Summer's Almost Over :(

As we all know, summer is almost over.

In 3 days, I will be starting school and my life will become full of lovely homework, speeches, and tests.

I won't have as much free time to read, sadly :( And even if I do, I don't know how much time I'll have to write reviews.

I'll do my best, but I am apologizing in advance if that doesn't happen.

I'm going to be pretty busy in the next few days, so this very well be my last post for a while.

If that is the case, then farewell, until next summer!

I hope it won't be though.

Happy reading everyone!

♥MyTeenReads

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Hey guess what? I have a follower lol. I just thought I would announce that. Anyway, on to the review!

Ahh the conclusion. I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I couldn't sadly. Shall we go over the things I liked and disliked?

What I Disliked:

How slow the story was. Honestly, I just couldn't get into the story. Maybe it was that I didn't want to read it because I knew it was going to end, or that it just didn't draw me in the same way. In Shiver, I was absolutely addicted. For Forever, I can't say as much. It took me about a week to read this, even though on average a book will take about 3 days. It just seemed so slow and sad at parts that it was hard to be totally absorbed. I felt like the conclusion and action-ey part was only in the last 30 pages, which is kinda ridiculous because the book is almost 400 pages.

The ending. I guess it had to end somehow, but it was so... unfulfilling. I don't want to give too much away, but I just wanted to know more. And I was still a little confused about what had happened in the aftermath haha.

The cure. I still felt like I was missing something, and the cure or whatever it was wasn't totally explained. I just felt that the part about the whole technicalities could have been described better so it felt more scientific.

Isabel and Cole. I wanted romance between them... and yeah that just didn't seem to happen. I wanted them to be happy :(

What I Liked:

The writing. Maggie's writing is amazing. It's so thoughtful, magical, and optimistic. There are just lines you read and you're like "Wow" because they're that thought-provoking. All the moods are captured perfectly. There's sadness, happiness, love, loss, betrayal, laughter, and anger. It can be totally serious at one moment, but then you find yourself smiling on the next page because of something Cole said.

The characters. I just love them all! Sam is just too adorable. I like how he's described as scrawny and lanky instead of being all buff and stuff haha. And he's like emo and feminine too. Aww... How cute. I love Cole and all of his sarcastic, smartass-edness. I love Isabel and how snarky and bitchy she can is, but really she has good intentions.

The love. I love what Sam and Grace have together. It's so sweet, and its so real. Their chemistry is so perfect.

The font color. It was just pretty awesome haha. She should write a book in purple.:D

So, In Conclusion:

The series in all was amazing. I would definitely recommend it! Forever had an ending that disappointed me, but I still think it deserves my 4 out of 5 stars .

Island Girls (And Boys) by Rachel Hawthorne

It's Jen's last summer before she goes off to college. Her last summer to be with her friends. So why not invite them to live in her grandparents beach house with her? There will be no parents, it can teach them about living on their own, and give them time together before they all go their separate ways. Jen, Chelsea, and Amy are all prepared for a fantastic good-bye party of the summer. They aren't prepared for love and how their friendship will change.

I have to admit, I had very low expectations of this book. It was one of those romance novels that looked really cheesy, plus it wasn't exactly new haha.  I don't remember why I picked it up, except the cover was cute lol. And I was blown away by how fantastically I was wrong! I absolutely adored this story.

The characters were amazing. Jen, Amy, and Chelsea are all so different and I found pieces of me in all of them. Jen is the organized one who loves planning (sometimes verging on bossy), Chelsea is the spoiled one, and Amy is the peacekeeper. I didn't really like Chelsea, and I think that was the whole point, but she had her moments that redeemed herself. I loved Jen, I really felt like I could relate with her. I totally felt her pain when it came to Chelsea. I honestly don't even know how they're friends. And with Dylan, I was always on her side. When she was mad at him, I was mad at him too. I didn't think I would be able to forgive him until that one turning point. And it was so sweet, so I forgave him along with Jen. I even found good parts in Noah, who I didn't really like.

