I Read YA

Big confession here people.  I read YA.  GASP!  Reading YA, middle grade fiction, and picture books are kinda what my free time is all about, and while I sometimes noticed the angst before, it never really bothered me.  I was always able to connect to my inner fourteen year old and appreciate it for what it was.  That's changed just a little bit.

I've heard that you are never really an adult until you have a baby.  I've also heard that you're never really an adult until you've lost a parent.  I think that both are true, and by both counts, I'm now an adult.  (Which is a major bummer.  It's kinda like the day I discovered that I might be a Republican.  Just typing that makes me want to vomit.)

Being an adult sometimes means being more practical and sensible - something that the main characters in most YA novels are not.  It really hit me while I was reading Daughter of Deep Silence.  Here is Frances still in love-love with Grey four years later, and Shepard is also still in love-love with Libby after four years and blows Frances' cover because of it.  I was telling this to my husband and saying that I found it totally unbelievable that these characters could still love each other that much after four years completely apart, and he actually thought it was possible.

So wait, not only am I an adult, I'm the adult in my marriage?  Not cool!

What I failed to remember, but which my young-at-heart hubby does, is that an 18 year old is still very much a teen, and will likely fall for that first love or even major crush if they come a callin' four years later.  I think he's right.  Check in with your own inner 14- and 18-year olds and find out.

Young adult literature is great for escaping, at least the type I read most often.  I'm escaping into a privileged world, or a fantastic world, or a world where Tiny Cooper exists, and that's great in and of itself.  But I'm also checking out on being an adult, because it just stinks.  As long as the angst is well-written, I'm okay with it, and I'll actually find my inner teen jumping for joy.

Happy Reading

Book Review: Daughter of Deep Silence

Daughter of Deep Silence
By Carrie Ryan
Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2015
Reviewed from First Reads
Audience: Ages 14 and up
ISBN:  9780525426509
Publication Date:  May 26, 2015

Frances Mace was pulled from a lifeboat, only hours after watching her friend give in to dehydration and  exhaustion, and surviving a violent attack on the Persephone which killed her parents and nearly everyone on board.  Now an orphan, Frances accepted the offer to become her friend Libby when her father asked to her help him find out the truth about the ship's demise.  There were two other survivors who both claim that the ship was hit but a rogue wave, not armed gunmen, and one of them is Frances' first love, Grey.  After four long years of living as Libby, she's come home to find out the truth and exact her revenge, for Libby, for her parents, and for herself.

This story takes place in a world of privilege, excess, and secrets.  Frances (I'm going to call her that for the sake of argument) has completely made herself into Libby, but Libby's first love Shepard notices the small differences that cannot be faked, and she's thrust into a dangerous position.  Meanwhile, Grey is slowly falling for new Libby, all part of the plan to expose the truth, and a local detective seems to be too interested in new Libby as well.  Plots abound, danger is everywhere, and emotions run high.

There must be something about girls with multiple personalities, like Vanishing Girls and The In-Between.  While Frances is this Libby hybrid, but she keeps referring to Frances as a girl that's locked up and wants to get out.  The revenge plot is quite well-planned and with Shepard's help, Frances is able to understand why the Persephone was a target in the first place.  Surprisingly, that plot point didn't feel forced.  Sometimes a detail like that can feel too simple once explained, but I actually thought that was well thought-out.

I blew through this book, something I alluded to the other day, and I do feel like some of the revelations lacked a punch.  Then again, I was left wide-eyed at the ending, so there was still obviously plenty of punch left.

One aspect of this book felt off to me.  Every love story (Libby and Shepard or Frances and Grey) was so intense that it left a mark for four years, even when Frances and Grey were only really together for a week or two.  It didn't feel believable to me, but maybe that's my adult side showing.  More on that to come.

For a plot driven revenge novel with come pretty compelling characters, look no further than Daughter of Deep Silence.

Happy Reading!  

Book Review: Vanishing Girls

Vanishing Girls
By Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins, 2015
Reviewed from hardcover
Audience: High School
ISBN:  9780062224101
Publication Date:  March 10, 2015


Sisters Dara and Nick have a typical love/annoyed relationship.  Dara is the good girl, constantly trying to keep daring Nick in line, but one night, things seem to go too far.  That night there is an accident and time is now divided into before and after.  Their relationship is further complicated by Parker, their neighbor and childhood friend who has dated Nick and might have feelings for Dara too. This summer, Dara becomes closer to Parker, while also trying to understand why Nick is hiding from her.  The whole book crashes to a conclusion as Nick goes missing and Dara struggles to find her.  

