The last recent reads I did was back in October! I'm actually ashamed of myself that I left it this long to actually read some new books! However, I've promised to myself that I will not let that happen again because once I started reading again I actually forgot how much I enjoyed it. Anyways, onto the books.
September comes round and every girl gets nervous/excited about The List. Two girls are picked anonymously for the prettiest and ugliest girl of that year group. Once The List is out those eight girls are centre of attention for the year. The book follows the 8 girls picked and how The list affects them, good and bad.
I loved the concept of the book and how even been classed as the prettiest girl of your year has its burdens. Siobhan Vivian talks about many different problems young teenage girls experience from body imagine to relationship trouble. The problem I had though was that you follow each girl and their point of view about the list and how it had affected them. I got confused who was who majority of the time and had to go back to the first page to remind myself (the list is posted there). Because we was following each girls point of view (8 girls) I felt I couldn't connect with the characters as there wasn't enough time to go into depth with each one. This would of been fantastic as a series following each 2 girls from one year instead of focusing on all of them in one. Having said that I did enjoy the book and is a good book to read to pass a few hours.
'I did something terrible Grace, I hope you can forgive me...' Those were the last words that Grace heard from her best friend Charlie before she died. Ever since Grace has not been the same and those last words have haunted her to the point she goes searching for the answer. In her search she meets Anna, a girl that claims she is Charlies half sister. They both hit it off well and soon become close however, something just isn't right.
I enjoyed this book till I reached the end. And if I'm being honest I thought the ending was a tad over the top and unrealistic. I couldn't take the book seriously after that. The twist(s) were good, some I was not expecting others were obvious from the start. But I just couldn't connect with the main character Grace. Her reaction to everything happening was getting annoying and I couldn't gain sympathy for her. There are better psychological thrillers out there.
Libby was once named 'America's fattest teen' and since the horrific incident happened she has stayed indoors. After losing some weight (still bigger than most) she goes back to school. Unfortunately people can't seem to let go of her past or even look past her weight. Jack is one of the popular kids however he has a secret of his own, he can't recognise faces, not even family. She meets Jack in one of the worst ways possible and they are forced to go to group counselling. You follow how their friendship grows and both letting their guard down to help one another.
As you know I loved All The Bright Place by Jennifer Niven and once I saw she had brought a new book out I had to order it for myself and Joe. The chapters are in the same style, following either Libby or Jacks point of view. The problem with loving one book from an author is that you have high expectations for the new books. I went in with high expectation but couldn't connect with the characters in the same way. Joe didn't finish the book because he couldn't get into it. I wouldn't not recommend it. I did enjoy the book and if you have ever suffered with your weight or feeling like you're 'faking your personality' to fit in then this book will be a good read for you. I think I could personally relate to All The Bright Places that's why I enjoyed it more. Still looking forward to more of her books though!
Katie has moved to LA with her husband because her book is being turned into a movie. She has a successful meeting with one of her favourite directors Julia to then come home to divorce papers. Her new friend Julia comes to the rescue and Katie now has this new celebrity lifestyle she never expected. While filming she starts to get feelings for the actor who plays the main role or is she just in love with the character he is playing?
When I first read this book I was about 2 maybe 3 chapters in and I gave up. I couldn't get into it and I actually stopped reading for a few weeks. But because of this blog I decided to finish the book so I could review it. I'm glad that I did because I ended up really enjoying the book and even falling in love with Jesse, the guy playing the main role. Great light read with plenty of drama and laughs.
You can find Jen Benjamin on facebook here and/or her twitter is @authorjenbenjam
What books would you recommend for my next read?
I do what you do quite often too: giving up on a book if not immediately gripped. Glad you persevered though, I should take that from this post haha, I will also check out some of the books too, haven't heard of any of them :O
ReplyDeleteThe Frugal Teen | http://thefrugalteen.wix.com/thefrugalteen
You really should just fight through the book! I've done it with a handful of books that I had given up on and really liked them. However there was some that I wish I never bothered with lol. xx
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