The only thing I can think of that would have made this book better is an epilogue. I would have liked to know what happened to everyone, but then again maybe it's better without it haha. And also, the line under the cover that says "Just 3 girls (and 3 dogs, 2 boyfriends, and 1 true love)" could have been omitted. All it did was confuse me!! Also, the count changes throughout the story, so it gets a little confusing haha.

The story is a cute idea and I liked how it covered all sorts of topics, not just love as it suggests. It's about friendship, discovering yourself, making decisions, and learning about love and loss, all tied in to 336 pages. It's a great summer read, and I loved it. 5 out of 5 stars . I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a light, fun summer read. :)

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard



Lexi has always been drawn to the ocean, but on the night of her 16th birthday, she finds herself compulsively wanting to go for a swim and convinces her crush Steven to go with her. Something happens, and before she knows it she surfaces and finds Steven dead. Lexi is a siren, and must swim every night. When she sings her song, men can't help but follow her in to their death. After she kills Steven, she distances herself from her friends. She can't resist hurting anyone else, and its safer that way. Plus, they all blame her for Steven's death anyway (even though the autopsy shows he simply drowned). Then she meets Cole, who was Steven's best friend. She finds herself falling in love with him and wanting to share things with him. And then there's the mysterious Erik, who tells her that there is a way to end the curse and live a normal life. The catch, is that she would have to give up Cole.

 

I honestly wasn't a huge fan of Lexi. She kinda frustrated me with all of her fickleness. She was sooo in love with Steven. Then he dies, and she finds herself falling in love with Cole, who happened to be his best friend. And then there's Erik, and is she falling for him too? Okay that's getting confusing haha. I felt pretty loyal to Cole, so Erik angered me for sticking his head in Lexi's life. Also, she's sort of a b*tch to people. I guess it goes with the whole "distancing" thing, but she's kinda mean. She has her moments where I like her, but I wouldn't want to be BFFs with her. I don't blame Sienna for not really liking her afterward.

 

As for the concept of the story, amazing. I've never read anything about sirens, in fact, I barely know anything about them. And I had never heard of a nix before. I really liked the whole modern-day siren story. Ripple had a few slow moments, but it got really exciting towards the end. It was truly like an adventure because I wasn't able to predict a lot of things.

 

I think the cover is really beautiful, even though I'm not a huge fan of book covers with people on them. The title was kinda ehhh, it was simple and intriguing but not the most relevant to the story. Or at least not as relevant as it could have been haha.

 

A few things that bothered me was the location. Maybe I missed it, but I had no idea where this took place. I probably missed it somewhere though haha. Also, the grandmother. Ripple doesn't mention what she thinks of her granddaughter never sleeping at home. Hmmm...

 

I would have given this book 5 stars, but I think the conclusion could have been a little longer and things could have been said that would have tied the whole thing together, and there was the whole fact that Lexi was kinda mehh for me. But I really did like the concept and the story, so its like a 4.5 out of 5 stars. It's a unique, magical read, and I would recommend it.

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Shopaholic #2) by Sophie Kinsella

In this adventurous sequel to Confessions of a Shopaholic, Becky Bloomwood has it made. She has a wonderful boyfriend, a fantastic best friend, a loving and supportive family, and a career she (somewhat) likes as a finance guru on a morning TV show. And when her boyfriend announces that he’s going to New York and asks her to go with him, she finds herself in the glamour and glitz of America. There's just one tiny, tiny problem. She's in debt... AGAIN.

This is the second time I've read this book, and it was just as funny as the first.

Surprisingly, Becky is easy to love. Yes, she's just ridiculous and crazy and has a serious problem. But she's funny and lovable and has a good heart. She's rather shallow and I have no idea how Luke and Suze put up with her. She really is lucky, it's just dumb luck how things always end up in her favor at the end. However unrealistic and lucky she is, I find myself laughing with her, feeling her pain, and cheering for her the entire book. Mostly I'm just rolling my eyes at the ways she gets into all these crazy situations. I love how she explains to the reader exactly why she needs ANOTHER pair of shoes again and again, and yet it makes sense in a twisted way.

