Terra Elan McVoy. PURE

Tabitha and her friends made a promise at the age of twelve that they would remain pure until they got married. They each wear a purity ring to symbolize their promise to God, their families and each other. The five of them have been friends for a long time. Tabitha and Morgan have been best friends since they were really young. They both believe deeply in their faith and each other. At least they did, up until a major event causes a blow to their relationship.

Tabitha begins seeing some characteristics in Morgan that shock her to the core. She begins to question not only Morgan, but her own belief system. She begins to wonder about the very foundation her purity promise is based on, as well as how to choose what is right and wrong. To make things more complicated, Tabitha begins dating Jake, a boy whose kisses make her tingly. How will he react to her purity ring?

Wow. There is so much packed into this book. I love how honest and smart Tabitha is. She is honest with herself, about all of the issues she is dealing with, and learns to be honest with everyone around her. That is really difficult for a teen (heck – it’s difficult for adults!). I also love the author’s spectacular writing. There is a scene where all the girls are having a conversation. But, as they are talking you’re getting what they really feel through either a look on their face or through Tabitha’s translation in her head. It’s a multi-layered conversation and would be extremely clunky, if not written so brilliantly by the author. I enjoyed it so much that I read it over & over. In fact, there were several parts that I savored slowly.

Loved it! Check it out!

Check out the author's website here.

Elizabeth Scott. SOMETHING, MAYBE

And you think you’re parents were embarrassing when you were a teen? Um, probably not so much after reading this book. Hannah would probably hide what her mom does for a living, if she could, but since she does it online, that’s not really a option. Her mom dated an aging rock star years ago and became famous for it, among other things. Anyway, when Hannah and her mom first moved to Slaterville several years back, they gave her a lot of grief for her infamous parents. She learned to stay under the radar, so people eventually left her alone. Now in high school, she feels like she’s met her soul mate in Josh. Surely, he would realize it too, once he got to know her better. But this other guy, Finn, keeps getting in the way. She works with both of them. Josh is her dream guy and Finn is an annoying jerk. When Josh finally asks her out, she’s in heaven. Is he really the dream guy she imagined or is he someone else?
I really enjoyed this love story. It’s funny and real. There is an authenticity to the writing. In fact, it brought me back to some distinct moments in my life as a teen. Hannah’s teen emotions feel fresh, not cynical. There are things going on that I can’t say without spoiling it, but you feel her naiveté and remember when you felt that way. (or if you’re still a teen-hopefully you still feel that way)
This was a real joy to read! Can’t wait to read more from Elizabeth Scott.

I've heard that PERFECT YOU is awesome too:
For more on the author & her books click here for her website.

Meg Cabot. BEING NIKKI

Yay! I’ve been waiting on this sequel to AIRHEAD. In the beginning we find Em (Nikki) adjusting to her new life, somewhat. She really has no choice but to follow all of her orders as spokesmodel and official face of Stark Industries. Her typical job is modeling Stark Superstores clothing while doing commercials for Stark brand laptops. And if you remember from book 1, she is basically a corporate slave to Stark or else they will throw her family in jail. So even though flying around the world to model in tropical locations may sound glamorous to you, there is a down side. Em’s every single move is monitored. Her apartment is bugged. Her laptop and cell phone are bugged. Her family’s homes and cell phones are bugged. You name it – bugged. So she can't really spend much time with her family or her old life, otherwise Stark will get suspicious.

Anyway, Em is doing the best she can to remain normal. She's going to school and trying to begin a relationship with her old best friend. She’s been doing a decent job of fooling everyone. Until now. Nikki’s brother shows up out of the blue and he might be the one person she isn’t able to fool. To complicate things, he brings up some serious questions about the way Nikki died. Perhaps Stark isn’t being as honest as everyone would like…

I loved this sequel! It surprised me with some mysteries and discoveries. I'm really getting attached to some of the characters. Plus, it's mighty hysterical in parts. It leaves you eagerly awaiting the sequel, which will be called RUNAWAY according to the teaser in the back of the book.
Highly Recommended for a ton of fun!

Remember, you MUST read the first one to understand & enjoy this one.

To enjoy more of Meg Cabot & her books click here for her website.

