Holding On by Emma Hart

This is #1.5 novel in the Memories series by Emma Hart.

My review of #1: Never Forget.

WARNING - This review will contain spoilers from the first novel! Continue reading with caution!

Alec
After Alec betrayed Lexy by keep the secret of her grandmother's illness, he was finally able to gain her trust back. And because Alec got a taste of what it was like without Lexy in his life, he has decided to move to London where Lexy is going to school so he won't be away from her 3 hours away.

But he has a lot to learn in London. He's not a city boy, but he will do whatever it takes to be with Lexy, the girl of his dreams and the one he is so in love with he could never look at another girl again.

Lexy
Lexy knows what Alec has sacrificed to come to London with her. It's a big adjustment and he is doing wonderful, but the city is a harsh, hard life. And an old friend/wanna be boyfriend, Adrian, finds out that she is dating seriously with Alec.

And Adrian is not taking it well that he never got a chance with Lexy, but she gave her heart to someone else. A "country bumpkin". And Adrian is looking for some revenge. Will Lexy have to let Alec go so he won't get hurt in London?

Jen
Jen is excited for the city life in London. Being stuck in a small town is alright, but her passion is to draw and the university in London is the best for drawing. It's been her life time goal and it's finally happening, but she is feeling homesick and missing her boyfriend of 2 years, Carl, who refuses to come to the city.

If Carl can't even make the effort to see Jen at school, will their relationship last? Or will it be time to let the small town go and become another person in the city crowd? And she also has the dilemma about being attracted to Lexy's older brother Bing...

Bing
Bing is glad to be back in London. Now he can hook up with random girls and live his normal life. Yeah, that involves dodging her sister's ex-friend Jayma, but that's okay.

What's not alright is his attraction to Jen, Lexy's best friend. Because Jen is taken by Carl. And even if she wasn't, she is loud, obnoxious, sarcastic, and witty. Which are 4 reasons he loves being around her. Of course he would want the one woman he couldn't have...

All four are about to face the object they most desire. Can the survive their encounters, or will it blow up in their face and leave them with a broken heart? Read Holding On by Emma Hart to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

Yay! I was very interested in Bing and Jen the moment they were in the same room during Never Forget and boy did we get to see the two of them a lot in this very short novel!

Oh, and yeah, Lexy and Alec were in here as well :) I thought this was a good novel for them to finally figure things out between the two of them. And yeah, I'm still a bigger fan for Alec than Lexy, though she wasn't AS bad in this novel as the first.

But Bing and Jen! As you can tell, I'm a fan of their's and I was very content with the limited scenes we were given in this novella. The comments that come flying out of both of their mouths crack me up. I don't know the last book that made me laugh so much as those two flying insults back and forth between one another.

Even though this book was very short, I really, really liked it. I think I even liked it more than the first novel in this series. But I think I'm going to love the next one even more because it's about Bing and Jen :D

Okay, yes, I really I have an addiction. So sue me, haha.

I most definitely loved this novel and would recommend it to other New Adult readers. I would suggest, though, that if you read this that you might want to read the first one first. It will definitely explain Lexy and Alec's history to help the reader understand the trust issues.

And the best part?!? I have the third book already! I won it in a giveaway from Emma Hart, so I get to read it a few days before it's release. Sweet, baby Jesus, I'm gonna read about the two most hilarious characters I've read in a long time, so off I go!

Everyone should definitely read Emma Hart's novels. They are fantastic!

Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines

This is the first book in the Perfection series by Abbi Glines.

When Woods sees Della at the gas station, not understanding how to put gas in her vehicle, he knew that he was going to have a one night stand with her and would remember every minute.

He just didn't know that she would stay in his mind for months afterward. Nor did he think that he would imagine being with Della when he was with his future fiance, Angelina.

And the one thing he did not see coming is Della coming crashing into his personal life. Because now that she has come back into his life a second time, he's not sure if he will be able to let her walk away again.

A one night stand was not on Della's to do list, but she is just starting to get out in the world, so she supposes that it's okay. Besides, she has other things on her mind; like where her next place of sleeping will be. Or where she is going to be able to get the money to find somewhere to sleep.

But when things go wrong at her current stay in Dallas and she needs to leave fast, one of her co-workers sends her to his condo in Florida. Tripp just wants to make sure that she is safe and is near his friends because he knows that they will take care of her if she needs it.

Trouble comes, though, when Della realizes that she is back at the place where she had the best one night stand of her life. And then she finds out that he is going to be her new boss at the country golf course.

Yep, things are about to get interesting. Because once she sees Woods, everything from that one night comes rushing back to her. And boy, was that one of the best nights of her life.

However, she finds out that he is about to be engaged. After the last encounter she has, Della knows not to get in that situation.

And Della has her own problems to deal with. Because when certain things are said or done, an attack is triggered. And Della is transported to the days where she was locked inside with yelling and confusion. To the days where she needs to get past, because she will not turn into her mother.

The connection between Della and Woods is too hard to ignore, but if Woods doesn't do what his father insists, everything Woods has worked for his whole life will go up into smoke. Now, though, Woods is wondering what exactly he wants in life. Maybe it's Della. But first, he will have to figure out his life and get past the walls Della has put up. And Della has to figure out how to escape her dark past.

Can things work out between Della and Woods, or will they forever be trapped in their own personal hells? Read Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I've pretty much decided that anything by Abbi Glines is a must read and buy no matter how much it costs because it will be awesome. This book was well worth the wait and the money I spent from the minute I clicked on the available link to buy on Amazon!

I got this and finished it in 3 hours. I didn't take any breaks and I flew through this novel, loving every minute of it!

I've got to say, this is a very dark and edgy book. The situation that Della went through makes my skin crawl. I could never imagine going through that. She may think she is crazy, or will be, but I think Della is very strong and amazing.

This book is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of sexual scenes in here, very descriptive. A lot of language and it really suited for older readers. But it is very emotional and very heart wrenching.

All in all. For older readers, this is an amazing book! I would most definitely recommend it to other NA lovers out there and for any Abbi Glines fans this is a must read!

And Woods. Oh, Woods. What to say about him. He is definitely different than what we were introduced to during the "Too Far" series, but that's what I like about point of view novels. We got Blaire and Rush's thoughts about him in their books, but Woods is definitely a lot different than what they perceived him to be. And honestly? I really liked Woods. He was always trying to make everyone else happy, but realized that he wasn't happy with his life. The struggles he had really showed how much he wanted to change, and what he really wanted in life.

And the ending! I cannot wait to see what happens in the next novel! I had an idea what might happen with Della and Woods, but this ending brings all kinds of possibilities!

Amazing novel! So glad I got it when it was released and finished it! Now I just have to wait until the next one :-/ I would most definitely tell other older readers to read this and hope that everyone enjoys it as much as I did!

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Everything changed for Ellie when she got a random email from a stranger asking if she could watch his pet pig, Wilbur. Even though she knows she shouldn't chat with a stranger on the Internet, the other person seemed down to earth and someone she didn't know. Conversation was smooth between them, and Ellie could tell this other person things about herself that she hadn't told her best friend.

When Graham sent the email to the wrong person, it was a chance for him to make a friend who didn't know he was a movie star. They didn't exchange emails - only their locations. Ellie in Maine and Graham in California. Two ends of the world, colliding through email.