I love the Shopaholic series because the things that come out of this girl's mouth are just too ridiculous. Becky is very much in denial, and I hope that she'll get her act together in the next books. I've read them before, but I forget what happens lol. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a mindless chick-lit novel and enjoyed the first book in the series. The writing is the same as the first one, and there isn't any huge new things. If you didn't really like the first one, don't read this one because for you, it will basically be the same thing all over again.

4 out of 5 stars because I really did enjoy this one, as fluffy as the story was. :)

Absolutely Positively Not by David Larochelle

Steven is questioning his sexuality. He knows he's not gay, because why else would he have Victoria's Secret models on his wall or sit with the jocks at lunch? But then again, he does spend a lot of time eyeing Coach Bowman and looking at male underwear catalogues. Throughout the story, Steven learns what it means to be a guy and to be true to himself.

First of all, I'm going to put aside the fact that parts of this book were very stereotypical and unrealistic. I am noting that, and that I am not going to go into detail about it.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh on quite a few occasions because it was just TOO funny. Steven is hilarious and someone I would want as my best friend. The writing is witty and the characters are easy to understand. This is an adorable story about coming out. I wished that the pages never ended because I was totally absorbed into Steven's words. I loved Steven's personality and how brave and positive he is. I found myself cheering him on in all the "illegal" things he does and when he was trying to get his driver's license.

I also enjoyed how there wasn't any messy romances in the plot line, so that didn't take away from the story. It distinguishes this novel from being about a gay romance to being about coming out. And that is such a refreshing change.

The one thing that I was disappointed about was Coach Bowman. I would have really liked for Steven and him to have talked at the end of the story instead of Bowman just disappearing from the plot line.

I loved this book because it made me smile and laugh and put me in a good mood. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a hilarious story about a not-sure-if-he's-gay guy.This fantastic novel definitely deserves 5 out of 5 stars.

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

Brittany Ellis is beautiful, rich, and popular. All the guys want to date her, and the girls want to be her. She's the head cheerleader, and is dating the quarterback, Colin. Her life is perfect, or at least that's what she wants you to believe. Hidden under the stereotype she feels pressured by everyone to keep up the act. Her parents expect too much of her, because their other daughter has cerebral palsy. "Shelley can't be perfect, so she has to be." She's running from her own demons and trying to figure out what she wants and how to keep everyone happy.

Alex Fuentes is a member of the Latino Blood Gang. He's a total bad-a... most of the time. Most people stay are scared of him and stay away. You never know who he'll pick a fight with next, and he has the scars to prove it. No one expects too much of him. Everyone is just waiting for him to drop out of high school. What they don't know is that Alex loves his family very much. The only reason he joined the gang was so that he could protect them from harm. He's a lot smarter than people give him credit for, and has a secret desire to graduate from high school and go to college.

So what happens when these two very different people get put together as partners in chemistry class? The preppy, popular cheerleader and the cocky, dangerous gangbanger? Well, that should be obvious. Perfect Chemistry. They can't believe it, but they fall in love with each other. And then they are way over their heads with decisions to make for themselves, each other, friends, and their family.

I really did enjoy this book. I liked how it showed that you can't judge people by looking at them, because we all have our secrets. Brittany wasn't just some blonde ditz, she was smart and just wanted to follow her heart. Alex isn't the bad guy all the time, he's smart and actually has goals. The characters were stereotypical, but broke the mold at the same time.

While the overall story was kinda unrealistic, I loved it just the same. It was sweet and the characters were honest and relatable. The concept wasn't very original, but it was still intriguing and very fun to read. I wonder what a book would be like if the roles were reversed, where there was a preppy guy and a girl from a gang. Hmm... Someone should write that story.

The only thing I didn't really like was the epilogue. I liked it, but it wasn't really necessary. If it was a stand alone book, I would have liked it. But since there are two more books, I think it could have been taken out and the story would have been fine. It was sweet, but unnecessary.

