When It Happens

When It Happens
by Susane Colasanti

5/5

Sara and Tobey are finally seniors in high school. She is a brain, he is a musician. He's wanted her for a long time. And now he finally going to do something about it. Until Dave, the popular guy, asks her out. But this doesn't stop Tobey from trying to get the girl of his dreams.

Tobey and his best friend Mike try to come up with plans for him to get Sara to notice him. Tobey comes up with an excellent idea, and talks to Laila, Sara's best friend. He gets her to trade partners in Music Theory so he can be with Sara. Laila of course tells Sara this. After hearing that Tobey likes her, Sara can't keep her eyes off of Tobey.

Sara dates Dave for a few weeks, trying to get into it. He's basically begging her to have sex with him. He's not who Sara thought he was. Sure, he's gorgeous, but there is no connection. No connection is like the one she and Tobey share. She gets butterflies, she loves the way he looks at her with his bright blue eyes.

Tobey is trying to win Battle of the Bands, but it totally blows. Sara is nervous for her possible acceptance to NYU. Tobey changes himself for Sara too. Instead of pulling his normal C average, he uses him smarts, and pulls an A average so he can get into a music school. He never wanted to go to college, but he knew that Sara wanted him to go, so he never told her that he didn't want to go.

Sara and Tobey have the connection everyone is looking for. From the moment they knock heads in the cafeteria, you will be rooting for their relationship to blossom.

This book was AMAZING. I read it in just a few days; it was hard to put down, even when I was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep at one in the morning! I fell in love with the idea of Sara and Tobey right when they bumped heads in the lunch line. They were just so perfect, even if Sara didn't know it yet. I recommend this book to anyone. It was so good. Go read it! You won't be disappointed! And Susane's writing is so great. It is totally "real". It is how my friends and I talk, and how so many other people talk and get along. It's great. Read it!

Lucky and Tempted: An It Girl Novel

Spoilers, if you haven’t read the series.

Lucky: An It Girl Novel
by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey has been to a few crazy parties at Waverly Academy in the few weeks she’s been there. But none have been as hot as the one at the Miller Farm, where the barn caught on fire. Dean Marymount announces that the arsonist behind the fire will be expelled.

Rumors are everywhere. Julian’s lighter, with his initials on it, was found on the scene. He had given this to Tinsley before…Hmmm! Callie is scared that either her or Easy will be kicked out, since they were both in the barn, smoking. It was Tinsley who came up with the idea in the first place, though. But, to save her own butt, she and Callie plan to get Jenny expelled. But, will it work?!

Of course, another fabulous book. I just can’t put these down. The ending was so good! I didn’t see it coming at all. Tinsley and Callie are so evil! I cannot stand them one bit. Annoying! But, anyways, go read this series. Seriously. :)

Tempted: An It Girl Novel

by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey confessed to the crime of burning down the Miller Farm, though she didn't do it. She thought her life at Waverly was over, until Dean Marymount told her Mrs. Miller, of the farm, told him that her cows started the fire...weirdo! Nobody knows who saved her, but they do know that someone paid off Mrs. Miller. But who could it be?! She is ready to unveil her secret admirer at the Halloween masquerade ball.

Callie and Easy broke up again, and now she is ready to win him back at the Halloween ball, wearing her Cinderella costume. But will he be there, willing to be her Prince Charming? Tinsley has been noticing her popularity is shrinking. Especially when little Jenny wins best costume at the ball, when that has ALWAYS been her. Does she try to make Jenny miserable again though? Or be nicer?

This is the most recent book in the series and it was great. The best one yet, I think. Tinsley really surprised me at the end with Jenny. It was kind of weird too. Jenny went through a lot. Another boy who was a jerk to her as well, which sucks. She'll find someone soon, I hope! :)

Unforgettable: An It Girl Novel

Some spoilers, if you haven't read the series.

Unforgettable: An It Girl Novel

by Cecily Von Ziegesar

5/5

Jenny Humphrey has been at Waverly Academy for a few weeks. She's been through a lot, from kissing boys, to parties, to stealing her roommate's boyfriend, Easy Walsh. Callie, her roomie, just goes and makes out with him in a closet behind Jenny's back. As Easy tries to decide which girl he wants, Callie and Jenny make a pact to leave Easy in the past. But, Callie goes back on that promise. What a friend. NOT!