This is a book about sisters, secrets, and forgiveness.  

Vanishing Girls is the kind of book that you race through.  Not only does Oliver have a beautiful writing style, but she also writes a very tightly wound plot.  A friend gave me this book for my birthday and I read it in a week, a rare and precious thing since having Ali.  I'd seen it advertised here and there, but didn't pick it up for myself because I'm on the fence about Oliver as an author.  She writes so perfectly, yet her overall plots are sometimes lacking.  I wasn't a fan of the Delirium series (too trite for my taste.  Love is an affliction, but it's the only way to save the world), and The Spindlers didn't do justice to changelings in my opinion.  But I loved Liesl and Po, so when I got this book for my birthday I went for it.  

My feelings are still mixed.  

The main blurb for this book came from E. Lockart, author of We Were Liars.  

"Alarming and uplifting, a rare psychological thriller that has a kind heart at its center. Read it with all the lights on." -- E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars.   Quoted from Goodreads.

Like We Were Liars, the ending is a major reveal.  Unlike We Were Liars, it felt a little too forced.  The plot is barely contained toward the end of the novel, so you are breathless at the end, and you need a day or so to think about what you just read.  And the more you think about, the more disappointed you become.  When I thought about We Were Liars, I just felt stupid that I didn't see it sooner.  With Vanishing Girls, it was more like a feeling of being let down.  Like it was easy.  And the whole subplot of missing Madeline Snow was just too contrived for my taste-the parallels of a missing Nick and missing Madeline were too forced.

So my relationship with Lauren Oliver continues to be a complicated one.  To me, her masterpiece is Liesl and Po, and which was a book that she wrote from the heart while in a very dark place.  Everything else employs the same perfect prose and heart stopping talent for language, but it just lacks in strong plot.

Do you agree?  What were your thoughts on Vanishing Girls?  Let me know!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Fairest

Fairest:  The Lunar Chronicles
By Marissa Meyer
Fewiel and Friends, 2015
Reviewed from eBook
Audience: Grades 8 to 12
ISBN:  9781250060556
Publication Date: January 27, 2015


There is more to the evil Queen Levana than what meets the eye.  After the death of her parents, she bristled at her lower position to her sister Channery, whose lax attitude toward her rule annoyed Levana to no end.  Levana was actually interested in her country, as well as the experiment being run to create a deadly biological weapon and superhuman soldiers.  In her opinion, the only way to deal with the dwindling resources on Luna was to take them forcibly from Earth.  But ruling Luna wasn't the only thing on her mind.  She falls in love with a place guard named Jacin, but learns that he has a beautiful, if fragile, wife who is with child.  After his wife's death, Levana uses her glamour to seduce Jacin and make him hers, even going so far as to manipulate his mind.  Meanwhile, Channery is pregnant as well and gives birth to an heir, another hurdle to Levana's rise to power.  But this little child will not stand in her way, and the whole story begins to come together and show the reader the Queen Levana readers have known all along.

What was supposed to be a short background story spun into a novel all it's own.  I've read other reviews say that it's not as rich as the other books, and while that is true, it's very detailed in the creation of Levana.  Like all villains, she was not born evil, rather she was made that way, mostly by her own sister.  Her actions are not excusable, but become understandable, which makes you see the danger to Cinder and Winter even more.  

Levana is very shrewd and cunning in this story, a side of her that has always been apparent in the other books but was never explored.  This type of intelligence combined with a thirst for power and acceptance have made for a very deadly combination.  

Other lesser characters are also introduced like Thurmatage Sybil, but most importantly, Winter.  Very little is ever said about Winter in the other books, even though she will be the focus of the final book.  In Fairest at least the reader learns about her difficult childhood, which will very likely effect the events in the next book.

I loved it personally.  I didn't miss the action and adventure of the previous novels.  I found myself absorbed in Levana's struggle for power and presence.  

On a side note, I heard that the musician Sia didn't want her face to be shown during the Grammy's, which got me to thinking about other artists who disguise themselves during live performances like Daft Punk and the Gorillaz.  Are all of these artists really just Lunars in disguise?  Are they among us already?  Likely not, but fun to think about none the less.

