Book Series Review: Internet Girls (books 1-3) by Lauren Myracle

This week YOLO, the fourth book in Lauren Myracle's beloved Internet Girls series, is coming out, and to celebrate, I'm spotlighting some of my fave Myracle books all week. Today I'm reviewing the updated versions of books 1-3 in the Internet Girls series...

It’s time for a new generation of readers to discover the phenomenally bestselling and beloved series, told entirely in messages and texts. With a fresh look and updated cultural references, the notorious list-topping series is ready for the iPhone generation.
First published in 2004 (holy moly!), ttyl and its sequels follow the ups and downs of high school for the winsome threesome, three very different but very close friends: wild Maddie (mad maddie), bubbly Angela (SnowAngel), and reserved Zoe (zoegirl). Through teacher crushes, cross-country moves, bossy Queen Bees, incriminating party pics, and other bumps along the way, author Lauren Myracle explores the many potholes of teenagedom with the unflinching honesty and pitch-perfect humor that made this series a staple of young adult literature.

10th Anniversary Paperback editions

published 2/18/14 by Amulet Books

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / Indiebound

I first starting reading Lauren Myracle’s Internet Girls Series when they came out ten years ago, back when I actually was a teen! Ten years ago Myracle introduced YA readers to a whole new kind of reading experience with this series. Originally written through the use of IM’s and emails, these books were the epitome of hip and now. This year, Myracle rewrote these books, updating them for today’s young readers. With fresh new slang, pop culture references, and the incorporation of many of today’s hot topics, this series feel awesomely new, yet still captures the same literary magic it did ten years ago.

Told through text and messages, these updated and reissued books once again follow three BFFs- Maddie, Angela, and Zoe- from sophomore to senior year. I recently gobbled up these three updated versions and was not surprised by how much I still love them, how much I missed these characters, and how much Lauren Myracle still wow’s me! There is a reason Myracle has long been a Teen Read Queen, she simply gets teens and brilliantly brings their world to life through her characters. I’ve read pretty much every Lauren Myracle book and have to come expect nothing less than laugh-out-loud humor, gorgeous heart, unforgettable characters, and fabby fab writing...and the Internet Girls Series is stuffed full with all of it.

Myracle does a fantastic job of updating and refreshing this series! A whole new generation of readers will love the modern lingo, references, and relevant topics explored. Through the use of texts and messages, Myracle ingeniously captures that very immediate and right now world most teens live in. And Maddie, Angela, and Zoe’s world is crack-you-up-yet-totally-thought-provoking entertaining! From nasty mean girls, infuriating parents, confusing boys, embarrassing viral pictures, big fights, cross country moves, sex, and everything in between, these girls go through it all, and Myracle explores it all with unflinching honesty, surprising and startling heart, superb humor, and a pitch-perfect voice. Myracle never relies on trite cliches, easy outs, or soft blows, she approaches every moment of these characters’ lives (the heartaches, the first times, the triumphs, the crushing failures, etc) realistically, unabashedly, and enthusiastically!

What has stayed with me for the past ten years, and will continue to stay with me, are Maddie, Angela, and Zoe- wild-child Maddie, bubbly Angela, and responsible Zoe...I adore this adorkable trio so much! These girls are the heart and soul (and sometimes the ass and boobs and brains) of this series and they couldn’t be any more engaging, lovable, complex, funny, and real if they tried. Myracle infuses each girl with such spirit, personality, and awesomeness. I love these girls for everything they are and everything they aren’t, I love them even when they do something that makes me want to slap them! And so much of who each girl is shines through in the way they express themselves through their texts and message: Zoe’s proper spelling, Maddie’s silly quiz links, and Angela’s emoticons and the way she *stares wide eyed at friend* or *clutches hand to bosom*.  

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these girls and their stories again whilst reading the updated books. These books have once again shown me why Lauren Myracle is such a superb YA author and why I crazy-fangirl love her!

