Pretty Girl-13 Review

Pretty Girl-13
by Liz Coley
Genre: YA
Format: ARC received from Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest review
Expected Publication: 03.19.13
Midnight Minute: A 13 year girl is kidnapped, 3 years later she returns home with no memory of the time that has passed.
From Goodreads:

 Pretty girl
13 when she
went missing

lost

to her family
to her friends
to the world

found
but still missing
her self

In Liz Coley's alarming and fascinating psychological mystery, sixteen-year-old Angie Chapman must piece together the story of her kidnapping and abuse. Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing—and ultimately empowering—page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ I don't know what I expected, but this book was much different from what I thought it'd be about- in a good way.
~ The back of the book compares it to the Elizabeth Smart case, and it does show some parallel, but because I'm old and can remember old people stuff it reminded me of the book When Rabbit Howls, or maybe even All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark- books that might interest readers who want to further explore DID.
~ Pretty Girl-13 features amnesia, which for some reason is pretty prevalent in YA fiction these days, but Coley's approach to explaining the reason behind the memory loss was something I haven't seen in YA before. 
~ The main character, Angie, is thirteen when she's taken, and sixteen when she returns home, but for her no time has passed.  Coley does a great job exploring Angie's emotions with trying to cope with feeling the same in a stranger's body.
~ All is not completely well with her family either- despite how happy they are that she's home, Angie is having trouble connecting with them and the fact that despite what they say, their lives had moved on without her.  It totally reminded me of the third season of Alias, because I am a nerd.
~ Angie starts therapy, and that's probably my favorite aspect of the book, how she deals with information of her missing years and all the many revelations that brings. 
~ There is one part of her therapy that includes a trial therapy that while completely unrealistic was nevertheless fascinating.  I think there is a huge controversial discussion to be had about this procedure.  Huge!
~ Angie has a lot going on, and makes some truly horrible choices after she gets back, but even though I was cringing over her actions, I understood them. 

~ Here's a quote from the ARC that I loved but can't guarantee will be in the finished book- "What a patchwork quilt she was- bits and pieces sewn together by disaster."

~ Upon Angie's return, her mother is intent of her daughter returning to school and re-joining her friends, but if I'd been in Angie's shoes I would have demanded home schooling.  Truth!
~ The friendship that Angie rekindles with Kate and new friends Ali and Abraim was another aspect I really enjoyed.  I also really loved Abraim, even though he's not the normal swoon worthy bad boy of YA books.  He's kind of a nerd.  He's the type of guy women should date bur rarely do.
~ Okay, time to talk about what I didn't love- I found it completely unrealistic that Angie's return was kept a secret for as long as it was.  There is no way in this day and age.  No way.
~ Towards the end certain story lines wrapped up just a little too neatly, and one ended in a way that makes me want to scream.  The part about what happens to Bill was beyond infuriating to me, but... realistic.  A lot of families deal with this particular issue in the same way, which is disheartening.
~ I want to discuss this book! I wish I could say more, but I think this is a better read if you don't know a lot going into it.  So hit me up if you've read this book, or stumble across this review after the book is released!
~ Oh, I was crying at the ending.  Heart torn apart.  Good job, Coley, good job.

Timeless Characters:

Angie- our main character, starring in her own hellish version of the movie Big.
Angie's parents- I liked that Coley showed them as flawed, and also what they went through after their daughter's disappearance.
The Kidnapper- we don't know a lot about him, but what is revealed is pretty disturbing.
Lizzie, Greg and Kate- friends of pre-kidnapped Angie, naturally Kate is the best (seriously, it's the name!)
Ali and Abraim- new friends, nerdtastic!
Yuncle Bill- Angie's young uncle
Angie's Therapist- has a name, but I failed to write it down before sending the book on... but she's very key to the story line, I promise.  Dr. Evans maybe?
Dr. Hirsch- his name I wrote down- he's leading the clinical trial.  
 

Midnight Moment:

It's hard to pick one moment, since there are a lot of twists and turns, but I think when I figured out the initial trauma that caused Angie to be able to cope with her kidnapping as well as she did was the first one.  I know that's all vague and mysterious (much like myself!) but I just don't want to ruin it.

Stop The Clock:

This book is, in parts, brutal and uncomfortable. Coley does not hide from the controversial themes, but finds a way to talk about them without glorifying them. Still, be prepared that the book does take an unflinching look at sexual abuse. I rather like how honest Coley is, and how Angie is allowed to be confused over how she feels about it. In fact, this book might be a good way to open a dialogue with young readers about sexual abuse.