Fate was meant to be for them to meet when the location of Graham's new movie got invaded by bugs. He suggested the small town in Maine where Ellie lives. He wanted to meet Ellie in person and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Right away, though, things were going wrong. Graham knew Ellie worked in an ice cream/sweet shop. When he saw a girl with the name tag "Ellie", he knew it had to be the "eoneill" email address he has been talking to.

Only he found out that it was Ellie's best friend, Quinn, with one of Ellie's work shirts on.

And even though they finally met, things were better than email, but also worse than talking through email. There are just some things one can say through email that are more uncomfortably said in person.

Also, life is full of surprises. Now that Ellie knows Graham is a famous teenage movie star, the context in the emails seem almost childish.

But his celebrity also poses a problem for Ellie. Because her and her mother have a dark secret from their past that they need to be kept a secret. If Ellie keeps hanging out with the famous movie star, she is bound to get noticed and get found by the one person they are hiding from.

Now Ellie has to decide if her past being uncovered is worth spending time with Graham, or if she should avoid him at all costs and wait out his stay in Maine while he shoots his movie. One thing is for certain, things are about to get very interesting and truths are about to get uncovered during Graham's visit to Maine. Find out what happens to Ellie and Graham in This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've reading Smith's early novel, The Statistically Probability of Love at First Sight, and absolutely adored it, so when my library got this copy, I snatched it up and fell into another world that she created.

This was a very cute novel. The lives of Ellie and Graham were complete opposite of one another, yet they were able to find a way to become friends through the Internet, and then even closer when they met in person.

Granted, it took awhile for Ellie to open to up to Graham, but she had a very dark and long past that always hovered over her and her mother. Plus, she didn't want to make her mom worry any more than she already has been for the last 17 years.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about this novel was Graham's pet pig, Wlibur. One, who has a pet pig? Besides Brittany Murphy in Uptown Girls, but that doesn't count. I love how it was such a random topic to start a conversation between two strangers. Maybe that's why they chatted for so long online. Either way, adorable!

There were some things I could have done without in this novel. I especially didn't care for the reaction Ellie's friend, Quinn, had when she found out that Ellie had a big secret she wasn't telling her, along with the fact that she kept her pen paling a secret as well. I mean, not talking to her for that long? Ellie had a good reason for keeping a secret - especially because it wasn't entirely Ellie's secret to keep!

But that just reminds me how teenage girls are and makes me happy that I'm not in high school anymore.

So, yes, I enjoyed this novel. I think other fans of Smith's will enjoy this. Also, any teen interested in acting, going to college, or just wanting to read a story between two teens wanting to make a new friend would really enjoy this book.

Plus, it's written through both Graham and Ellie's point of view, so both girls and guys could enjoy this novel!

Hooked by Liz Fichera

This is the first novel in the Hooked series by Liz Fichera.

When Fredricka Oday, also known as just Fred, was offered to play for the boys golf team, she was stunned. She lives on the reservation with her Native American culture. She has no money and her dad works on the golf course as a mechanic - that's how she grew to love the game of golf.

So getting a chance to play on a team where scouts can see her play and she could possibly get a scholarship to go to college in a few years is a great opportunity.

But she knows it won't be easy. She will be the only girl on the team. The only Native American on the team. She is not as rich as the other teammates so her hand me down plaid golf bag, along with other hand me downs, will definitely stick out.

In the end, she says yes, because she loves the sport of golf and wants to go to college with as much help as she can get.

And, as she predicted, no one on the boys golf team liked this idea. Especially Ryan, the best player on the team. Or, he was until Fred showed up. And when Fred took that spot, Ryan's best friend Seth was kicked off, since there wasn't any other room and Seth was the worst player.

To make things even worse, Fred and Ryan are now partners for golf matches. So even though they don't talk to each other and have hostile feelings toward one another, they are forced to work together at every game in order to win.

Fred is just trying to keep out of trouble and have fun while playing golf. But that is hard with everyone around her hoping she will mess up. When she is playing golf, though, she can block anything out and just picture herself practicing at the practice range.

But things are about to get interesting. Seth is not as forgiving as the rest of the golf team and decides Fred needs to pay for taking his spot on the team. And now Ryan is stuck in the middle of his best friend and the girl he is starting to like.

When family problems occur, Fred has to decide if she wants to be part of a hostile environment or stay and help her family. And the issue with liking Ryan as more than a friend might be a factor in her decision as well.

Can her team eventually get over her gender and nationality, or will she be the odd one out the whole time she is on the boys golf team? Will it just be easier if she stops playing and stays away from Ryan? Read Hooked by Liz Fichera to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I loved this book! Native American culture, girl playing in a boys sport, and the sport of golf: three different aspects all wrapped in one novel makes this book very unique among other books in YA literature!

I really liked how Fred was hesitant about joining the golf team, even though she knew what would happen but really wanted to play golf. She wasn't ignorant, she knew what would happen and she thought it out before deciding.

And I think she was really brave in deciding to join the guys team. She really loves the game and wanted a chance to go to college after high school, so she made the brave choice to join.

Even though all of the guys would do pranks on her and make her feel outside of the team.

And poor Ryan. After he finally got to know Fred he knew she wasn't as evil as the team made her out to be, but it was almost impossible for him to be friends with Fred knowing she got Ryan kicked off of the team, his best friend.

I loved the little scenes where they were teaching each other what they were doing wrong when playing golf. And when they met up just to chat because they didn't have anyone else to talk to.

This novel was amazing and I can't wait to read more by Liz Fichera. I especially like that she writes about Native Americans since I'm part Native American and it gives me another viewpoint and aspect of that culture in Young Adult literature.

I think that anyone should read this book and because it is through both characters point of view, guys and girls could like it equally. Although guys probably won't read it as much as girls because of the cover.

And I cannot wait until the second novel in this series! From the snippets I've read, it's going to be a good battle between the two characters! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Fichera's works in the future.

Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Starting high school is going to be a new experience for Charlie. Middle school was a nightmare. She was friends with Lauren and Ally, who were not nice people and Charlie started to follow in their footsteps until one incident happened that sent Charlie to another school with a new start.

And it seemed to be going well. Charlie met Sydney at orientation and they became friends. Charlie also saw Will, the guy she lived next door a few years ago and they were best friends. Apparently he is back in town and now they go to the same school.

Just when Charlie was getting used to her school and joining the newspaper, a reminder about her past shows up: Nahdi.

Lauren and Ally did a horrible thing to Nahdi and Charlie was caught in the middle, so now that she sees Nahdi again, it seems that her past is catching up to her.

At her new school, sports are the rave. Will and his friend Tyler (who Charlie may have a little crush on) go out for lacrosse even though they hear the team hazes them before putting them on the team.

Charlie's new motto is to stand up for herself and not be bullied into anything, so she tries to make all of her new friends do that.

But with Will joining the lacrosse team, he may be forced to do things he doesn't want to do. And when Charlie realizes that she may have stronger feelings than just friendship toward Will, she has to decide if she wants to be with someone who gives into peer pressure. And she'll have to make a decision to tell the authorities what's going on, even though Will has asked her not to.

What will Charlie do? Will it ruin everything she has worked for at her new school? Read Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a cute novel. It was recommended to me through Goodreads and I had it at my library, so I just picked it up and read it really fast.

Usually I don't read YA books if they are a freshman or younger, but Charlie didn't act too immature for my tastes so I decided to keep reading and find out what happens with this group of teens.

And Charlie is really mature for her age because of the horrible things her "so called friends" did when she was in middle school. Now she's learned to try to stay out of situations that could hurt other people - even though in Charlies case that is kind of hard.