Only eight long months until Winter.  I can't decide if I'm anxious to read the final book, or sad to see it come to a close.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Lunar Chronicles Shorts

Marissa Meyer has so far released four short stories set in relation to the Lunar Chronicles.  Technically, Fairest is also a short story, but it was a short story that spun out of control and resulted in another book.  An excellent book that I'll discuss tomorrow.  But first, the shorts.

In Glitches, we follow Cinder as she arrives at Garan's home and meets his family, what is intended to be her family.  Instantly sweet Peony is a friend to her, but Pearl and Adri are harsh.  Cinder tries to make herself useful to the family but seems to fail every time and Adri is determined to make her feel unwelcome.  

In The Queen's Army, Z, a boy of around 12, is selected for the Queen's army and is taken from his home in the middle of the night.  He tries to be brave because this is an honor, but going to the testing grounds sounds terrible.  It is indeed.  Z is turned into a wolf solider, like those featured in Scarlet.  What might be worse than his treatment is his brother's treatment when he joins the pack some years later.  

The Little Android is different from the others in that it's a story that takes place in the Lunar Chronicles universe, but does not effect any of the other stories.  But honestly, it might be my favorite.  A mech droid who works on ships and should have no feeling what so ever, falls in love with a mechanic named Dataran after saving his life.  After hearing that she will be scrapped for having a glitch that makes her feel human, she runs away and encounters Cinder, who takes pity on her and gives her an old escort droid body.  Mech then goes back to the shipyard to be close to Dataran, but he is already falling in love with Miko, the daughter of the ship's owner.  Miko is holding a terrible secret, one that Mech can understand, and both love Dataran so much, that one makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Finally, Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky features everyone's favorite captain at 13-still running the ladies wild, and driving the men crazy with his slickness.  Carswell wants to escape his parents perfectly manicured world and be useful, so he's running several scams in order to save enough money to buy a Rampion ship and take off on his own, but he doesn't expect to start caring for a girl that he is trying to scam.  Especially not one as plain as Kate Fallow.

I'm not a big fan fiction person, but this isn't fan fiction necessarily, it's extra content.  However, Marissa Meyer got her start writing fan fiction, so there is something to writing fan fic.  I didn't realize how much I enjoyed being in this world until I read these stories.  I started to really miss the characters, because each of these stories is only enough to give you a taste.  It's only enough to make you really long for the release of Winter.  Again, The Little Android was my favorite, but the Little Mermaid has always been my favorite fairy tale, even with the tragic HCA ending.  The Carswell story did make me laugh.  His character really comes off the page.  

To read these stories, head over to Marissa Meyer's Wattpad page.  You will have to sign up for Wattpad (which is free) in order to read them all.  Then, to read the Carswell story, you'll have to sign up for Meyer's fan club.  Which only made me realize I should have done that ages ago!  

Tomorrow, I'll post about Fairest.  Until then, catch up on your short stories!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes
By Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, 2014
Review from eBook
Audience: Grades 9 to 12
ISBN:  9781442440814
Publication Date:  September 16, 2014

What's done is done.  Lillia and Kat both feel responsible for Rennie's death, and both girls are trying to overcome their part in it.  But the biggest question on their mind is, where's Mary?  After Mary found out that she's really a ghost haunting the island, her aunt bound her to her room, but the bonds are broken when Lillia and Kat come looking for her.  Now an unpredictable Mary can roam the island exacting her revenge and since Kat and Lillia seem to no longer be on her side, they are fair game.  Lillia has fallen in love with Reeve, earning her hate from not only her old friends, but mostly from Mary, who is still intent on punishing Reeve for what he did to her.  Kat is trying to get off the island, but she gets sucked in by graduation goggles and eventually finds herself missing the island before she's even gone.  It all comes crashing down on prom night, of course, and this story goes out with a bang.

Spoiler alert!  Honestly, I knew vaguely how this would end.  I knew that none of the major characters, including Reeve, would really be hurt.  I knew Mary would go crazy, but that Kat and Lillia would break through to her.  Even knowing all of that, I still had to read this book, which proves that the authors really knew what they were doing.  It's rather formulaic, but despite that, I kept going.  Mary's revenge gets darker as she gets stronger and it was entertaining watching Kat try to figure out how to tame her.  Kat as a character opened up more in this book than others.  She starts caring about people after her spring break trip and finally becomes involved.  I would say that Kat is my favorite character.  Mary is too out of control, Lillia is too privileged, but Kat is just right.  

