Contemporary March #9: My Life Undecided

 

*CONTAINS SPOILERS

 

Goodreads: PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.
Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.
But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!
Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.
But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

Review: Two words: Two days.

What does this mean? It means that's how long it took me to read this book. Would have been a day if not for school, play practice, and homework.

Why does this matter? Well, it's saying this:

I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

A cute, funny read. Creative. This book is all and more.

Few things:

The Little Sibling Syndrome. When the little sibling feels the pressure to be perfect like the older one. In this book, it's a big deal. Here's the thing. Brooks, our main character, has an older sister, Izzie, that got perfect grades and got into Harvard. Good for her, except that Brooks is prone to bad decisions and every time she screws up, like when she burnt her mom's company's model home, she's compared to her sister. "Why can't you be like Izzie? She never did anything like this......" It happens everyday. Thank God my parents don't to my sister. The only thing they want is for her to get good grades.

The idea for making a blog where everyone votes one what you should do is a new idea, but a stupid one. I mean, I've made my mistakes, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let someone else decide what I should do. In Brooks position, I see why she might go to this extreme, with all the bad decisions she made, but still, she just needs to talk it out. But her creating this blog made the book funny and interesting.

Not all the votes leads to bad things. Joining the debate team was one of the most smartest decisions Brooks was made to do. In more ways than you know. Reading the Grapes of Wrath was a stupid decision (again, a stupid book).

Like in most contemporaries, Brooks is just a teenager trying to get through high school. Except she's got a reputation. At two years old, she fell down an abandon mine shaft and was down there for fifty-two hours while firefighters worked to get her out. From there, she made more bad mistakes, like taking a drink of 409 cleaner. Not fun. She's been kinda in the spot light, which leads us to the bitchy 'best friend'.

Her 'best friend' Shayne, is the little rich brat of Colorado Springs. She loves the spot light. So, when Brooks is taken in because of the fire, Shayne dumps her and gets a new best friend. When Brooks is back in the spotlight after an incident at a 7-Eleven, BAM!, "I'm sorry, I was wrong to leave you like that. Can we be friends again?" Don't you hate girls like that. Well, Karma's a bitch, and it comes back to bite her in the butt. :D

Brian----my type of guy. The smart, cute nerdy type. :D

Love him!
Anyway, Brian's life is kinda like Brooks, where his dad wants him to do things his way and be like him, but he's defied him for most of his life. He's got guts, I'll tell you, but not in the girl department. It takes him a while to confront Brooks about their kiss they shared during a game of Truth or Dare. At least some things turn out good for him.

Future: It's a standalone, though I think there could be a spin-off book from it from Shayne's point a view. It would be about her struggle to find out what to do with her life now that her dad lost all his money. I think it would be a good read.

Quotes:

My cheeks hurt when I read this one.

      "Izzie starts blabbing the minute she steps off the plane and doesn't stop the entire ride home. Seriously, the girl can't shut up. She's like one of those creepy talking dolls........on steroids." Brooks, pg. 248

This book has cute and funny written all over it. With teenage romance and funny situtations twisted in, this book is a must read for anyone in love with contemporary.

 

Rating:

Cover:

Ending:

 

*I won this book a long time ago. No review necessary

 

Keep On Reading!

 

Up Next:

I started Out for Blood already, but have been going back and forth between it. Same with ReVamped. I like both so far. I will start The Sky is Everywhere soon. :D

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Contemporary February #3: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Goodreads:

"I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Review: Okay, first of all, this book was THE BEST!! Seriously, I mean, I was into it from the beginning. Only time I put it down was for homework (Gah!) and to sleep (not that I got much of it). It captivated me so much that by 12:30 (at night), I forced myself to put it down. Now, I maybe exaggerating a bit, this is how I feel.

First off, the notebook. At first, I thought it was going to be dare dares. Like, I dare you to this, dare you to jump off blah blah blah. But no, it was more like, “I dare you keep writing”. In the book, Lily and Dash write down their feelings and what they think on some topics and then ‘dared’ each other to get it to the next place. I thought this was a cute idea and a good way to get out their feelings of hurt and anger.

Dash and Lily’s relationship bloomed like most relationships should: over time. I hate that insta-love crap. Sure, they did it mostly through a notebook, but that’s what makes it cute.

Problem: The Families.