So, overall, it was a cute novel. Not my favorite, but not one that I didn't finish or wish that I hadn't read when I finished it. Just a cute little novel that had a little different plot than other YA novels that I've read lately.

If anyone wants to read a novel about trying to be your own person, not following cliques or popularity, learning when to stand up for yourself, and making friends with the right people, this would be a good novel for you.

I would say that any female teen could read this - even younger ones because Charlie and her friends are just freshmen in this novel, so they could find something to relate to.

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

Gemma grew up known as the heavy girl, the overweight girl. Honestly, she didn't really care but when her best friend Addison wanted to try out for the majorettes and made Gemma try out as well, she decided that she wasn't going to be overweight when she had to audition in front of the whole school and get made fun of.

So she lost the weight. Not as much as she wanted, but she was eating better, and she started to feel better in her own skin. It wasn't like she was going to make it on the majorette squad, but knowing she can change her image into something better was a win for her.

Except Gemma did get into the majorettes. Along with Addison. And now Gemma realizes that she has to wear the leotard for their dances. So she lost more weight before the school year started.

Now that she is a junior and in the majorettes, things are changing. She looks better and is part of the "in" crowd, so her former best friend Robert, who she's had a crush on for forever is shunning her and calling her a poser.

And because Gemma isn't so heavy anymore, people are starting to recognize her and acknowledge her, whereas it used to be Addison that was the most popular out of the two.

Gemma also realizes that the friendship between her and Addison is getting very strained, now that Addison isn't the best out of the two.

Things get really tense between them when Gemma and Addison get boyfriends: Max and Carter from their rival school, who are on the rival football team. Gemma noticed Max first during summer workouts at the college, but Addison snatched him up for herself, making Gemma and Carter go out with one another, even though Gemma's not attracted to Carter.

So now Gemma has to watch Max and Addison get romantic, even though there are moments between Max and Gemma. She doesn't want to like her best friend's boyfriend, but she cannot deny the attraction between them.

Things were just looking up for Gemma, but this might make or break her friendship with Addison. What will happen between Gemma, Max, and Addison? Read The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Whoo-hoo! The tension in this book in insane! I do not know how Gemma could stand being around Addison. That girl is the most selfish, spoiled person who stamps her foot when she doesn't get her way, or if that doesn't work, plays dirty and doesn't even seem fazed by her evil thoughts.

I would have ate that girl alive if she went to my high school! And Gemma just took the crap that Addison gave her. She is a saint.

But I really admire Gemma. She worked extremely hard. She did baton lessons for years, and no wonder she was better than Addison and could do more tricks. As much as I hate Addison, I'm glad she bullied Gemma into trying out because then Gemma became more confident and outspoken than she used to be.

And the thing with Max? Hate to say it, but Gemma is at fault for that just as much as Addison. Gemma needs to start saying what she feels and thinks, because a lot of the drama that unfolded between that group could have disappeared if she just told Max and Addison what she really felt.

So as much as this book frustrated me, I really enjoyed it at the same time!

The main reason I read this novel was so I can be updated with Jennifer Echols novels - which I have now read every single one of hers except for the newly released novel that just came out!

Another thing that I've noticed with Echols writing is that she is very open about what she writes. I have yet to read a novel about the same topic of hers. She's dabbled in majorettes, marching band, snowboarding, and so much more. I'm not bored with her novels because they have something unique that I haven't read about before, so she is definitely one of my favorite authors.

I really enjoyed this book and think other teens would too - especially ones interested in majorette or dancing!

From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas

Kylie wakes up in an unknown room with a massive hangover. Once the room stops spinning, she realizes that she is in bed with Max Langston - the popular, smoking hot boy she has known for 6 years, but hasn't said more than 10 words to.

And she realizes that her graduation ceremony is in 7 hours, and she's in Mexico. A bit problematic, since she is the valedictorian.

Flash back two days, to find out that Kylie is partnered with Max for a horrendous last assignment for English - one she is determined to do so her GPA won't go down and she could lose her spot as the valedictorian.

Only Max couldn't give a flying care for the assignment, and it's a partner assignment. When Kylie and Max get together to work on it, Kylie's backpack is stolen. She will not lose her backpack because her laptop is in there.

With her valedictorian speech. And her screen play she's been writing for 2 years.

So she chases after the thief, with Max trailing behind her. Then they go into the van the bag was placed in, only to find themselves trapped when the dealers start the car and drive.

And the next thing they know, they get out of the van in Mexico without their passports...

Kylie is very studious and serious, so this does not bode well for her plans for graduation  But what is a girl to do when she's stranded in Mexico with a cute boy? Lose all sense of self-control, get drunk for the first time, dance and party, and - wait - did she wake up with a wedding ring?!

As for Max, he has no idea why he followed crazy Kylie into the van and found himself in Mexico the day before graduation.  And the attraction he is feeling for Kylie? Not supposed to happen - especially since he is dating Lily, and has been dating her for a year.

Lily's life is falling apart and all she wants is to cling to Max and hope that he can make it all better. Because now that her life is done for, she will need Max more than ever...

When Max and Kylie get stranded, Kylie calls her best friend, Will, who is getting their passports and crossing the boarder to come save them.

And Will is having a great time with this situation. He's been wanting Kylie to loosen up for years, and it finally happen. He is not going to miss a moment of this. And he might just find a cute boy while in Mexico as well.

But everything comes crashing when Lily finds out about Max and Kylie - when she, Max's best friend Charlie, Will, Kylie and Max are all in Mexico the day of graduation.

Can they all make it back in time to graduate with their classmates, or will it be too late? And what is happening between the studious, serious Kylie and the popular, slacker Max? Read From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Oh my. After reading the description, I knew this book would have some laughs, but I thought this book was hilarious! I'm glad Goodreads recommended it to me and I'm really happy it was located in my library, because this book kept my eyes glued to it until I finished it!

This book is told through multiple viewpoints, including Kylie, Max, Will, Lily and Jake, Kylie's younger brother. And I really enjoyed each viewpoint because it gave a different sense to the book, getting different thoughts and also different settings than a book from one point of view.

I have to say, the best parts (the hilarious parts) was when Will was somehow involved. Will is very gay, and he's proud of it, even though he gets crap from his classmates. Also, him and Kylie are movie nerds and quote so many great movies, I was quoting with them!

Kylie is a hoot. She is so shy and quiet at school, but when she is driving away from the goons that "kidnapped" her across the border, she's suddenly a character from Fast and Furious where she is a daredevil and has a very clear mind in intense, critical conditions.

Sure, this book had some scenes where it was literally too good to be true, but overall I really loved it. The reader got to see Kylie finally be a high school girl who gets to party for the first time. She lives in the moment, rather than thinking about what her actions will cost her the next day.

And Max! He's so loud and popular and brave when he's around his friends at school, but the minute they get chased by the thieving goons, he becomes a sniveling scardy cat while Kylie is taking control. It was so funny that I could picture it exactly how it was happening.

Yes, I would definitely recommend this novel to readers. Some parents may not like their teenage children reading this because of the underage drinking, but since most kids do anyway, I don't see the harm. It's about learning how to prioritize and let loose every once in awhile. Plus, it's just plain hilarious and the reader will be flying through the novel, even though it's over 400 pages!

Great novel. Very glad I read it!