Jenny starts to like Julian, the tall, shaggy-haired freshman who has been hanging around her dorm randomly. Little does she know, its not for her, but for the bitchy Tinsley. The girls of Dumbarton start bonding by starting WoW--Women of Waverly. Kara and Brett get a wee bit closer...Interesting.

Then there is a party at the Miller Farm. Many things happen. Everyone learns about the Kara and Brett relationship...Jenny sees Callie and Easy smoking in the barn, not fully clothed...Jenny hooks up with Julian...Tinsley gets pissed. And how does this end? The barn catches on fire.

Another great book in the series. Callie and Easy really made me mad in this one. I liked Easy, but once he hurt Jenny like that, I disliked him very much! Jerk. And Tinsley, of course, is a mega bitch! If I knew someone like this in person, I wouldn't believe it. I don't know how someone could be that mean. The whole Kara/Brett situation was weird. And interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA novels. Lots of drama!

The Ghost's Child

The Ghost's Child
by Sonya Hartnett

4/5

Matilda comes home one day to find a young boy sitting on her sofa. They have tea, and she tells him about her past. At that time, she went by Maddy, and she longed for a fairy tale life.

When Maddy finished school, she came home to her family’s house by the sea. Her father asked her what she thought the most beautiful thing in the world was. She answered, “sea eagles.” Her father decided that the two of them together would travel the world in search of the world’s most beautiful thing, since he was not satisfied with her answer. After their travels, she was asked the question again. And she realized that she was the answer her father was looking for.

One day when she was back home, she went to the beach. She saw a young man and found herself walking towards him, scaring away the pelican that he was holding. She went to see him every day after that. She called him Feather. She married Feather, and they moved into a cottage in the forest.

He left one day, to be at his one place where he could be happy. Maddy could not come though, he told her. Weeks after, she wondered why he went to this one place and if he was happy. She decided that she needed to know the answer, so she had a sailboat made, and she set to sea. She saw many things, and spoke to sea life. She found Feather, and got her answer.

When she got back to her home, she left the cottage, unable to life there any longer. She decided she wanted to work in the war. She nursed hurt soldiers, and from there decided that she wanted to be a doctor. From then on she was Matilda. She helped people and then began to age. She was getting older, and lived in a house by herself. She ended her days in that house.

This was a very intriguing book. I was confused with the boy, but by the last chapter, I knew exactly who he was and why he was there. The life that Maddy lived was amazing. She went through so much, and many of those things weren’t so good, which is relatable. Her parents were odd. Her father wanted Maddy to be who she wanted to be, whereas her mother just wanted her daughter to marry a rich man and not care about being happy, which bothered me. Feather was also confusing. He appeared out of nowhere. I was happy they married, but unhappy when he left her. Overall, this was a very interesting book, and was hard to put down. I enjoyed it very much.

*Also reviewed for teensreadtoo.com
Comes out October 14, 2008

Chicks Ahoy

Chicks Ahoy

by Lynda Sandoval

3/5

Camille Tafoya and Jane Goodall "Jiggy" Yearling are about to have the summer before their senior year. They were supposed to get away from Brett, Camille's ex, whom they hate, and spend time with her Grandmother.

Wrong-o! Since Camille's SAT scores were so bad, because of her distraction in the form of Brett, her parents decided that she needs parental supervision. So, the girls get to work on Camille's dad's cruise ship for the summer. Sure, its great that they get to use all of the great things on the ship, but they have to work too!

Camille wants to stay as far away from all guys as possible, but she can't stay away once she is introduced to her job mentor, Makaio, who just happens to be gorgeous. She still tries to stay away from him when working. Jiggy hangs out with her mentor, Lani, outside of working, and she eventually gets out of control with her partying.

Camille wants to help her best friend, but she thinks she doesn't need help. When Camille tells Jiggy's brother about the problems, Jiggy gets pissed, and they have a huge fight. By the end of it all, Camille learns something about herself and what it means to be a best friend.

This book was alright. It didn't really pull me in at all. It's a short book, but I read it slow. I just didn't really get into it until the end, because I just kinda wanted to get it over with. It could have been better. I liked the story line in a way. And I liked the interaction between Camille and Jiggy, because it seems like my best friend and I in a way or two. Jiggy really bothered me when she started going out with Lani though. She was just being totally stupid. But at the end, I was glad that she realized it was dumb. Go ahead and read this book...you might like it more than I did.