Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Dutton/2010/Young Adult/372 pages

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've probably have seen lots and lots of raving reviews of Stephanie Perkins debut novel, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. I know I certainly have. But before all of the reviews started coming in, I was intrigued by the fact that the book takes place in PARIS! As someone who will be in AP French this fall and had this huge obsession with being an exchange student in France not too long ago (sadly my mother ruined those plans), I just had to get my hands on this book.

First off, I have to say that the title of this book is the kind of title that I'm embarrassed to be seen with. I can't help it! But I did enjoy it. It seriously made me smile because like I said, I love the French culture. And I loved that that I could pronounce all of the French names and knew; My French teacher has taught me so well.

Anna--loved that she's a film junkie and that she wants to be a critic, I liked critiquing shows, too! The only thing about that I didn't like is that she kept going on about how her father didn't send her a lot of money like the other parents did but she went to a cinema like everyday and French movie theaters are hella expensive from what my French teacher and business week says. But that's not important, just me being nit-picky. St. Clair was great. I like this relationship. But also, I really enjoyed Anna's friendship with the other students at the school.

From all the reviews I saw, I expected this book to immediately go on my all times favorite list; however, I only just enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on LOLA, which I hopefully I'll like better!

4 stars out of 5

Cover: D. I hate this cover. I don't like how you can see Anna's face but not St. Clair's. But more than that I just think it's so unoriginal.
Favorite Character: St. Clair!
Put-Down-Ability: 4

*Source: public library

Review: Alice in Charge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice in Charge by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (#22)
Atheneum/2010/Young Adult/314 pages

At last, it's Alice in Charge--of her life, of her future...but, is it too much?

What I love about the Alice series is that even when it is the 22nd book, you can always count on Phyllis Reynolds Naylor to write about something new; they are never monotonous. I have been reading this wonderful, poignant series since I was in the 5th grade. In the few hours that it takes for me to read these books, I am transplanted to Silver Springs, Maryland and get to know Alice, her family and friends. Naylor has talked about suicide, first loves, Leukemia, etc. I didn't know what she would throw at us next.

This book takes place during Alice's first semester of her senior year. Can I just say that this alone almost made me cry. It's hard to believe that Alice is about to graduate and that Naylor is only writing 3 more books after this. In this book, Alice is the feature editor for her school's newspaper and I just love that it is actually a kinda big thing at her school, I love reading about it. There is a new guy at the school from Sudan, which I really enjoyed. And in this book, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, also presented the readers with a group of students at Alice's school that were part of a Neo-Nazi group. Yes, you read that right.

Patrick and Alice. Ahh...One of my favorite couples in fiction. Patrick has certainly changed so much over the years but in a completely good way. I loved reading the scenes between them. They have a long-distance relationship, well, actually it's nothing official but gosh, they are so great together. He graduated early from High School and is studying at the University of Chicago (yay for intellectual people!) and when he went back home to visit Alice....Short, but very sweet scenes!

Overall this wasn't my favorite book in the series, I don't know exactly which one is (I plan on rereading them soon) but its always great to read about Alice's life. Actually, this is the first time, I didn't pick up the book within a month of its release (didn't have the money to buy it and wasn't able to get it from my library until now) but Incredibly Alice is out now, so hopefully I can get that soon!!

Also, I'm sure all of you have heard about Wall Street Journal's ignorant article, I would just like to say that the Alice books continue to be one of the most frequent banned YA books (I think its holds the #2 spot?) but I'll tell you something. These books have changed my life for the better. I think they are so often overlooked but they are wonderful. #yasaves

3.8 stars out of 5

Cover: B- The Alice books have seen many different cover makeovers. But I have to say that the cover really intrigued me. It's rather simple but in YA you don't really see too many people of color on covers, unfortunately, and this is a very nice change!
Favorite Character: Alice. Duh.
Put-Down-Ability: 4/10. Some moments tend to drag on a little bit but overall, I didn't put it down much at all.

