Lock and Key Book Review

Photo from Goodreads 

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen 
Publisher: Speak (An Imprint of the Penguin Group) April 22nd, 2008

Plot Summary from Goodreads: 
Ruby, where is your mother?

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.

That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again

Fiona's Grade: A-

Confession: I didn't like Sarah Dessen books for a long time. No real reason why; I just didn't think her books were for me. I attempted several of her books multiple time with only ever finishing one. Until, I went to my library and decided I would give it one more shot. And I am certainly glad I did.

Lock and Key at its core is a book about the idea of family. Ruby has always been a "one woman operation" and just because her mother has disappeared and she is living with her sister whom she hasn't talked to in years doesn't change anything.

This is a less-plot driven book and more of a character driven book. There isn't a character that makes you think "Oh this is a stereotypical _______." They are all complex, especially our protagonist Ruby. We get to look into her past a little and get inside her head and although she does do things we might find stupid, it somewhat makes since to her. And in the end she does the right thing. 

What I found interesting in this book is that the plot center in this book changes in an interesting way. We go from being a Ruby-centered story- her life and her problems- to being centered around another character and their life and their problems- and in the end, the climax of this book is actually related to them and not Ruby. This is important to notice because it shows that Ruby has gone from being a "one woman operation" to genuinely caring and being concerned about others that she loves. By the end of the novel she has also learned the importance of asking for help. 

Overall, if you enjoy great stories about the idea of family and learning just what that word means, this is a book for you. I'll leave you with this quote.

"Family isn't something that's supposed to be static or set. People marry in, divorce out. They're born. they die. It's always evolving, turning into something else. Even  that picture of Jamie's family was only the true representation for that one day. By the next, something had probably changed. It had to." p. 287.  

A Field Guide to Heartbreakers by Kristen Tracy

Today was a day I had nothing to do but read... so that's what I did.

Photo from Goodreads

Dessy and Veronica arrive in Prague to attend a writing workshop. However, the two girls have wildly different ideas- Dessy is trying to heal her broken heart by diving in to the workshop while Veronica wants to flirt with all the dudes and help heal Dessy's heart. However, it becomes clear that all is not going according to plan with the boys' mixed signals and their ability to cause tiffs between friends.

This book looks like it would be a cute romance about two girls who travel abroad, meet hot guys, and eat ice cream. But it's not nearly as light as it appears to be. This book deals with much larger issues like relationships between parents, trust, and how to deal with suit mates.

The plot of this book was really cute, and I think accurately showed how two teenage girls would spend a month abroad. Both the major conflicts ended nicely; although I thought the main antagonist's motive was a little silly until I took a step back. Then it made a little sense. Overall, the plot was very interesting and kept me reading.

I really liked both Dessy and Veronica as characters. I identified a little more Dessy, but I think that's because as readers we are seeing everything through her eyes. I liked Veronica too, though I found her a little too much at times. You definitely see growth from them both.  The minor characters in this novel were also excellent.

I loved the fact this book was set in Prague; in fact, that's what drew me to this book. I also appreciated the fact that despite the fact that Dessy and Veronica were remarkably different people, they could put their differences aside and be really good friends.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a fun travel read that makes you think about relationships.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

photo from Goodreads

Ruby Oliver's life has definitely taken a turn for the worst. Over the past ten days she has, lost her boyfriend, her best friend, all of her other friends, and had a few panic attacks. Now her parents have her going to see a shrink to work out her problems. At her shrink's request, Ruby goes on to make The Boyfriend list- a list of boys who have at one point meant something to her in her life. And thus, the boyfriend list is born.

I listened to this book for the first time back when I was fourteen and grounded. I thought it was adorable then and really enjoyed. Unfortunately, by the time I realized that there was more to the series, I had promptly forgotten everything that happened. I then decided that now was the time to reread and see how much I remember.

I adore Ruby. She is hilarious and someone I would love to be friends with. However, the character I most identified with was Megan, the girl who drove Ruby to school. I hope we see more of her in the series. I also  really liked Nora, as I felt some connection to her, especially towards the end. I didn't feel any sort of connection to Kim or Cricket.

As for the plot, I remembered a lot more of it than I thought I did, but I remember being shocked at some the first time I read it. Just shocked. Overall, the plot is good and all the conflict isn't necessarily resolved by the end of the book, hence why turning it into a series is a good idea.

One thing I think actually makes this book good is the structure. I like that each chapter was devoted to a boy on the boyfriend list and her therapy sessions, and still included actual plot progression. There wasn't any chapter that was completely devoted to unimportant things- every thing was important.

I would recommend this book if you want a fun contemporary read that isn't one of those "love-at-first-sight" books, but still has a romantic element.

Happy reading!