Liz Coley — Website | Liz Coley

Pretty Girl-13 gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Skinny Review

Skinny
by Donna Cooner
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Paperback YA
Midnight Minute: A look at gastric bypass surgery and teen struggles with weight.
From Goodreads:

 Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

Midnight Thoughts:

~Ever's inner voice is a wench!
~Hey, my inner voice sounds a lot like Ever's most of the time!
~As you read this book you begin to realize that we ALL have that nasty inner voice, which I think is a very important revelation to young girls and boys- to know that everyone, no matter how things look on the outside, are struggling with something on the inside.
~I'm not sure why the Cinderella feel to the book was necessary because it doesn't really go anywhere, and I'm not entirely sure that comparing major weight loss surgery while still a teen is a Cinderella moment...
~Ever is not a very nice girl in the beginning!  Which is a welcome change, because usually a YA main character is Super Nice, and if they are overweight it's usually just a few pounds and somehow boys never notice it.  Being overweight does not mean automatically that someone's personality is jovial or humorous, and I'm glad Cooner gave Ever other issues than just being morbidly obese.
~The author does a great job presenting all the dangers and issues that come up with major weight loss surgery.  It is not magic, it requires a lot of work, and often time fails in the long term.  Also, I thought Cooner showed that there is a risk that the surgery can go horribly, and deadly, wrong.
~BUT, although Ever has to deal with some of the more unpleasant side effects of the surgery, I felt that it wasn't as realistic that she'd be okay with the social affecting aspects of the surgery- such as eating out, and it never mentions that alcohol is not going to be something she can guzzle when she hits 21 (or senior year of high school).  And she doesn't go through much counseling pre-surgery, which I found to be very unrealistic.
~This is a short book, and an easy read (maybe not a comfortable read, but a quick one) and while a lot of issues Ever has are tied up, everything isn't completely perfect.  Nor should it be.
~The kids that Rat and Ever help at the community center are so freaking cute that you will want to pull them out of the pages and squeeze their cheeks.  Fortunately for them, I do not have super powers to make this happen like in Inkspell. 
~Of course, Ever has an amazing singing voice, because it can't just be good, she has to have a hidden talent that has been buried by layers of fat and her hateful inner voice.  I would have preferred if Ever had just been average before and after the weight loss.

Timeless Characters:

Ever- our main character, dealing with weight issues (real ones, she weighs over 300 pounds and doesn't have the usual 10 pounds overweight issue that most YA books think are real problems), dealing with her perfect step-sisters and step-mother, and dealing with the inner voice that is constantly putting her down.
Skinny- Ever's inner voice.  She is fairly evil.
Rat- Ever's best friend.  He's quirky, scientific and a good friend, better than Ever deserves most of the time. I loved Rat!
Briella- Ever's younger step-sister, she kind of serves as the Cherry role from The Outsiders, to show that life is rough all over, Ponyboy, even if you're gorgeous and skinny.  In some ways I liked her better than Ever.  There is also an older step-sister, but she barely counts and stays fairly flat and stereo-typical.

Also Ever's dad, poplar kids and some doctors, but they don't really count.

Midnight Moment:

The HORRIBLE moment in the auditorium.  It's just horrible.  But this kind of stuff happens, because life sucks and high school sucks even more.

Stop The Clock:

Overall, Skinny is a good book.  It has its strength and weaknesses, but it's a very timely subject about an issue that more and more teens are struggling with.  It's nice that a YA book about weight issues isn't about bulimia or anorexia, although those are also important issues, for once, but rather the morbidly obese side of being overweight.  Skinny could have dug a little deeper, ditched the Cinderella aspect and been a bit better. 


Donna Cooner — Website |http://www.donnacooner.com/

Skinny gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Yes, I'm aware of the irony of the rating!

**Disclaimer- I picked up the ARC at BEA**

Breaking Beautiful Review

Breaking Beautiful
by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Expected Publication: 04.24.2012
From Goodreads:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I was impressed with this book. Obviously I was intrigued enough by it to request it from the YA tour blog that I participate in, but with the whole "teen girl wakes up from a horrible accident with no memory of what happened" plot- which has been done quite a few times in recent YA novels, I just wasn't expecting such a good read.  And I ended up being quite surprised by all the things that happened during Allie's missing hours and Trip's final moments.