Lillia's relationship with Reeve is ridiculous and can't last, not only because of Mary but because it is so high school.  They love each other so deeply that Reeve is lost without her.  Some of the drama could have been amplified because Mary was messing with Reeve's dreams so much, but this relationship had all of the disturbing hallmarks of an obsessive high school relationship.  It was never going to work anyway, but it's still a little sad that it came crashing down like it did.

Ashes to Ashes was a fitting end to the Burn for Burn trilogy.  It tied up all the loose ends, especially with the epilogue, and did justice to the characters and plot so far.  I think that readers will be satisfied with this ending.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Cure for Dreaming

The Cure for Dreaming
By Cat Winters
Amulet Books, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 8 to 12
ISBN:  9781419712166
Expected Publication Date:  October 14, 2014

Olivia Mead is a headstrong girl living with her dentist father in Portland, Oregon, 1900.  She goes to a hypnotist show on her birthday, October 31, and is brought up on stage by the charismatic Henri Reverie and taken under.  Her submissiveness and cooperation catch the attention of playboy Percy Adkins and word gets back to her father that she was the perfect subject for hypnosis.  He decides that maybe hypnosis is the answer to his troubles, as Olivia has started having dreams above her station-of wanting to vote, attend college, and be independent like her mother.  Dr. Mead contracts Henri Reverie to hypnotize Olivia into being the ideal daughter.  What Henri instructs her to do however is see the world as it truly is, and what Olivia sees are monsters and fading women and other terrifying sights.  Amidst her visions, Olivia is trying to find her voice in the world, while men want to take that voice away.  This is a frightening book that addresses history and women's rights while still remaining spellbinding.  Truly magical.  

Fresh off the success of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, Winters brings another amazing book that weaves the paranormal with history.  It is well worth noting that Olivia was not nearly as headstrong in the being of the book as her father thought, rather it was his actions that made her crave a voice even more.  And Dr. Mead is a frightening man--his dentistry scenes may be the most chilling in the book.  Dentistry in the 1900's was little more than torture, and some of what he did to get his way is positively shocking.  At one point, I did not know if what Olivia was seeing in her father's study was  another gruesome vision or the truth.  

Olivia begins a partnership with Henri in order to overcome his hypnosis and still appease her father, all while still fighting for women's rights.  This partnership turns romantic, but thankfully, Olivia does not lose her way in the relationship.  I think that I was most impressed by how Winters resolved that plot line.  

There is such richness in the book that I can't begin to cover it all.  The parallels with Dracula, the fight for voting rights and women's place in society, the hypnosis and visions.  It was all wonderfully crafted.  Another perfect book for a cool fall evening.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Sisters

Sisters
By Raina Telgemeier
Scholastic, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
ISBN:  9780545540605
Publication Date:  August 26, 2014

In this companion book to Smile, the dynamics of Raina's family are tested as the family goes on a week long road trip to Colorado from San Francisco.  Anyone that remembers traveling in the 90's with no air conditioning will feel the narrators pain.  Mostly, it's a story about Raina and her sister, Amara and their contentious relationship.  At first, Raina is excited to have a sister, but the screaming baby that her parents bring home does not exactly fit the bill.  And it doesn't help that Amara turns out to be extremely headstrong with a love for reptiles.  While the two seem like they are vastly different, they are actually quite similar, the curse of all sisters!  The story is told through the main plot of the road trip and flashbacks to the past to fill in some of the story.  Fans of Smile will certainly love Sisters.

As a sister, the younger sister, I could strongly relate to this book.  Plus, Raina is about my age, so there's something rather nostalgic in these pages for me.  I would recommend that 30-somethings read this book for fun because you will inevitably see yourself in the pages.  

Like Smile, Sisters seems to be as much about family life as it is about humor.  I think that is part of the appeal for readers.  It's not just a story, it was someone's life, but since it's presented as fiction, and presented as a graphic novel, it makes all of life's funny little stories that much more interesting.  I think that this type of story works so well as a graphic novel because the author is able to use the illustrations to make everything more over the top and really express how the characters are feeling and acting.  

I pulled this book from NetGalley, so I was reading an unfinished, mostly black and white digital edition.  I can only imagine from the few full color illustrations how amazing this book is going to be in its finished state.  I highly recommend this book for all fans of Smile and Drama, and for any adult that needs a little taste of the past. 