My Final Thoughts: This series still remains one of my absolute YA faves and for good reason! Lauren Myracle knows her audience, she gets her audience, and time and time again, she wow’s and amazes her audience. If you’ve read the Internet Girls books before, you’ll love these updated versions as well, and if you’re new to the series. then you’re in for such a splendiferous treat!

MY RATING

webite * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Lauren Myracle is the author of many books for teens and young people, including theNew York Times bestselling Internet Girls series, Shine, Rhymes with Witches, Bliss, The Infinite Moment of Us, and the Flower Power series. She lives with her family in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit her online at laurenmyracle.com.

Review: Inferno Park by J.L. Bryan

Inferno Park

by J.L. Bryan

August 15, 2014

Carter was only twelve when he witnessed the disaster that killed more than a hundred people at Starland Amusement Park. Five years later, Carter’s hometown is no longer a busy Florida panhandle resort, but a slowly dying town full of empty motels and attractions rusting behind chains and padlocks.

Now something evil stirs in the ruins of the old amusement park...something with an alluring siren song drawing visitors into the dark mysteries of the forbidden world behind the gate. Something with an appetite for restless, yearning souls. 

Carter reluctantly returns to the old park in the company of a new girl in town, who is obsessed with urban decay and pop-culture ruins, and discovers the evil at work. To stop it, and protect the children of the town, Carter will have to face his oldest and deepest fears.

Goodreads / Amazon Kindle / Amazon Paperback

J.L. Bryan can write the hell out of a book and, with Inferno Park, he has once again created a highly entertaining, smartly crafted, utterly addicting read! My first thought when finishing this book: “That was some awesome fucked up shit!”

The Starland Amusement Park, in the panhandle of Florida, was home to a horrific catastrophe. Hundreds of people, many of them children, were tragically killed and twelve year old Carter witnessed it all. Five years later, the small seaside town has not recovered. What was once a bustling tourist destination, full of Mom & Pop businesses, is now a fastly dying town. Seventeen year old Carter just wants to finish high school and get the hell out of there...but something sinister in the ruins of the park has other plans for Carter and the teens in this dwindling town. Something evil lurks in the park and it’s up to Carter and new girl Victoria to save the day...if they can stay alive long enough, that is!

What a spooktastic, fun, twisty read! Bryan holds nothing back in Inferno Park; it is filled to the brim with chills, thrills, and bloody good times! And the book starts with a wicked bang right in the first chapter. Seriously, this first chapter has one of the highest body counts, like, EVER! My face reading this chapter was pretty much all this:

And the shocks and twists never stop coming! I was all “There’s no way he’s gonna do that...eeep, he totally just did!” and by the time I’d think there’s no way Bryan would “go there”, we’d be driving past “there”, manically waving goodbye.

Genuinely creepy and eerie, with real frights, Bryan creates a captivating and spine-tingly atmosphere. Inferno Park is quite the cinematic reading experience, and is reminiscent of fun, watch-through-your-fingers horror movies. The quickly dying seaside town makes for an effective, isolated setting, while the haunting ruins of Starland Park, aka Inferno Park, is deliciously scary. Bryan has intricately built this amusement park of horrors, adding so much awesome detail; from the various rides to the game booths and food stands, Bryan fully immerses his readers in this world.

Carter and Victoria are both likable, realistic teenage characters that Bryan puts through absolute, compete hell! Carter, Victoria, and a myriad of other characters are victims of a truly evil baddie. This startling and unexpected antagonist hacks, stabs, chops, burns, decapitates, and every other crazy painful word you can think of, through his victims in a gorefest of awesomeness!

Twisted and twisty, Inferno Park throws some wicked curve balls and shocking revelations your way...so be prepared for anything and everything!

My Final Thoughts: Inferno Park is a thrilling read full of fun scares, excellent world-building, engaging characters, and one helluva baddie! Fans of horror movies aimed at teens and over-the-top slasher flicks will enjoy this book immensely. Oh, and I may NEVER go on an amusement park ride EVER again 0_0

MY RATING

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in the metro Atlanta sprawl with his wife Christina, where he spends most of his day serving the toddler and animal community inside his house. He is the author of the Paranormals series and the Songs of Magic series.