*Source: public library

Push by Sapphire

Push by Sapphire Knopf/June 11, 1996/Adult/179 pages Summary Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. That is the device deployed in the first novel by poet and singer Sapphire. "Sometimes I wish I was not alive," Precious says. "But I don't know how to die. Ain' no plug to pull out. 'N no matter how bad I feel my heart don't stop beating and my eyes open in the morning." An intense story of adversity and the mechanisms to cope with it. Review I saw the movie earlier this year (known as Precious) and you know, I always hate how movies don't exactly stay true to the book but, because of the many graphic and terrible parts, for once I am glad that this is the case for PUSH ! Goodness, right from the beginning the book is incredibly raw and intense.

The book is about Precious, who is an obese and illiterate 16 year old living in Harlem. I have to say, Sapphire really gets into the voice of Precious. Sometimes it is hard to read because the book is written in 1st POV and since Precious can not read or write, she writes words like 'father' as 'fahver.'

My heart went out to Precious, it truly did. Getting rape by her father and having kids by him (one with Down Syndrome,) being held back in school, disease, abused by her mother, etc. SO MUCH. I applaud Sapphire for writing this book. Some people might not believe that these things happen but, they do.

From seeing the movie, I pretty much knew a lot of what was going to happen but there was something that I was surprised about. Throughout the book Precious talks about Louis Farrakhan, who is the Head of the Nation of Islam. The book takes place in the 80's and I know that Farrakhan was living in Harlem at that time (I think) but there are quite a few references to him. I'm not sure if the character is supposed to be of the Islam faith. She also names her son Abdul so, maybe. Not a big deal or anything, I just wasn't expecting that.

Overall: Like the movie, I thought that book was an eye opener and great but it's too emotionally horrible for me to read more than once!

Overall Rating: 4 stars(I'

(I'm not following my usual rating system because I find this book difficult to rate but, I will say that the voice gets a 5!)not going to do my usual rating because I find it really hard to rate this book. Although, I have to give the voice a 5!) Cover: B. I like the simplicity of it. I have no idea what I would put on it if someone wanted an image instead of just text on the cover. PS. My father wanted to read this book after I finished but now that I read it, I feel that it will be wicked awkward if I give it to him to read so I'm just going to return it to the library...

Kiss It by Erin Downing

Kiss It by Erin Downing Simon Pulse/June 15, 2010/Young Adult/273 pages Author Links: Website//Twitter 

Chastity Bryan has never been shy about going after what she wants. And when sexy, mysterious, so-not-from-this-town Sebastian walks into Chaz's life, she knows in an instant that what she wants next is him. Chaz has no intention of playing for keeps—but she most definitely has intentions. Who needs true love when you've got true lust? Sebastian has no idea what he's in for—but maybe neither does Chaz?.

Review If you are looking for a book that has morally driven and goody goody characters, this book is not for you; however, if you want a book that deals with real teenage situations, this is for you! 


Chastity Bryan is one of the most real female characters in YA that I've read in awhile. She is a witty and not afraid of going after what she wants. She has a different view on sex than other girls, like her best friend Sadie, have on it. Chaz isn't one of those people who believe in waiting for marriage, in fact she kind of just wants to get it over with. 


I applaud Downing for writing Chaz the way she does. It was interesting to read her take on this subject. I pretty much knew the deal with Sadie and I'm glad how everything was handled! However, throughout the book, I found myself trying to figure out what exactly was with Sebastian. I definitely wasn't expecting the part about his past history. Some parts of this book were laugh-out-loud funny and I had to go back and reread them. 


Overall, KISS IT is an enjoyable read and I can't wait for whatever Erin Downing writes next! Oh, and I liked that Chaz was a runner! I definitely wasn't expecting that. Yay!

RATING

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Characters: 4.5/5

Voice: 5/5

Ending: 4.5/5

Overall: 4 stars

Favorite character(s): Chastity. Like I said before, she was just so real! Cover: B- I don't particularly like the orange background nor the bunnies (although, I ) but I love the heart. The tag line, "Want It. Get It. Love It. Kiss It" is awesome and I like the font and colors.

Put-down-ability: 3. I pretty much read it straight through and it was hard to put down!

