Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

After winning a tour around the world for her violin recital, Carmen Bianche was all about success and winning the upcoming Guarneri competition. That was until Carmen saw her main competition, Jeremy King, a British 17-year-old who was also world wide known for his violin talent.

Carmen really wanted to hate Jeremy. She even started out hating him, but after she met him and saw the person behind the violin, she realized that she may actually have feelings toward Jeremy.

In order to prepare herself for the competition, Carmen keeps her distance away from Jeremy, keeping all feelings put on hold until the winner is chosen. Fate wasn't having that though.

In addition to her feelings toward Jeremy, Carmen was also fighting a battle with her self, along with her mother. Her mother, Diane, was a famous soprano singer before losing her voice through a surgery. Now, Diane is helping Carmen get her musical career going, living through her daughter's success.

Carmen also has been taking Inderal, a prescription drug to "take away the edge" and calm Carmen down during her performances. She decides she wants to feel the adrenaline rush during and after her performances, so she stops taking the medicine, putting Carmen on the wrong side of her mother.

After dealing with some major setbacks, Carmen has to decide if she loves music, or if she loves the idea of winning more to determine where her future career will take her.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've actually been reading a lot of YA novels about music. Out of those novels, I think this one was by far my favorite one. Reading how Carmen was struggling with so many inner demons (her attraction to the enemy - Jeremy, battling against Inderal, going against her mother's wishes) showed me the hardships that professional musicians go through - something I've never thought about before.

The pressure that Carmen goes through before the Guarneri competition would be enough to crack a grown man. I don't know how Carmen was able to think straight, let alone make two of the hardest decisions in her life.

The romance between Carmen and Jeremy was very heated - even though there wasn't too many romantic scenes between them. The attraction they feel toward one another is forbidden, but there none the less. Both are able to see the person, rather than the violinist, the competition, making their thoughts and feelings very confusing about one another.

I really loved this book, which is a surprise to me. I thought I would like it, it would be a nice, different read, but the iron will of Carmen and her grown up ability to make decisions instantly attracted me to her character.

I would recommend this to anyone aspiring to be a musician, or to any teenage girl who feels trapped in a family situation and has no freedom to do what they want. It's a great novel to read if one is feeling pressured or lost in their own world and needs a way to clear their head to find the right path to take.

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Leah Johnson has a pretty good life. She is blond, smart, and has her whole future mapped out for her by her two older sisters, Yorke and Freddie. Both sisters were homecoming and prom queen, valedictorian, and dated the captain of the football team - all that are in line for Leah to join in her upcoming senior year.

The summer before her senior year, though, Leah is still working at the swimming pool as a life guard - something her mother hates - and just found out that her oldest sister, Yorke, is getting married at the beginning of August and her other sister, Freddie, is going to France for oversea studies.

Another thing that has happened during the summer is Leah meeting Porter - a mysterious, handsome stranger who works at the country club and seems to find Leah at random times.

Leah feels this undeniable attraction with Porter, something she's never felt with her boyfriend (captain of the football team) Shane, before. As Leah is trying to figure out what the attraction means, she's becoming more and more distant with Shane, finding his habits annoying and overbearing.

Leah's mother sees the disconnection Leah has with the family traditions and starts keeping Leah on a tighter leash - trying to make Leah another version of herself and of Leah's two sisters.

However, Leah is starting to understand that she doesn't have to be exactly like the women in her family to have a good and happy life for her own wants and needs.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I have to admit, I picked this book up because of the cover. I got very interested after reading the back excerpt and thought this would be another steamy romance like Perfect Chemistry or Hush, Hush.

However, I found myself not particularly connecting with this book. Don't get me wrong, the story and meaning behind Leah finding her own self rather than following the footsteps of her mother and sisters is a great storyline, but there were times when I thought Leah was complaining too much and not doing something about her life.

She eventually did go off on her own path, but it took a little longer than I thought it should have.

I'm glad that Leah was able to get her own identity, though, in the end. No one should feel the need to have to follow their siblings footsteps. I'm an older sister of just my sister and I, so I don't know what it's like to have that pressure, but I know that my younger sister and I are definitely different from one another, making us have different goals and achievements.

I would recommend this novel for any teen girls who feel the need to follow their older sibling's footsteps. They would be able to relate to Leah's story and maybe figure out their own hobbies or likes to change their future from their sister's decisions.

Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph

Indigo Jackson is a senior in high school ready to go off to college. She's also getting a bad reputation from the newest hit single "Indigo Blues" written and sung by her ex-boyfriend, Adam Spade in his band, Blank Stare.

Becoming "famous" was never Indigo's intention. In fact, she would rather NOT be as well known as she is because it is interrupting her normal, everyday life. Now she has to dodge classmates wanting her autograph, host show sponsors on TV, and Adam's phone calls every day or so.

Adam was very upset when Indigo said she wanted a break from their relationship. He wrote the song in anger and hurt, not knowing he was going to produce the next big hit song. Now he has to try to figure out his feelings toward Indigo now, while scrambling to write another hit song to save his band from being a "one hit wonder".