Gadget Girl Blog Tour: Review, Author Interview, Giveaway

I'm excited to have the Gadget Girl Blog Tour stopping by today! Below you'll find my review, a fun interview with the author, and a fab giveaway...

Gadget Girl

by Suzanne Kamata

5/17/13

GemmaMedia

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Purchase: Amazon

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS meets STONER AND SPAZ

Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity. When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.

an eARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Suzanne Kamata's Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is a charming and quirky YA Contemporary book with a unique and memorable main heroine.

Fourteen year old Aiko lives in Michigan with her artist mother. Aiko has cerebral palsy and has long been the subject of her mother's famous artwork, but Aiko wants to be known for her manga art. Gadget Girl is Aiko's secret manga creation, featuring a heroine that Aiko believes she will never be (beautiful and brave). Aiko longs to visit Japan, the Manga capital of the world, and also the home of the father she has never met. But when her mother wins an art contest in Paris, Aiko must spend her summer in France. A cute French waiter with a love for manga of his own and an interest in Aiko, changes the way Aiko sees both herself and her mom.

Suzanne Kamata has crafted a cute and heartfelt story about family, acceptance, and first serious crushes. With a fun French setting, thoughtful mother/daughter relationship, and the neat manga infused elements, Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is certainly an entertaining, quick read.

Kamata is an effective and enjoyable storyteller, who has given her story a great deal of heart and depth. Aiko's cerebral palsy and the ways it affects her life and self image, and her complicated and realistic relationship with her mother make for an often poignant story. Kamata doesn't sensationalize Aiko's cerebral palsy or use it to play on readers' sympathies, nor does her disability define Aiko's character, which I really appreciated. This is a very character driven story and, while her cerebral palsy doesn't define Aiko, it does give her a unique and refreshing voice. For the most part, I really liked Aiko and her wry, honest observations. At times though, I found her anger and resentment toward her mother, and her almost reverent way of thinking about the father she never met, to be too much and hard to relate to.

I really liked Aiko's love of manga and the fact that she has created her own manga series, Gadget Girl. And Gadget Girl herself is a pretty cool character. All the manga love and appreciation adds such a fun geeky coolness to the story.

I really like the fun French setting, which Kamata paints beautifully. And who doesn't love cute, sweet French boys?! Herve makes for an adorable and likable major crush for Aiko. Aiko is only fourteen so the fun flirting between these two never goes further than the butterflies in your stomach, holding hands, and innocent kisses kind of flirting. But I liked the interaction between the two teens and how Herve has a positive impact on Aiko's self esteem.

The story itself moves a bit slowly and needs tightening to remove unnecessary filler, and I would have liked to have seen Aiko get more closure where her absent father is concerned. But the ending is heartwarming and made me smile.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible is an enjoyable and thoughtful read with a likable main character and some fun elements.

MY RATING

What three words best describe GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE?

Art, Paris, Manga

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE a try? 

Aspiring manga artist Aiko Cassidy goes to Paris with her mother, where she meets a cute French guy and learns the truth about her father in this short, easy-to-read novel.

Grab a copy of GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? 

Chapter 21

Favorite page? 

Page 204

Favorite character? 

Aiko

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser:

“In my head , I’m already dining on sushi and seaweed soup, but then I look inside and see that we’re going to…Paris” 

What inspired GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE? What do you hope readers walk away with after reading your book? 

This book was inspired by my 13-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy, and who is an aspiring manga artist. I actually started writing this book seven years ago, before my daughter started drawing manga, so maybe she was influenced by my imagination.  It’s also inspired by my love of Paris. Most of all, I hope that readers will feel satisfied and entertained. And it would be great if they were inspired to pursue their own artistic dreams! 

 Why do you think it's so important for characters with special needs, like your main character Aiko, to be featured and given the chance to shine in Young Adult literature.