Bad Rep by A. Meredith Walters

Maysie's in a bit of a pickle when she got a credit card bill sent from her parents stating that they are not going to pay the $3,000 debt. Maysie likes to spend money. She likes to shop. And now she has to find a second job along with full time schooling, which she has to take summer classes because she slacked the previous semester.

So she and her roommate Riley decided to apply as a waitress at Bartons, she was thinking of the easy tip money. When she spotted Jordan, the hunky bartender with an eyebrow piercing, a tongue piercing and a tattoo on his back, she was definitely thinking about something besides paying off her debt.

Near closing on her first shift, the tension between Jordan and Maysie was sky high. They couldn't keep their eyes off of each other, and they were definitely more touchy feely than they needed to be when getting the drink order.

However, Maysie's sorority sisters stopped by to get a drink. And one just happened to be talking to Jordan, who she very soon found out was dating someone! For the last 3 years! And who was none other than the president of Maysie's sorority, Olivia.

Now Maysie is extremely mad. Sure, nothing had happened between her and Jordan, but he gave the image that he was single and ready to mingle with Maysie. Thankfully, she didn't hook up with him so it shouldn't be awkward at work, right?

Wrong. The tension is flying off of them and everyone can see it. Everyone, that is except Olivia, who is oblivious to everything going around her unless it has to do with the sorority.

So even though Jordan and Maysie have put a stop to their flirting, it's still awkward. And Jordan seems past the point of caring what is right and wrong, because he kisses Maysie at a sorority party where they were caught by Milla, Olivia's best friend.

Now, Maysie is the harlot of campus. Everyone knows about her and Jordan "hooking up" and calls her a lot of nasty names. After awhile, she's able to ignore it and be with Jordan, but things get too out of control and her sorority sisters are pulling horrible prank after prank, assaulting Maysie.

Maysie can't handle it anymore. She really likes Jordan and they are great together, but the rumors that are spreading around campus are too much for Maysie.

Can she get past what everyone is saying, or will she keep running away from Jordan to try and save her reputation? How can they possibly be together when the whole school is against them? Read Bad Rep by A. Meredith Walters to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This was an eBook that I just had to buy, and I couldn't put my Kindle down until I finished the novel. I think I've found my new favorite genre, and that is New Adult, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

Okay, so the book. I loved it when Maysie and Jordan were together, and even when they weren't but were in the same room together, because I could feel the attraction through the pages.

But there is a bad part to this novel. I HATED the sections where Maysie ran away from Jordan and cried, sobbed, moped in her room, only to do it all over again. It drove me crazy. She couldn't make up her mind and let everyone else rule what she should do rather than what she wanted to do.

Letting other control your life is never a smart decision because it basically means the person isn't happy with what they are doing, and Maysie was definitely not happy throughout a lot of this book because she wasn't with Jordan.

Okay, besides my ranting, I really did like this novel. The waitressing part made me think of the old days when I used to waitress, and I really dug that Jordan was in a band and in a fraternity - such a contradiction! I would love to read this novel through Jordan's viewpoint because I might actually like most of the novel. He was always chasing Maysie rather than running away, until he got to the point where he couldn't take the rejection anymore.

I see that Walters is going to be writing a companion book to this one, only about Riley and Garret - a band mate of Jordan's. This book I will not miss because Riley is spunky, rude, sassy, and takes crap from nobody. She is my kind of leading woman!

So, for older readers who want to read about college years and being slighted by society, this would be a good book for you to pick up!

The Seven Devils by Sara Danvers

When Ellen's father tries to drown her in their pool while drunk, Ellen's mother (after accusing Ellen of doing something to make her father mad) decided to move Ellen and her older brother Austin away from their father.

Ellen was all for that, since she was almost strangled to death, but her mother makes is seem like it is her fault, when it's technically her father's fault for being a brutal, angry, abusive drunk. And Austin is permanently angry with Ellen, treating her as if she didn't exist.

Which is how Ellen survives: being invisible.

But when they get to their new town and their new school, Ellen sticks out like a sore thumb. She is the only red head and everybody is gorgeous.

When she gets hassled at lunch in the cafeteria by a bunch of boys, while also getting asked out on her first day by an attractive, but cocky, guy named Derrick, she is saved by a mysterious loner: Neil.

Everyone at school has so much hostility and fear toward Neil that Ellen doesn't know what to do. However, Neil is the only nice person at her school and offers to sit with her at lunch, so she won't turn down that kind of offer.

The more Ellen gets to know Neil, the more she likes him. But with everyone warning her away, she wonders what the big secret is.

Even though she is dating Neil, against everyone's warnings, she's still getting attention from Derrick. He won't leave her alone and he is always showing up.

Suddenly, Neil starts to ignore Ellen, giving her no clue as to what had happened between them. Now that she's suddenly alone, Derrick is around more and more, and Ellen finds that she likes to hangout with him.

But when they start to date, he becomes possessive, threatening, commanding. Ellen wants out, but she's afraid to make Derrick too angry.

After much difficulty and close calls, they do break up and suddenly Neil is around again.

And he has answers to Ellen's questions. The questions she's been dying to ask all year - since that first day she met him. But what are the dark secrets that Neil is hiding? Will it be too much for Ellen to handle? will she end up leaving him for good, or can they work through Neil's past? Read The Seven Devils by Sara Danvers to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I got this off of Amazon for free and finally got around to reading it on my kindle. I thought it was an interesting story, the beginning sucked me in because Ellen was being choked and drowned by her father in the pool. That is definitely a scene that will capture any reader's attention.

I felt really bad for Ellen. She obviously didn't get love from any of her family members, and learned to blend in and hide from situations. She would jump at every loud noise or when someone yelled too loud, which I can completely understand after what she went through.

I really liked Neil. Sure, there were rumors about him at school, actually, in their whole town, but he treated Ellen with respect, which is more than what Derrick did in that cafeteria.

And he really cared/looked out for her. Whenever she was in trouble, he would come running to save her.

Because I read this on my Kindle, the formatting was a little off, so that bugged me a little bit. There were also some grammatical and punctuational errors that I noticed right away, but it didn't deter me from reading the whole novel.

I'd give this novel 2.5 stars. It was a good book, but there was a lot thrown into it and it seemed it could have been wrapped up faster than what it was. I did like the supernatural aspect of it, even though it seemed thrown in there at random times, where other times it could have been a contemporary novel.

If anyone is looking for a survival, supernatural, high school novel, I would recommend this book, but it wouldn't be my first choice to give to other readers.

I do wonder, though, if there is another novel coming? A sequel? Because if there is, I will read it because I want to know what happens between Neil and Ellen. The ending was very bland and sad toned, so I would want to read more to get a happier ending.

The D.U.F.F. by Kody Keplinger

Bianca is best friends with Jessica and Casey. Her friends also happen to be drop dead gorgeous and supermodel tall. Bianca never really noticed that though, until Wesley.

Wesley, the arrogant man-slut at school. He doesn't hide that he gets around with girls, but he's also very nice to them and treats them with honesty.

Though he was brutally honest when he told Bianca that she was the DUFF of her friends - the designated ugly fat friend.

So it goes to show that Bianca cannot stand Wesley, even though the whole school drools over him.

But with troubles at home and Bianca isn't able to talk to Casey or Jessica about it, Bianca starts to lean on Wesley a little bit. Okay, a lot in the fact that she sleeps with him. A lot. It's not a relationship because they are both using one another and have an agreement that no one can know about it. But it's a way to relieve the stress they are feeling from their home life.