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Six Earlier Days

Six Earlier Days
By David Levithan
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012
Reviewed from e-book
Audience: Grades 10 and up
ISBN:  9780449819296
Publication Date:  November 26, 2012


In this prequel to Every Day, A takes us through six days in his life.  These days are sporadic in nature as some of them occur when he is young, and others seemingly right before Every Day picks up.  The reader learns a little bit more about how A navigates his life and the lives of those he inhabits for one day.  A has to reach into the memory of his host to find out how to function, and if he doesn't do this quickly enough, it's trouble for everyone.  Also, he has to learn how to not cause harm by committing his host to something, most often romantic in these stories, that they may not want to be a part of.  While this story is ultimately entertaining, it does little to further the original story.  I'll just have to wait for Rhiannon for more detailed information.  

Due to the spawn of ebooks, authors writing additional stories has become quite the trend.  Often these are stories that didn't quite make the cut for the original book (see also Night of Cake and Puppets, and The Julian Chapter).  Sometimes it's to tell the story from another characters point of view (see Free Four and others in the Four saga).  And sometimes it's to tell what's going on between books (see The Lunar Chronicles).  

When done right, it's almost like fan fiction.  It's the author giving you a little taste of the rest of the story that they worked out in their head.  When done poorly, it feels like a cheap play for more sales. I wouldn't say that Six Earlier Days was on the cheap side, but I was a little let down by it.  I wanted something a little more sensational I guess.  Like I said though, it was entertaining, and I do love being back in A's headspace, so all things considered, it wasn't a bad way to spend $2 and a hour of my time.  

But this does leave me wanting Rhiannon all the more.  And with an expected publication of 2015, I'll be waiting a while.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
By John Green and David Levithan
Dutton Children's, 2009
Reviewed from e-book
Audience: Grades 10 and up
ISBN:  9780525421580
Publication Date:  April 6, 2009


Have you ever met someone with your name?  Then imagine that person becomes a figure in your life, in a small, but ultimately lasting way.  That's Will Grayson's story.  There's Original Will Grayson, a straight, high school student from Evanston whose best friend is the sarcastically named Tiny Cooper.  The Other Will Grayson is a gay, depressed high school student from Naperville who is in love with a boy named Isaac that he met online.  All things come together outside a concert in Chicago when the two Will Graysons meet--Original Will can't get into the venue because his fake I.D. is one month shy of 21, and Other Will is in the city to meet Isaac who, it turns out, does not exist (sidebar-way to go Green and Levithan for catching on to catfishing before it was a thing).  Original Will introduces Other Will to Tiny and love it in the air.  Now, Other Will is trying to contain the uncontainable force that is Tiny Cooper, Original Will is trying to woo the seemingly unwoo-able Jane, and Tiny is writing, producing and starring in an original play based on this life called Tiny Dancer.  What could be a mishmash of high school drama becomes a hearty book about love, friendship, and telling people how you feel.  

I've been wanting to read this book for quite a while, mostly for David Levithan, who I adore.  But I've been meaning to catch up on my non-Fault in Our Stars John Green reading, so this seemed like a perfect start.  I instantly loved this decision.  It felt like Dash and Lily's Book of Dares all over again and I was hooked.  Although, I do have to admit that this is the first time I have ever read a YA novel and really felt the angst.  I think that part of it is that Other Will is quite depressed and moody, so his over-the-top drama made the age of the characters that much more of a plot device.  Or it could be that I'm actually getting old.  Let's hope that's not the case.

Personally, even though this book is about the pair of Will Grayson's, it revolves around Tiny Cooper.  He is the glue that keeps the Wills together.  He is the gravitational pull (seriously-he's huge so it's no small wonder that the book revolves around him).  The ending is especially Tiny-centric so I think that is what gives me the impression that this is really all about Tiny.  But it's also about the people that make up your life and how they can have unexpected effects.  

Also, since this book was set in Chicago, and Original Will and his friends are seeking out obscure bands in dive venues, I kept waiting for the Beat Kitchen on Belmont to make an appearance.  It's a super small concert venue where I saw Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers years ago.  The concert was in a windowless basement where we must have surpassed the fire code and will-call was a guy with a clipboard.  And the stage was little more than something you would set up for a middle school choir recital.  But, alas, the gang never made it to the Beat Kitchen.  I have a feeling that the places in this book were all fictional, Chicago-like destinations (with the exception of the Bean), but maybe Frenchy's is real.  Not that I'm going to Google that!  