In the real world, there are many people with special needs, but they don’t show up all that often in books and movies, which suggests that their stories are not worth telling, or that they don’t matter. My daughter is not happy about having special needs, but she is always, always thrilled when she comes across a character in a book or movie who is deaf or uses a wheelchair. Reading about others, like ourselves, validates our own experiences. Reading about people who are different helps us to understand them. I think that reading and writing about characters with special needs adds empathy to the world and makes it a better place.

Are you a manga fan like Aiko? Any particular manga you'd recommend to YA readers, especially newbies?

I tend to prefer novels, but I have developed an interest in manga.I really like The Rose of Versailles, by Ryoko Ikeda, which is a classic. It’s never been released in English, though it was huge in France and in other countries (and you can read it in English online, though it’s not exactly legal). It’s a great story with a strong female character, forbidden love, and Marie Antoinette.Another favorite, more contemporary story is Nana by Ai Yazawa about a punk rock singer in Tokyo and her more demure friend. Very cool.  

What's it like living in Japan? How has the Japanese culture influenced your work? 

As a white American in Japan, I can never quite fit in. I’ve developed a lot of sympathy for the two or three Asian kids who I went to school with in Michigan! Also, there are lots of rules, that I always tend to break unknowingly. On the plus side, being an outsider gives me a degree of freedom that most people don’t have. I’m not really expected to belong entirely, so I don’t try. As a writer, I think being on the margins is just fine. And since I write in English, I don’t have to worry about offending my neighbors and co-workers, who speak only Japanese. They don’t even know that I’m a writer!Japan has become my main subject. I wrote Gadget Girl partly because I wanted to try to write about something other than Japan, but of course some elements of this country still crept in.

Fill in the blanks:
I'm really awesome at___.

making miso soup 

I'm really embarrassed to admit that___.

I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel. 

My first literary crush (author or character) was___

Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights

If I were a superhero, my superpower would be ___ and my superhero name would be ___

teleportation and Suzy Slash 

The last great book I read was___

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by GADGET GIRL: THE ART OF BEING INVISIBLE what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it? 

Of course it would be chocolate with maybe some sort of Eiffel Tower motif. (The Eiffel Tower is rather gadgety, is it not?) And maybe a sprinkling of green matcha tea to give a wink to Japan. I’d call it A Miracle in Your Mouth.

Suzanne Kamata

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Five-time Pushcart Prize nominee Suzanne Kamata is the author of the novels Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible (GemmaMedia, 2013) and Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), and editor of three anthologies - The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). Her short fiction and essays have appeared widely. She is the Fiction Co-editor of literarymama.com.

You can win 1 of 5 paperback copies of 

Gadget Girl!

This blog tour wide giveaway is open internationally.

Enter through the Rafflecopter:

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Review: Firecracker by David Iserson

Firecracker

by David Iserson

5/16/13

Razorbill

Format: eARC

Source: Netgalley

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Purchase: Amazon

Being Astrid Krieger is absolutely all it's cracked up to be.She lives in a rocket ship in the backyard of her parents' estate.She was kicked out of the elite Bristol Academy and she's intent on her own special kind of revenge to whomever betrayed her.She only loves her grandfather, an incredibly rich politician who makes his money building nuclear warheads.It's all good until..."We think you should go to the public school," Dad said.This was just a horrible, mean thing to say. Just hearing the words "public school" out loud made my mouth taste like urine (which, not coincidentally, is exactly how the public school smells).Will Astrid finally meet her match in the form of public school? Will she find out who betrayed her and got her expelled from Bristol? Is Noah, the sweet and awkward boy she just met, hiding something?Find out in this hilarious tragicomedy from New Girl and SNL writer David Iserson!

I received an eARC copy of this book from the pub via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I had such high hopes for David Iserson's Firecracker. I mean, when you hear that a writer from New Girl writes a YA Contemporary, you expect a smart, laugh-a-minute-read...well, what I got was a frustrating, disappointing, only sometimes funny, read.

