Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

February 21, 2012

Penguin Young Readers Group

Synopsis:
Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

My Review:
THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME is a powerful YA debut about death and the power of forgiveness. I didn't at all expect to love it as much as I did! One of my favorite things about the book is the music titles for each chapter. They really set the mood and made me enjoy the story that much more! I am definitely going to have to do a re-read in the future with the music for each chapter playing in the background!

Brie is one majorly complicated case. She literally dies of a broken heart and holds so much pain and anger towards Jacob, who caused said broken heart. Brie must be one heck of a romantic to die from such a cause! I honestly couldn't believe it at first, but the more I got to know Brie, the more I could understand the way she went out.

I can't tell you how many times I wanted to cry for Brie. The sadness that she feels as she watches her family fall apart from her death is heart-wrenching. I cannot imagine what I would do in her shoes if I had to witness the affect my sudden death had on my family. I could feel her pain and her family's grief at her loss. There were so many times that I felt like I was going to breakdown because of how sad it was. In the end, the powerful message of the story kept me going.

Patrick, the guy who helps Brie move through her five stages of grief, is a bit of an enigma. He can be so cute and funny at times, but there were times that he would show what emotions he was hiding and I just wanted to understand him. This is as much his story as it is Brie's. The twist that connected him and Brie shocked me to the core, and I was not at all expecting it.

One of my favorite silly parts of the novel is Patrick's nicknames for Brie, since it is a cheese you know. My all-time favorite nickname for Brie was Cheeto. It made me laugh every time he came out with it and it really lightened up the darker moments in the story.

THE CATASTROPHIC HISTORY OF YOU AND ME is more than just a novel about death. It is about living life to it's fullest and recognizing that impossible things may be possible. While 2012 may have barely started, I can say with absolute conviction that this will be going in my top ten favorite YA novels of 2012.

My Rating:

In Too Deep Tour: Character This or That with Nick

 

Amanda Grace is stopping by today with her character Nick for his this or thats. =) 


Caramel or chocolate? Caramel.



Fast or slow? I’ll go with.. .slow. 



Love or lust? Love.  But lusting after things is fun. 



Read or watch tv? Read. 



Dog or cat? Dog.

Paris or Italy? Paris, because france bought PRADA & PREJUDICE and I love the cover. They must be very chic over there. 



Shoes or barefeet? SLIPPERS!



Fall or Winter? Hmm. Winter. 



House or apartment? Apartment.

Kids or no kids? KIDS! YOU CAN’T HAVE MY KID.

Wii or Xbox? Wii. Preferably with a dance party game so that I may conduct a dance-off. 

Blue or green? Green.
 

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Davis. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger-forcing me to make a terrible choice.

Review: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

February 16, 2012

Speak

Synopsis:
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

My Review:
Full of laughs and cute moments galore, THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE is one 2012 book you are for sure going to want on your keeper shelf. After reading some pretty dark and dismal books, it was just what I needed for a little uplifting. Ella's perspective is a delight to read from and I relished in all her experiences at Willing. While some instances in the story were dramatic and less than believable, Ella's wit and Alex's charm more than made up for them.

Ella is a sweet, insecure girl whose adoration with a long deceased Edward Willing is quite interesting. Her "conversations" with him speak of her subconscious feelings about the world and her place in it and give us insight into who Ella really is. Ella's interactions with Alex have so many sparks! Every time they are together the chemistry is palpable and they work so well together!

Alex is a bit of a mystery at first. With the way that Ella sees things in her life, she isn't quite sure if he is a genuine nice guy or just another arrogant and snobby Phillite. This is a contemporary romance though, so there had to be something there. And boy is there ever something!! That boy is sure to make your heart pitter patter with the way he speaks to Ella. I am in love!

I hate books where the heroine is a loner without any friends at all. This definitely isn't that kind of book, fortunately!Frankie and Sadie are Ella's two awesome friends who I am so grateful for. They truly make an impact on Ella's life and she wouldn't be the same without them.

The one thing that just rubbed me wrong about the novel is Amanda. She is so hateful and vicious to Ella that is was quite hard to believe. They have hardly spoken to one another, yet Amanda's words she spits out at Ella are extreme and VERY mean. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think someone would be that mean to someone they hardly ever interact with. It isn't realistic.

Besides the whole Amanda thing, I think you will definitely have a great time reading this one! The laughs are aplenty and my heart is still recovering from all of the fluttering when Alex comes on the scene! Take a chance on THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE!