It helps Wolf takes the time to develop her characters. Nobody's perfect here, and you get to see their flaws along with their perfections. And while the book does explore some darker themes, it never felt too heavy or dark for me. It's easy for YA authors to put their teens through extreme, unrealistic suffering, but it's also just as easy for them to give their heroines problems that most of us would kill to have- two gorgeous boys in love with one girl or rich, perfect looking friends who like a average looking girl thus making her talk about how plain she is in comparison, etc. Here the main character deals with a strained relationship with her parents, her twin brother's cerebral palsy, the death of her popular boyfriend, and a town that still sees her as an outsider. 






Allie and Blake's friendship was nicely written too.  It wasn't instant love, and it wasn't all consuming- both had to get to know each other again after their friendship was put on hold for a few years while Allie dated Trip and hung out with the cool kids.  But despite Allie's status as Trip's girlfriend, she doesn't really become friends with anyone else, she was only tolerated because of Trip's popularity.  After his death, she struggles to find a place where she belongs.  

My only real complaint is that the ending seemed abrupt. If it had been a little more fleshed out this probably would have been closer to a five star read for me. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to more books by Jennifer Shaw Wolf!

Breaking Beautiful gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

 
The cover of gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

 I thought it went well with the story (the red shoe!) and it wasn't a Girl In A Beautiful Dress cover, which even though I tend to love the GIABD covers, it's nice to see a YA cover doing something a little different. 

Anna and the French Kiss 
by Stephanie Perkins
From Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I'm impressed.  I've seen lots of reviews on Anna and the French Kiss (hundreds of them!), and everything I've ever read has been positive.  Plus my some of my best friends have read and loved the book. I bought it months ago, when sadly I benefited off the closing of my local Borders, but it lingered like so many other books on my shelf.  So a few Sundays ago I made up my mind to just read it already. 

I read the first few chapters that day and was immediately happy with it. Anna was easy to empathize with, and the book is just flat out funny.  But then I put the book down.

Are you shaking your head at me?  You should.

In my defense I've had several review books that I've had to read the past two weeks.  So the other day I was just going to read a bit more and finally get past chapter 3, when suddenly I couldn't put the book down.

Needless to say that not a lot other than reading went down in my house, because housework can wait until the people from Hoarders show up and help me clean my house with shovels and stuff. 

Etienne and Anna... sigh.  Paris... sigh. Old movies on the big screen... sigh.  I fell in love. 

Afterwards I kind of cuddled the book... just a little. 

Don't worry, nothing got creased.  I'm a careful reader and cuddler. 

Oh, young love and its misunderstandings.  Please, read this book.  You know you want to!  And don't be put off by how wildly popular it is, because it's not just bunk, it's actually worth the hype.

Anna and the French Kiss gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

It's okay, but it doesn't blow me away.  And where's her stripe?!

Miracle Review

Miracle
by Elizabeth Scott
Expected Publication: 6.05.12
From Goodreads:

 Megan survived the plane crash—but can she survive the aftermath? An intense, emotional novel from the author of The Unwritten Rule and Between Here and Forever.Megan is a miracle. At least, that’s what everyone says. Having survived a plane crash that killed everyone else on board, Megan knows she should be grateful just to be alive. But the truth is, she doesn’t feel like a miracle. In fact, she doesn’t feel anything at all. Then memories from the crash start coming back.      Scared and alone, Megan doesn’t know whom to turn to. Her entire community seems unable—or maybe unwilling—to see her as anything but Miracle Megan. Everyone except for Joe, the beautiful boy next door with a tragic past and secrets of his own. All Megan wants is for her life to get back to normal, but the harder she tries to live up to everyone’s expectations, the worse she feels. And this time, she may be falling too fast to be saved....

My Thoughts:  I've only read Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott so I haven't read her happier YA books.  I like her darker themes, and I'm a bit surprised I haven't read Grace yet, but I'm pretty sure I have it somewhere on my Kindle.  She writes about real teens in uncomfortable situations, and Megan is certainly in one as the main character of Miracle.

I found it easy to identify with Megan, how apathetic she felt towards her life after surviving the plane crash that she can't even remember.  How everyone stopped seeing her as Megan, and more as some miraculous being.  Her connection with Joe, who is also associated with events in his life rather than for anything he's ever done, felt true.  Although my favorite part of the book was Megan's friendship with Margaret, and that they both really began to see one another.  Margaret knew exactly what Megan needed, saw the trouble and despair that Megan's parents pretended not to see.