I think this book would have been fine on its own, without other books in the series, but I will be reading the other ones when I get the chance :) I really did enjoy this romance novel, and I would recommend it if it sounds interesting to you.  5 out of 5 stars !!

Bad Taste in Boys (Kate Grable #1) by Carrie Harris

Kate Grable is the student trainer for the football team. They suck, btw. She tends to any small injuries they have and gives them Gatorade. This position gives her the chance to watch her crush Aaron (get beaten up every game) all the time. When she discovers that the boys on the football team are being injected by something that was thought to be steroids, she’s concerned. She becomes even more concerned when they start turning into zombies. Now, it’s up to her to find a cure before the entire town turns into a worm fest!

The characters were lovable and quite entertaining. I have to say that my favorite character was the pubescent younger brother Jonah. He was wayyy awkward and funny. Like some people I know. Hmmm…

The story was actually pretty gory and gross at times. There’s detatched fingers, black vomit, and bite marks. It gets really graphic, and that really isn’t my thing.

I loved the cover, it’s what caught my eye. It’s just gorgeous. It was kinda disappointing though, because it didn’t really fit the book at all. And neither did the cover. I loved them, I just didn’t think they were appropriate for this book.  

I thought the story line was just okay, and the ending was way too fast. This book is only 200 pages long, so I don’t know what I expected haha.

Bad Taste in Boys was just an okay book for me. It had its moments, but it wasn’t something that really stood out to me. I wouldn’t really recommend it to anyone, except for maybe if you were really into zombies. The concept was interesting enough, but after I started reading it, it was just weird! Overall, it was funny and entertaining, and the characters were easy to like. It really wasn’t my thing, and gross and graphic at a lot of times. It was mostly just strange for me. It was a fun, quick read, but nothing too special for me. 2 out of 5 stars.

Bumped (Bumped #1) by Megan McCafferty

Bumped features a dystopian world that takes place in 2036. In this time, there is a virus that makes everyone around the age of 18 infertile. This means that teenagers are the most important people in society, because they are the only ones that can move the human race along. This leads to parents paying teenage girls to be surrogates and being pregnant and getting pregnant being a fad.

Our two main characters are Melody and Harmony. They are identical twins that were separated at birth. Harmony lives in a super-religious community called Goodside, where she is trained to be a good wife, mother, and worshipper. Melody was raised to be a perfect surrogate so that she would land the best possible contract for pregnancy. Harmony finds out she has a twin and that her sister is "pregging for profit" and decides to journey to Melody's doorstep so that she can save her from her sins.

I was beyond confused at first. There was a lot of "neggy" slang that made it hard to follow along. I think that it would have been very helpful if there was a glossary at the end of the book, or footnotes explaining what these words were. It's like when I read the Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and everything was "bubbly" and I had no idea what that meant so I spent a lot of the book confused lol. Once you get used to that, it's fascinating and very interesting. It's a great idea and so much fun to be living in this world.

I liked Melody, she was easy to relate to with the whole fitting-in at high school thing. Harmony kinda pissed me off. She was very... religious. I don't have a problem with religious people, but she was just over the top. I found myself being very annoyed reading about her worshipping and all. She's just so innocent! Argh. Haha hard for me to relate to. It was also kinda confusing at moments because the names "Harmony" and "Melody" are very similar, so at times I was confused at who was who.

I wasn't too excited after I read the inside flap because of the similarities it had to a book I had recently read (Possession by Elana Johnson). They both had a character called Zen or Zenn and had a places called Goodside or Goodgrounds. Hmmm...

It was a little disturbing about how young all these pregnant girls are. It's kinda sad actually :( And in this book pregnancy is made up to be a glamorous thing, so maybe it isn't giving off the right vibe to teenage readers haha.

This book is supposed to take place in 2036. That's really not that long if you think about it. Now, would names REALLY change that much in that time? They have really foreign names like Shoko and Zen and Ram. In the 1800's which was hundreds of years ago, they had names like Elizabeth and Henry and stuff. And we still use those names today... I just don't think that names will change THAT much in 20 years. Anyway...

