Review: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Overall:

The Sullivan sisters have some explaining to do. Their grandmother, known as Almighty, has taken offense at someone's poor judgment. So much so that she has given the entire Sullivan family an ultimatum: each member must write a confession to her or they will all be left penniless. Penniless? The girls know this cannot come to pass. How would they all adjust to life without the wealth and privilege their family has been steeped in for generations? Everyone assumes that it's one of them who has so offended Almighty, so Norrie, Sassy, and Jane reveal everything from love to disdain to murder in their letters to her. But is it enough to save themselves from the wrath of Almighty? (summary from Amazon)

I had pretty high expectations for this book because it sounded amazing and I absolutely LOVE the cover. Unfortunately, it did not fully live up to my expectations. Granted, there were lots of elements of the book that I liked, but some just didn't quite make the cut.
First of all, I was expecting exciting and dramatic characters who had dark secrets. Norrie, Sassie, and Jane all went through some exciting changes and problems, but I felt like I couldn't really connect to them emotionally. It might have been because Natalie Standiford was trying just a little too hard. I feel like Standiford could be an excellent writer, but her type of novel is just not a dramatic book about an upper class family with secrets. Which is where the writing comes in. She probably would have received higher marks for writing, but I just felt like she didn't do that well of a job developing the characters. The characters felt a bit forced and fake, and it just couldn't connect to them at all.Overall, the plot wasn't bad... it had a good premise. The whole book had a great premise, but I was just thrown off by the incomplete character development and the characters' ways of saying things like "Daddy-o" when referring to their father and calling their grandmother almighty. I think Standiford had a great idea, and she really has potential, but she was just trying a little too hard, which resulted in a fake feeling book. This book is a bit of a miss, but I would really like to see Natalie Standiford try, try again.

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love always,

Amanda

We need feedback for an upcoming blog event!

Hi guys! So... we have some really cool stuff that we hopefully will do for a special end of the year event, but we need your help!

So if you could please just give us your favorite book/author(as it says below) for the following categories and then tell all your friends to come do the same it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you very much and here are the categories that we need nominations for.
note: These books need to have been published in 2010.

1. Favorite novel of 2010.
2. Favorite debut novel of 2010 - a debut novel is when an author writes their very first book. That book would then be considered a debut novel. I.e. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
3. Most anticipated book of 2011 - what book are you looking forward to?
4. Favorite book in a new series of 2010- meaning it was the first of a series that started this year. I.e. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
5. Favorite book in a continued series of 2010 - this is a book that came out this year but is part of a series that started last year or earlier
6. Favorite author of 2010 - your favorite author that had a book published this year.

Favorites in genres:
Favorite Science Fiction novel of 2010
Favorite Fantasy novel of 2010(this includes paranormal books)
Favorite Romance novel of 2010 (this includes paranormal romance)
Favorite Realistic Fiction novel of 2010
Favorite Young Adult novel of 2010

- I realize this is only five genres, but we mainly review yound adult fiction here, and those are the main genres we review... so they're what we want to hear from you about.

Also, a last note: You can nominate books for MULTIPLE CATEGORIES as long as they fit the category. For instance... you can have a Young Adult paranormal romance novel that you nominate for young adult, romance, fantasy, favorite book, favorite new series, favorite debut, and favorite author. That is if it fit all of those categories and if you were a really big fan of that author/book.

Again, thank you so much for your help and make sure you tell your friends!

xoxo and love always,

Shelbie and Amanda

In My Mailbox (8)

Hola mes amigos!

It's Sunday, and time for what I got In My Mailbox, I actually have some interesting stuff this week, if you would like to do one also, link it at The Story Siren and make sure to comment below with links to your mailbox!!

In the Mail:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

From the Library:

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Bought:

Crash Test Love by Ted Michael
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

What's in your mailbox?

xoxo,

Shelbie

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Release Date: 8/7/2010
Publisher: Little Brown
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288
Overall:

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.

In case you hadn't noticed I was in such a romance mood this weekend. And the last read definitely didn't end the way I wanted it to, so I tried this one, which totally reminded my why I love fluffily (Yes. I made up a word. So what?) romances... they are SO adorable!

I loved Bianca's snarky, real, sometimes harsh, razor-sharp voice. There was also humor aspect that I loved, and how she isn't afriad to say, or show, how she feels. Anyone else ever wanted to throw your soda in someones face? She actually did it. The character arcs are my favorite part of this book. There's no makeover a la She's All That. No tropetastic turning point when Bianca lets down her hair and slaps on some eyeliner and voila! she's a supermodel! No, Bianca accepts herself for the way she is -- although she does grow emotionally, which makes the book's unlikely romance believable. Under Bianca's tough-talking exterior and Wesley's wisecracking manwhore ways, they both find the vulnerability in one another, and as a result, we fall for them both.