I really wish Scott had delved into Margaret's past in Vietnam, because I was interested in her character.  It's great to have a positive lesbian character in Miracle, but I just wanted her role to be a bit bigger. The fact that Margaret and her deceased partner were a devoted gay couple was not glossed over considering the small town they live in, but it's also not blown out of proportion.  Margaret's character was not a stereotype, or a token character.  I found her very compelling and would be happy to read a book about her time in Viet Nam.

There were some misses for me.  In part it's because the book is short and told from Megan's pov, we only get information as she decides to parcel it out.  I felt, at least with Joe and Megan's little brother, that certain things were too slow to be revealed, like how Joe's sister died and what was wrong with her younger brother when he was a kid.  Of course, I guess that shows how into the book I was, that I was impatient to get more information.  But it was also a bit frustrating at times.

I also had a hard time with Megan's parents.  I understood how devastating it must have been to be told your child was dead, only to be presented with a living daughter at the hospital.  It would be a miracle, and I understand their attitude toward her in the book.  But I had a struggle with their new treatment of their young son.  I think it would have been more believable if they'd continued to be overly concerned for both their children.  But that's just a minor complaint. Teensy, really.

I will definitely be reading more by Elizabeth Scott.  I find the subjects she tend to pick for her books to interesting, the books are always quick page turners (I read Living Dead Girl in one sitting at Barnes and Noble), and she always leaved me wanting just a bit more.

Miracle gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

 I think it does a great job of conveying how alone Megan feels, although the girl in the picture seems a bit younger than Megan.

**Disclaimer- I briefly received the ARC of this book through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

The Duff Review

The DUFF
by Kody Keplinger
From Goodreads:

 Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My Thoughts: My good, good, good friend Courtney was sweet enough to send me the audio book of The DUFF to listen to, and I'm eternally grateful.  It might not seem like it, since it took me months to finally get around to listening to it (mostly because I misplaced it), but I am thankful.

The DUFF is funny, raunchy and sexy.  This books make me realize that I was a nun during my teenage years.  Where was my Wesley Rush?  For that matter, where was my Toby Tucker?  Of course I was a teenager in the early and mid 90's so I'm assuming all the hot smex revolution happened after I graduated in 1995.  Although, I don't know if I could handle a Wesley Rush now, and I'm sure the Hubs would have his objections.

So Bianca is a great character- she's flawed and normal and snarky. She's a bit oblivious at times, too wrapped up in the drama of her home life to realize what her friends are going through. But aren't we all guilty of that sometimes?  My main problem with it is that it doesn't seem normal for her not to have spilled her secrets to her bff's.  I tell Courtney everything, and when she won't answer the phone, I tell her voicemail everything.  Which works out better sometimes, since voicemail allows me to vent without pause.

The DUFF reminds me of an 80's movie, Wesley would be played by some hot actor, a perfect blend of Rob Lowe's hotness and James Spade's rich boy attitude.  Bianca could be Jennifer Gray or Mare Winningham (did you even know she was a brat packer?  Because she is in St. Elmo's Fire but she's already playing grandmother characters now.  I feel so old), or Ally Sheedy.  Bianca's friends would be played by Demi Moore and Mia Sara.  Soundtrack by OMD, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cure, the Bangles and Rick Aster.  See how perfect it could be?  Yeah, there's an awful lot of sex for a 1980's movie, but it was the decade that brought up Porky's.

I listened to the audio, which was a bit off due to the long pauses between sentences and paragraphs, but overall it was enjoyable.  A few storylines, like the one with Bianca's dad, and Jessica finding out about her brother, were tied up a little too neatly, but that's really being picky on my part.  Because I love this book, and eventually I will purchase my own physical copy (or at least on Kindle) so I can get my Wesley fix when I need it.

The DUFF gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

It's cute, but it doesn't look like my vision of Bianca, and a pic of a girl rolling her eyes or sipping Cherry Coke would have been more fitting.  Still, it's eye catching and I like it.

Dead To You Review

Dead To You 
by Lisa McMann
Expected Release: 2.7.2012
From Goodreads:

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

My Thoughts: You know, it’s refreshing to have a male protagonist in a YA novel- especially one that feels male.  I’m always impressed with authors who have the ability to capture characters of the opposite sex and bring them to life.  Ethan feels real, and it’s easy to empathize with his predicament of trying to get back to his “old life”.  Everything from trying to connect with his family and dealing with school brought to life the very harsh truths of reunifications- often they are very hard.  And it's not just Ethan who struggles to fit into his new life, his parents marriage is put through the ringer upon his return, and his siblings have to deal with accepting him as their older brother.  Much family drama ensues!