Mostly Lily’s. Dash’s I understand. Parent’s split, Dad and Mom get with new people, Dad’s doesn’t talk much to kid and doesn’t really want him in a way, both go on vacations without kid because kid lies and says he’s staying with the other. I really don’t like Dash’s dad. When the fiasco about kid abuser and baby stealer (long story) came up, his dad didn’t even call him to ask if he was okay, except to see if he need a lawyer.

Lily’s family is okay. I have to say, part of her oversensitivity for most of her life I blame on the parents. I bet they sheltered her too much. Yes, go to Fiji on the honeymoon you never had since you got married young instead of waiting until after you got money to raise kids. Yes, don’t tell your kid that you may be moving there because of a job offer. Yes, let her spend Christmas alone. GAH! HATE PARENTS LIKE THAT! Especially when they are thinking about moving their only kid (that’s not in college) away from the only home she’s know. Plus, they still treat her like a kid. And by ‘they’, I mean everyone in her idiotic family. Example, when her brother got sick, she told her parents. Mom asks if he gets sicker, can she call the doctor. WELL, OF COURSE SHE CAN!! SHE’S SIXTEEN FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!! And her grandpa, who says she can’t go out alone and blah blah blah. And it doesn’t help that her dad’s the VP of her school, and like she said, “Who really want to be friends with the vice principal’s daughter?” If you get her anger, you fail! GAH! Brother’s an idiot. I get it; yes, he’s in love again after a harsh breakup, but that doesn’t give him the write to ignore his sister when she needs him the most, AND ON CHRISTMAS!!! Thank God she had other relatives who were more supportive.

Second Problem (not a big one at least): Language.

In the book, Dash doesn’t have the cleanest mouth. He says the f-bomb once or twice, and then all the other curse words like ‘damn’ and ‘shit’. I just don’t like it how he uses it in front of Lily, who never said a cuss word in her life. The closest she got to saying was not verbally, but just flipping off her brother.

Main Characters:

Lily: Pure as the driven snow, she doesn’t really cuss or do bad things. She’s the epitome (vocab word! Take that Mrs. Pascal! (definition: perfect example)) of the good girl, except she’s overly sensitive, which, like I said before, I think is because of her horrid parents. Anyway, I believe she’s the character that changes the most. I’m not going to say how, but she does. Last thing, she’s a good soccer player. :D

Dash: Kinda arrogant, impatient, and pushy, but he’s a boy. In the book, Lily’s family describes him as “snarly”, when I think it’s just witty sarcasm/humor. Though he could be thought of as just a typical teenage boy dealing with divorced parents and a distant dad, he’s very deep. Some of things he writes are very deep, and you can see a side of him that doesn’t come out. I love guys like this. :D

Other characters:

For the ones that supported Dash and Lily’s adventure, Lily’s relatives and Dash’s friends, they are awesome.

For those who didn’t: Dash’s dad, Lily’s parents and grandpa, they suck.

Future: Well, the book is just a stand alone, but both authors have written more books like this one that I will definitely be reading. :D

Quotes:

“You’re being silly,” I [Dash] assured her.

“Lily is the greatest girl who ever was.”
I drew closer. “Lily is the greatest girl who ever was.”

For a moment, I think we’d forgotten where we were. Pg. 221

“Cinderella was such a dork.” Lily, pg. 136

“It wasn’t so much about plot. It was much more about character.” Dash, pg. 198

Song: Okay, while I read this, I started to listen to Glee's version of We Found Love by Rihanna. I thought the song went perfectly with the book. Sure, the "hopeless place" isn't all true, but in a way, it is because both are without anyone on Christmas in a way.  

Over all, this book had me captivated from page 1. Twists and turns with the great red note book were entertaining and fun. And the characters were crafted perfectly.

This, my friends, will be one of the only books I reread again.

Rating:

The Big Kahuna

Cover:

Seriously, look at it. I love that the street signs have the title and the authors' names on them, and the heart in the crosswalk sign is amazing. And since the book takes place around Christmas time, and what better than to have snow falling, but even better, heart shaped snow!

Ending:

Love stories are the best.

*Christmas gift from Mom. :D Thank you!

Keep On Reading!

Up Next:

I believe the one to the left is the US cover, and the one to the right is the UK cover. That or it's the paperback version, but I doubt it. :D

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