Summer Hiatus Review - Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett is your typical teen girl in New York. The only strange thing is that she happens to live in a hotel that her family owns. It's a hotel that is slowly but surely losing money and failing. She's also the sister to Lola, who's dating a rich guy who will stop at nothing to impress her, Marlene, who's survived cancer and loves all the pampering and admiration that comes along with that, and Spencer, who's dream is to be an actor on Broadway but who then instead lands a part in a production taking place in a parking garage. On Scarlett's fifteenth birthday her parents give her sole responsibility of one of the hotel suites as is tradition in their family. What Scarlett doesn't bargain for is a certain guest who decides to move in for the whole summer, rule Scarlett's life, plot revenge on old friends, and rediscover New York for herself. Add in a hunky guy who may or may not like her and you've got yourself in quite a pickle. Will Scarlett be able to fix up her summer, survive Mrs. Amberson's tortures, and save her brother's acting career? We can only hope...

I've never been a huge fan of Maureen Johnson's. I know, it's a crime. It's just that none of the books of hers that I've read have made much of an impression on me. I do admit that she's a good writer and has some great story ideas, but out of the books I've read so far, I didn't really like them enough to say that she's one of my favorite authors. But, I think that may have changed after I read this book. While reading I thought to myself; this must be the kind of Maureen Johnson writing that has made people fall in love with her. It's really good! She's witty, precise, clever, funny, and her whole writing style made this book completely enjoyable to read. It's got nice flow and has enough little quirky things to it that nothing ever gets boring. I'm definitely understanding what people like so much about Maureen. I'm a fan now. Besides the writing, there were, of course, other elements that I liked about the book. I really liked the reality of it all. Maybe not the reality of the plot, because I have a feeling that that part was meant to be not so real and more funny and captivating, but I really liked how the author was able to write about the setting and the characters so that it felt as if you were there and you knew them. I've been to New York once, like five years ago so I don't really remember a ton, but from reading this book I was able to understand the whole dynamic and feel of the city which was cool. I'd love to be able to go and spend a week or two among the crazy hecticness of New York. It seems like it would be a really cool place to live. And besides the setting, the characters were completely awesome. They each had some interesting personality trait that made them unique. I also liked how the cute guy in this story had things wrong with him! Yay! Cheers for realistic and screwed up guys. Sure, I'm not as fond of Eric as I am of more unflawed guy leads, but I do admire him for having the strength to defy the character mold. Ha. Overall, I think Suite Scarlett was a super great book. I loved every part of it and am looking forward to the next Scarlett book with tons of anticipation.

Summer Hiatus Review - When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Sara wants her senior year to be great. She wants good grades, an acceptance to her college of choice, and a guy who's the real thing. Tobey goes into the year with one goal; get Sara. But from the beginning, Sara has her eye on the wrong guy. Dave's cute, yes, but he's also immature, pushy, and quite dumb. But dating Dave gives Sara newfound status as someone worth noticing. Tobey knows that he has to rescue the poor girl from the clutches of a weasly guy, but how to do that? One thing's for sure, asking your best guy friend for "getting the girl" advice does not work; as Tobey learns when he falls up the stairs trying to get Sara to notice him. But little does he know that she does notice him but doesn't know what to do as she's dating the king of the grade. Will Sara and Tobey be able to make it work between them or will life get in the way?

This was a good book. Very good. I think that Susane Colasanti's whole writing/plot style is rather like Sara Dessen's except she doesn't deal with as heavy subjects has Sara does. And I think the whole lightness of the story is what made it so great. It was a real story; it was something that you could totally picture happening, but it also just kind of swept you away into happy land as you watched this magical romance unfold. Tobey and Sara were the most unlikely match and yet somehow, against all odds, they ended up together and infinitely happy. It's definitely a nice and optimistic plot that will appeal to anyone. We all want to be told that no matter what, we'll find that special person, and this book shows that anything can happen and with anyone. One of the high points of the book was the characters. They were all really in depth and real to me which is the most I could ask for in a book. I love having characters that are flawed and yet still relatable enought that you root for them throughout the entirety of the story. For the most part, When It Happens is your ideal beach read. You might have to do a little bit of thinking here and there, and there might be a small instance of heart break, but it all adds to the overall charm and wonderfulness of the book. I highly recommend it if you want a story that you can just sit down and dreamily get lost in. And don't we all want that every now and then?

Summer Hiatus Review - Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

Geena wants this summer to be the best ever. She has a fun summer job already in the box, so the only thing left is to find a few gal pals to pass the time with. She really wants things to work between her best friend Amber and her cousin Hero, who's coming to town for the summer, fresh from boarding school. But can a girl who has a reputation as the school slut and a girl who's lounging in a posh palace really co-exist? I think not. Then, John, the senior valedictorian and all around school god sets his unwanted sights on Hero when it's really Amber who's dying for his attention. Add in a adorable Italian exchange student and another guy who happens to be Geena's arch enemy and you've got yourself a summer full of good times at the beach sipping on lemonade, right? Wrong. When the wrong person gets blamed for doing a horrible act and a certain desirable guy's secrets get let out, the chaos really starts and no one knows what's the truth and who to trust anymore. Will Geena be able to salvage the summer for some quality pedicure parties with her two friends or will confusion and mayhem rule?