The plot was beautiful, where you could really see the two main characters shape from being characters to real live people.

. . . And I liked the ending :)

A great read!

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xoxo,

Shelbie

Book Blogger Hop 7

It's time for another meme! This one is one I love because we get to go see a whole bunch of new blogs that I never knew existed added to all of our wonderful followers that comment too :)

If you want to sign up go to http://www.crazy-for-books.com/ and sign the linky then answer the question in a post on your own blog! Don't forget to link here too, in case I accidently skip over your link on the website :)

Question:

What is your favourite book cover?

Shelbie's Answer:

Oh god, I have a whole bunch of them. One of my absolute favourites are the covers of Hush, Hush, and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Oh my GOSH those covers are beautiful. I love how it's black and white, and the only color comes from the red in the feather. I also love the storm in the background. It's just beautiful!

What is your favourite book cover?

xoxo,
Shelbie

Crash Test Love by Ted Michael

Release Date: 6/8/2010
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352
Overall:

The last thing Henry Arlington wants is a girlfriend. He's just very, very good with girls—reading their body language, knowing what they want to hear, and more importantly: getting them into the backseat of his car. But all that changes when he meets Garrett Lennox at one of the many Sweet Sixteen parties he crashes.

Garrett thinks she's done with guys. She was dumped by her ex when she moved from Chicago to Long Island, and now she realizes that she needs to find out who she is by herself, instead of with a boyfriend. What she really needs is some good friends.

Fortunately for Garrett, the J Squad—the "it" girls of East Shore High School—want her in their clique. All she has to do is pass one little test: get East Shore god Henry Arlington to take her to one of the biggest Sweet Sixteens of the year, then dump him in front of everyone.

Garrett has promised herself not to fall for another guy, so playing with Henry's heart shouldn't be hard. Right?

And Henry doesn't fall for girls, so when he and Garrett start to click, it doesn't matter. Does it?
As William Shakespeare once said, "Love is blind," or in this case, the lovers may be, as Henry and Garrett fall in love—and into the trap that awaits them. Because neither of them can even begin to see what the girls of Henry Arlington's past have in store.

This hilarious, sharp, and surprisingly thoughtful novel is the teen Wedding Crashers, filled with love, hope, laughs, and surprising insights about the terrifying process of falling in love.

From the premise alone, this book seems like it's lighthearted but Michaels does a fantastic job mixing in emotion and drama without taking away from the fun overall nature. The split narrative gives perfect insight to both Henry and Garrett and builds a connection to both for the reader. Also notable is the way the reader will side with and root for both characters even when they are on opposing sides because of the great voice Michaels gives them.

Henry comes off as a cocky jerk and a heartbreaker in the beginning but slowly, he sort of transforms into a person, and became more likeable. It was really interesting to see him grow and blossom. There is also an interesting contrast between the way Henry acts around his two best friends - Duke and Nigel, who were either pissing me off or making me seriously laugh out loud - and who he starts to be with Garrett.

Garrett shares a chemistry with Henry that is clear from the start and complicates the entire situation. Garrett is, at her core, a sweet, kind hearted person and this overdrives many others things she does. Though she could be considered a jerk for agreeing to set Henry up, Michaels pitches the scenario in a way to keep her sympathetic.

The plot plays out at a steady pace with a rubber band type motion that gives and takes between Henry and Garrett. Their quips and flirting are fantastic to read but more notable is the way they act when all pretenses are dropped and it is really just the two of them. The reader sees much more insight into both characters in these moments and feels the same despair as Garrett over what she ultimately intends to do to Henry.

As things progress, even the final climax gives both perspectives as does the tapering off and fall out. The ending is hard to predict and absolutely memorable and fitting for the story. Great characters with strong development, fantastic side characters that add plenty of amusement and driving points for the plot, and a great narrative and voice make Crash Test Love a cute but still thought provoking read.

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xoxo,
Shelbie

Teaser Tuesday 8

I'm trying to get back into the meme circuit with one of my absolute favourite meme's and that is Teaser Tuesday. If you haven't participated before the 23rd of November is a perfect day to start! Just go to the book you are reading at the moment, open to a random page and list two teaser sentances, then link below and Should be Reading but make sure to comment with links to your own Teasers or if you don't have a blog you can just post two lines in the comments!

Mine is from Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

"The sun will set soon. Not that long ago, there were a lot of neighborhoods that went dicy after dark."