Astrid Krieger loves her life. And why shouldn't she? Her family has money...like, richer than God kind of money...and she has great self-confidence. In fact, Astrid thinks she's pretty darn fantastic. A self-described loner, Astrid doesn't have “friends”, she has useful allies. The only person she truly loves is her powerful politician grandfather. But when she is kicked out of her fancy boarding school for cheating (and she is sure one of her “allies” set her up), she is sent to public school. At public school Astrid finds herself, for the first time, publicly hated and mocked by her peers. But with the help of awkward Lucy and cute Noah, Astrid concocts a genius plan for revenge against the person who set her up.

I'm not sure where to begin with this review. From the other review tidbits I've seen on Goodreads, it seems I'm in the minority in not loving Firecracker, which I can totally get. I can see why others really enjoyed this book. I, myself, didn't hate everything about it, just the important stuff. For coherency and to avoid long ranting, I think I'll just break up this review into what I liked and didn't like.

What I actually liked...

Humor...while not the insanely funny read I had hoped for, Firecracker does have its smart, genuinely witty moments. Yes, some of the humor is crude, silly-stupid, or even offensive, and at times I almost felt bad for finding something funny, but Iserson does prove that he has comedy writing talent.

Supporting Characters...several of the supporting characters, particularly Lucy, Noah, and Lisbeth, are actually likable and have real depth and development. Hey Iserson, if you wanted to offer readers characters that they could relate to, then you should of focused on Lucy and Noah...just sayin' *shrugs*

What I didn't like and even hated...

Plot...or the lack of a plot. The plot kind of meanders and wanders, with no concrete direction. Towards the end, the plot gets super messy and over-the-top ridiculous.

Conflicting Tone...at times, it seems as if Iserson is being satirical in the way he describes Astrid's life and her rich peers. I mean the Krieger family gets its money from nuclear war-heads, Astrid lives in a friggin rocket-ship in her backyard, and her fancy boarding school is described in a mocking manner...this kind of tongue-in-cheek humor I can get behind. But then, at times it feels as if I, and all the other readers who are not part of the 1%, are being laughed out and talked down to, mostly because of the way Astrid views the non-rich masses.

Which brings us to my biggest issue with this book...

Astrid Krieger...I hate this character. I don't use that word often when describing book characters, but there's just no other way for me to put it. I loathe Astrid Krieger. She's spoiled, mean, rude, immature, selfish, annoying, and arrogant. She has an unbelievable sense of entitlement and a ridiculously over-inflated ego. She treats people like utter crap and has no respect for anyone. I think her “quirks” and “honesty” (like knocking a vase off her headmaster's desk because she can, telling the headmaster his head is shaped like a penis, talking down to her parents, mocking her admirer's threats of suicide, her wry, sassy observations, etc) are meant to be charming and amusing, but they aren't. I'm not a violent person, but if someone talked to me and treated me the way Astrid treats 99% of people, I would bitch slap them...HARD.

I found nothing redeemable or likable or relatable about this girl. At one point she claims that she isn't a bully, she merely bullies other bullies, which makes her a hero...umm, no. Just no. The author could have taken Astrid and given her such profound character development and depth, but he didn't. Astrid doesn't grow, she doesn't learn anything, she doesn't become a better person, and she doesn't care...Astrid. Fucking. Krieger 

*gives Astrid my best “Hermione Granger Is Not Amused” glare*

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I think there are plenty of readers who have and will enjoy Firecracker...I am not one of them. The sometimes amusing humor and not horrible supporting characters earn this book an extra half cupcake from me, but for the most part, this book is a fail. If you want to spend a few mind-numbing hours with spoiled, privileged white kids, go watch The O.C. ...at least you can fast-forward through the whiny Marissa Cooper parts.

MY RATING

David Iserson

Site / Goodreads / Twitter 

David Iserson works as a film and television writer and currently writes for Fox's New Girl. He has also written for Saturday Night Live, NBC's Up All Night, and Showtime's United States of Tara and has several screenplays in development. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and her terrifying collection of taxidermy. Firecracker is his first novel.