*Source: Received a signed copy from author! Thank you!!

Here are some places you can buy the book: Amazon, BN

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler Little Brown/June 1, 2009/Young Adult/290 pages 
Summary According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer. 


Review I first heard of this book last summer during a scavenger hunt that Sarah Ockler was doing and I have been meaning to read this for months now. I'm so glad I finally got around to it! Right from the very beginning it is, like the summary says, beautifully written. Sarah Ockler is able to tackle subjects like death and heartbreak with ease. The story is told from Anna Reiley's POV. She has been best friends and neighbors with siblings, Frankie and Matt Perino, for as long as she can remember.


For years now, Anna has been in love with Matt and soon they are finally together, but they keep it a secret from Frankie. Then, Matt dies in a car crash and Anna and his family are left trying to rebuild their lives. It's been a year since Matt died and Anna is invited to the Perino's summer trip to California. Although she is hesitant to go along with it, Frankie declares they will meet 20 boys while away. 


The title of the book is misleading. Yes, the girls make this bet, but is so much more than a game like this. During those weeks at the beach, Anna has to come to grips with letting go and finding herself. Ockler captures many genuine moments and the book is hard to put down. The last 150 pages or so were my favorite. I loved reading about their time in San Francisco and the band they went to see. So much happens at the end of the book; secrets are reveled and relationships are on the mend, but it is amazing and so touching.


TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a wonderful summer read! I absolutely can't wait to read Sarah's new book coming out this fall!

RATING

Writing: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Voice: 4/5

Ending: 5/5 Overall: 4 stars

Favorite character(s): I thought Anna was an awesome MC. Sam was really nice, too! Cover: B+ That sea glass is so beautiful and I love how it ties in with the story! Love the colors. (I want some sea glass, now!)

Put-down-ability: 4 in the beginning. The whole story is great, but it wasn't until the end that I could not put down - 2. (1- very hard to put down 10-easy to put down)

*Source: Won from a contest a long time ago at Books By Their Cover! Thanks. HEY! Don't forget to enter my TWENTY BOY SUMMER GIVEAWAY!!! DEADLINE IS JULY 31st!

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

HarperTeen/June 1, 2008/Young Adult/320 pages

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

Review: If you have not read any of Elizabeth Scott's book, you are most definitely missing out!

Dani is known to the people of Heaven as Sydney and throughout her whole life she has had many different alias' because she is not like most people. Dani has been going town to town and stealing things out of houses for as long as she can remember. Her mom has taught her all she knows about stealing (especially of silver) and she doesn't really know much else.

Soon they head to Heaven where Dani meets Allison, a girl that befriends her and who is also the daughter of a wealthy woman that Dani's mother wants to steal from. To make matters worse, Dani soon begins to fall for Greg...a cop. Elizabeth Scott creates relationships that are believable and easy to get sucked into. Also, I know people have said that the ending was sad and although I agree, I rather liked it.

The only thing I found myself being confused about and not liking was the involvement of this James character. James is Allison's brother and I'm still not quite sure if he really liked Dani or what?

Rating:

Characters: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Writing: 5/5

Voice: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4 stars

Favorite character(s): Allison who was a girl that Dani meets when she arrives at Heaven and Greg, the cop that Dani falls for. I loved these characters personalities.

Cover: C. Eh, the cover isn't bad but I don't really care for it.

Overall: This is a great book about being true to yourself!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Viking Juvenile (June 16, 2009)

Age group: Young Adult

Hardcover: 400 pages

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

Review: After the first chapter or two, I was immediately sucked in and I have to say that Along for the Ride is, I think, my favorite Sarah Dessen book right after This Lullaby.

Auden has always been academically smart as both her parents are proffesors and all. She hasn't had much of a social life. She goes to visit her dad and his new wife and her new baby sister for the summer. She begins working at her stepmother's botique shop and becomes friends with the other girls there.

There were so many things I enjoyed about this book . I loved the relationship between Auden and her brother, Hollis. I love great sibling interaction. I loved Audens feminist mindset!! I definitely caught on to her remarks! I could relate to that and a some other things. Like, the insomnia that both Eli and Auden faced. The romance was sweet. I loved parts with them together.