I didn't like the ending. The book basically ended in the middle of the scene, and it kinda sucks even though you know there's going to be a sequel.

The cover, not cute. If I hadn't been recommended this book, I probably never would have read this book. The covers are what mainly get me interested (I'm horrible, I know), and seeing a cover with an egg on it with the words "Bumped" does not seem very enthralling. Also, roughly translated, the book could be called "F*cked" because that's basically what bumping means. Now why would you want to read a book called that? It could have been way cuter, and the judging-before-reading could have been a lot better haha.

I liked how this wasn't your basic dystopian read. It's doesn't just focus on the romance, it's also about family. I would recommend it to an older teen, because its about a more mature topic, but the writing is targeted towards a younger teen so it wouldn't be fore everyone.

Despite how I seemed to spend most of this review criticizing things, I really did enjoy the story. It was frightening and fascinating at the same time, while being humorous at others. It was thought provoking and the concept is a really great idea. It's original and fantastic, though it takes a while to get used to.

I'm sorry I seemed to find more bad things than good, but overall its a pretty good read. So 4 out of 5 stars . I probably liked it better than Matched (but not as much as the Uglies series of course). I will be looking forward to the sequel, which I hope gives more information about the virus and the past. You might want to give this one a try! Thanks to Talia for recommending it to me :)

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

April comes from a broken family. Her mom cheated on her dad, and made him move out. Her mom moved to Paris with her new husband and April's brother, and her dad remarried. During the middle of her junior year, her dad announces that they will be moving. April is devastated. How could she leave her home with her friends and boyfriend of 2 years? April convinces her dad to let her stay with her friend Vi. Vi's mom isn't going to be home at all, but she's fine with letting the girls stay. April's dad... not so much. April knows that, so with some clever planning and convincing, her dad agrees to let her finish her junior year, and then they will re-discuss her future. This adventure leads to ten things that they did, and really, probably shouldn't have done.

I loved this book. It was entertaining and I was instantly addicted by the first 10 pages. Even though it was really unrealistic, and the characters seriously get away with everything, it was hilarious and a great read. I like how the chapters were broken up, with creative titles.

The characters were great. They all had their flaws, and were easy to relate to. They might not have been fully rounded characters, but I liked them just the same. I really understood April and her frustration with Noah and Hudson.

**THERE'S A SPOILER HERE SO SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT**

One thing I have to say, is that April is absolutely devastated about when she finds out Noah cheated on her. But come on, you were the one who slept in the same bed with another guy the night before. So you really can't be that hard on him because what you did was a fault on its own.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was how the book ended. I won't spoil it for you, but I wanted to know what happened after. I honestly can't say what I didn't like about it without ruining it, so you'll just have to read it for yourself! haha. And also, how they got away with EVERYTHING. If it was real life, there's no way that would happen! I also didn't like how this book basically said that condoms prevent all STDs, which isn't true. How misleading... lol

As for the cover... ehh... It could have been better, and I'm not really a fan of covers with people on them. Or at least where their faces are shown. And covers with a guy and a girl... lol. And is it just me, or does a book with a boy and a girl looking into each other's eyes with a title "Ten Things We Did" seem kinda dirty? Maybe it's just me haha.

Overall, it's a great summer read. It's not too serious or anything, just for enjoyment. It's funny, so I would recommend this book if you're just looking for a light read :) 5 out of 5 stars.



Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie

Hello everyone :) How is your summer going? I've finished Matched last night, and I'm going to review it now. Is it just more or are dystopian books becoming more and more popular?? Haha alright anyway....

I'm really not that great about giving summaries of dystopian books, because I always feel like there's certain important information that I'm forgetting. I'll do my best, but your best bet to get a better summary is to go here and read the description and some other reviews :) Just trying to be honest here!! haha 

The Society determines everything for you, and Cassia hasn't ever thought too much about it. She gets Matched with her best friend Xander. At first, everything is great. She's going to be with her best friend after all! And then when she plugs in the little chip thing, someone else's face appears. According to the Officials, it's a glitch. Cassia wouldn't normally worry, except for the fact that she knew the guy. His name is Ky, and he's the "bad" guy. He wasn't even supposed to be Matched. Her grandfather gives her something before he passes away, and after that, she begins to wonder how perfect the society she lives in really is.

