Book Review: Temptation

Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Title Temptation
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: June 26, 2012
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Your heart misleads you.
That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah.

And he loves me.



We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms. It should be

ROSE & NOAH

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.

And I'm not.

Review: I love Amish fiction. I'm a sucker for it, so when I saw this new YA Amish book, at NetGalley, I had to dive in. Not many stories deal with the youth in the community, so this was definitely something different.

However, I found myself wondering how much research the author did when writing this book. The community Noah belongs to, is obviously Old Order Amish, but they didn't allow rumspringa? That doesn't fit with much of what I know about the Amish. I could be wrong though, but that part of the story bugged me. The other thing is, the sects of Amish that they could possibly have been wouldn't have had neat tidy farms either.

The story reads much like a twist on Romeo and Juliet, but since it is a Harlequin the ending is not a downer, even though there are times when you think otherwise. Or so you think, because this is the first book in a series.

~big sigh~

Would it be so hard to write a book about the Amish that wasn't part of a series? Tell the story and finish it all in one volume?

I didn't think so.

The ending of the book is the most unsatisfactory part. Not because of anything that happens but because the last 100 pages are total drama and the last 10...Meh...the book ends very abruptly, a'la Beverly Lewis.

OH and I know this isn't a Christian novel, but the religious aspect of the Amish was swept under the rug in this book and that is really taking a huge part of the culture away.

There still is quite a bit to like about the book. The characters are strong. I liked Noah better than Rose. Noah's behavior was pretty much what you'd expect for a young Amish man. Rose however seemed to be a smart girl that was pretty stupid sometimes. She had to ask her father about the Amish. Uh, what about the internet? I don't think a 16 year old, falling desperately in love wouldn't Google Amish to learn more about their ways.

I'm definitely going to check out the rest of the series, because I have to know how things turn out for the young couple.

Rating: 3 flowers

Book Review: New Girl

Author: Paige Harbison
Title: New Girl
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: January 31, 2012
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Welcome to Manderley Academy

I hadn't wanted to go, but my parents were so excited…. So here I am, the new girl at Manderley, a true fish out of water. But mine's not the name on everyone's lips. Oh, no.

It's Becca Normandy they can't stop talking about. Perfect, beautiful Becca. She went missing at the end of last year, leaving a spot open at Manderley—the spot that I got. And everyone acts like it's my fault that infallible, beloved Becca is gone and has been replaced by not perfect, completely fallible, unknown Me.

Then, there's the name on my lips—Max Holloway. Becca's ex. The one boy I should avoid, but can't. Thing is, it seems like he wants me, too. But the memory of Becca is always between us. And as much as I'm starting to like it at Manderley, I can't help but think she's out there, somewhere, watching me take her place.

Waiting to take it back.

Review: This was an interested plot for a YA novel. It reads like an old gothic novel, yet it is set in the present day.

I liked the book but in the same time I was disturbed by it.

Likes:

1. The plot moves along quickly and it kept me interested.

2. I really liked "The New Girl" though I have to say it made no sense that Paige didn't give her an actual name until the end. WTF is up with that?

3. There can never be too many gothic novels. They are always so fun, cheesy and over dramatic, and let's face facts here, just about everything in this book is dramatic.

4. The  Max/Johnny/Becca/New Girl/Max/Johnny thing is really interesting. Actually the whole way Paige writes the "New Girl" stepping into Becca's life is really interesting.

5. Dana is super creepy as a roommate!

6. The ending was not at all what I expected.

There's a lot about this book that left me clueless. I realized that it is a retelling of Rebecca in a modern setting, but not being up on the classics I can't make any complaints there. However....

Dislikes:

1. OMG Becca was a huge slut and I can't figure out for the life of me how she managed to wrap everyone around her little finger. She was a Bitch, with a capital B.

2. The love triangle thing, in her instance just didn't work because neither guy really liked her. They both liked having sex with her!

3. OMG lots of sex, or rather implied sex in a YA novel as well as a whole bunch of drunken rich kids at a boarding school.

4. I'm not sure I bought into everyone thinking Becca was so awesome and other than the fact she was a slut with a mental disorder, it was really hard to figure out why anyone would want her!

All in all, this was a middle of the road read for me. It was fun, but Becca was a problem for me, because she was so intensely unlikable.





Rating: 3 flowers

Book Review: Greek: Best Frenemies

Author: Marsha Warner
Title: Greek; Best Frenemies
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: Oct 1, 2010
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: They've fought over guys, sorority elections and who gets the last Cheeserito. Casey Cartwright thought that made her and her ZBZ little sis Rebecca Logan closer. But when Casey's ex, Evan, nominates Rebecca as the next Omega Chi fraternity Sweetheart and Rebecca hesitates, Casey vows to play hardball. ZBZ's status on campus depends on Rebecca winning that title. It's time for some sisterly guidance….
Meanwhile, Casey's brother Rusty wants to create a truly spectacular legacy for his fraternity, Kappa Tau, and KT prez Cappie is hoping to live up to Casey's expectations for their fragile new relationship. The pressure is getting to everybody. When Casey goes overboard trying to advise Rebecca on how to win Sweetheart, things reach the breaking point. Will a surprise finish to the competition shake everything apart, or is it just the shock needed to bring best frenemies together?

Review:  I felt like I was back in college as I read this book, and I was the most anti-sorority/fraternity girl around. The author really seemed to capture the whole sorority thing, especially the feuds that exist between the sororities. Everything that made me glad to never be part of a Greek organization!

The story focuses on the Sweetheart competition and the main players. For someone that hasn't quite experienced what goes on in the "Greek" world, this story might be hard to take, but if you've spent more than a semester at an institution of higher learning, you'll see it is pretty spot on.

Casey takes her sorority very seriously, probably more seriously than her classes. She gets more than a little obnoxious over the competition, especially when Rebecca seems to be less than thrilled with her nomination.

Then there's Cappie, Casey's boyfriend, that seems to be majoring in partying. Any mention of graduation and study seems to throw him.  Cappie is definitely a lovable character, but it leaves you wondering about Casey? If they are seniors shouldn't they be worrying more about graduating that what's going on with the houses?

Nope, the sororities and fraternities are all that matter, and let me tell you the competition is rough.

I was amazed at how well the author alluded to all the naughty stuff that college students get up to, without actually getting into it. There are no sex scenes, but you know Casey and Cappie are sleeping together and so are Rebecca and Evan. Oh and the Tri Pi's sleep with everyone!

The only thing I didn't quite grasp was the title. Yes, Rebecca and Casey each dated the other's current guy, but there really didn't seem to be any animosity between the two.

This was a great young adult read. It was fast and fun. Much like a more modern Sweet Valley High, for the older teens.