What are you reading?

xoxo,
Shelbie

Guest Post: Harry Potter 7

For those of you who don't know Harry Potter 7 came out this weekend and Lauren, a fabulous friend of mine suggested that I do a post comparing Harry Potter 7 the book to Harry Potter 7 the movie. Which I thought was a wonderful idea, however I don't really remember the 7th book, so I asked her to do a guest post with her thoughts. ***NOTE THERE ARE SPOILERS OF BOTH THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE***

Here it is:
Harry Potter. A name known around the world and with the newest film installment just hitting theatres, fans across the world are rejoicing, or at least I am. I'm just going to start by saying that seeing the movie at midnight with my friends just added to the overall excellence of this movie. If you haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the book, not only should you go read it but also this review may not make very much sense as this review is a lot of book-movie comparison than it is a review of the movie as whole.

Going into this movie knowing that the book was my favorite in the series, I had pretty high expectations and they were almost all met. This movie was, in my opinion, the best of the series. It followed the book very closely with a few changes and exclusions added for various reasons. The exclusions were kept to a minimum and I believe this was why I enjoyed the movie so much. Ok, here is what I liked and didn't like about the film.

Starting with likes.

• Dobby. I loved him throughout the entire film funny, adorable and heroic. The scene where Dobby dies was so emotional. I have never cried in a movie until this scene.


• The Ministry of Magic scene was awesome, I loved the guy who played Runcorn, super awkward but perfect for the part.


• The scenery throughout the entire movie. During the period of time that the trio was camping, the places they went to were just beautiful


• The music was really well done, I thought it fit really well in the movie and sounded excellent.


• Seven Potter's scene was just as I imagined it and Dan Radcliffe did a really good job being Harry, yet being the person who was transformed into Harry.


• My favorite scene by far was when everyone was returning to the Burrow and Lupin grabbed Harry to make sure it was really him. This minute of the movie just summed up how much everything has changed and how scared everybody is of everything that's happening


• The lady playing Bathilda Bagshot was perfect. Super creeper, every time I saw her I got chills


• When Hermione obliviated her parents, this really shows the sacrifices she made for Harry.


• The Three Brothers animation was really cool


• I thought they chose the perfect spot to end it, not a huge cliff hanger but yet makes me really excited for part 2


• The actors and actresses did fantastic, my favorite being Emma Watson. She. Was. Superb.

Dislikes.

• Not including Kreacher's tale or Potterwatch, I really wanted to see this on screen


• Harry and Hermione's dance scene. This was cute but I found it sort of weird and unnecessary to the overall story. This extra time could have been used for something from the book


• Not explaining the Voldemort-name taboo or the mirror. I feel like people who haven't read the book would be very confused.


• The beginning. I didn't like how they started with Scrimgeour's speech; it didn't seem like a good introduction to the movie.


• The whole sequence of camping seemed really slow and long.
  

Overall I would say I really enjoyed this movie. Here are a few ratings I would give it on a scale 1-10, 10 being best.
Overall: 9/10
Book to Film adaptation: 9.5/10
Acting/Casting: 10/10

Just a piece of advice for part 2. See it at midnight in a big group of friends. I had such a great time and the movie was fantastic, one of the best nights of my life. Super pumped to see part 2 in July! Mark your calendars for July 15th 2011!

Guess What?!

I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE DEBUT AUTHOR CHALLENGE!!

Exciting no?

Would you like to learn how to sign up for this wonderful challenge?

Well let me tell you.... Go to www.thestorysiren.com and fill out the form that she has attached here.

Do you not have a blog to post reviews on?

Don't worry you don't have to as long as you post reviews in a public place! Ie. Goodreads, YouTube or anything else like that...

So go forth and sign up!

xoxo,

Shelbie

In My Mailbox 7

Hey Guys,

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would do an In My Mailbox, if you would like to do one also, link it at The Story Siren and make sure to comment below with links to your mailbox!!

From the Library:

Trance by Linda Gerber
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

In the Mail:

- None -

Bought:

- None -

What'd you get? Let me know!

xoxo,

Shelbie

Trance by Linda Gerber

Release Date: 10/14/2010
Publisher: Speak Publishing
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 277
Overall:

It begins with a subtle vibration, a tingling. There is time to take only one breath. The trance begins. When it is through, she is certain of two things: Someone she knows is about to die. And she is powerless to stop it.

Ashlyn Greenfield has always known when bad things are going to happen. Each time that familiar tingling at the back of her neck begins, she knows what's to come a trance. She's pulled in, blindsided, an unwilling witness to a horrible upcoming event. But she's never been able to stop it not even when the vision was of her mother's fatal car accident. When soulful Jake enters Ashlyn's life, she begins having trances about another car accident. And as her trances escalate, one thing becomes clear: it's up to her to save Jake from near-certain death.

I was quite surprised at how much I liked this book! I actually almost read the entire thing in one sitting! It was completely engrossing and very easy to read.