First off, I must say that I am in love with the cover to this book. Not only is it scratch 'n sniff, but it's adorable. I love all the little curlicues, the hot pink color, the heart in the coffee, the font, everything. And the headers on the pages of the book are the cutest. If only every book was as aesthetically pleasing as this one. And for the most part, the book matched the cover. This is definitely the book you want to pick up if you are looking for a beach read. It's the definition of fluff and mindlessness. But not in a bad way. You can pick it up and just read. You don't have to think about the story, and while you're doing your non-thinking, you can get into the book too. The characters are cute, although semi-unrealistic. The plot is unplausible, but fun and enjoyable at the same time. And the writing, I think, is the best part. Jody Gehrman was able to write this book in a way that will draw anybody in. She's got her tone, her jokes, her references, and her whole style down pat. I loved reading something that didn't take any getting used to or analyzing. I was able to jump into the flow of the book from the first page. The other thing that I liked a lot about the book was the plot. And yes, while many of the things that happened are entirely unrealistic, they were made to seem like they might actually happen. It was light, enthralling, and laugh-out-loud funny. And for me, that's basically all I need in a book, so I stand satisfied and ready for a future barista job perhaps. :D

Summer Hiatus Review - Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Danielle and her mother steal antique silver from rich families across the USA for their living. It's all Dani has ever known and it is what she has based her life around. And for the most part, she hasn't had a problem with it. But when she and her mom move to a small ocean-side town called Heaven, Dani is given a taste of what her life might be if she were actually able to stay in one spot for a while. She could have friends, a school life, people who care about her, and most importantly, she would feel secure. But when she realizes that her new friend lives in the home that she and her mom are targeting for their next burglary and that that cute guy that she's been flirting with is a cop, she wants that perfect carefree life more than ever. Will Dani be able to convince her mom to give up the life she's always known for a chance at normalcy or will stealing what everyone else has to provide for herself be the way Dani will be forced to live for the rest of her life?

I loved this book! I had heard tons of good things about it, and it definitely did not disappoint. I think that Elizabeth Scott's novels just keep getting better and better. I've read all of them so far I think and I've liked all of them a ton so I'm really glad that Stealing Heaven was able to keep up that good-ness streak for me. I really liked how all of the characters were really in depth and relatable. The story put a girl whom we could all think of ourselves as being into a situation that none of us could imagine being in. I think the author portrayed the most normal and sincere teen girl in a beautiful way. You could see all the things that she was feeling and going through as she was put into many different situations. I also adored the character of Greg. Seriously though, what's with all of the perfect and utterly unreal guy characters?! It just makes me ache whenever I read about these flawless guys, the likes of which I believe do not exist in the real world. Even though Greg's character was realisticly unattainable, you can't help but love guys like him anyways. I think the thing I liked the best about the book though was the whole flow of the writing. Nothing was rushed and the story moved at a perfect pace. I loved being able to read about the events through Dani's eyes and I think that if the book hadn't been narrated by her it wouldn't have been as good just because she had such a fluid and relatable voice. I think the only teeny thing that bothered me was that in the end, the issue that Dani and Allison had with each other wasn't wrapped up like I would have liked it to have been. Other than that, Stealing Heaven was perfect; from the beginning sentences to the adorable ending. It's a perfect summer read.

Summer Hiatus Review - Rumors by Anna Godbersen

It's been some time since Elizabeth Holland's mysterious death entranced the New York socialites. And now, It's her younger sister Diana that they have their eyes on. Since Henry Schoonmaker, the young bachelor Elizabeth was engaged to before her death, is now available, he's also one of the people in the spotlight. The other is the wily Penelope Hayes whose main goal is to bring down the Holland family and claim Henry for her own. Besides, they've known each other all their lives, so it's only right. But what people don't know about is Diana's secret affair with Henry and the fact that the Holland's large fortune is dwindling after Diana's father died a short time before Elizabeth. But is it really proper for a young man to be in the minds of so many women so soon after his fiance's death even if the engagement wasn't one based on love? And with rumors of Elizabeth still being alive floating around, things get complicated. Will we ever learn what really happened to Elizabeth? And who will claim Henry in the end?

