Island Summer
Jeanine Le Ny
June 2007
Reading Level: YA
Summary:
Just in time for summer comes the perfect beach read! Humor and romance abound in this fresh, fun take on summer love.
Nikki
may spend the school year on the New England mainland at the ritzy
Richfield Academy (on scholarship), but during the summer, she returns
home to the decidedly less-posh Pelican Island. Despite an invite from
her rich friend Blair, Nikki has to spend the summer working at her
parents' sandwich shop. During one of her deliveries to the mainland,
she meets Daniel Babcock, and they begin a whirlwind summer romance. But
when Blair invites Nikki to spend the weekend, Nikki sees her walking
hand in hand...with Daniel!
Can summer love survive?
Review:
It's impossible to write a truly insightful and meaningful critique of a book like this, so I'm not even going to try.
This book is exactly what you expect it to be. It's summer-y, fun, cliche, cheesy, easy to read, and cute all in one tiny little paperback. This isn't the book that you take to school and impress your friends with, it's the one you throw in your beach bag at the last minute because you want to take something to the beach that will be quick and easy and you won't care if it gets water damaged, sandy, or greasy from your suntan lotion.
I honestly don't think there's anything to say about it other than that. It's fun and easy and sometimes fun and easy is just what you're looking for!
How to Hook a Hottie
Tina Ferraro
January 2008
Reading Level: YA
Summary:
At 17, Kate Delvecchio has one goal in life: to become a millionaire
before the age of 20. And as far as she’s concerned, college will only
slow her down. Unfortunately for Kate, the one thing her parents do
agree on is that they totally disagree with her strategy. And so the
deal is born. If Kate can raise five thousand big ones by graduation
day, her parents will hand over the balance of her college account to
invest as she pleases. No college, no degree, and no way she’ll ever be
able to pull it off. But when Kate accidentally agrees to go to the
sports banquet with the hottest guy at school, she stumbles upon a
possible cash cow. The rest of the junior class is amazed that
no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one they approach
her for help hooking their own. She doesn’t know anything about getting
guys, but for $100 a pop, she’s more than willing to invent a six-step
plan for How to Hook a Hottie. And how could that possibly backfire?
Review:
One thing that I love about this book is the main character. Kate is such a goal oriented and motivated person, and I admire her for that completely. She reminds me so much of myself, except for the fact that I am in college and she's dead set against college. However, she knows what she wants out of life, and she's willing to do anything to get it.
Including getting wrapped up in a plot to hook hotties for others in exchange for $100. Sounds smart, huh? Well, any reader can see how this would backfire. And any reader could predict the ending. But the ride is all the fun, and I immensely enjoyed watching Kate get herself into trouble time and time again. The book was short and cute, which makes it a great beach read, but at the same time you still feel connected to the characters in a way that you won't forget instantly. A very cute story, one I would definitely recommend.
Something Borrowed
June 2004
Something Blue
May 2005
Emily Giffin
Reading Level: Adult
Summaries:
Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney
living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate
good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy,
throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in
bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the
one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has
genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September
wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so,
she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry,
endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win
true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.
------
From the New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed comes a novel that shows how someone with a ‘perfect life’ can lose it all—and then find everything.
Darcy
Rhone thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl,
the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by
the rules. Never mind karma.
But Darcy’s neat, perfect world
turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel, the plain-Jane “good
girl,” steals her fiancé, while Darcy finds herself completely alone for
the first time in her life…with a baby on the way.
Darcy tries
to recover, fleeing to her childhood friend living in London and
resorting to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But
as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy
finds that her rules no longer apply. It is only then that Darcy can
begin her journey toward self-awareness, forgiveness, and motherhood.
Something Blue
is a novel about one woman’s surprising discoveries about the true
meaning of friendship, love, and happily-ever-after. It’s a novel for
anyone who has ever, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want
is really the one thing you need.
Review:
Let's start with Something Borrowed.
Rachel is somebody that probably 99% of all women can relate to. Most women have probably felt at some point in their life that they are being overshadowed by their best friend. I know I've felt this way, and it sucks.
The other 1% of the female population is composed of the Darcys. These are the women who live to win and must always be the best at everything.
Obviously this is not scientifically proven, but you get the idea.
I would say that most people are somewhere inbetween the two characters. There are times when you are the shining star, and there are times when you're the scruffy friend.
But what you have in Something Borrowed is a situation where opposites attract- literally. They are the extremes, and it's amazing that it works so well, but it does.
Rachel is so easy to like, because she is relatable. Darcy just the opposite, she is easy to hate.
I loved this book because it was so easy to cheer for Rachel to triumph in the end. You knew she was in an impossible situation-- a best friend or boyfriend situation-- and yet you hoped she could keep both.
Something Borrowed was fluffy and fun, and it explored the intricacies of the adult female relationship. I was happy with it overall. I liked Dex, I liked Rachel, and I loved to hate Darcy.
Then jump forward to Something Blue, where you're forced to listen to Darcy's side of things. Ugh. I almost didn't bother reading it because I hated Darcy so much, and I'm sure a lot of lovers of the first book felt the same way as I did.
To those readers, I have a message: read Something Blue!
The beginning is almost unbearable, because it's impossible to take Darcy seriously, but obviously the point of a book is to show the growth and transformation of the main character, and Something Blue is no exception! I loved seeing her struggle, and seeing her become a better and stronger person.
While these two books are companions, not necessarily a series, they obviously both focus on the same two characters, and over the course of the two novels you get to love them. I enjoyed seeing them change and grow, and at the same time got swept up into the magic of big city living and an adult world that I have yet to experience. This is chick lit at its finest!