Both Adam and Indigo are angry at one another - one for breaking up and breaking his heart, the other for having a song written about her that portrayed her as a mean, callous person. Will they ever be able to get over their anger and be friends again, or is the damage done and can't be fixed?

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a short, easy read and I enjoyed hearing both Adam and Indigo's stories through alternating chapters. I could see both viewpoints of why each character was angry from the break-up/creation of the song and it was nice to see them battling through the after effects of the song apart rather than together.

Throughout the novel, Indigo and Adam didn't see one another until the very end, so they were able to come to their real feelings without being influenced by one another's presence - which usually doesn't happen in relationship break ups for teens. Many times, they are still going to the same school together which makes the avoidance stage hard to do.

I would recommend this book to both genders of teenagers, and especially teens who like music. Being able to hear both Adam and Indigo's thoughts helps to better understand what they were going through and also makes this story relatable for both guys or girls who have been in a bad break-up.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The year is 1996. For those readers who never lived through the nineties, here are some dramatic differences:

• Cassette tapes are still  used, along with Beepers and Discman's. 
• Titanic and Harry Potter have not been created yet, among other movies and books. 
• VCR's are still used, rather than DVDs or BluRay
• No fancy technology, which include (but are not limited to) iPads, iPods, i or e anything, cell phones and barely computers. 
• In this book, Emma's new computer has Windows 95. And uses Dial-up Internet. 
• Same sex relationships are frowned upon. 
• And a lot of other things...

Emma Nelson's father gave Emma a desktop computer - sort of as a guilt present since Emma's parents are divorced and her father now has a new daughter with his other family. Emma's mom is now on her 3rd marriage as well. 

Josh Templeton is Emma's neighbor, and, used to be, best friend. When Josh's mom hears that Emma has a new computer, she sends Josh over to see if Emma wants to download America OnLine (AOL) since Josh doesn't have a computer. 

Emma downloads AOL, which takes over  1 1/2 hours, and after making her username and password, is automatically logged into her Facebook account... Only Facebook doesn't exist in 1996!!

Throughout the next week, Emma and Josh look on the Facebook pages, seeing what their lives are like in 15 years (in 2011). However, every action Emma and Josh make create a ripple in time, changing information on their Facebook profiles. 

For instance, Emma realized she didn't like her husband in 2011, so she decided not to go to the college where she meets her future husband and her life changed on her Facebook profile. 

Josh has an amazing life with an amazing wife, so when Emma starts rewriting... the future... he gets upset and doesn't want anything to change for him. 

Will the Facebook website make Josh and Emma be on edge for the rest of their lives and run their lives? Or will they start living in the present and not worry about the future?

My Thoughts/Reflections

I have been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint! Emma and Josh were on the mend of being friends - not as close as they once were but not ignoring each other either. Getting AOL and Facebook brought them together again, but also kept them arguing about certain actions taken. 

Honestly, if I were in Emma's shoes, I'm not sure what I would have done if I saw my future Facebook account. I probably would have tried to find out what happened to make my life the way it was and if I didn't like it, probably change it. 

Both Emma and Josh had some tough choices to decide on throughout the week of installing AOL on Emma's computer. They definitely thought like adults and made some adult decisions when they are only 16 years old - When I was 16, I was definitely not thinking like an adult. 

Trying to figure out what to do in the present to make their future what they want was very stressful for Emma and Josh, along with doing day to day routines such as going to school and hanging out with friends. I think the ending of this book was amazing after the choices Emma and Josh decided to follow panned out. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone - guy, girl, adult, teens. The chapters are alternating between Emma and Josh, making it relatable to both gender readers, and the references to 1996 would take adults down memory lane when they first got a computer and the Internet. Teens today might think some references (such as cassette tapes or VHS) might be hilarious, but the relationship and friendship storyline would be relatable for them to follow as well. 

This became one of my favorite novels, especially since I've read both of the author's previous works and liked both of their books. I will be recommending this to everyone I know! (So beware, friends ;-))

The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

This sequel in the Bar Code series, The Bar Code Rebellion, follows Kayla on her journey to rebel against the bar code tattoo, which by law is required in the year 2025. I did a blog post on the first novel, The Bar Code Tattoo, (title is linked to post) which explains the differences in 2025 and will help you understand the storyline better if you read before this post.

Kayla feels that she can't keep hiding in the mountains from the Global-1 officials. After the officers raid the mountain, she knows for sure that she can't stay there anymore and decides to fight for her freedom and try to stop Global-1 from forcing the tattoos on everyone.

She goes to Washington D.C. where a government official, David Young, is advocating for no requirements on bar code tattoos when everyone who doesn't have the tattoo gets ambushed by the Global-1 officers and are put into jail.

Kayla barely escapes with the help of an old friend, Dusa. They are creating fake bar codes and helping out everyone against the bar code tattoos.

After that, Kayla needs to find answers and goes west to find her friend, Allyson, who is working for a genetic school in California.

Meanwhile, Kayla is having more visions about girls who look like Kayla, but are not her in different parts of the world. Come to find out, Kayla was part of an experiment that initiated the bar code tattoos! She is a sixtuplet - and a clone! All of the visions she's been having are with her other "sisters" and now Kayla wants to find them to find out who they are and where they came from.

