Review: Hide and Seek by Sara Shepard

My friends and I used to play lying games.

Now my twin sister is living one.

When I was alive, my family seemed picture-perfect. My adoptive parents adored me, and my little sister, Laurel, copied my every move. But now that my long-lost twin, Emma, has taken my place to solve my murder, we're both learning just how flawed my family really is.

Laurel is shooting Emma nasty looks and sneaking around with my ex-boyfriend. And it turns out my parents are keeping a huge secret--could it be the reason I'm dead?

How far would they go to keep the truth buried? No one can harm me now, but Emma is still fair game. And if she's not careful, she'll end up buried, too. . . .

Language: Moderate

Violence: Moderate

Sexual: Mild

When I first began this series, I was really enjoying discovering the secrets and killer lies this story brought force, bringing out my inner sleuth along with it. I thought the plot was fairly unique and the writing style smoothly played along the continuous flipping of pages. But I found that as the story continues, it lacked the depth and mysterious thrills that tagged nearby.

I never particularly liked the games Sutton and her friends played on people, that they called “pranks.” What they would consider hilarious jokes, I would consider premature homicidal activities that needed to be watched closely by a therapist or psychiatrist, at best. Nobody seemed to enjoy Sutton’s company after pulling these pranks on her friends, which I don’t understand because, even though hers might have brought out her mental instability I imagine she must’ve had by then, her friends went along with it and pulled out some foolery of their own. But did anyone despise them? Yes, but not like they did Sutton.

There was something that began to get on my last nerve about these books. Through the second book, it felt like nothing was really happening. It was as though nothing had happened from the first book. These novels always leave with a cliffhanger, leaving open your thoughts for the killer, but it never ends with any closure, nor does it pursue our ambitions. The cliffhangers were seemingly for nothing at all, really.

I am not sure if I have such feelings about this series because I watch the TV series before reading the story itself (but I don’t think this is the case, considering the show is completely different than the novels), but I have doubts whether or not to continue reading the last two books. Apparently I am not the only one with feelings about these books, and about the Pretty Little Liars series, that of which I have not previously read but have the same dragging storyline. It makes me feel as though I wasted my money on the books that don’t even continue the story, and I don’t like that about Sara’s writing style.

Cover: Honestly, I like the designs for these covers. Or maybe it’s just the fashionista in me that enjoys the interesting styles the twins have.

Setting: A small town with big fashion, catty teenagers, and deceiving secrets.

Characters: Spiteful and selfish characters were what apparently made up this entire series. Hardly any of them had any good aspects in them, and most were rude and incompetent, even the parents and sister who I had some hope for in the beginning. Despite the fact that Sutton remembers nothing, she is still able to be just as much of a twit as she used to be. Emma is growing into the similar character her twin sister unfortunately was.

Storyline: The search to find Sutton’s murderer continues.

Writing: It had an easy and swift flow to it, but it lacks depth and builds up nothing at all.

Surprises: There were no surprises that made me gasp, but that was probably because I watched the television series beforehand.

Overall: 3.5 stars, because it did not fulfill my ambitions for the series, unfortunately. Although it is a thrilling read, there are just too many things I didn’t care for.

Recommended: If you enjoyed the PLL series, also by Sara Shepard, and you don’t mind basically reading the same story with each sequel to it, then I would recommend this to you.

Review: Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

There are six things very wrong with my life:

1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.

2. It is on my nose

3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.

4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.

5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.

6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.

In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"

Language: Mild (British slang)

Violence: Very Mild

Sexual: Mild/Moderate (descriptive kissing)

When I picked up Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, I was hoping for a light read that would make me laugh my head off. It was a light read, I can assure you, for nothing besides the “drama” of everyday life and the trials of growing up and learning that not everything will end perfectly or the way you imagined, but in other ways, it dragged on in some parts and showed the story rather than letting us see it through our imaginations.

It wasn’t that I necessarily dislike the book, but I just felt it to be very juvenile on some things and too mature on others. For instance, Georgia’s list was a bit too…much for me. It was vague, but I didn’t really appreciate it. Obviously the details in it were not vague, but it never went further than kissing. Nonetheless, most of the story was about Georgia learning how to kiss, deal with life, boys, and other things that caused all kinds of refreshing angst.

