Mostly Good Girls

Mostly Good Girls

By: Leila Sales

The higher you aim, the farther you fall….

It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, her crush’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.
When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success—but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge epic failure?

My Rating ****

I have read quite a few prep school based novels and all focused on devilishly mean rich girls and steamy romances. To be honest I was expecting the same thing from “Mostly Good Girls”. By looking at the cover itself I think anyone would. I was surprised to find this book to be different. The main focus is friendship between two girls, Violet and Katie and their struggles to live up to expectations of life and others. Written from Violet’s perspective we get to experience being not only a teenager, but also an Editor- In- Chief of Prep school newspaper.

As you get to know the girls you see how different from each other they are. For Katie everything comes easy, while Violet struggles to fight for everything and always falls short. Of course elements of unrequited love, pear pressure and teenage rebellion are present.

Many times I felt like I was having a conversation with a 16 year old, which for a new writer I think it’s a great accomplishment. Accompanied by great sense of humor and witty comments the novel becomes an enjoyable read. It is definitely not your typical story.

Shiver

Shiver

by: Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
 
My Rating ****

I am a big fan of supernatural, tragic, love stories. I found “Shiver” to be a sensuous and intense. Stiefvater has an original and interesting take on werewolves. Such take makes it possible for the reader to imagine them living amongst us. From the very beginning you feel the deep connection between Grace and Sam, even when he is a wolf. It is an emotional bond that at times makes it difficult for them to live their lives. The author uses delicate and passionate words to describe their feelings as well as their individual experiences. I found Grace to be very intriguing, especially since she is not a werewolf…

Role of supporting character is crucial in this book. All characters are original, realistic and make the plot come together. I can definitely say that most novels don’t have such development when it comes to supporting characters, but Stiefvater proves that it can be done.

The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the ending. I felt like a chunk of the book was ripped out and I was missing some information, however I am hoping that the sequel “Linger”, will explain all that.

Along For The Ride

Along for the ride

by: Sarah Dessen

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.

My Rating ****

I LOVED IT!!!! This novel was Sarah Dessen at her best. The way she captures the essence and feel of summer is absolutely amazing. One of the characteristic of Dessen’s writing is evolving the protagonist and preparing them for the future, while giving the reader a life lesson. In all her novels summer seems to be a kind of defining stage between past and present, being a teen and a grown up.


I thought Auden had a little spice to her. She was judgmental and prejudiced against lip glossed blondes. I liked that she wasn’t all nice. She also wasn’t your typical teen, she was lacking the teenage experiences. I appreciated how the author described the change in Auden after getting to know people that she wouldn’t usually associate herself with. That brings us to supporting characters, which as always were well developed and interesting. One of the most memorable of them was Eli; handsome, very much to himself, wounded, sexy bike rider connects with Auden on more than one level. Both similar and at the same time so different. I specially enjoyed the late night quests. You can smell the love.
Overall, very strong, rich plot and great characters make up an amazing book.

That Summer

That Summer

By: Sarah Dessen

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She's nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister, the always perfect Ashley, is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley's reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

My Rating: **

There is not much I can say about this novel. I liked Haven, I found her very mature for her young age. However, I found her annoying at times when it came to dwelling over the past. I was disappointed with all the other characters as well as the relationship between Haven and her older sister’s, Ashley, ex boyfriend.


What I was missing in this novel is a life lesson that Dessen later on incorporated into her style of writing.

Sarah Dessen’s sense of humor came through In the story, which I always appreciate.

One Lonely Degree

One Lonely Degree

by: C.K. Kelly Martin

Anything is possible....

Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey—Finn’s best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly.

So when Finn’s childhood friend Jersy moves back to town—reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you’d want to dip your fingers into it if you weren’t careful—Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey?

With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can’t be the girl who does this to her best friend...can she?

My Rating ***

I was really exited to read this novel. I must say I was slightly disappointed in it. The style of writing was fairly simple. The story line was relatable and the issues seemed were authentic, yet sometimes the romance and family drama failed short to impress me. The protagonist Finn is secretly dealing with a traumatic incident that involved Adam, which in my opinion could’ve been developed a bit more. I found the characters too ordinary and easily forgettable.

However, there were things I liked about this novel. The ending was surprising, even though I was hoping for something else, I found it refreshing and different from all the other YA novels.

Someone Like You

Someone Like You

by: Sarah Dessen

Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Though their friendship may be tested by the strain, like a true friendship, it will endure.


My Rating ***

“Someone like You” is one of the first novels of Sarah Dessen. It was a quick but enjoyable read. The main characters were well developed and delineated. Unlike other novels, this one focused a lot on the friendship between two girls, Halley and Scarlett, as well as the significance of it in the critical times.


The issues of teenage pregnancy and death are very well portrayed. The serious moments are often lightened with humor. The plot is well constructed and fast paced. I found this story line very relatable.

However, I felt like something was missing. I can't pin point what exactly. Even though the importance was to focus on the relationship between the girls I think that other aspects of the story, some characters were a little underdeveloped.

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