Review: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard

That Time I Joined The Circus

by J.J. Howard

4/1/13

Point

Format: ARC

Source: pub

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake--and facing a terrible tragedy--Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi's mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn't there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus's fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.But then Lexi's ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it's Lexi's own future that's thrown into question.With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

That cover! That beautiful circus-y cover! Y'all, I wanted to love this book for the awesome cover alone...but, I didn't. The prettiful cover couldn't distract or shield me from the disappointing story inside *strokes cover with sad face*

That Time I Joined The Circus follows music obsessed, NYC born and bred Lexi has she travels from her beloved city to Florida. After a tragedy and huge mistake on Lexi's part, she is forced to leave NYC in search of her long absent mom. Lexi is told her mom has joined a circus in Florida, but when Lexi arrives all she finds is the circus. Broke and with nowhere to go, Lexi stays, working several circus jobs, finally landing the part as a fortune teller. Lexi soon finds herself a part of a whole new family and entangled in several romantic relationships. But when a few faces from Lexi's past show up, she has to decide what she wants and where her future will take her.

Aside from the lovely cover, this book has a pretty cool title, right? I mean, who hasn't wanted to run away and join the circus? Unfortunately, little else about this book captured or excited me. What could have been a quirky, thoughtful contemporary, turned out to be a mess of a story with trite romantic aspects and an annoying main character. On page five the word “retarded” is used, not as a way to show how ugly that word is, but as a humorous insult on the MC's part, and I just knew that this was a sign of what was to come...

This is a quick read, that can easily be read in one sitting, but I found my attention wavering because of the overall predictability of the story. From Lexi's huge mistake, to the friendships and relationships she develops in the circus, to the faces that show back up again, to where Lexi ends up in the end, everything is easy to see coming. There's only one real surprise in the book and it ended up angering me. When I say the story is messy, I don't mean it's hard to follow, I just mean it isn't put together well enough or tight enough. One of my biggest issues with That Time I Joined The Circus is the fact that there's such a big and important emotional arc being built after Lexi loses her dad, and then all that emotional building is pretty much torn down with the big surprise revelation Lexi learns toward the end of the book. I felt like this revelation was put in merely for shock value and not as a genuinely thoughtful way to grow Lexi's character. And the impact this revelation has on Lexi is not explored in a full way.

All the romantic elements (and there's A LOT) simply left me exhausted! They're not really the swoon-worthy kind of romantic elements, nor are they particularly well-developed. And I really hate who Lexi actually ended up with in the end, even if I saw it coming from the beginning.

Now, let's talk about our main character Lexi *sigh*...honestly, I just didn't like her much at all. She has a very hipster-ish, so above it all, snarky for the sake of snarky vibe that just annoyed the heck out of me. She constantly points out how different she is from her rich, stuck up private school peers and even looks down on her BFF Bailey, even though Bailey didn't come across as mean or stuck up. Lexi makes excuses for her “huge mistake” and makes it seem like Bailey almost deserved Lexi's betrayal. There's no real character growth when it comes to Lexi and I don't think she really learned anything at all by the end of the book. Also, I can't stand music snobs and Lexi is a huge (self-proclaimed) music snob *snore*

I do wish the actual circus setting was explored and utilized more. I mean, it's the friggin circus! You can't get a cooler setting that could be used in SO many ways (but it isn't).

There ARE a few things I did like about this book (and why it gets two cupcakes and not one)...Lexi may be a music snob, but the lyrics added at the beginning of each chapter were cool and the chapter titles themselves were funny. And I didn't dislike all the characters. The people Lexi meets at the circus, and who become her new family, are interesting and likable enough.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: I didn't hate That Time I Joined The Circus, but I have no real love (or even a strong likening) for it. The predictable plot, annoying main character, exhausting romantic elements, and lackluster world-building just disappointed me...but that cover is still gorgeous!