Sarah Dessen does it again! I can always count on her books to always get me in a good reading mood! If you haven't read Sarah Dessen, this is a great one to pick up!

Rating:

Characters: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Voice: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Favorite character: I loved so many characters in this book its hard to choose! I adored Maggie's character. She was one of the girls that worked in the botique.

Cover: C. Although it isn't my favorite cover, I think its okay. I think the picture without the models faces is a bit weird...

Thoughts: Oh such a good book! Sarah Dessen books always makes me think of summer and I can't wait for whatever she has next! 4 Stars

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Publisher: Harvest Books (May 1, 2003 for paperback)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 326 pages

Summary: "The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional--but is it more true?"

Review: This book was assigned to my English 10 honors class and initially my first thought of this book was that it was going to be completely horrible. However, I am happy to report that it was actually a great story!

This isn't your typical English class book. It is fairly recent, written only a couple of years ago instead of the usual book that was published before 1960! The first part of the book is set in the late 70's in Pondicherry, India. Its about a boy with an unusual name; Piscine (sounds almost exactly like pissing), which is French for swimming pool and because kids teased him about it he shorten it to Pi once he got to high school.

Religion plays a major part in this book, even claiming in the beginning that it will make you a believer in God. Pi's family isn't particulary religious but he starts practicing not one but three religions. Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. All he wants to do is love God. Another major part of the story is that his father is a zoo keeper. Pi knows all about animals and which ones are dangerous and whatnot. Later on, Pi and his family decided to move to Canada and so, his father sells what animals he could to other zoos and some of the other animals ride on the ship with the family to Canada.

We get to the second part. The ship sinks. Without giving away all what happens. I'll say this. I couldn't believe all what Pi has to go through on a lifeboat. With a 450 pound BENGAL TIGER! It really is something to read. And although it was good at that point, I'll admit I didn't keep up with my reading after awhile. One of my reading quizzes proves it!! It was getting closer towards the major test (actually, the night before) and I had to read a little more than 100 pages. I do not think I would have actually read all of it if I hadn't heard the others talking about it in class.

Once Pi gets saved (and don't worry, I'm not giving anything away, because you know he lives as there are present tense scenes, which are confusing at first) we learn of a second story that happened while Pi was on the boat. So, its a story within a story and you're left with a question. What story is the truth?!

*oh in case anyone wants to know what I got on the test. 95/100! WHOO!

Rating:

Characters: 9/10

Originality: 9/10

Ending: 10/10

Writing: 9/10

Voice: 8/10

Plot: 10/10

Favorite character(s): Pi! Such a unique character! I loved his courage and his good heart.

Cover: B. I think the cover definitely fits the book! I think it works for a heroic tale.

Overall: Amazing book! So glad we read this for school. 4 stars.

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

Publisher: Simon Pulse (October 20, 2009)

Hardcover: 224 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Summary: "When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly's mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she's getting desperate to feel something, anything--so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul's kisses are a welcome diversion...and it's nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren't so simple with Saskia around. Paul's real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly's choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had."

Review: Nothing Like You is a short book, around 200 pages of reading but it certainly is able to cover a lot of stuff and was easy to get into.

This book was filled with angst well, actually I'm not sure if that's the right word...but it definitely was able to make me feel bad for some characters, especially Holly. She and Paul Bennett are having some sort of relationship that is basically only sex. Meanwhile, Paul is dating Saskia who becomes good friends with Holly. Then, there is Holly's best friend, Nils. I absolutely loved reading about their friendship.

I loved the parts with Holly and her father, Jeff. Holly's mother died a six months before and they are trying to deal with it the best way they can. I liked the scenes with Holly and her theatre teacher. Lauren Strasnick does a fantastic job making the book realistic and there are a lot of things that people can relate to.

The ending was bittersweet but I thought it was a good way to end the book. Can't wait to read more books by Lauren!

*Oh and I liked to mention that this book wasn't graphic with sex at all. So if you're worried about that, don't be.