Because Bianca's parents aren't doing so well. In fact, after traveling for two years, her mother sent her father divorce papers in the mail. And then her father, a recovering alcoholic, goes on a drinking spree.

After a few months of being with Wesley, she calls it off and starts dating the boy of her dreams from the beginning of the school year: Toby.

But why does Toby's touch feel different than Wesley's? And why does she think about Wesley, period?! Maybe it's because he keeps sending her notes, and calls her and texts her. Isn't he the one that is the player and doesn't stay with one person for more than a month?

And then there are the times that she day dreams about Wesley, not Toby. It seems she may have grown attached to Wesley...

What will Bianca do? Stay with Toby, the guy she's destined to be with because they are so similar or try to handle Wesley, the guy that she can't get out of her head? Read The DUFF by Kody Keplinger to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Kody Keplinger has become a fast author that I have immensely enjoyed reading! She has three novels out and I devoured every single one of them. I also really enjoyed them because they are different from each other.

This novel is no different, though I found it more rough than the others. To be called a DUFF behind your back is one thing, but Bianca was told that she was a DUFF to her face. I don't know how she handled it, but I probably would have done the same thing she did and just believed it to make me feel better. Knowing something and living up to it is sometimes easier than trying to prove it's wrong.

I did laugh out loud during the first time Bianca and Wesley kiss - well Bianca kissing Wesley when he wasn't expecting it. I can only imagine how shocked he was, but he didn't waste any time kissing her back, that's for sure.

Actually, Bianca threw Wesley off quite a bit. The playboy was shocked by the DUFF - that throws a twist into things and makes it even better because he's supposed to be ready for everything. Bianca definitely took him by surprise.

I felt for both Bianca and Wesley because they were having crappy family problems. And they both felt that they couldn't tell their friends because they didn't want to burden them, so they confided in each other. Not something either of them thought they would be doing, but it definitely helped them both.

I cannot wait for more of Keplinger's novels! She does a wonderful job with her books and I'm always sucked into them - usually reading them in one sitting! This book took me less than a day to read - that's how devoted to it I was!

I think teen girls would really love her novels, and this one deals with self-image that I think any females can relate to at one point in their life (usually high school). So I would definitely recommend this book to others!

Salvation by Anne Osterlund

Salva
Growing up with his immigrant Mexican father who just got his U.S. Citizenship, Salva has grown up with the thought of succeeding at everything that he does. And he has been very successful.

Salva has taken the football team to state and won. He has the highest GPA in his class, making him valedictorian. He's taken the hardest classes and has passed every single one of them. He will go to a college and get a degree, from the persistence of his parents.

He will prove to his father that he was successful and will get an education that will mean something.

Senior year should be easy. But with a schedule mishap, he now has to take AP English - a class that is taught by a teacher nicknamed "the Mercenary". That name is not to be taken lightly. Salva has found himself getting an F for the first time in his life and he must do everything to make sure this class won't ruin everything he's worked so hard for.

And that's where Beth - the walking disaster - comes in. For some reason, she's able to get A's in the Mercenary's class. She may be a disaster who can't keep anything in the right spot, can't walk into a room without spilling papers everywhere, or losing things left and right, but she is very smart.

Smart enough to want to go to Stanford and might have a chance at getting in.

And now Salva is going to have to ask someone for the first time to help him.

Beth
Since Beth was 13 years old, she has had a crush on Salva. Too bad he has never looked at her before, or since, she obtained her crush.

Over the years, she's gotten used to it. Sure, she still gets twinges when he's around, but it's not as bad as it used to be when she was younger.

The moment Salva came to talk to her about the AP English course, Beth thought a joke was being played with her. The most popular guy at school is now talking to her. Not just talking to her - asking her for help in their class. She wants to say no, but after he says please and seems so depressed, Beth couldn't say no to him again.

So now Beth is working with Salva. And she's  having a great time just hanging out with Salva. He's a great guy, smart, kind and is very protective of his family and friends.

Life at home isn't the greatest for Beth, so getting to know Salva has been a blessing. And since she is working her tail off to hopefully get into Sanford because she doesn't have all of the money in the world, she's a little leery on letting him in to hurt her again - even if he didn't know about the first one.

But their lives are very different from one another and not everyone likes the idea of the two of them hanging out. The thing is, though, Beth becomes more open around Salva and Salva starts to wonder about what he really wants - because Beth makes him question everything.

Can things work out for the two of them, or are they destined to follow the paths that their peers vision for them? Read Salvation by Anne Osterlund to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I really, really enjoyed this novel! I've read one other novel by Osterlund and enjoyed that as well, but this one was really amazing for me!

The characters are minorities in a school that makes them the majority. Salva is a Mexican American and Beth lives in a trailer, hoping that there would be something to eat when she gets home. I think this alone is amazing because it shows a different lifestyle that people live through everyday and isn't really depicted well throughout YA fiction.

Also, both students are determined to get out of their town and make a name for themselves by going to college and getting the degree they need to have a life outside of the little town. Neither of them slack and are very dedicated.

The home lives for both of the characters made my heart wrench for them. To be around people who either judge them too harshly or ignore them completely is hard and doing that for years can really effect a teenager.

So yes, I absolutely loved this novel and I think that all teens should read this! It would really show the reader how the "other side of the tracks" looks and how life goes for people in these situations. Also, both Salva and Beth are narrating the book, so I think guys could like reading this book as well.

I just ordered the other two YA novels from Osterlund that I haven't read yet because I really like her as an author and I'm looking forward to see what the other series is about.

Another great thing about this book? It's a standalone! No sequel :) Everything is in this novel and I think Osterlund wrapped it up very nicely.

So go read this! I think you'll really enjoy it!

Gravity by Melissa West

This is the first novel in The Taking series by Melissa West.

It's the year 2140. A lot of things have changed, including an invasion against the Ancients - otherworldly people who participated in World War IV. Otherwise known as aliens.

After most of the population died, a treaty was formed between the rest of the humans and the Ancients: they will stop fighting if the humans will allow the Ancients to "take" certain supplements from the humans when they are asleep.

It's called The Taking.

And the one rule is: never peek.

When 17 year old Ari lost her patch - a smooth cloth that clings to the persons face, not allowing them to move, see or feel - she has to go through the Taking very much alert.

And she couldn't help but peek...just a little bit.

Turns out, her Ancient is none other than Jackson Locke - a classmate who competing her for the top spot in  Force Training.

He's supposed to be human, but he is very much not. Instead of reporting Jackson to her father, the Commander, Jackson talks to Ari and she realizes that another war is about to occur. So either Ari helps Jackson stop the war, or she jump starts it by telling her father.

Now Ari is between two worlds, trying to figure out which way is the right decision for everyone she loves and cares about.

But the government doesn't see it the way Ari does, and they go to drastic measures. Ari needs to decide what to do, but either way she will get hurt in the end by losing someone she cares about.

Can Ari find a way to save both humans and Ancients? Or will another war wipe out all of mankind this time? Read Gravity by Melissa West to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Another alien novel! Seems this is going to be a topic to write about now? Not that I'm complaining - I really love the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and will definitely take more sexy aliens.

This novel is a little different though. It's dystopian and more "governmental" than some others, making it almost realistic because the reader can see this happening with the amount of detail West put into the description of the world in 2140.

Ari is amazing. Growing up as the Commanders daughter, she got no slack and was expected to one day take her father's places as the new Commander. She got up every morning to fight and train with her father, making her one of the best in her class as a Force Training.

She also has a clear head and can see both sides, rather than her father who only sees the world where humans are concerned.

So yeah, I really liked Ari. She stood up for what she believed in rather than what was expected, and I really like female roles that do that.

Jackson is very mysterious and kept a lot of information to himself, making it hard for Ari to trust him. Even at the end of the novel he was still being mysterious! Which is a little aggravating after awhile!

This was definitely set up to be part of a series, and I'm glad because I want to go back to this world and see what happens after this ending! (Read it if you want to know the ending :P)

Unfortunately I have to wait until August 2013!! Way too long for me, but I will get it as soon as it's released.

If you want a governmental, dystopian, alien filled novel to read, this one is for you. I would highly recommend it!

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

The summer before college is going to be great for Whitley because she gets one last hooray with her father at his condo near the lake. She's also getting away from her mother who is always complaining about her ex-husband, even though they've been divorced for 6 years now.

But everything changes when Whitley and her father don't go to the condo. Instead, he drives her to a house in a suburb.

Where there's a woman hugging her. And two teenagers in the background...

Apparently Whitley's dad is engaged, and didn't think to tell her about that BEFORE driving to the house.

And the other bad part? The son of his fiance, Nathan, just happens to be the guy she got drunk with and slept with at his graduation bash...

Can you say awkward?

So now Whitley is stuck living with her father and his new family, has an almost step-brother that she slept with and might still have feelings for, a new younger step-sister that wants to be just like Whitley, and an almost step-mother that notices a lot more than Whitley's real mother and father.

All she wanted was a summer of drinking and hanging out with her dad, who she only gets to see once a year. And some input on what she might major in college from her father would also be nice. But for some reason, he is "too busy" to hang out with her anymore. She hasn't seen him all summer.

When people start taking photos of Whiltey in drunken circumstances then post them on Facebook, where her father gets tagged in them, things are about to get very intense. Whitley's relationship with her mother, father and Nathan might not make it through the summer...

Read A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I think I've become a fan of Kody Keplinger! I need to read her third novel before I make that official, but her other two novels are great and I loved them!

So, the book review. Whitley would not be my friend. Well, she doesn't "do" friends, so it would be problematic, but she's very dramatic and a partier, which I'm not.

I do have to admit, though, that I might have acted childish and upset if my dad did what Whitley's dad did to her. Actually, I would have threw a fit the moment I found out instead of waiting til the end of summer and got it off of my chest, because I wouldn't be able to keep it to myself.

The thing with Nathan was a little odd. But they met before they found out about each other and their new "living" arrangements, so it wasn't too weird. Just a little.

I almost feel bad for Whitley. I can't blame her for acting out and being a partier, for not having any friends, because of her life style for the last 6 years. Dad left, mom starting being a pain, older brother moved to the west coast - it's a lot for a 13 year old to go through.

Overall, I liked this book. I liked the way Whitley opened up, especially to Bailey, her younger almost step-sister. She couldn't say no to the girl and started to become protective of her.

And Harrison. The gay hot guy that Whitley suddenly found herself becoming friends with. He was a hoot and was very good for Whitley.

So yes, I liked it and while I may not have loved every aspect of it, the message was good and I grew to love it by the end of the novel :)

Now I just need to go find the third novel that I haven't read and see if Keplinger is an author to keep!

I would recommend this novel for older teen girls because there is content in here that might not be suitable for younger girls.

New Girl by Paige Harbison

Being the new girl sucks. Being the new girl at a boarding school senior year? It's horrible. Plus the fact that she took the place of another girl who went missing the previous year didn't make for a very good start to this huge change in life.

But she didn't want to disappoint her parents - they've been sending applications every year until she finally got in.

Now that she's at Manderley Academy, though, the thought of going back to FL where everything is familiar and normal is very tempting. But she's sticking it out for the year - what could possibly go wrong?

Well, one, the roommate, Dana, hates her on sight. Dana used to be roommates with Becca, the very popular, very pretty girl who disappeared right before the previous year.

Two, everyone at this preppy school thinks that she wants to be Becca. They have the same hair color, the same room, so of course she wants to be like the one person at the school that she hasn't met.

And three, no one - NO ONE - calls her by her name. They all think of her as "the new girl" and for some reason that's the only thing she's been associated by.

Finally, Max Holloway. He makes her feel all sorts of feelings. The problem? Max is Becca's boyfriend - well before she disappeared. So now she has to stay away from Max because everyone will think that she wants to be Becca even more.

But no one knows the drama that happened between Becca, Max, and Max's best friend Johnny. Not even Max and Johnny. Only Becca, and she's not around to tell it.

So now she has to take the consequences of Becca leaving and make her parents happy, while also trying to fight her attraction toward Max, which is a little difficult because it seems that Max might like her as well.

What will the new girl do? Can things get to a point where she might get her own identity, or will this whole senior just be a time where she wished never happened? Read New Girl by Paige Harbison to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Goodreads recommended this book to me so I thought I would try it. It was alright, not the best thing I've read, but there were some things that really interested me.

First, the way everyone acted around Becca. I think everyone at Manderley Academy was very boring before Becca came, because they treated her like a celebrity. She made the party a party and everyone loved her for it, even though they never knew the real Becca.

Secondly, this is told through first person, so the main girl, the new girl? We only see her name once in the book, at the very end. Because it was told through first person, I never realized that no one called her by her name - not once. When I read her name, I was startled and had to remember hard if I had seen it throughout the book, but I hadn't. The reader basically generalizes the girl as the new girl because that's what the author wanted us to do.

And lastly, this was told by Becca and new girl's point of view, giving the reader a chance to see how the previous year was when Becca was the new girl. Both girls are very different from one another, yet there is something there that makes them unforgettable for the students at Manderley Academy.

So this book was okay. There were points where I rolled my eyes or thought it was annoying, but I think the storyline was really good and the author did a great job depicting new students coming into a shadow of a celebrity figure.

For anyone who wants a mystery plot line while also reading about a strong willed female character, I would recommend this to you!

Wrecked by Anna Davies

After her parents accident on their home island, Miranda and her brother Teddy have stayed with their grandmother on Whym Island for the last ten years.

There is a legend, a curse, on Whym Island that is you say the sea witch's name while on a boat in the ocean that she will get revenge and take the souls on the boat.

When Miranda and 7 of her friends were on Miranda's boat, one of the passengers said Sephie and before the night was out, 4 of her friends died in a boating accident and 3 were severely injured before the life rescue came.

But Miranda was miraculously saved. She got caught in the cable underwater and she remembers someone saving her, carrying her out of the water and onto shore. She should have died with her best friends and boyfriend, but for some reason someone saved her.

Life on Whym Island wasn't easy before the boating accident, but now that she was one of the survivors and it was her boat that caught on fire, she is even more outcasted than before. Miranda has no friends now, she can't talk to her grandmother or Teddy because they are getting the social outcast stare, so Miranda is just keeping her thoughts to herself.

That is, until she met Christian, who just happened to be the one who saved her from the accident.

And Christian has a secret that he's keeping from Miranda: he's a betwixted, part human, part merman. When he saved Miranda, he took a soul from Sephie and now she wants revenge.

Either Christian takes Miranda's soul to make up for her mistake or Sephie will take Christian's soul. One way or another Sephie will have her soul to add to the many souls in the ocean.

But when Christian meets Miranda and starts talking to her, he realizes that he is getting feelings for her.

Can Christian do what he is supposed to do, or will he disobey Sephie? And can Miranda trust Christian with all of his secrets, or will the secrecy tear them apart? Read Wrecked by Anna Davies to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book was...eh. I did finish it, which was a plus because there were a few times where I just wanted to call it quits. But I stuck through it to know the ending, since I don't think it's part of a series.

I don't know. The writing, for one, was not my style. There would be two lines of dialogue and then half a page of narration, of observance and I'm more of an action and dialogue reader than a ponderer.

Plus Miranda was ready to run away from everything because it wasn't going her way. There were a few moments where she talked back and fought against someone, which I liked, but being docile and timid is not a quality that I like in my lead characters.

Christian was alright as well. He was confused being on the surface rather than in the water, so I'll give him a leeway because of that but he didn't fight very hard overall.

I'm going to have to say that this book is not for me. I was intrigued by the synopsis, but overall it turned out to be a good that I enjoyed at all.

And the ending is something else. I won't say that it was horrible, because it wasn't. It was just different than most endings that might cause it to be hated by many readers.

So yeah, I didn't really like this book. There were some parts that peaked my interest enough to read a full two pages in a row, but otherwise it was a snooze fest.

But anyone who wants to read a twist on merpeople, you might enjoy this novel. It's also in alternative viewpoints between Miranda and Christian, though Christian doesn't have many pages of narration.

It is also the author's debut novel, so maybe for her next one I'll pick it up and see if she changes her style.

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

For two months, Sarah has been keeping a secret from her best friend, Brianna: she has a huge crush on her boyfriend Ryan.

It doesn't matter that Sarah liked Ryan first. It also doesn't matter that Sarah talked to Ryan first or held his hand first. Brianna took charge when she saw Ryan talking to Sarah, not thinking that Ryan might like Sarah, and declared him her boyfriend.

Brianna wanted Ryan so she got him.

So now Sarah is a bystander in their relationship. She's happy for them, but being around them hurts her heart because she really likes Ryan. Has liked him since the eighth grade.

But she has been quite during these two months and has been a great best friend to Brianna.

Brianna, the girl who tells Sarah what to do in order to look "doable" rather than beautiful. Brianna, the girl who has been Sarah's best friend since kindergarten.

Then the unthinkable happened: Ryan kissed Sarah. Ryan, Brianna's boyfriend and Sarah's crush, kissed Sarah. And now all Sarah can think about is doing it over and over. But then she feels guilty because Brianna is her best friend and she has a hard life at home.

The guilt is eating inside of her but she can't deny the attraction her and Ryan have together. And it's not just the attraction, but the connection they have. Conversation doesn't seem like a chore with the two of them, but flows easily. They have a great time.

Brianna thinks that she's in love with Ryan, which destroys Sarah. How can her and Ryan break apart that love Brianna feels?

Can Sarah and Ryan be together, or will Sarah's friendship with Brianna win out and she will have to watch the two lovebirds be together even longer? Read The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Hmm. I've had good luck and bad luck with Elizabeth Scott. Loved one of her books and hated another, so I wanted to give another go at her work.

And this book got a 3 to 3 1/2 stars, so it landed in the middle.

On the one hand, I liked it. I liked the scenes between Sarah and Ryan. They were adorable and bittersweet rolled together.

But on the other hand, I was frustrated. Brianna is a brat, plain and simple. I could never be friends with her. I couldn't believe how she downgraded and judged Sarah and Sarah just took it thinking it was Brianna being a friend! Definitely wasn't.

Also, Brianna was bio polar, or so I thought. She would go from sad and crying to happy and laughing in a matter of seconds. Too much whiplash for me to keep up with her.

So, basically, I liked the forbidden romance between Sarah and Ryan, but hated Brianna. Take out Brianna and this book would have been perfect.

Of course, if that actually happened then this book would not be the torture chamber that it is.

I have an opinion on the whole, "like another guy when he's unavailable and doing something naughty about it before the situation is fixed" but it's conflicted and contradicting of itself so I'm not going to go there. It is a topic that has been written about many times and numerous authors go at it different than others.

Now that I've had a good, a bad, and an okay novel from Scott, I suppose I'll need to go find another one of her novels to see how I like her works. Get one that is more dominated to actually figure out if I like her novels or not!

For anyone who wants a fast, guilt ridden novel to read, this would be right up your alley! For readers who despise mean girls and girls who get stomped all over by best friends, I would kindly suggest you stay away from this novel.

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Before, when Eliza thought she was moving, she made a list of things that she was afraid of and wanted to conquer when she moved to the new place: new place, new Eliza.

But she never left so now she just keeps writing all of the fears that she has.

And, unfortunately, Eliza loses everything. Everything. And now she's misplaced her notebook. Come to find out that the leader of the 318's club, Tyler, at high school, a group of guys who do pranks every now and then, stole it.

Apparently, Eliza created hardships for her ex-boyfriend, Cooper, who is also part of the 318 group. She broke up with him when she found out that he only started dating her as a initiation rite to become a member of 318. So Eliza broke up with him and hasn't talked to him since.

It is also rumored that she destroyed any chances Cooper had to go into Brown College by writing half-truths about him on the internet.

Now, though, Eliza needs someone on the inside to figure out why they took her notebook, and why they are making her do certain fears that she wrote down throughout the years.

With her two best friends, Marissa and Clarice, Eliza is going from one rendezvous to the next trying to fulfill these tasks that Tyler is making her do to get her notebook back. And Cooper seems to be popping up everywhere, who seems to be trying to help, but Eliza thinks that it is part of the ruse.

Can Eliza get her notebook back? Will she be able to go through all of her fears until Tyler is done tormenting her? And why is Cooper still hanging around after he used her to get into 318? Read One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I really liked this novel!

I've had good things and bad things to say about Barnholdt's novels, depending on which novel I'm talking about. I started her works with amazing results then found that the rest of them were blah. But I really enjoyed this one so I'm happy that I was able to read it!

I thought Eliza was very juvenile character, and writing down a list of fears for anyone to snatch is never a good idea. But I really enjoyed the plot of this novel and the action that went along with each "dare" Eliza was given.

I also really liked Cooper. He is popular but is always wanting to help everyone who asks him.

Marissa and Clarice are dimwits - I can't think of any better word for them. They are scatterbrained and are leaving Eliza every other scene. Thankfully, Cooper was around to save the day for each dilemma.

Overall, I really liked this book! There were things that bugged me and I thought could be better, but I think it was a great story line and I really enjoyed the ending.

I would recommend this book to fans of Barnholdt's, along with Rachel Cohn and David Levithan since it has some of the same themes.

Now, I'm going to go see if I'm missing anymore of Barnholdt's novels and complete my collection of her works!

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

Prom. You either hate it or love it. Justina happens to hate it, while her best friend Ian wants to go to it. So when Ian asks Justina to go with him as friends, she says yes.

Though she has a plan in action. Sure, Justina and Ian were friends for awhile - best friends. But things have changed. She is starting to see him as a good person to have as a boyfriend. And it was all because of the green shirt he wore one day that worked well with his eye color.

So prom it is. But the plan is to dance to their song, and kiss him for the first time. It's all planned out in her head.

Except every bad thing that could happen does. She gets numerous (yes, more than one. More than three even) stains on her blue dress, finds out that dying her shoes to match her dress isn't the cool thing to do, has EVERYTHING she is wearing/carrying the same color blue, making her look like a blueberry, her zipper gets ripped off and her dress is falling off - and that's just the stuff that happened to her.