Back to the point.  Will Grayson Will Grayson is a great mash-up of two wildly popular YA authors that isn't something that everyone has read, but it's brilliant.  I was laughing out loud and nearly in tears at the end.  If you want to be more than just a YA poser, read this book.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Dreams of Gods and Monsters
By Laini Taylor
Little, Brown, and Company, 2014
Reviewed from ebook
Audience:  Grades 9 and up
ISBN:  9780316134071
Publication Date:  April 8, 2014

Days of Blood and Starlight left us in a cave with chimera and seraphim in an uneasy peace, Mik playing the violin with Zuzana by his side and no mention of the relationship between Karou and Akiva.  Dreams of Gods and Monsters backs up a little bit to give this moment more context.  Angels descend on earth.  It is a sight met with curiosity and wonder, but the seraphim are uneasy, and Karou and the chimera army, not to mention Akiva and the Misbegotten know what Jael is really up to.  Meanwhile, Eliza, a runaway from a religious cult, is wondering how this angel invasion relates to her, the supposed chosen one of her former faith.  She ends up in Morocco studying a mass grave of chimera hosts, and inadvertently meets Zuzana and Mik, who manage to heal her after running a bait and switch on Karou's nefarious "aunt".  Then there are problems between the Misbegotten and Chimera as they try to unite to fight a common enemy, another brewing seraphim and chimera romance, rifts in Eretz that could bring everything crashing down, and more small plot lines that will confuse, delight, and enrapture readers.  

It's all a little much.

But it's like eating a death by chocolate cupcake.  It's too much, but it's glorious and you can't stop, and is that another cupcake?  Yes please!

Just know this:  If you enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Days of Blood and Starlight, you will be satisfied.  You will be drunk on chocolate cupcakes and begging for more.  You will question the ending because it's resolved but open, and you hear that Laini Taylor is working on another project, when there is still material in Eretz that could be explored.  Maybe she is leaving that for the fan fiction writers, of which I assume there are many.  Not being a fan fiction girl myself, I don't know.  But I might have to check it out in the future.  

Looking back on the whole series now, I would have to say that I am pleasantly satisfied with it.  In so many series, there are multiple ways that it could have worked out, and while that is the case here, I feel that it was always running toward this type of ending for Karou and Akiva.  The final book delved deeper than I imagined it could, but I loved it.  I loved learning more about the seraphim and the war they were fighting on the edge of Eretz that had nothing to do with chimera.  I loved learning about the first fall to earth, and seeing all the minor players in the final book get what was coming to them, especially the "aunt".  Oh, I hated her!  Just remembering the whole thing now makes me want to go back and start over.  

I'll be looking forward to whatever Laini Taylor has in store for readers next.  Until then, I'll just have to gaze longingly at the amazing vacation photos on her blog.

Happy Reading!

Nostalgia: Sweet Valley High

I've read several articles lately about ghost writers, and the most often pointed to series is Sweet Valley High.  Amy Boesky wrote this great piece for The Kenyon Review about her time as a ghost writer. Now, if you weren't aware that Francine Pascal was not chained to a typewriter churning out hundreds of Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley Twins, and Sweet Valley Junior High books and I have just ruined your childhood, I'm sorry.  It's a little like finding out about Santa.  And by that I mean that Santa's a great guy, and red is very slimming, and please bring me signed box set of Daughter of Smoke and Bone for Christmas!

But at least Francine Pascal was a real person.  If you were a Nancy Drew devotee, finding out there was never an actual Carolyn Keene could be heartbreaking.  Ghost writing is a serious business, still very much in use today.  Honestly, as much fun as it would be to talk about this dirty little secret of the publishing world, I would rather talk about the product:  The horrible deliciousness of Sweet Valley High.

Imagine it:  1980's suburban California, in a picturesque small town, two perfect blond twins with vastly different personalities that everyone either completely wants to be-daring Jessica or entirely relates to-good-girl Elizabeth.  And everyone at their school seems pretty perfect too, all tan, athletic, and charming.  The girls-mostly Jessica-get into some trouble-usually caused by Jessica-and then work their way out-meaning Elizabeth solves the problem-then Jessica pouts.  Pretty simple plot line considering the hundreds of books it inspired.

Let's look at some the finer points each of the first three books.

