Thursday, October 27, 2011

Review: Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris

Title: Bad Taste in Boys (Kate Grable #2)
Author: Carrie Harris
Pages: 201 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published on: July 12th' 2011
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Someone's been a very bad zombie.
Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steriods are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate! She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town  . . . and stay hormonally human.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
Bad Taste in Boys was both insanely hilarious and insanely creepy! I loved it! Carrie Harris definitely has to be one of the best debut authors of 2011! Kate Grable is one kickass heroine! I absolutely loved her! This book is a riot! Carrie Harris has definitely made a new meaning to "zombie apocalypse" with her witty lines and gory details, Bad Taste in Boys will definitely leave you wanting more... More... Braaaains! Absolutely fantastic. LOVED IT. Can't wait to read more of Kate Grable's (mis)adventures! And, of course, her romance with Aaron!

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Monday, October 24, 2011

Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Title: Shut Out
Author: Kody Keplinger
Pages: 273 pages
Publisher: Poppy
Published on: September 5th' 2011
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...
(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

I'll have to admit that if I were to choose between The DUFF and Shut Out, I'd still pick The DUFF. And while Shut Out was brimming with sexual tension (which I love) and super hot soccer players, there was just something a bit lacking with it. The story took a while to build compared to The DUFF's fast-paced writing and that sort of affected its impact. Though I did feel like the story really needed that slow build up, I've always just liked my Contemps happy and fast-paced but that didn't stop me from loving it anyway.

I really did enjoy Shut Out not just because there were shirtless soccer players involved but also because of the relationships happening in the story. And as well as the sweetness of the romance that did eventually happen.

Lissa
Lissa, the protagonist, really goes through a lot in this book and we really see how far determination and sheer willpower will get a person. She's this character that's vulnerable at times and really fierce at the other. You can really relate to what she's going through because she pretty much goes through the same thing an normal teenager goes through: peer pressure, fear of the unknown, fear of losing someone important and the like.

Lissa and her family
Lissa lives with her brother and her father. Her father has been in a wheel chair for a while because of an incident that broke a few parts of his body. I really love how close she is with these two and that even though they lost her mother, they didn't let it completely overshadow their family. You can really see how much they love each other and I really appreciated that. (And it doesn't hurt that her brother is a hottie.)


Lissa and Randy
I actually thought that they made a pretty cute couple at first but towards the middle of the book, I just thought of how much of a douche he really is. He treats Lissa like a possession and that's just not something she should be subjecting herself to. I really liked that Lissa was her own person but there were times where her thoughts were clouded with how much she loves Randy. News flash, dude, the puppy-dog eyes don't look good on seventeen-year-old jocks.

Lissa and her friends
Ever since the girls made the pledge not to have sex with their boyfriends, girls who weren't really talking before have gotten relatively closer. You can really see the bond that was created by the girls because they weren't just friends to each other, they were practically sisters and it was in these parts of the book that really made me appreciate how important friends really are.

Lissa and Cash
Okay, I'm super excited for this because I love them together. Their sexual tension was so thick that if you came within ten-feet of them, you'll get thrown back through sheer force. I really loved how sweet Cash is. He's basically this really hot and unattainable guy with a really sweet and cheesy side (I know, swoon!) He's such a really character and that's something I really loved about him, he doesn't pretend to be someone he's not and he's obviously willing to fight for the girl he wants.

If you want to read a sweet, at times poignant and hilarious book, Shut Out is for you. Contemporary books have always been a big favorite of mine and I'm so happy to be able to share these titles with you. Hope you enjoy Kody Keplinger's books because Geraldine and I are HUGE fans!

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Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed (Starcrossed #1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Pages: 487 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published on: May 31st' 2011
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?
(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

I absolutely LOVED Starcrossed! The book was so fast-paced and straight to the point that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! I love how Josephine Angelini managed to take Greek mythology to a whole new level. How she was able to mix ancient Greece with modern Nantucket! When I first read Starcrossed I was astonished to find out that Starcrossed was Josephine Angelini's first novel! Starcrossed was so beautiful wrought and so intricately woven that I felt like I was reading from a master's hand. Starcrossed is definitely something I believe everyone will enjoy! I especially love how Helen literally tried to kill Lucas from the start, the hate and the loathing brought on by the Furies was definitely a nice twist to the story. Of course, a book wouldn't be complete without a hunky, swoony protag! OMGods, Lucas Delos had me the first time Helen ever saw him! His luscious black hair and gorgeous blue eyes, ANY girl would want him! I literally felt my eyes burning just reading about him! He and Helen make such a great couple! I would hate to see them apart! Which leads me to my most hated character EVERR. I didn't think it was possible to hate a character SO much but I do! Oh dear God! I LOATHE Daphne! I think Josephine Angelini should kill her off ASAP. But no matter how much I hated her, it didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this AMAZING book! Starcrossed was hilarious, suspenseful AND romance-filled! It was definitely a complete package. And I absolutely ADORED Claire and Jason! They were a very interesting couple and they definitely kept the story going especially when Helen and Lucas were in a tough spot. Claire definitely has to be my most favorite character EVER. There's something about that five-foot-two height that screams "Super-Ninja-Penguin Material!" I'd totally welcome Claire with open arms! Claire is what a person needs to look for in a best friend: loyal, kind and sticks up for you no matter what. Most of my favorite moments had Claire in them! She's just too adorable! All in all, Starcrossed is a PHENOMENAL debut, it's definitely a book fans of Percy Jackson and Twilight should read! This book has it all! Hot men (we can never run out of those ;D), action (did I mention, powers are involved in this?), comic relief (HOHOHO) and sweet, sweet romance ('nuff said <3)! Josephine Angelini is DEFINITELY an author to watch out for. ;) I'm sure everybody's DYING to read Dreamless! Prolly because Starcrossed ended with a HUGE cliffhanger!!!!! 2012 can't come fast enough! 

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