A lot of people have compared it to the Giver (which I read last year but btw I hardly remember), but I find that unfair and kinda harsh. Dystopian books all have similar elements, so come on, give it a break. Like romance novels don't all have the same basic plot line? I can understand why people would say that, but not everything was the same...

I really liked Matched and all the "perfect society" bits. The romance part was kinda ehhhh for me but the storyline and characters were interesting enough to keep me going. It was a bit slow at some parts, but it picked up from there. I really liked the cover, it's so pretty and relative. She's stuck in a pretty green bubble! I liked both Xander and Ky, they were both cool in their own way. I can understand why Cassia would have trouble deciding between them. There's not a lot of action or rebellion in this part of the story, but I'm sure that there will be lots in the future books.

I'm do want to see what happens next, and will be reading Crossed when it comes out. :) I've also heard that Disney is going to make it into a movie. I would recommend this book, but I have to say that The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld still remains my favorite dystopian series. 4 out of 5 stars !!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my review, I hope that you'll be visiting my blog again sometime soon :)

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

I read this book about a month ago, and before I return it to the library I would like to review it. Please note that if I don't do a review directly after I read a book, it's a lost shorter. I'm doing this from memory, so please bear with me :)

The Lover's Dictionary is by my favorite author David Levithan. I heard that he had a new book out, so I decided to read it. This book is his first novel with post-high school characters.

An anonymous male author tells about his relationship, highlighting the good and bad parts of it. Unlike your traditional novel, this book is like a dictionary as the title suggests. There is a word at the top of the page, and then a "definition". The definitions are what tell the story. They aren't in chronological order, they are in alphabetical order.

And it did NOT disappoint me. I loved every page of it. Each entry was like a treasure, and I found myself reading and re-reading passages most of the time. It was magical, intimate, and special. It highlights both the good and bad parts of a relationship.

I love the unique feel of reading it, how it's not your typical novel. I love the messages it's telling me and how the story is told. I honestly can't find a thing to critique about this book because it was just THAT amazing for me.

I marked some passages to write down later and was going to quote some here, but then I realized I had practically marked the entire book. If you want to read some of them to get a feel of the book, go here . If you like them, then definitely get a copy of it so you can read the rest. You won't be disappointed :)

I absolutely loved this book. It was unique and beautiful and as I was reading it, I wished that I could share some of the passages with someone, because that's how powerful they were. I am putting this on my birthday wish list, so that I will be able to go back and refer to the pages that I love whenever I want. 5 out of 5 stars for the Lover's Dictionary!!

Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley

Hopefully this color isn't too bright!!!! lol

Willow's mom forced them to move from Georgia to Las Vegas when she was 9 so she could pursue her career as a hypnotist. Willow was sad that she would have to leave her childhood best friend, Max. So she does what she must, and hypnotizes him so that they will always be best friends. Now, she's a senior and her mom wants a more "normal" life and decides to move back to Georgia. Willow has fallen in love with Max over the years and is excited to come back so that what they have can finally be more than just friends. Except she's faced with an unexpected surprise, Max has a girlfriend. Willow then finds herself using her inexperienced hypnosis techniques again to get what she wants.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, because hypnosis fascinates me. I found it a little hard to relate to Willow, because I would never to hypnotize someone to feel differently about me. I would just want them to like me for me, and not be thinking about what was fake and what was real. Our world is already fake enough, I wouldn't need more of that! haha. Max was just there every once in a while, I never felt a real connection with him. I thought that Mia was well-portrayed. I found Georgia to be a little unrealistic, because she seems too eager and happy to help Willow with whatever she was doing. Like the sidekick, who was fine with just being that. I thought that the author did a perfect job of creating  Quinton. I could feel Willow's frustration with him, because I was definitely frustrated with him too!! haha Minnie however, I felt was just thrown in and out of the story. I would have liked to have gotten to know her more, because she was there for a little bit, and then just gone without any explanation. I like full circle endings :P

The story was your typical love triangle, with some typical teenage characters. It was a nice, happy ending story. I liked how the author also wrote about some family problems too, so that Willow had other problems besides Max. It's somewhat predictable, even though there were some parts I didn't see coming. The characters were fun, no backstabbing villain ones, which was nice for a change.