Sarah Mlynowski. BRAS & BROOMSTICKS

Fun, sassy and a wild ride! This story begins when freshman Rachel Weinstein discovers the new shoes on her feet. They are the exact green suede designer sneakers she begged her mom for the other day. But they were too expensive. She wonders how in the world they ended up on her feet! Then she’s called home for an important meeting with her mom & sister where they break the news. Her mom & sister are witches. (that explains the new shoes.) After the initial shock, Rachel realizes that her sister Miri now has power. The power to grant her all the things she wants: popularity, a cute boyfriend, etc. Miri really isn’t supposed to cast any spells until she gets through all of her training. But even Miri agrees that something must be done about the awful woman their dad is planning to marry. They must find a way to cancel it before she becomes their evil stepmonster. Of course, both girls quickly forget that the most important thing to remember when casting spells is that every spell has a consequence – usually an unintended one!
This was fun and totally relatable. Rachel’s teenage desperation and suffering was completely realistic. I enjoyed the sister bond between Rachel & Miri.
Loved it! The sequel is on my list!


The first book I read by Sarah Mlynowski was HOW TO BE BAD (review here). I’m glad I’ve discovered her other books. There are four total in this BRAS & BROOMSTICKS series. Click here for her website.

Debbie Reed Fischer. SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS

Peyton Grady is a junior in high school who has just made it to the varsity cheerleading squad. She’s thrilled that might be able to finally hang out with the Alphas at school. The Alphas are the in-crowd at Beachwood Preparatory Academy, the private school Peyton attends on a scholarship. She’s never really felt like she belonged, but now Peyton is beginning to think that this will be her best year yet. Then one day, a new girl names Ellika arrives and without a try-out or anything, the principal sticks her on the varsity cheer squad. Ellika is not what you’d think of as the average looking cheerleader. She is uncoordinated, overweight, and dorky. The girls are all fuming, but most of all, the captain Lexie Court is livid. Lexie is the most popular, beautiful, perfect girl in school. And she basically gets whatever she wants, but when she can’t get Ellika (or Smellika as they begin to call her) off the squad, she cooks up her own way to get her off. It’s called Operation Smellika. They begin their operation with small practical jokes and continue with bigger and bigger cruel hazing rituals. Peyton begins to hesitate as the stakes get higher, but then Lexie pressures her and she relents. When the final act looks like someone may get seriously hurt, Peyton must decide whether she is comfortable swimming with the sharks or not.
Wow, what a shocking portrayal of how mean teens can get. Perhaps I’ve blocked most of the bad parts out, but I don’t remember people being that mean in middle or high school. But I can relate to that feeling of being afraid to stand up to someone who is pressuring you to do something you know you shouldn’t do. I admire those teens today who seem to have the strength to do what’s right, no matter what others think. That was a hard one for me as a teen.
Anyway, this is a funny, sad, moving, and gripping novel about a girl who grapples with her identity and how to do what’s right, especially when it’s difficult. Debbie Reed Fischer is an awesome new author. I really enjoyed her writing. Her descriptions are witty and lively, and so is the dialogue! I laughed out loud, when I wasn’t cringing over the meanness.
If you’d like to find out more about her or other books, check out her website here.

Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout. GIRL v. BOY

Luisa Perez feels invisible at her high school. The fact that nine other girls have her exact name only increases her generic-ness. But this year, everything changes. Her school begins to participate in a fundraising contest to raise money for literacy. The principal makes the boys compete against the girls in the school to see who can raise the most money. When her English teacher gives her an assignment to write an anonymous column in the school paper to represent the girls she's reluctant, but gives it a shot. He also assigns an anonymous boy to write from their point of view. Their assignment is to talk about the contest, but a battle of the sexes begins and the readers love it. The column becomes hugely popular and even gets syndicated and printed at five other schools. In the meantime, Lu begins dating a boy she really likes, but he doesn't know she writes the column. She's a little afraid of what will happen when he finds out, since she has mentioned him a few times in the paper. As the big fundraising gala approached, she realizes that she won't be invisible anymore when she is revealed as the anonymous writer. Will she be able to handle the spotlight? Will she lose her boyfriend?