Rating:

Characters: 9/10

Originality: 9/10

Ending: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Voice: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Favorite character(s): Nils, Holly, and Saskia were among my favorites. I don't know how to explain why, since they had their faults but I thought they were pretty nice. My least favorite was Paul. Ugh!

Cover: A. Very pretty cover.

Overall: Great book on teenage angst, loss and love. 4 stars.

(to find out more on the Rating System)

*Won this HC book from Tina at Fantastic Book Reviews!

Viola In Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Viola In Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Publisher: HarperTeen (September 1, 2009)

Hardcover: 288 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Summary: "I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in."

Review: Viola In Reel Life is a book is a wonderful, fast-paced read. It's original and isn't the usual cliché boarding school book.

I knew that this book would be about a girl and her love for filming, but I hadn't thought it would talk so much about theatre. I absolutely love theatre and this book has mentions of Buster Keaton and other silent film actors, Arsenic and Old Lace..It was very interesting to read about.

Adriana Trigiani does a great job with the characters. Viola with her filming and sarcastic remarks learns to appreciate Prefects Academy along with her roommates. There's Suzanne, the pretty and tall blonde. Romy is the sportive one and Marisol is the Latina who is the one Viola goes to since she is non-judgmental. I loved this group of girls. They were always there for each other and supported each other.

Even though Viola goes to an all girls school, Trigiani is still able to throw guys into the mix. Andrew, her BFFAA from back home, continues to text and videoconference with her. I thought they had some chemistry, but they were just best friends. Then there is Jared, who Viola meets at a school dance. They share an interest in filming and both enter a video competition. I loved reading about Viola's short film and the story behind it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes filming or theatre or stories about boarding schools. This was a great read!

Rating:

Characters: 8/10

Originality: 8/10

Ending: 7/10

Writing: 10/10

Voice: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Favorite character(s): So many good characters. I thought Trish, Viola and her roommates RA, was a great character! I liked her personality.

Cover: B. The cover really fits the story line! The shoes look how they are described in the book.

Overall: An innocent and sweet novel! 4 stars.

(check out my Rating System to learn more about my ratings.)

*won this ARC from Bites blog!

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 23, 2008)

Paperback: 224 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Summary: "Perfect Parker Fadley isn’t so perfect anymore. She’s quit the cheerleading squad, she’s dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she’s failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she’s playing games…but what they don’t know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn’t something she can say out loud. It isn’t even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her."

Review: After seeing countless of reviews, claiming that Cracked Up To Be was pretty amazing, I couldn't help but order this! I wasn't planning on reading this until after I finished my other books, but I couldn't resist it any longer!

Cracked Up To Be is a fast-paced story that will keep you up reading all night. I'm almost at a lost of words for this book. The voice of Parker Fadley is incredible. She used to an A+ student, captain of the cheerleading squad, had a great boyfriend, and was popular. Something happened to Parker that changed her and everyone around her is trying to figure out what went wrong.

I really enjoyed Jake's character, the new kid in school, who tries to figure out Parker. Like she is with everyone, Parker is rude and sarcastic towards him. I liked reading about their partnership with an art project they have to do. All of the characters were nicely done. It was easy to envision each of them as I read.

Courtney Summers does an amazing job writing the flashbacks scenes throughout the book. These scenes are intriguing and you'll want to find out what happened to Parker.

Cracked Up To Be is excellent and such a realistic story! I could not have read a better book to read for the start of 2010!

Rating:

Characters: 10/10

Originality: 9/10

Ending: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Voice: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Favorite character(s): Parker. I couldn't get enough her story. Jake comes in a close second.

Another thing I enjoyed: I didn't exactly know where to put this in the review; I really enjoyed reading the scenes with Parker's dog that she gets in the story. Those scenes are innocent and you kind of see a different side to her when she's with her dog.

Cover: B. I think the cover is quite nice.

Overall: Incredible book! If you haven't already, go get it! Its actually on Amazon for less than $4! CLICK HERE. Must get Courtney Summers' Some Girls Are!!! I'm dying to read it.

4.5 stars