Part of the reason I wanted to read this book, other than being a fan of McMann (I rhymed!), was because the premise reminded me of the old Lifetime movie I Know My First Name is Steven (which was a bit cheesey) and The Deep End of the Ocean (movie, not the book which I haven't read yet, but the movie is excellent and stars Jonathan Jackson, whom I truly adore), and since then I’ve had a strange obsession with tales of kidnapped kids.  In 2011 I read You Are My Only and Jaycee Dugard’s autobiography, but it’s obviously a story line I can read about again and again. Time and again I’ve read books of kidnapped girls- Possession, The Collector, Living Dead Girl, etc.  McMann choosing a male victim was a nice twist. 

Speaking of twists, that’s where this book lost me a little.  The pace of the book, the tension kept me flipping pages, and while I knew there was something coming, the ending took me by surprise.  It's either going to be and ending that you like, or one you hate, but it will make for excellent discussion!  I personally liked the ending, even if it left me wanting more.  It doesn't seem like McMann is going to continue Ethan's story, but I'd love to know what happens to him, Cami, and his adorable moppet of a sister.  I recently spent a week with my 2 1/2 year old niece, the lovely Fiona Kathleen, and Ethan's little five year old sister "the replacement child" reminded me so much of my precocious name sake that I had to wonder if the author has met Fi.

Overall, Dead To You is as readable as McMann’s Wake trilogy.  The subject of the book is dark, the main character is tormented, so this is not the book you want to read if you’re in the mood for a light and fluffy YA book.

 Dead To You gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

And a new feature is my Midnight Book Cover Rating!

Dead To You gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love the cover, even though it’s not apparent from the cover if the book is about a male or female character- not with those nice lashes!  But hey, the cover’s at least gorgeous enough to flip to the back for the summary.

Disclaimer: I temporarily received a ARC copy of Dead To You through Around the World Blog Tours in return for my honest opinion.

It's Challenge Time!

That's right, readers, it's Challenge Time!  And yes, I am doing the hammer dance as I type this up.

So 2011 went better for me than 2010 as far as challenges go.  I actually completed several, crashed and burned on a few, and made a poor attempt to host my own challenge (which I will be wrapping up soon, so for those participating in the Read Me Baby, 1 More Time challenge, I have not forgotten you!).  I doubt I'll be hosting any challenges this year, although I thought about doing the Re-read challenge again but the truth is that I've had less and less time to re-read books since finding a billion new books to read through all of your blogs.  So what challenges will I be doing in 2012?  Here's what I'm starting with:

1. The 15,000 Page Challenge hosted by my friend, Courtney, at Abducted By Books.

Requirements:

The challenge is to read 15,000 pages in 2012!

Basically, in the year 2011 a lot of my reading centered around reading graphic novels and listening to audio books. So when I was thinking about how I wanted to challenge myself in 2012, I decided to challenge myself on how many pages I read.

It will break down like this...

read 41 pages a day

read 100 books of 150 pages 

read 75 books of 200 pages

read 50 books of 300 pages

read 30 books of 500 pages

read 15 books of 1000 pages

Do you see how easy this will be?

THE RULES:

1. You have to actually read the pages, i.e. no audio books but I will include e-books since you are actually reading the words. Just look up the book on goodreads or amazon to get a page count number and I trust you to be fair.

2. Graphic Novels are not including because a majority of this genre is centered around the graphics and not the text.

3. You can only include the pages you read between January 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2012.

4. You can only include the pages you actually read, so if the book has appendixes but you choose not to read them, don't include them in your final tally.

 Chances of Success For Yours Truly: High

2. 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge hosted by Reading Angel and Katie's Book Blog.

Requirements:

There are different levels that you can choose to challenge yourself in:

Level 1: 5+ books

Level 2: 10+ books

Level 3: 15+ books

Rules:

You can read any contemporary YA novel that is published between January 1, 2012and December 30, 2012 but you must read them in 2012! (All formats accepted: paperback, ARC, e-book)

I'm going for Level 2 for now.  I do a lot of ARC tours now so that will help, especially as I'm really trying not to buy any books that aren't absolute must haves.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2.  Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
3.  Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
4.  Dead To You by Lisa McMann
5.  Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I will add links to the titles as I read and review them for this challenge.

Chances of Success For Yours Truly: Fairly High

More to Come!