Thursday, March 25, 2010

Recent Reads: Musicals, Rules and the Gardiner Girls

Book: When Mike Kissed Emma by Christine Marciniak
Book Count:12
Genre: YA Contemp

Emma has it all: cool friends, a boyfriend that all the girls lust over, and plans to play Liesl in her school's rendition of The Sound of Music. But when Emma lands the role of Maria, beating out her best friend, and is cast opposite Biker Mike, the motorcycle riding, leather jacket wearing, long-haired school's misfit, it all goes downhill fast. Especially when she realizes that Mike may not be the misfit everyone thinks he is. A quick read and a great story about not judging a book - or a person - by their cover, because you may just be surprised about the depths that lay beneath. It was one of those books that made me go, awww, how sweet. :)

Book: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Book Count: 13
Genre: YA Contemp

If you know me at all, you know I <3 Elizabeth Scott. She rocks it out like nobody's business. And this is just one more of her fab books. Sarah's liked Ryan since, well, forever it seems. Sarah's best friend Brianna is all things Sarah thinks she's not. Beautiful, perky and popular, oh, and she's also Ryan's girlfriend. But one night changes all of that. When the truth comes out, it shines a light on far more than Sarah expected. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, even the unwritten ones. A far lighter topic than her recent works, but still true to life.


Book: For Keeps by Natasha Friend
Book Count: 14
Genre: YA Contemp

Okay, so this is the book that to me, was Gilmore Girls, in book form, if, you know, Rory was a jock and Lorelei managed a bookstore instead of an inn. Josie Gardiner and her mom Kate have always just been the Gardiner girls. To Josie, Paul Tucci - her biological father - is nothing more than the guy who happened to knock her mom up when they were in high school, righ before moving across the country and dropping off the face of the planet. And then there's Matt Riggs, the cute guy on the soccer team who she had an *ahem* encounter with last New Year's Eve and seven months later, is Josie's first boyfriend. But when Paul Tucci suddenly reappears, all the events of 16 years ago rain back down on her mother and in turn, shift everything in Josie's life, including her relationship with Matt. This book kept me up all night laughing out loud! Natasha Friend did an amazing job creating real people who say and do quirky things that are so true to life you can't help but find the hilarity in it! I adored this book!

5 comments:

Stina said...

*rushes off to order The Unwritten Rule* :)

Mary E Campbell said...

They all sound like fun light books - something I think I'm in need of right now.

ali cross said...

Coolness! Thanks for the great reviews Windy! (I love your reviews because they're snappy and helpful ~ thanks!)

Elana Johnson said...

I feel so behind on my reads. Thanks for the titles, Windy.

Anonymous said...

Your recent reads rock. Really. You always give it to me straight and I really value that.