Then she gets ditched by Ian. One minute she was in the bathroom trying to salvage her dress and when she comes out, Ian left. Gone. Poof.

So then she decides to ditch him. Goes off to parties, to the In-and-Out restaurant, more parties, drives two lunatics to switch dogs from one house to another, and eventually ends up in a ditch.

Literally. In. A. Ditch.

What else could possibly go wrong? Except that things are not what they seem to Justina. There is always an answer to every random act. Read Ditched by Robin Mellom to find out what really happened!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Okay, this book was alright. I happened to see it on Goodreads and thought it sounded humorous so I got it from the library. It definitely wasn't my favorite book. I actually had to convince myself to finish it, because I wanted to know the ending.

At times I enjoyed this book. But for the most part, I just thought it was, "meh".

Justina had a rough night. Being ditched and taking it to heart is not something a former "Party Girl" wants to go through, because she might relapse and go back to her partying and kissing days.

And, because I know everyone wants to know, the dress on the cover? Right up there? ^^ That is EXACTLY what the dress in the book is about. Exactly. I don't think I would leave the house in something like that. I just couldn't.

So on the one hand, I think Justina was brave to go to prom in that dress. But on the other hand, she could have just told her mother no when she was buying the dress, not worrying about her feelings. Apparently Justina was a good daughter, though.

Anyway, this was a comical book that was a fast read. Just about the one night of prom and the morning after, when Justina is retelling the story to two strangers at a 7-Eleven gas station.

Anyone who wants to read about a prom gone wrong, pick this up. For those who hate prom, you can also read this to see the exact reason why not to go to prom. Others, prom haters or dislikers, I would advise you to stay away from this novel. You probably wouldn't enjoy the prom rituals Justina went through with Ian.

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Maya is an over responsible high schooler. She has impeccable grades because she wants to go to Stanford in the fall - anything to get out of Michigan. She also works every free time she has at her parents Thai restaurant as a waitress.

So when her parents were gone for five days, leaving Maya in charge of the restaurant, it was a great time to be a high school student and slack on a few things. But after angering paying customers and having those customers call the Health Inspection (and not doing some nightly chores to clean up) she found herself with a $10,000 fine that she had to pay in a little over a month.

$10,000 that she doesn't have.

Then she came up with a plan - ask the notorious rich boy Camden King, whom she was tutoring, if he wanted to pay her for doing his homework. That could pay off some of the fines, right? But she needed more money, and more time to do everyone's homework who was willing to pay.

So she asked some of her friends, and they asked some of their friends.

And now it looks like Camden and Maya have a little business going on. The cash is coming in, Maya has 4 times the homework to do, plus she is waitressing every minute the restaurant is open that she's not in school.

This can work. Or it would have, if she didn't get caught by her stalker and fellow tutoring guide Leonard. Now, because she won't go out with him, she has to pay HIM $5,000 around the same time as her Health Inspection fee is due.

It seems like Maya can't get a break.

Oh, and another thing? Now her and Camden are sneaking kisses left and right. She knows he is a pronouned sleaze bag who has been with every female known to man, but there is something about Camden that she is attracted to. Even though she probably shouldn't be.

Can Maya make both payments by the due date and can she do her operation without getting caught by the school, authorities, or, worse, her parents? Read She's So Money by Cherry Cheva to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book made me laugh so many times! I really enjoyed it!

Now, I may have connected with this book a little bit - no, not the cheating part, but the waitressing part :) I was able to think back on my waitressing days and I think Cheva did a great job depicting the responsibilities of a waitress job.

Maya was in over her head. I remember high school and while the homework wasn't extremely hard, I would not want to redo assignments over and over again all night long.

But her and Camden's operation was pretty slick, I must say. Maya is a genius so she came up with the smarter side of the scheme and Camden proved that he wasn't a dumb jock who lived off of his parents money. Well, not all of the time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had many laughs, many tears, and a whole lot of lack of sleep and loopy moments. The scenes with Camden and Maya as a "couple" were cute, but not very steamy or romantic. I mean, she was doing homework whenever she had time off - not too many chances to become steamy romantic.

I think high school girls would like this novel. It does talk about cliques and society in high school, so they could relate to that. I hope no one would relate to the cheating aspect of this novel, but who knows! And maybe they will read how smart Maya is and want to do better in their schoolwork?

Anyway, it was a cute novel and I'm glad I read it. Makes me glad I'm not in high school anymore, that's for sure!

Covet by Melissa Darnell

This is the second novel in The Clann series by Melissa Darnell.

My review of #1: Crave.

Note - There will be spoilers of the first novel. Just to forewarn you before you continue reading!

Savannah's life sucks. She's half vampire, half witch and is in love with a boy that she cannot be with - according to both The Clann council and the vampire council.

So when Tristan was taken by the vampires to perform a test with Savannah, she promised to break it off with him so it wouldn't cause an outright war between the witches and vampires.

But Tristan didn't like that idea and wanted to still see Savannah. She made it clear, though, that she wasn't going to continue seeing him and they separated on bad terms.

Right after that, Savannah's vampire side kicked in and now she can't eat human food and has a lot more abilities than she did before. And she has no one to talk to about it because her friends are human and she's not talking to Tristan anymore.

Because Savannah's grandmother died, all of the magic that had been helping Savannah with her vampire side faded away. Then Savannah had to go live with her father because the bloodlust that comes with being a vampire would be too strong to stay with her witch mother, whose blood is very tempting for vampires.

One bright side in Savannah's life, which there aren't many, was that when her grandmother died, Savannah got possession of her magic books/journals. Now Savannah is teaching herself how to control magic, but keeping it quite from The Clann because they don't want her to know anything about using magic against them.

Meanwhile, there are supposidly vampire attacks happening over the world, and one hits close to Tristan's family, causing a rift between The Clann members and Savannah and her father - the only vampires near them in Jacksonville, Texas.

Will both Tristan's clann and Savannah and her father figure out what is really happening with the attack on Clann members before an outright war come between the two species? And will Tristan and Savannah ever be able to figure a way to be together, or will they forever love each other but have to stay separate to save the other's life? Read Covet by Melissa Darnell to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This was a great novel!

Now, I thoroughly hate it when the characters are not together and keep insisting that they are better apart to save the other's life. I always think that there can be another way around that and they should fight to be with each other.

But Savannah and Tristan? They really do have to be apart from each other, looking at a distance at the one person they truely love. And I actually didn't mind that, so good job Darnell for giving me an actual reason to like the characters being separated!

Also, I think I didn't mind because both Tristan and Savannah had a lot of things they needed to work through and that kept them busy, even though they were missing the other like crazy.

I was really happy that Savannah got to learn how to do magic. I think it's appropriate that if she is half witch she should do magic, no matter what The Clann thinks about it.

This is told through both Savannah and Tristan's point of view, which I really liked, especially when they were separated from each other.

And, also, I really didn't notice the length of this book! It's 470 pages and when I came to find final paragraph, I wanted more!

The only bad part about this novel is the ending! Why?! Why a cliffhanger?!? I hate them and now I have to wait until 2013 to find out what happens. Because, let me tell you, it was one heck of a cliffhanger and left me wanting a lot more!

Guess I'll have to be patient and wait for it...

I loved this book and think everyone should read it! I would start with the first novel, though, because it will help explain a lot in this novel. So, what are you waiting for? Go get 'em!