Will Kayla be able to save all of her friends from getting the tattoo? Can she stop Global-1 once and for all, or will they keep bar coding everyone? Read both The Bar Code Tattoo and The Bar Code Rebellion to find out how this futuristic series ends!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was not disappointed with this sequel, and final, book of Suzanne Weyn's books! Kayla definitely grew into more of a leader instead of a hider in this novel, making herself face her fears and find answers to what has been happening to her for almost a year.

Weyn created a future that was believable because of how advanced technology has gotten in the past few years. Her ability to go "back in time" to show how everything was initiated was also a great thing to read because the reader was able to understand how this could possibly happen in today's society.

I also liked how the author was able to explain the scientific terminology and concepts in a way where the reader can understand. I do not enjoy science and do not understand anything about science, but after reading these two novels I was able to wrap my head around what the scientists did to create such a future. That's talent, I think, to break down the concepts of science for anyone to understand!

I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in dystopian worlds, science fiction, cloning, rebellion/war, and survival. Kayla really had a lot going on but she never gave up and fought for her freedom - something a strong character needs throughout the story to keep the reader cheering the main character on until the very end of the story.

The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn

It's the year 2025. Some things are different than we know now, such as:

• There is no paper money - only e-cards, and most recently bar code tattoo's (also called 'too) on a person's right inside wrist where they are scanned, like food at a grocery store. 
• Minimum wage is $18 an hour. 
• Global-1 is issuing that everyone at the age of 17 must get a bar code tattoo or the ones who don't get the 'too will be a felon. 
• AgroGlobal (a district of Global-1) creates all food. They replicate the seeds in plants, creating food when they want to rather than planting seeds in the ground to produce natural food. 
• Robots run cash registers. 
• Desktops in schools now have an iPad or eReader installed in it. 

Kayla Reed has just turned 17 and has been conflicted over whether she wanted to get the bar code 'too. After watching her father go crazy and try to cut the 'too off of his wrist, killing himself, she's inclined to stay away from her own bar code. 

However, Global-1 won their lawsuit against the government, stating that everyone of the age of 17 must get the 'too, or they will be committing a crime. 

After Kayla's world starts crumbling around her, losing everything and everyone she was close to, Kayla finds herself running from the government and police officials. She wants to keep her own identity instead of having her every action being followed. 

She decides to find a haven where others who are rebelling against the 'too live together. Instead of living in high society, they are living in the mountains, living day by day as the cavemen used to without technology. 

But they are also psychic - they can talk to one another through their minds and use energy to move things if they are strong enough. After seeing images of a war in the near future, Kayla is unsure what will happen to her and her new friends in their future. 

My Thoughts/Reflections

I really liked this book. When I first read the back, I got the image of Dark Angel television show with Jessica Alba where she had a bar code on the back of her neck after she broke out of a prison as a child. This is different, though, because everyone wants the 'too rather than only a select few can get one. 

Kayla had to grow up very fast in a short amount of time and I liked that about her. She might have complained about how tough things were, but she never gave up and always tried to find somewhere safe to be. 

This is the first book in a two book series, so I'm excited to see where Suzanne Weyn went in the second novel, The Bar Code Rebellion (which I'll be reading next to find out!). I hope I see more of the rebellion members and see Kayla initiate actions to hopefully get rid of the bar code law. 

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a "futuristic" novel and if anyone is interested in the future of credit cards/banking topics, since this is basically related to those topics. The twists and turns Weyn takes throughout the novel is also refreshing as I didn't see all of them coming ahead of time. 

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

New Yorker, 16-year-old, Miranda Merchant is going to be a scientist. She even has an internship with the Museum of Natarual History for the summer to gain more experience with science topics.

Before she can start her internship, though, Miranda goes to Selkie Island to meet up with her mother. Her grandmother just passed away and both Miranda and her mother are getting the family house ready to sell since no one visits the island anymore.

Miranda is a level-headed girl, so when she hears the island stories about the kraken, sea monsters, and merfolk, she obviously thinks that they are just stories to bring in tourists.

After looking through the family house, reading a "historie" book about Selkie Island, and meeting a local boy, Leo, Miranda's not so sure if the stories are true or false anymore.

Being logical all of her life is making this trip on Selkie Island more confusing for Miranda. She's unsure why she feels the strong connection with Leo, but in the end she realizes that chemistry is more than a science experiment - it can be just a connection that ties two opposite people together.

Does the enchantment of the island keep Miranda's logical attention or will she want to go home to New York for her internship after her trip is finished? Read Sea Change to find out!

I really liked this novel. It has a little bit of science fiction, but enough contemporary issues to capture a wide variety of readers. The struggle that Miranda goes through with herself to determine if a legend is happening or if science is right and everyone on the island is just making up stories is amazing to see.

It's also very realistic when Miranda has to decide if the attraction between her and Leo is "for real" or just a rebellious streak she is having against her mother. I think a lot of teenage girls would like this storyline and the inner struggle Miranda has with her logical self vs. her romantic self.