I really felt the author drew the characters quite well. Even though Ashlyn is the main character and it mostly focuses on her she did an awesome job with the side characters as well. I was able to understand and relate to the character and situations they were each in. I understood how Ashlyn didn't want to share her issue (the visions aka trances) as history had taught her bad things could come of it. I loved the way how the author made each character so unique. They had such strong personalities!

This book talks about dealing with losing those you love, about being different, and about learning how to open up to others. I think all those are issues that teens deal with today. Although the subject matter is something completely different, the author came up with a reason for why the Trances happen and even how it happens scientifically. So it was all so believable! I mean, maybe it's something that really does happen. I really don't know.

The romance is sweet but vague. In a good way. There may have been a kiss but there was no description of it or anything sexual whatsoever. There was no cursing that I recall and I found it to be one of the cleanest YA books I've read in awhile. I had thought this book may feel more middle grade, but it didn't at all! It is clean enough for middle grade but had a completely YA feel.

I was very impressed with this book and highly recommend you run out and pick up a copy!

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xoxo,
Shelbie

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Release Date: 8/28/2001
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 280
Overall:

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment--from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

I have no idea why I haven't read this book before, because I certainly heard about it a lot*. The synopsis just didn't sound that special I suppose, because on the surface, "Sloppy Firsts" is just your regular run-of-the-mill YA story about a smart 16-year old girl (Jessica Darling), her relationship with her best friend who is away, her parents and cheerleader so-called friends, her obsessions over boys, all in a diary format. How many times have I read this before? A million!

However, the difference here is the narrator. Jessica is clever, athletic, sarcastic, super-observant, prone to spaz attacks and lusty thoughts, but yet full of reason and self-respect. Her observations and comments about her family, friends and school-mates are funny, although often a little mean-spirited (I have to add this after a little pondering).

As an added bonus - there is a bad boy. To be honest, I am rather wary of those already, as they are just getting badder and badder, to an extent that they are simply jerks these days, but Marcus totally charmed the knickers off of me with his poetry, lip-nipping and extremely high IQ. And the fact that Jessica manages to push all THIS away with a firm hand just proves one more time why I love and identify with her so much.

The main negative about "Sloppy First" is its the setting-up-for-the-sequel ending. It would have been nice to have a more definite resolution.

But this complaint aside, "Sloppy Firsts" is a funny (in a sarcastic way) read which I won't hesitate to recommend. It's a bit raunchy it's written more like an adult book, so don't give it to your 12-year old cousins! Otherwise, it's a great read!

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xoxo,
Shelbie

Strange Angels by Lili St Crow

Release Date: 5/14/2010
Publisher: Penguin Group
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Overall:

Dru Anderson has been “strange” for as long as she can remember. She travels from town to town with her father, hunting the things that go bump in the night and eat the unwary. It’s a weird life, but a good one–until it all explodes and a zombie busts into her new house.

Alone, terrified, and trapped in an icy town, Dru’s going to need every inch of her wit and training to stay alive. Can she trust the boy who is just a little too adult–and just happens to get bit by a werwulf? Or the strange blue-eyed boy who tells her she’s heir to a long-forgotten power? Can she even trust her own instincts?
Because Dru is not the first in her family to be killed by the darkness of the Real World. The monsters have decided to hunt back–and now Dru has to figure out who to trust, who to fight, and when to run. And not incidentally, she has to figure out how she’s going to get out of this alive.

And she has to do it by sundown, or it’s all over…

This is the first installment in the Strange Angels series. I found that this book was dark, dangerous and different. Three Ds! I was really excited to read it because the cover on the copy that I have says, "Dru Anderson: Night Hunter. Knife Thrower. Heart Breaker." Unfortunately, I did find she was any of those things, at least in this installment.

In the beginning of the book, there was a sentence that really got to me. "I never saw Dad alive again." That aspect of the book really depressed me. Dru doesn't have anyone. First her mom, then her grandma, then her dad? Sad! It seemed like she had a really great dad too! Sure, he was always putting himself in danger fighting the bad guys and he would leave Dru home alone a lot but he did it for a reason. He made sure she was responsible and taught her a lot of valuable lessons.

The beginning was really reeled me in because her dad dies and she is now alone and what is she supposed to do? The middle was less exciting for me. The end was awesome though. A new character is introduced, Christophe. That's where I kind of got reeled back in.

There are some mythical creatures that are totally new to me in this book that I am kind of excited about. suckers. So far all I know is that suckers are like vampires but they can also turn people into zombies. Scary! There are also different mythical creatures that are briefly introduced that I am excited about too.

Because I really liked the end and it made me really look forward to the next book in the series, Betrayals.

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xoxo,

Shelbie