Yum, yum, yum. This book was just as delightful as the first one in the series which I am really happy about. Sometimes, you get an amazing first book and then a really bad sequel, but in the Luxe series, that is not the case. Thankfully. I completely loved hearing more about all of the scandal surrounding the families that I had come to know and love in the previous book. I think one of the things that is the best about this series is that Anna Godbersen has the perfect writing style to go along with the storyline. She knows how to write so that even the language aspect of the book draws you into a world that's far from your own. Also, the plot was really amazing. There were a ton of twists and surprises that left my mouth open, and my mind scrambling. But in a good way of course. These were nice and luscious twists that were completely plausible but at the same time unexpected. The ending especially nearly wrenched me apart. I almost cried! Yikes! It's a little wierd to confess to crying over a book that's purely fluff made for enjoyment. But it's the kind of book that gets you to relate to the characters and actually care about what happens to them. That's definitely one of the parts that keeps me coming back for more. I feel like I'm actually in the turn of the century New York, which is saying something because not only do I have no idea what New York's like, I do not in any way know what anything around that time period would be like. But the book is such that you can't help but be drawn in. And although this series is completely fluffy, I still love it to pieces and I can't wait for the next book, Envy. If you haven't read the first book, The Luxe, you had better go and pick it up soon!


Oh, and happy Fourth of July!!! Go out and watch some American fireworks for me! :P

Summer Hiatus Review - The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna Fox can’t remember anything about herself. She doesn’t know her name, recognize her parents, or have any memories of the past that would help her to fit into a new and strange life among people who she doesn’t know and who don’t understand her. She’s told that she was in a terrible accident but she knows that there are some things that her over protective parents are not telling her. When bits and pieces of her former life begin to come together Jenna discovers a shocking truth about herself, her memories, her friends, and ultimately, her new life. In a world where technology is taking over and anything can happen, that “anything” happens to Jenna. And while some people may be supportive of these new advances, others are deeply opposed. Will Jenna be able to sort out what she believes and discover who she was and who she is to become?

I adored (haha) this book so much. I think the main thing that made the whole story work was that it covered an extremely interesting topic and dealt with the difficult subject of mortality in a manner that didn’t force an opinion and yet still kept the book intriguing and semi-light. When you write about a heavy subject, it has a tendency to bring the book down and sometimes that’s a good thing, but in The Adoration of Jenna Fox, the story was written in such a way that it forced you to think and still kept the story moving. And it wasn’t just the topic of the book that made it so good, it was also the whole style of it; writing and otherwise. I liked how there were little poems and dictionary excerpts dispersed throughout the book. It helped to keep everything interesting and fresh which is always good. The writing style of the book was perfect too. It was flowing, smooth, and fit the whole book perfectly. It’s not often that you find a writing style that compliments and enhances a book rather than just tell the story. I also loved, loved, loved the cover. You’re never going to see a book cover much more beautiful than this one. Don’t you think? And that’s really a huge factor in a book because that’s the first thing you see. I think the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” thing is actually rather misguided because the cover is a big part of how people are going to perceive a book. If it has a cheesy or bad cover, that’s what people are going to expect of the story and that’s probably actually a good assumption because if the publishing people haven’t spent a bunch of time on the visual aspect of the book, why would they pay attention to the writing? I’m rambling though. For me, the whole entire book was marvelous and couldn’t be improved any more. It was addicting, interesting, valuable, and pretty much just fabulous. I’m sad that I waited this long to read it! I highly recommend that you go out and pick up a copy soon; I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

Summer Hiatus Review - Read My Lips by Teri Brown

When she transfers to her new school, Serena just wants to fit in, have friends, and not attract tons of attention. That dream is shattered when the popular crowd discover that she has an amazing skill for reading lips. Think of what you could do with that ability! You would get the inside scoop on pretty much every one's lives and that fact is realized by the most snotty girls in school, who just happen to have a secret of their own. Then a cute boy gets added in to the mix. He's mysterious, adorable, down to earth, and most importantly is enamored with Serena. She wants to keep her spying a secret from everyone, but when things start to escalate quickly, she's pulled in over her head. Will Serena be able to escape the clutches of some seriously witchy girls, make friends of her own, and get herself the guy, or will she be stuck doing other people's dirty work for the rest of her high school career?

This book was decent. I hadn't read very many reviews prior to reading it so I wasn't sure what to expect. And I was pleasantly surprised. The faults in the book, I think were that the character development wasn't great, the plot was predictable, and the whole concept of the sorority seemed rather random and thrown together for me. But don't worry, there were other parts of the book that were good too. I like that the author tackled the new subject of being deaf. I've never ever read a book about anything along that line and it was very cool to read something from the point of view of someone who had to deal with the challenges of being deaf every day. It really put that in perspective for me. I also liked the character of Miller a lot. While he was moody and hormonal, which got a little annoying, he was mysterious and captivating. I can totally imagine falling for a guy like him. *sighs* Don't you just hate it when you read about some perfect guy in a book and then realize that they aren't real and you're going to have to find some less than perfect guy to fill the gaping whole that this character left in your chest (slight exaggeration there)? I mean, Edward, Cabel, Owen, Jace, Dimitri, Jacob (can't believe I just wrote that), and now Miller. Ugh! Why can't authors write about detestable icky guys for once so that us fan girls can leave our hearts open for realistic and might I say, slightly disappointing guys. :D /rant. Ha. Anywho, when all is said and done, Read My Lips was a pretty decent book. Nothing spectacular or mind blowing but it was a nice and fluffy summer read nonetheless, and one that I'd recommend if you want to read something quick and light.