My Rating:

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare Tour: Music Post from Melissa Jensen

Author of The Fine Art of Truth or Dare, Melissa Jensen is here to talk about her book and music.

I’m happy to talk about music. I like to talk about music. In fact…please Please PLEASE let me talk about music now and tomorrow and next week when someone wants me to actually be talking about the Federal Reserve or the Eagles or ponies.

After coffee, my fave part of the morning is putting together a workout playlist on my iPhone. I lived for mix tapes when I was a teenager—when they were real, true, casette tapes. Love iTunes. Love the fact that mix tapes are now playlists and cds. Hint hint to anyone who thinks it might be fun to send the nice, music-junkie author a mix tape-cd. Hint, part deux. I don’t much care for dubstep or gooey croony stuff. Just about anything else makes me happy.

Anyway.

I always write music into my stories. Sometimes it’s not particularly good music; usually it’s recognizable. In FALLING IN LOVE WITH ENGLISH BOYS, Cat headed her blog entries with topical songs (mostly recognizable, some not very good). In TRUTH OR DARE, Ella and her friends like to hang out at Chloe’s, a combo Greek restaurant, karaoke bar, and shoe repair shop. I’m not a karaoke afficionado, but I am a huge fan of good—or just interesting—covers. Big fan of Top Ten lists, too. So I thought what I would do here is give you two playlists: one comprised of some of my fave covers and one comprised of the songs I keep coming back to recently for my morning playlists. They don’t necessarily go together, but they make me go faster. And yes, in case you were wondering, you really can get a good pounding, heart-pumping pace going to collegiate acappella. Really.


My Top Ten Fave Covers (this week, anyway):
-Femme Fatale by Girl in a Coma (orig. the Velvet Underground)
-Heart of Glass by the Puppini Sisters (orig. Blondie)
-Hey Ya by Mat Weddle (orig. Outkast)
-I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bon Iver (orig. Bonnie Raitt)
-Low by Tommy Knox (orig. Flo-Rida)
-Personal Jesus by Johnny Cash (orig. Depeche Mode)
-Redemption Song by Joe Strummer (orig. Bob Marley and the Wailers)
-Take On Me by A.C. Newman (orig. A-ha)
-Throw Your Arms Around Me by Eddie Vedder (orig. Hunters &     Collectors)
-Valerie by Amy Winehouse (orig. the Zutones)

I’m going to move on. Before I change my mind. See, there’s this other version of…

Okay.

 Top Ten Wake Up and Move Your Butt Songs (this week, anyway)
-All the Above by On the Rocks…or Maino, depending on my mood
-Club Can’t Handle Me by Flo-Rida…or the Dartmouth Aires
-Don’t Look Back into the Sun by the Libertines
-I Wanna Be Sedated by the Ramones
-Kick Drum Heart by the Avett Brothers
-Lolli Lolli by Three 6 Mafia
-Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash
-Somewhere in Brooklyn by Bruno Mars
-Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland
-Sydney (I’ll Come Running) by Brett Dennen

Wow. That is one decidedly crazy list. Who cares? It lives only in my iPod. And just try sit still while listening to any of the ten. Dare you.

Teehee! It was great having you on the blog, Melissa!! =) Thanks for stopping by.

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

Review: In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace 

February 8, 2012

Flux

Synopsis:
I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Wellesley. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.
Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger—forcing me to make a terrible choice.


My Review:
IN TOO DEEP is a powerful YA that explores the danger of rumors and their lasting affects on people. Grace's novel deeply affected me, and while there were some flaws, they were easy to overlook. I look forward to more from Grace.

Sam isn't perfect. In fact, she is far from that. She is completely humiliated by Carter, and feels broken. But she didn't mean for the false rumors to spread about her being assaulted by Carter. Sure, he is a complete jerk who has no respect for women, but rape is pretty serious. She is so torn about what to do about it, and it only gets worse when Carter's friends begin threatening her.

I felt really bad for Sam. She has such a tough life, and just when things are starting to look up, the false rumors pop up and she fears their consequences. She wants so badly to correct them, but she is already "in too deep" and can't seem to get herself out. I was rooting for things to start going her way. While I did find her annoying at times, I could understand where she was coming from

The pacing of IN TOO DEEP was a bit of a problem for me. I felt like things happened way too fast considering. I don't want to give too much away, but the whole Nick and Sam thing was really weird. They have known each other for so long with nothing, and then it happens??? It just didn't add up for me.

While IN TOO DEEP did have its problems, I enjoyed myself overall. Grace has created a fascinating and relatable storyline that readers out there are sure to gobble up.

My Rating: