Publication date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Travel, romance, obedient girl turned rebel, finding yourself...it's all there. Thankfully, I thought that Gayle Forman did a great job at making it her own though so it didn't feel like you were reading the same story once again. Allyson was a little hard to stomach in the beginning because I sometimes have a Low MC Tolerance syndrome where I get really picky about my heroines. However, she grew quickly and became a lovable character. The plot picked up and all the elements were in place. There's also a cliffhanger that made me have another syndrome called Cliffhanger syndrome where I needed the sequel before the last chapter ended, thank you very much.
Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough
Publication date: November 8, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
First of all, I think the cover is so cute, which made me first drawn into it. That's especially a good thing since "cute" is the theme throughout the story. Unfortunately, you should take the title seriously and don't expect a lot of magic in the book. Hopefully there will be more in the sequel (which is coming out this year, yipee!), but there's a lot of introduction to the Delaney and her backstory and all these family and friend elements. Overall, it was an enjoyable and cute read. Bonus: Delaney does grow as a character, which is a good thing because I can't stand it when authors leave me unsatisfied like that.
Five Summers by Una LaMarche
Publication date: May 16, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
I had every intention to reviewing this book, but after I devoured it in about a day or two, I basically had too many thoughts and emotions on it that I kept putting it off. I loved all the different stories of the different girls and while its theme is friendship and secrets, I actually would have liked more friendship. LaMarche took a different route than the normal, but she executed it well. There were things that did annoy me, but I was hooked nonetheless. I liked (most of) the characters, their (somewhat predictable) personalities and varied backstories, and the loyalty mixed with camp and secrets sprinkled on top recipe.
The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise
Publication date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
A smart girl develops an app that helps girls get boyfriends. I thought this would be a fluffy story, but it turned out to be more technical than I thought...and I liked it! Audrey is a geek, thanks to her father, and gives more information on how computers and apps work. For me, she did it without being an information dumper and kept it interesting. Also, the characters are great and I really enjoyed the plot. Thanks to authors being nice and their books sounding great, I picked this one up from the library and loved reading it.
You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle
Publication date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
I had such high hopes for this one and it was good, but not great as I was expecting it to be. Molli from Once Upon a Prologue said something a while ago that accurately states my feelings on this one: whelmed. I'm not overwhelmed by it nor am I underwhelmed. Can I just be whelmed? I couldn't write a good review on this one because I didn't have much to say on it, unfortunately.
Publication date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Technically, I did write a review for this one. I wrote it and it was only mediocre because I felt the same way about the book. I liked the book, but when I tried to have a certain feeling for it, I couldn't pinpoint it. I know it was positive (mostly), but it left me feeling slightly better than whelmed.
For bloggers, what are some book you never got around to reviewing? For readers, what are some books that made you feeling whelmed?
Note: I'll be taking my Exam II today for science, which means that I will hopefully be more involved in the blogging world. Finally commenting, blogging, and reading. The whole sh-bang! I also applaud all of you who have a full-time job (which absolutely includes staying home with kids) and have had a blog for a looong time.