It's nothing special, it was worth reading, but not something I would read again. If the summary interests you, give it a try! It's thought provoking and fun, and will most likely be enjoyed. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars . I liked it, but it wasn't an outstanding story for me.

My To Read List

In this post, I would like to tell you what books I am going to be reading and reviewing soon. These books are pretty much in order, but they are subject to change depending on my reading mood.

There's Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley. I've already started this one and I'm almost halfway through. I'll probably be writing a review for it within the next few days :)

Next, Ill probably be reading Matched by Ally Condie.

And after that, Bumped by Megan McCafferty. That is, if I can handle that much of dystopian reading! haha :) And if not, I'll be reading it soon.

And last, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski.

Wish me luck and have a lovely summer week! If you have any comments, questions, or recommendations, you can reach me in the comments, myteenreads@gmail.com , or http://www.goodreads.com/myteenreads . :)

 

<3

Sisterhood Everlasting by Anne Brashares

Sisterhood Everlasting is a story of four girls we have come to know well over the years. Tibby, Bee, Lena, and Carmen, who’ve dubbed themselves “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”. Now, ten years later, they’re all grown up and are just trying to discover themselves and find out what they want.

Carmen is an actress who is becoming pretty successful in “the business”. She’s engaged to Jones, but she still misses her friends and thinks about them constantly.

Bridget lives in California with Eric, but doesn’t quite want to settle down and get married. She doesn't know what she wants, but she knows it's not that.

Lena paints and teaches, and likes to keep her life as quiet and un-dramatic as possible. She’s content, but not what anyone would consider happy. She finds herself thinking about Kostos and what could have been.

Tibby moved to Australia with Brian unexpectedly, and has been out of touch with them. So unexpectedly, as in they find her empty apartment.

One fateful day, they get a message from Tibby arranging from them to go to Greece. Of course they agree, and Carmen, Bridget, and Lena all find themselves in Greece a week later. Until an unexpected tragedy changes everything for them.

Let me say, that I did NOT see that one coming. It was actually really sad, and I kept waiting for the punch line, like “just kidding everything’s going to be okay”. That didn’t happen though, and I was forced to read on.

The four other books in this series are about these four girls through their high school years, teaching them about loss, love, and friendship. This novel is about them ten years later, basically facing the same things, but in a more adult way.

I love this story, and how it shows the girls who we’ve come to know and love over the years at a later time in their lives. I also like how their lives aren’t perfect, and the storyline isn’t all happy, because it’s easier to understand and appreciate. The girls all have their own problems to deal with and are just trying to figure out how to solve them.

The only negative things I have to say about this book are that if these girls were such “close friends”, how the heck did they let themselves grow so distanced from each other? Also, even though they’re almost 30, it seems that they still have the mind of a teenager, if that makes sense. Carmen is still self-centered (being an actress isn't helping this lol), Bee is still just as restless and doesn't know a good thing when she has it, and Lena is still as quiet and thinks about Kostos more than she wants to admit. Not much has changed right? Almost as if they haven’t embraced their adulthood yet, which I suppose is what this book is about. And last, 3 out of the 4 girls are still have relationships with their high-school sweetheart. Now as terribly romantic as that is, it is very hard to believe!!! Haha :)

I am so jealous of these girls. They have a bond so special and strong. I am sad to say that in my lifetime, I have never a constant close friend in my life. My friends have come and go for various reasons, and I find it unfortunate to say that I don’t have a “sisterhood” with anyone.

The cover… well, not the most interesting. REALLY not the most interesting, but anyway….