Cover: I will be honest when I say that I am not a fan of this version of the cover. Yes, it shows some of her uniform, plus the cat at the bottom is a nice touch, but it’s too cartoony for my taste. Once the cover jacket is off, however, it is a plaid design, and I do like that one much better so I shall uncharacteristically put it up on my bookshelf in that way.

Setting: UK.

Characters: I am not going to go through all of the characters in the story, because of how many there were and this is a quick review, but I will say that many of them were whiney and troublesome in their own ways. For example: all Georgia seemed to care about was herself and what she wanted and who she wanted to be with (this was the case with many of the characters). Her parents were hardly in the story at all, merely mentioned at times, but it was odd how she saw them, considering how they had the mental ability of her toddler sister, in her eyes.

Storyline: A coming-of-age story about a girl who feels the need to show the world she is grown up, and in doing so acting immature as she discovers the world of boys, kissing, real friends, and dealing with her parents and little sister who poops in the secret corners of Georgia’s bedroom.

Writing: The writing style is all right. You can definitely tell that the author is trying to write from a naïve fourteen year old’s point of view, in an amusing manner.

Surprises: There weren’t a whole lot surprises, but that was probably because I decided it was a “good idea” to watch the movie beforehand (although I watched it around two months ago). Where there weren’t many surprises, it was replaced by a lot of amusing moments.

Overall: 3 stars. Although it wasn’t the most intellectual read, it was pretty funny at times and seeing Georgia mess up and her friends be corky and amusing was pretty entertaining to read about. So whether or not you have the right sense of humor for this novel, there has to be on aspect of it you can appreciate.

Recommended: I recommend this one to all people who want a funny and entertaining read, whether you are young or just young at heart.

—“Look, I can't go out with you, because...because...because I'm a lesbian.” 

—“When uncle Eddie does his impression of 'Like a Virgin' it's like Madonna is coming out of his body!'
Christ what an image.”

Review: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make.…

1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enragedand out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)

Language: Moderate

Violence: Mild

Sexual: Moderate (talk of virginity)

Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for providing me with an ARC.

When I started Confessions of an Angry Girl, I wanted a break. I wanted a light and quick read to ease my mind off the recent business and things that are beginning to overcome my life. It is a quick read, but what I got after reading this was so much different than I expected it would be.

The thing is, this book defines the word angst. The majority of it talks about sex, drugs, and partying. Oh, and let’s not forget about Rose’s anger problems, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Something I was looking forward to was a complicated relationship in the midst of it all. Yep, it is complicated, but it isn’t fulfilling.

Something about Rose: she’s an angry girl (hence the title). But as I read this, the only anger coming from her is complaints and the occasional tantrums she throws. She is understandable in the terms of her father’s death that last summer (which is the worst summer of her life), her brother moving away to college and seeming to not really care much about her (or that’s what she thinks), and her mother who rarely says a word to her that isn’t therapeutic. But other than this, she seems immature with her attitude, but wise with other things. Strange.

Now for a fun fact: I relate to characters in stories way too easily, whether it’s something I’m reading or something I’m writing. This story really made me connect with the characters. I felt Rose and her family’s pain through the story, all the irritation and the reality of the situations. After reading this, I felt angry, sad, confused, shocked, scared at the right moments, and gleeful at the slim moments Rose was, all through this novel. I even laughed out loud at a few parts, at Rose’s expense. So you can imagine how flustered I made everybody with my reoccurring bipolar attitude through two days I took reading this. Honestly, there were more than a few times that I wanted to slap Regina. I still do, in fact. Yeah, there were a couple of moments that I wanted to knock some sense into Tracy and even Rose, but multiply that by fifty-six and you’ll understand my emotions for the spiteful Regina.

Honestly, I was desperate for things to work out between Jamie and Rose while reading this. I wanted Jamie to come to his senses and stop dating Witch Head-Cheerleader; I wanted Tracy to stop acting like a twit and realize that she’s being a snob; I wanted Regina to “trip” and fall in a hole; I wanted Rose to be happy for once and to stop being so angry, grab hold of her senses and acknowledge the fact that her father was dead; I wanted her mom to actually act like a real mom should; I wanted Matt to join Regina in that hole, but die from the impact of the fall so he can’t be a bigger sleaze-ball than he already is; but most of all, I just wanted everything to run smoothly and have a happy ending.