This was so much fun! The characters were realistic and enjoyable. Some were even hysterical (Mariah Mendes). I loved the dynamic between Lu and her sister. The jealousy pitted against the "taking care of you" vibe was totally believable. Plus, Lu’s two friends Izzy and Rachel round out the cast of characters nicely. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the fact that the mayor could grant a school two weeks extra vacation. But hey, it's fiction! And frankly if some school could really raise that much money for literacy - maybe it could really happen!

This dynamic duo has written several other books together.

I reviewed THE BLACK SHEEP here. That was a really unique story! (the book has a new cover, but I kinda like this one still)

You can find out more about these authors and their books here.

I have this one on my "to read" list

Suzanne Supplee. ARTICHOKE'S HEART

Rosemary feels like her life would be perfect if only she were skinny. And everyone around her seems to echo that sentiment. Her mother buys her a treadmill for Christmas, and her Aunt buys her tickets to a weight-loss seminar. It’s even more difficult when Rosemary works at her mom’s beauty salon, since Rosemary feels anything but beautiful. Watching all the skinny, pretty girls from school traipsing in and out everyday only makes her feel worse about herself. Then a few dramatic events happen to make Rosie reevaluate her life. She begins to stick to a plan that makes her begin to lose weight. But, she must do more than lose weight to lose her “fat” image of herself. Along with a few good friends, she does begin to find her value and begin to hope for the future.

Okay, I have to admit that the chocolate on the cover is what grabbed my attention! But this book is really lovely and well-written. It’s so honest about how many teenage girls feel about themselves, whether they are overweight or not. It’s also honest in the way it shows how you really can be loved by friends and boys, even if you aren’t perfect. That is such a wonderful sentiment for teenagers (and older girls) to learn and to internalize.

What a wonderful, inspirational book. The atmosphere and the southern charm really warmed my heart. Plus, it was funny!

Check out the author’s website here
And her blog here

I’m looking forward to more from this charming author!

Lauren R. Weinstein. GIRL STORIES

HYSTERICAL! That’s really the most accurate word to describe this graphic novel. However, that would make for a short blog entry, so here’s more:

This is a collection of comics that originally ran on gurl.com and generated a huge response from readers. The comics are brief episodes of Lauren’s life. They include a wide variety embarrassing moments of a typical teenager’s life. As the back of the book says, you shall find within the pages of this book teenagers, rock stars, fashion tips, friends, skaters, punks, sports, and more. You’ll also find an embarrassingly honest and funny description of what a lot of girls go through in their teenage years. It really is like reading a diary. If you’re a teen, you’ll relate. If you’re not, you’ll relate too and hopefully remember back to your teenage years with more than a few giggles. And the art is sooo wonderful! It completely adds to the hysterical nature of the episodes. Loved it!!

Website for the book http://www.girlstoriescomics.com/

Author’s blog http://www.laurenweinstein.com/

Kieran Scott. GEEK MAGNET

For some reason, KJ Miller attracts geeks. She has at least three of them who fawn all over her on a regular basis. First of all, Andy is constantly quizzing her about her favorite things to see how much they have in common. Then there’s Fred, who is always giving her gifts. And worst of all, there’s Glen who is always gawking at her chest when he talks to her. All KJ wants to do her stage manager job for the spring musical, GREASE, and not feel like she’ll be bombarded at any given moment by someone she’s not interested in. But, she’s nice. She can’t say anything to the guys. Enter Tama Gold, the star of the musical. She tries to coach KJ in handling the geeks. After just talking with Tama for a while, KJ begins to attract the attention of a totally-not geek, Cameron Richardson, school hottie. KJ thinks Tama maybe onto something. Will KJ be able to free herself of the geeks and be Cameron’s girlfriend? Read it and see.

Kieran Scott is awesome! Not only is she hilarious, but she has characterization down pat! When I read Andy’s dialogue, I can literally hear his voice in my head. I know exactly who this guy is! And she did a great job differentiating the geeks into three distinct personalities. They weren’t just stock geek characters.

Also, Scott wrote the balancing act of KJ’s drama at home with the light & fun atmosphere at school brilliantly, especially when the two intersect. All the characters were realistic. The plot was good. All around, it was an enjoyable read.

You might be familiar with Kieran Scott's NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER BOOKS:
Here's the first one.

