037. Who What Wear: The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett
Publication: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1, 2010), ebook, 258pp / ISBN 140224391X
Genre: MG Fiction
Read: February 25, 2012
Source: Freebie
Mini-Review
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book at first, because the first chapter is kind of boring. But! It gets better, and by the end I thought it was really cute. Fashion is always a tricky subject to write about because it changes so rapidly, but Who What Wear was still current enough to not be completely distracting. Emma, the protagonist, reminds me of all those adorable teenage bloggers/fashion designers who have big dreams and aren’t afraid to make them happen, and since I know of a few teenage bloggers who’ve actually made some of those dreams happen I didn’t think the plot was all that implausible, either. And like I said: it’s just darned cute.
It almost reminds me of the Poseur series by Rachel Maude, only aimed for a slightly younger reader and with a less complicated plotline. There isn’t really any romance, either, since the focus is on Emma and her pretending to be Allegra Biscotti, international fashion designer who is definitely not a 14-year-old girl. I think it’s supposed to be the first of a series, too, but there doesn’t seem to be any plans for another book, which is a shame.
Rating
I liked it a lot!
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038. Goy Crazy by Melissa Schorr
Publication: Hyperion (February 28, 2011), originally published 2006, ebook, 364pp / ISBN 0786838523
Genre: YA Fiction
Read: February 25-26, 2012
Source: Freebie
Mini-Review
Goy Crazy is a pretty awesome book, and I think that comes from the fact that it’s so different from other YA contemporary fiction books. It’s got romance, but that’s not actually the main focus of the book. It’s got a Jewish teenage girl as the protagonist, which is something I haven’t read about since the Stevenson twins. And it’s funny in that way that’s almost painful, if you don’t like near-painful humor.
Probably the best thing about Goy Crazy, though, is Rachel’s progression from people-pleaser to independently-minded. Character development in a realistic way is my favorite thing ever! And Rachel’s character development is fantastic.
Rating
I really liked it!
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039. My Lunatic Life by Sharon Sala
Publication: Bell Bridge Books (August 27, 2011), ebook, 156pp / ISBN 1611940427
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Read: February 26, 2012
Source: Freebie
Mini-Review
Eh. That’s really all I can think of when I try to sum up my feeling for My Lunatic Life. I wasn’t overly wowed with anything in it, although obviously I liked it enough to keep reading ’til the end. The biggest thing I remember? Is the lackluster writing. There’s a lot of unnecessary details in here, like the step-by-step descriptions of Tara getting dressed and whatever. Boring! Plus there was the occasional “OMG” instead of “oh my god,” or even the still-annoying but more proper “oh em gee.” That sort of stuff makes me think of bad self-published books, not professionally published books!
However, I DID like the actual plot. I’m on a ghost/medium adventures binge right now and so I enjoyed that aspect of the book, even if Tara’s psychic abilities were so awesome they seemed a bit over the top. And Tara herself isn’t a bad protagonist– I loved how she didn’t let the school bullies run her over, for instance. But the rest of the stuff, especially the writing, I didn’t like. So: eh.
Rating
It was okay.
Buy
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