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley Review

photo from barnesandnoble.com

Corrine is living the dream- shopping at Barney's by day, going out to the hottest clubs by night. She even has her own horse and is going to start at an elite boarding school in the fall. However, when her father is laid off and makes a bad investment, she is shipped to a tiny town in Texas to live with her grandparents she barely knows. She goes from a posh boarding school to a public high school, from never having to work a day in her life, to shoveling manure. Corrine is determined to get back to where she belongs- to New York City.  However, when Corrine makes an unlikely friend and discovers a cute boy at work, she realizes that being in Texas may not be all bad. 
This book was so adorable! I liked Corrine from the beginning, even though she was a bit of a complainer once she actually got to Texas. All of the characters is this book were really well-written, from Corrine's little brother to her best friend from the city. I will admit that I really liked her Texas friend in this book, I thought she was just adorable. There is some romance in this book, but ti is not the driving force in this book, and the reader is left on a romantic cliff-hanger. This book also gives the important lesson of how your parents had a life before you were born, which a lot of kids have difficulty grasping. Overall, I really liked this book. The only things I didn't like was the ending because it didn't seem very realistic and the romantic cliff-hanger is still bugging me.

Overall, I would definitely recommend if you like fun, contemporary reads or if you think that God blessed Texas with His own hands.

Happy reading!

Past Perfect Review

All Chelsea wants to do the summer before her senior year is hang out with her best friend, eats lots of ice cream, and hopefully finally get over her ex, Ezra. But when she shows up for work at Essex Historical Colonial Village, it turns out he's working there as well. This makes getting over him all the more difficult, even when she thinks she might be falling for someone new. In Past Perfect by Leila Sales, we experience all the highs and lows of Chelsea's summer as a colonial reenactor. 

I read this book in practically one sitting- a rare feat for me. I don't know whether it was because I couldn't sleep or if it was because that this book was so adorable that I couldn't put it down. Although the plot line was a little predictable and the characters were a little bland at times, Sales made up for it with the book being downright hilarious. I cannot remember when I last literally laughed out loud at a book. I also really enjoyed the aspect of the historical village and the rivalry between the colonials and the Civil Warriors, though I feel that it could have been played out more. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Chelsea and Fiona, her best friend and their whole "ice cream connoisseurs" thing. It was a nice touch on a hilarious novel. I also appreciated the growth they both experienced. I found a little bit of the ending unbelievable, but it did end nicely.  Overall, if you like history and contemporary young adult literature, I would definitely recommend it. 

Shine Review

Shine by Lauren Myracle is about a girl named Cat who lives in a backwater town in North Carolina. When her friend Patrick is brutally attacked and in a coma, Cat becomes determined to find out who did this to her friend, knowing that the police in town won't do anything.

Though this book has a definite plot, I would not consider it a plot driven book. To a point, you want to find out who did this horrible thing but you also care about the characters. The reader gets an excellent picture of rural Southern life. All the characters are believable as to where they come from. Myracle also deals with a lot of social issues- rape, homosexuality, drugs, etc. Pretty much any social issue you can think of, she brings up within this book. Under normal circumstances, I would find this annoying, however, Myracle is a strong enough writer to where it's not like, "Okay, kids, let's take a paragraph to talk about drugs." The fact that she doesn't do this only proves Myracle to bring a strong writer. Also, she excellently points out that these social issues often get swept under the rug in Southern culture, which is true.

I would recommend this book to anyone. I have not read much else of Myracle works, only her short story in Let It Snow with John Green and Maureen Johnson two authors I adore, and Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks which was also good, but a decidedly different novel. I love it when authors branch out from different genres and do it well. That is the make of great author, in my opinion.As for this book, I would recommend it to everyone, because I think everyone can relate to it in one way or another.

Also, look at how beautiful the cover is.

Scarlett Fever Review

As a general rule, I dislike reviewing books that are sequels or as in this case, the second book of a series. I feel that if you read the first book in a series, you'll base your opinion of whether to read the second book on whether you liked the first book or not, not on what I think.

However, I feel the need to review Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson.

Having read all of Maureen Johnson's previous books I did have some expectations when beginning to read this book.

a. That the whole Martin family would be back for more fun adventures.

b. That it would be something I"d enjoy reading.

c. That it would be hilarious in general.

I can safely say that all of these expectations were fulfilled. When we last left Scarlett, she and Eric had broken things off, leaving her heartbroken and her brother Spencer had successfully saved his career. After many more failed auditions, he is happy to finally land a job on popular television show called Crime and Punishment.

I feel that the main plot rarely focuses on Scarlett herself. It's more of a book of things that are happening around her that she can't control and her reactions to them. Which at first sounds silly, but it makes sense. She's fifteen; there isn't much you can control at fifteen. Despite never wanting to be an actress, she seems to be surrounded by actors and actresses, professionally or otherwise.

All of your favorite characters are back. Scarlett's brother Spencer, the aspirign actor, Marlene the cancer survivor, Lola the hardworking one, and Mrs. Amerson, Scarlett's crazy boss. But we are also joined with a new cast of characters. Chelsea, an aspiring actress who just moved to the city, her pageant mom Mrs. Biggs, her rebellious brother Max, and Dakota Scarlett's best friend.

I enjoy Maureen Johnson's book immensely. My one complaint is that this book ends rather suddenly in my opinion. It just sort of stops. There's a bit of a cliffhanger and a bit of resolution, but overall the ending felt rather sudden for me. I do hope that the third book in this series comes out next year, for I am excited to see how it ends with Scarlett.