Then BRUNETTE'S STRIKE BACK and
finally A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER IN LOVE

I reviewed all of them here. They're hysterical!

Rachel Vail. LUCKY

Phoebe Avery is a lucky girl. She and her sisters live in a big house with a housekeeper and nanny. She has four wonderful best friends. And on top of all that, she and her friends are planning a fabulous end of year party to celebrate graduating from eighth-grade. They’ve planned every detail from the fashion photographer to the engraved invitations. Now Phoebe just needs to find the perfect dress. (Of course, if everything is going perfectly, you know it won’t stay that way – otherwise there’d be no book, right?) Phoebe does find the perfect dress, the dress that really makes her feel beautiful. Then a crisis in her family endangers her entire way of life. She’s too scared to tell her friends, so she hides it as long as she can. Will Phoebe begin to realize what is really important in her life, or will she long for the days before the crisis?

This was a nice fun book about friendship and remembering to be grateful for what you have. I enjoyed it. I found the different personalities between the friends really well written. I could really see all of them clearly. The interactions and dialogue was also realistic for eighth grade girls (I’ve been around them long enough to say that!). Plus, the sisters had a fun & true dynamic.

This is the first of a trilogy. The book jacket states that there will be two more books that are told from the other sisters' points of view. That sounds intriguing, so I’ll be on the lookout for those.

This is the first one I’ve read from Rachel Vail. Click here to find out more about her or click here to check out her other books.

HOW TO BE BAD by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski & Lauren Myracle

Jesse, Vicks and Mel are off on a road trip. They have all they need to get to Miami with Jesse’s mom’s car, Mel’s money, and Vick’s Fantastical Florida only just met Mel a while back. Jesse reluctantly lets Mel go with them after Mel offers to pay for gas and hotels. With these three vastly different personalities - Jess the strict Christian, guidebook. The main reason they’re heading to Miami is to see Vick’s boyfriend, who has gone off to college. She misses him terribly. Jesse just wants to get out of Niceville. Mel invited herself to go along. While Jesse and Vicks have been best friends for years, they’veVicks the wild child, and Mel the good, rich girl – you can imagine that in a 9 hour drive across the state, anything is bound to happen. And it does. The girls stumble upon two different alligators, a mysterious cute stranger, a hurricane, a pirate hotel and Epcot center. But most importantly, the girls gain true life-long friends by letting go of secrets and insecurities.

I really enjoyed the way this is written from all three points of view. You get to see the world through each of their distinct personalities. These characters are well-developed, realistic, and I cared about them. This was a hilarious and mighty fun road trip!

Enter a chance to win a signed copy of the book on the publisher's site & take a quiz to see which girl you are here

All 3 authors have written a lot of other great books too. Check out their sites & blogs:
E. Lockhart’s website: here
blog: here

Sarah Mlynowski’s website: here
blog: here

Lauren Myracle’s Website: here
blog: here

Susan Vaught. BIG FAT MANIFESTO

It’s Jamie Carcaterra’s senior year in high school. She has a long to-do list consisting of ACT testing, college applications, senior pictures, staring in the school play, and now it seems like changing the world has been added to her list. Jamie begins writing a column for the school paper called Fat Girl Manifesto. She’s fed up with the world’s assumptions of what it’s like to be fat. She begins with shattering myths of fat girls. She says she doesn’t want to be called “chubby,” “large,” or “plus-size.” She says “I’m fat.” She says that she has a boyfriend and a life - a life that isn’t all consumed with losing weight or apologizing for her weight. Her column shakes up the school and the community. She points out what it’s like to be her, “fat girl,” as people begin calling her, after the name of her column. For example, she details her limited clothing options, the way she is treated at the doctor’s office and the way the airlines treat her. She began writing the column to win a journalism scholarship, but ends up gaining nationwide media attention for her honest, yet contentious, opinions. When her boyfriend, Burke, decides he wants to have gastric bypass surgery, she sees firsthand how much pain a person will go through to be thin. Then things begin to get tough in her life, so Jamie begins to wonder what is really important to her and what she is willing to fight for.
Jamie is one of the most enjoyable characters I’ve encountered in a long while. She’s refreshing, strong, honest, realistic and completely wonderful. Plus, her friends Freddie and No-No are well-developed and fun characters, as well as Burke and Heath. In fact, all the characters are realistic and unique. This was a surprisingly enlightening and memorable read! I highly recommend it.