Double Love-Elizabeth likes Todd, but Jessica kinda likes Todd too and convinces him that Elizabeth is seeing so many other guys that he doesn't have a chance.  Meanwhile, Jessica gets caught at a skivvy bar with what's-his-name and gets picked up by the police, and she tells them she's Elizabeth and rumors run wild, but Elizabeth gets it all cleared up in the end, gets Todd, and gets Jessica thrown into the school swimming pool.  Jessica pouts.

Secrets:  Elizabeth's best friend Enid is worried about secret that will drive her and her boyfriend apart.  Jessica finds out about this secret and uses it to clinch a homecoming queen win.  Elizabeth is blamed for the breach of trust, rumors run wild, Elizabeth figures it out, and Jessica wins homecoming queen, but instead of dancing with dreamy Bruce Patman, Jessica's king is lovable nerd, Winston.  Jessica pouts.

Playing with Fire:  Jessica finally gets Bruce Patman, but he's distant and cold to her much of the book. She sits idly by the phone waiting for him to call.  Elizabeth is worried that the fire has gone out of her sister.  Elizabeth discovers that Bruce has another woman on the side and when she sees Jessica pouting at his birthday party, she decides to call him out.  The leave the party, come back later, see Bruce with another girl and Jessica dumps soda all over him and lets the air out of the tires of his sleek black Porsche.  Jessica doesn't pout at the very end, but there's still lots of Jessica pouting time in the book.

See pretty basic.  Jessica creates trouble, Elizabeth finds out and makes Jessica pay, Jessica pouts.  Formula fiction at it's best!

After the first two books, I was pouting.  Why?  Because I didn't have a third SVH book on my Kindle.  First world problem, I know.  But wonder of wonders, I did have the third book.  And this is how I've spent my free time lately.  Reading about southern California 30 years ago and honestly, loving every minute of it.  How can something so mindless as SVH be so satisfying?  Maybe because it's all fantasy, or that all the characters eventually get what they deserve.  Plus there are some great eighties references that are just cringe-worthy, like Todd saying to Elizabeth "You don't look too happy for a girl who is going to the dance with the greatest guy on the West Coast." to which she replies "Oh, Burt Reynolds is taking me to the dance".  Um, eew.  Or the description of the fashion that alternates between leg warmers and big hair, and dress suits with shoulder pads--in mauve.  Mauve is no longer a color.  It was discontinued in 1994.

It's just all so bad it's good!  So very, very bad.  And I would caution parents that want to pass judgement on the young adult literature of today, remember SVH.  That's what we read, it was dreadful, and we became productive members of society.  In a way.  Well, I'm productive when I'm not reading SVH.

All this to say, if you are looking for a quick trip down memory lane, I do recommend that you re-read some classic 80's formula fiction.  It will have you laughing, at inappropriate moments maybe, but laughing none-the-less.

Happy Reading!

We Were Liars

We Were Liars
By E. Lockhart
Delacorte, 2014
Reviewed from NetGalley
Audience: Gr 9 to 12
ISBN:  9780385741262
Publication Date: May 13, 2014


Cady is a Sinclair, part of a grand American family that summers on their own private island in the cape and has the kind of old money that keeps them afloat, despite no one really working anymore.  But this type of life has disillusioned the grandchildren, namely Cady, her two cousins, and their friend Gat.  Told in Cady's voice and various fairytale retellings, We Were Liars will leave readers breathless.

And that's all I can say.

Really-that's all.  I'm glad that I don't have to professionally review this book because it is so wrapped up in this one big event and you cannot give away that event.  But it will haunt you.  The realization of this event comes at you in waves.  Reading other reviews, I knew there was a bombshell, and I tried to guess it, but I didn't get it.  Not at all.

And that's all I can say.

Meanwhile, I can't help but feel very lucky with my librarian-reviewer-blogger position and the fact that I get some amazing free previews.  This is hands down the best book I have ever read as a galley, especially an e-galley.  If I had to wait like for the release of this book like a normal person, I would be in shambles.  Granted, I have to wait for the release for plenty of books like a normal person, but sometimes you get a gem that makes you feel especially lucky.  Chosen even.  Part of an exclusive club.  (I'll try to sneak you in past the doorman later.  The code word is sassy-pants.)

I apologize for making the wait for this book even more difficult than it already is, especially since I really can't tell you anything about it.  Oh, yes I can, there are golden retrievers everywhere.  Didn't see that coming, did you?  Just trust me that the wait will be worth it.

Happy (waiting?) Reading!