changes into a completely different person. This would have been fine, had it not happened after about 1 chapter and had it been the only time her personality or thoughts changed, but it seemed to happen often. Instead of growing and becoming wiser, Alex just got shallower and less interesting.

Cover: I think the cover is super cute. It almost has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it, or at least that’s what it reminded me of. I think it represents the mystery and enchantment of the Magnolia League well and that girl is a great Alex. 

Overall Impression: Despite being seriously flawed, I still think people will enjoy it. 

Rating:  * *

Review (8): XVI by Julia Karr

XVI

by Julia Karr

Series: N/A

Other Reviewed Titles: None

Release Date: January 6, 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) 

Pages: 325

Source: Library

Challenge: 2011 DAC

Book Website: none

Author Website: http://juliakarr.com/

Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council–ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world–even the most predatory of men–that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina’s worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina’s mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past–one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer.

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Why I Read This: Author is a debut author and I read this for the 2011 DAC.

Plot: The biggest reason I decided to give this book 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the plot. It was somewhat unique and kept me interested until the last couple of pages. The book is set in the future, but it’s a very different future than most people write about. It made me glad that I was born in this century and not 140 years into the future. But this was probably the only interesting aspect of the whole plot. Overall, the plot was very confusing and unorganized. Things just kept randomly happening and there was really no connection between them. Also, Nina was terrified of turning 16 from page one, but nothing ever happened that really explained why she was so scared. I thought this was going to be the major focus of the book, but it was barely ever covered unless Nina was complaining about it. At the end, I was just as confused as I was in the beginning and I feel that a second book is needed in order for us to understand and know everything the author wants us to because so many questions were left unanswered; not just for the reader, but also for Nina. 

Characters: The characters were all pretty cool and they had the potential to be even better, however, they never reached that potential because the writing was just not there to help. I couldn’t connect with the characters and that really took away from the book. Something tragic happens to Nina’s family in the first couple of chapters, but I didn’t really feel anything for her or her family; I knew it was a very bad thing that no one wants to go through, but I couldn’t get myself to really care. Nina also seemed to overreact to almost anything. She would randomly freak out or not care enough which I just thought was really weird. She was very confusing, awkward and paranoid. The other characters were about the same. There was a lot of mystery surrounding Nina’s new friends and we never really get to know what they know or who they really are. 

Cover: I like the cover a lot which is also one reason I even chose to read this book. I am sad to say that I do choose books by their covers most of the time. 

Overall Impression: Not my favorite dystopian novel, but fans of The Uglies Trilogy or The Hunger Games might find it to be interesting and a good read. 

Rating: * *