Enjoy a sampling of the the Fat Girl Manifesto here from the author's website.
And read more about his author here. (glad I stumbled across her!)

Meg Cabot. AIRHEAD

Another one from the prolific Meg Cabot. But today, what I’m amazed at isn’t her massive number of books, but the diversity. Just consider how different When Lightning Strikes, The Mediator series, Avalon High, and Jinx are from each other. And her latest, Airhead, is just as new and fresh. I hate to even give a summary, because it’s more fun to be surprised like I was. I just picked it up and started reading, without reading the book jacket. I didn’t need to. I knew it would be good- it’s Meg Cabot! But I’ll give you a few tidbits to tease you. It’s about a girl named Em who is best friends with a boy named Christopher. They love to play video games and make fun of the popular kids at school. Em is a tomboy who really doesn’t care about fashion or makeup. (and we think Em secretly likes Christopher) One day a freak accident occurs that completely transforms Em’s whole life. Her whole life! And she has no choice whatsoever in the matter. Plus, now that she can have whatever guy she wants, the one guy she does want doesn’t even know she’s alive. This book is so much fun! The characters are enjoyable and likeable. And it looks like she’s setting this up to be another successful series. It ended with many unanswered questions, and it gave a preview of the first sequel. More fun than a day at the beach!

And if you've been living under a rock & aren't familiar with Meg Cabot, check out her awesome website here and her blog here. She's really something!

Audrey D. Brashich. ALL MADE UP: A GIRLS GUIDE TO SEEING THROUGH CELEBRITY HYPE...AND CELEBRATING REAL BEAUTY

I read a fair amount of nonfiction, but I’m rarely compelled to blog about it. But this is really a meaningful book for teen girls. These days girls and women are bombarded with images of what we “should” look like. We are told what is considered beautiful by the media, the fashion industry and Hollywood. But for most girls, that ideal standard isn’t necessarily achievable and frankly, why it should be the goal? A former model and major writer for teen magazines has written a book that encourages girls to see through all the celebrity hype to find their own beauty. She writes about the evolution of models and how they became the “standard” of beauty. Then she breaks through the hype by enlightening readers what a celebrity must go through to maintain their “look.” She also questions why women who are famous for being famous are more celebrated by our media than say, oh, women who are actually doing something, like researching a cure for cancer or training for the Olympics. She encourages girls to find real role models and to celebrate their own beauty, just the way they are. There are some great resources in the back of the book, and the author has an awesome website to discuss topics in the book. I’m glad I discovered this amazing writer. She’s a wonderful advocate for girls and women of all ages!

Here’s her website www.allmadeup.net

Her awesome blog is here: http://www.audreybrashich.blogs.com/

Check it out!

Siobhan Vivian. A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE

Ruby gets an unexpected birthday present on her 16^th birthday. Her dad shows up. Since he left them about 5 years ago, it’s a bit of a shock. In fact, she yells at him and leaves. She’d rather hang out with her four friends, as if nothing has happened. But the following week brings many surprises and secrets. Through the emotional highs & lows, Ruby realized that she must deal with her past or she’ll never move on, no matter how much it hurts. This was a great novel about friendship, forgiveness, and learning from life’s dramas.

Check out the great interview that TeenReads did with the author here.

E. Lockhart. THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS

This is the story of Frankie Landau-Banks and her transformation from geeky, debate club girl to secret, criminal mastermind of Alabaster Prep Academy. When Frankie arrives back at school her sophomore year, she’s blossomed into a pretty girl with a great figure. The boys begin to notice her, and the most popular boy in school, Matthew Livingston, takes her on as his girlfriend. She also becomes close to all his popular friends. However, she begins to realize that she’s only allowed to hang out with these people because she’s his girlfriend. They don’t really take her seriously. When she hears about a secret boys-only organization, she is intrigued, but also mad that Matthew doesn’t share any of it with her. So, she hatches a plan that culminates with no one ever underestimating Frankie again.