I enjoyed this unexpected conclusion to the Sisterhood and would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the other books.

I’ll give it a 4 out of 5 stars . :) It's worth it if you’ve read the other ones!

Gender Blender by Blake Nelson

Gender Blender is a treasure from my childhood. I remember reading it when I was in 4th or 5th grade and LOVED it. It was one of my favorite books. Now that I'm almost in 10th grade, I decided to go back and re-read this book that I had loved so much.

This story is about a 6th grade girl and boy named Emma and Tom.

Emma hates boys. Except for the adorable Jeff Matthews, of course. She loves school, gets straight A's (except for that one B last year), and is involved in countless after-school activities like gymnastics and piano lessons.

Tom hates girls. Except Kelly, who is extremely developed and curvy. No one expects too much of him, so he spends his time goofing off with his friends or practicing for the baseball tryouts.

Emma and Tom used to be good friends, but now they're older and of COURSE everyone knows that once boys and girls get to a certain age, they just don't stay friends anymore! Duhhh obviously :P

After an unfortunate accident, they find themselves in each other's bodies. They only have four days to understand the opposite sex and break the curse, or they will be stuck in each other's bodies forever.

In 5th grade, I loved this book. I liked the plot of it and how the girl and the boy have to work together so that the curse will be broken. It's fun, creative, and an interesting view into a boy's mind. I found it hilarious about the different situations they were put into.

Now, 5 years later, I still like the creative plot and yes the situations are quite entertaining. But the characters are SO stereotyped. I don't like books or characters I can't relate to, and there were a lot of things I can't relate to about this book.

First of all, Emma and Tom are supposed to be in 6th grade. They're pretty much at the boys-are-disgusting and girls-have-cooties stage. The girls have formed a group called the Grrlzillas, where they discuss their sisterhood and how much they don't like boys. Now maybe I was just a mature 6th grader, but I do NOT remember chasing around any boys or being in any girl clubs. Maybe when I was like in 3rd grade, but not 6th! At some times, the characters seem a lot younger than they actually are, but at others, they seem much older. Brad draws pictures of naked girls. Tom spends all day trying to look at Kelly's breasts because she just "spills out of her shirt". Okay, you're in 6th grade, like seriously?

 And when Emma (in Tom's body) gets a boner, how far does that thing really stick up? She claims it was like a "small rodent" sitting on her lap. Let's say that Emma wasn't wearing any pants or boxers, and then there was only a thin sheet covering her. Yes, I can understand that. But I'm pretty sure she wasn't. She was most likely wearing boxers, pajama pants, and a thin sheet (if not more) over that. Now, that must have been pretty massive erection for a 6th grader to have stood up THAT much, if you know what I mean.

The entire book was pretty much like this for me, hard to relate-to and understand, since I had been in most of the situations Tom and Emma had. After living through them, it's hard for me to find them realistic. By page 10 I was rolling my eyes and considering not finishing the book. However, it was too entertaining to leave unfinished.

I found the chapter titles extremely silly, and show exactly who the age group this book is targeted for. Examples: Morning Wood, Tom's First Naked Girl, Emma Likes Jeff!, Tom Gets A Little Trampoline Action, How 2 P, Tom Gets An Eyeful. So you can basically get a feel for the book by reading those chapter titles I've given you.

I would recommend this book to a mature 4th grader, or a 5th grader. Anyone over the age of 7th grade will probably be able to see how unrealistic and stereo-typical this book is from real life. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book. It's actually an enjoyable, hilarious one. Just not for the age that I am now. So yes, I would recommend this book to a pre-teen, but not a teenager. Thank you Blake Nelson, for writing such a great book for my pre-teen self.

When I read it in 5th grade, it was definitely a 5 star book, but now, it's more of a 2. So, for my final grade, I will average the two and come up with a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Normally on my Goodreads reviews, I will round up (ex. I would round to give this book 4 stars), but I think that's a little too deserving for a book I found myself scoffing at the entire time, so 3 stars for my Goodreads review. :)

Happy reading everyone! <3