MY RATING

J.J. Howard

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

J.J. Howard is wearing headphones right now, most likely. She grew up in York, Pennsylvania, obsessed with music, movies, television, and pop culture. You can call her if you ever need to phone a friend for trivia on any of the above topics, but don’t ask about sports, because she is hopeless at those (along with math). 
J.J. graduated from Dickinson College with a BA in English and Tiffin University with an MH in Humanities. She has been some of her students’ favorite English teacher for a quite a few years (she even has a mug somewhere to prove it). THAT TIME I JOINED THE CIRCUS is her first young adult novel. 
J.J. would love to hear from her readers and is always ready to trade playlists. Visit at jjhowardbooks.com.

Review: Chemistry by Jodi Lamm

Chemistry

by Jodi Lamm

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Purchase: Amazon

You don’t want to read this book. I’m warning you. This isn’t a heartwarming, boy-meets-girl, high school romance. I wish it were—God, do I ever. No, if you read this, you’re going to be angry… with me, mostly. You’ll probably yell at me, if you’re the type of person who yells at books. You’ll tell me not to be so stupid, but I won’t listen. I’ll be exactly as stupid as I need to be to destroy everything I love because that’s who I am: a walking, talking tragedy. That’s who I’ve always been. But if you’re determined to read on despite my warning, I may as well introduce myself. My name is Claude Frollo, I’m nineteen going on ninety, and this is my story. It isn’t pretty, but it’s honest. And it’s the only story I have left to tell.

Jodi Lamm's Chemistry is a modern retelling of the classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame, set in a high school and starring a cast of teenage characters. You don't have to have read The Hunchback of Notre Dame to enjoy this book, but I do think a simple understanding of the classic's basic plot could be helpful when reading Chemistry. You can find a brief summary on Wikipedia HERE.

In Chemistry, Jodi Lamm has taken a classic tale and created her own twisted, intensely dark, and captivating story. Chemistry is narrated by the 19 year old main character, Claude, and explores how Claude's life takes a tragic and hard turn upon the arrival of the beautiful Esmeralda. Like several of the main characters, Claude becomes infatuated and obsessed with Esmeralda, but she only has eyes for the handsome Phoebus. Both Claude and his deformed best friend (in the Quasimodo role), Valentine, fall hard for Esmeralda and set out to protect her from the dangerous Phoebus and his friends. An almost rape, literal back-stabbing, rescue gone awry, and deep betrayal all lead up to an explosive and deadly conclusion.

Much of the classic plot remains in Chemistry, as well as most of the character names, but Lamm has definitely crafted something that is all her own. The classic story translates very well in this modern setting with its modern and relatable situations. Lamm proves to be an effective storyteller and superb character developer.

The story in Chemistry is very dark, twisted, and disturbing in the most engrossing way. Lamm doesn't hold anything back, which creates a wonderfully layered story. This isn't an “easy” read and deals with some very heavy and hard subject matter (rape, murder, abuse, drug use, etc), but all of these things are necessary to capture the story being told. The plot moves at a steady pace, and while some storylines aren't explained as much as others and some seem a bit messy, Claude's main story is deftly laid out.

And it seems to me that Chemistry is more a character study than anything else...but this isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, I found myself incredibly entranced by Claude's narration and inner monolgue/stream of consciousness. Claude is such a delicately complex character and Lamm shows his internal struggle between good and bad, light and dark, in some really breathtaking ways. I was both enamored and disgusted by Claude, usually at the same time, which is the sign of a truly well-developed character. He's impossible to ignore and forget.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: As far as retellings go, Chemistry is a great one. This dark, unputdownable book, with its unforgettable narrator and twisted story, will shock and captivate, and leave readers both entertained and thoughtful.

MY RATING

Jodi Lamm

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   If you care to know the usual, I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I currently live in the Sonoran Desert with The Other Lamm, three furry creatures (only one of which is an honorary dragon), and a variety of musical instruments. I write for the love of storytelling. I’m addicted to fantasy, ghost stories, and anything with just the right amount of eerie romance.