I’m amazed at how each of Lockhart’s books have their own distinct tone and personality. I’ve loved them all, and they’re all so different. This one is so sophisticated and smart. Frankie is a prime example of a smart girl realizing the importance of remaining true to herself, no matter what the people around her expect or want of her. Go Frankie!
This is definitely one of my favorites for the year, so far.

Jen Calonita. SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE: ON LOCATION

This is a highly enjoyable sequel to SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE. Kaitlin Burke has made it through the challenges with the press from book one, and now she’s beginning filming on a new Hollywood blockbuster. One bonus she got out of her experiment in high school is her boyfriend, Austin. Things are going smoothly with him, until she finds out that she has to work with Drew, her ex-boyfriend on the new movie. And, the film’s publicity guru is making Kaitlin go to events with Drew and pose as his girlfriend. How will she work this out with Austin? Will he be able to deal with her complicated Hollywood life? As in the first book, this one lets the reader in on many star secrets. Plus, Kaitlin has some of the same issues as regular teen girls. In fact, one thing I like about this series better than other rich girl/celebrity type books is that it doesn't get bogged down or obsessed with all the designer names. That aspect is there, but the focus is on the characters. It's a fun way to spend an afternoon!

My review of the first book is here: Secrets #1

The third book is due out next month. It's called SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE: FAMILY AFFAIR:

Sara Zarr. SWEETHEARTS

Cameron is the only friend Jennifer had in elementary school. They were social outcasts together and become very close. They knew and understand each other better than anyone else. One day Cameron disappears without any explanation or goodbye. Jennifer hears rumors of his death. She’s devastated. Years later, after moving to a new school, she reinvents herself, makes new friends, and changes her name to Jenna. Although she seems to have a pretty normal life without Cameron, she never feels like anyone really knows her like he did. When Cameron mysteriously shows up again at her new school, Jennifer is surprised and grateful to have him in her life again. But can she keep him from disappearing again? The author portrayed the unusual closeness of Jennifer and Cameron extremely well. Also, the weaving together of the past and present were written with enough mystery to keep me turning the pages. I really like this one.

Melissa Kantor. CONFESSIONS OF A NOT IT GIRL

I had forgotten how funny Melissa Kantor is! I had read IF I HAVE A WICKED STEPMOTHER, WHERE’S MY PRINCE and thought it was hysterical, but it’s been a while since I read that one. So, I was pleasantly reminded how funny she is with this, her first novel, CONFESSIONS OF A NOT IT GIRL.
Jan Miller, senior in high school, is convinced that she has the least fabulous life a girl can have. Making matters even worse, her best friend, Rebecca, has been named “It Girl” in a popular fashion magazine. Jan feels that Rebecca is prettier, skinnier, and just way more sophisticated then she is. Rebecca is even able to snag an awesome, older boyfriend, while Jan seems to continually make a fool out of herself around the boy she likes, Josh. It begins when they act out a scene from Romeo & Juliet in English class and she humiliates herself. It continues with virtually every interaction she has with him afterwards. Will she ever become an It Girl or will Jan live out her life as an old maid with five cats? This was a hilarious love story complete with misunderstandings, embarrassing predicaments and some sweet scenes as well. Definitely a joy!

Her other two books:

IF I HAVE A WICKED
STEPMOTHER, WHERE'S
MY PRINCE? my review is here

THE BREAKUP BIBLE

The author's website: http://www.melissakantor.com/

Kieran Scott. A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER IN LOVE.

The third installment of NON-BLONDE cheerleader is just as much fun as the original two! I had forgotten how well Ms. Scott writes and how funny she is. We join Annisa after their thrilling win at nationals. The team has finally gelled and is getting along great. Then, Coach Holmes makes a decision that throws the team into turmoil again. She’s decided to bring guys onto the team. That's right, the first boy cheerleaders ever in the history of Sand Dune High! Annisa is thrilled, since her boyfriend, Daniel, tries out & makes the team. She figures she’ll get to see him all the time. Plus, they’ll get to do much more difficult stunts However, the guys have other plans. The battle of the sexes begins. Will the squad ever be the national champion squad it once was? I enjoyed this one & look forward to the next one. Loved it!

Kieran Scott's next book comes out May 29th. It's called GEEK MAGNET. How cute is this cover!