But I’m afraid I cannot tell you if it ended to my anticipation. I can tell you that some things ended the way I wanted it to, but then, some things made me want to throw the book at the wall. Somehow this author makes me want to scream about the story, but at the same time make me want the second book. That’s talent, right there.

I really don’t know what the second book will be about, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Cover: I like the cover, actually. I think it fits Rose nicely on the whole anger thing and is pretty unique.

Setting: High school. Need I say more?

Characters: I hate to be mean about them, but most of these characters are honestly annoying and self-centered. Rose’s friend, Tracy, is one of the worst, who mostly is only interested in losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Matt (a hormonal jock who cheats consistently, unbeknownst to his girlfriend), and doesn’t listen to Rose when she gives Tracy advice. That annoys me so much. Plus, she doesn’t pull through until the end. That added bonus points to her, but I can’t get over what she did to Rose.

-Another note: the cheerleaders. I understand they’re mean (even meaner than the real ones, especially Regina, the leader), but it seems that Rose has a huge grudge on them, even before she found out Jamie was dating the head cheerleader. Sure, they either ignore or bully her, but why does she seem like she wants to strangle them?

-Jamie. I don’t understand why he’s such a big deal. Yes, he can be really sweet and is overall a good guy, but he cheats on his girlfriend. Whenever there’s a rare moment that he’s sweet, all the other times he’s expressionless and basically a brick wall. Nothing. And yet everyone makes a huge deal about him. Explain why, please.

-Rose. She seems to hate most things. Yeah, her dad died last summer in Iraq, and I understand her pain of getting over it, and yes, she is definitely interesting and has a different personality, but there are few things that interest her or things she doesn’t know, besides relationships. This being said, I realize she is supposedly a geek, but really? Another thing that irritated me about her was how she always complained about her looks, how she wasn’t pretty enough, etc. Have some confidence, Rosie! Even though I’ve come to understand her more, my points still stand firm.

-Peter and the mother: let me get this out there: the mom annoyed the crap out of me. She seemed to be in this shell that wouldn’t break, always going into therapy-attack on Rose. On another note, Peter is anything but in a shell. Not only does he have a major potty mouth, but he also doesn’t act like the older brother Rose knew and loved. He’s like a guy friend, telling her to have fun and party in school because life is too short. Other than this, Peter seems like an okay guy. Not great, but not terrible either.

Storyline: A coming-of-age story about a girl trying to survive high school.

Writing: The writing was okay. It has this strange addictiveness that makes me want to continue the story, even though it annoys me more often than not.

Surprises: There weren’t exactly a whole lot of surprises in this one, besides the cruelty behind the fake smile of Regina and the other cheerleaders, and how Tracy finally came force in the end (after the wreck was ended). Oh, and that last part about Jamie.

Overall: I’m a little iffy with this book. On one hand, the characters get on my nerves. But on the other hand, they make me want to continue on with the series (because I hear there’s another one coming out early next year) and read more about them. I suppose I have a love-hate relationship with it, but I hear a lot of people do. Nontheless, Confessions of an Angry Girl was surprising and I found that, despite my somewhat annoyed review, I did enjoy reading this.

Recommended: I recommend this book for ages fourteen and up, just because of the conversations about virginity and the risks of sex, plus all the language included. But those who love contemporary and coming-of-age novels with a hint of humor and a whole lot of angst will find this one to their liking.

—But I do remember that day in study hall in the beginning of the year when he was drawing that house. Jamie’s a really good artist, unlike me. Which is why, when he grabs his stuff off the shelf in the back of the room and sits right next to me, I feel a little intimidated, along with everything else I feel when I’m around Jamie. (pgs. 246-247)

—“She deserved to get knocked on her a**.” (p. 248) Finally, someone has the nerve to say it!

—When he says stuff like that to me, about me, it makes me feel naked. His ability to see right through everything actually makes me a little mad right now, given our weird circumstances. He doesn’t want to be around me, so he shouldn’t get to say stuff like that. (p. 249) Oh, but I think he does want to be around you, Rose.

—Bad things happen whether you’re scared or not, so you might as well not bother being scared. It’s a waste of time.