Switch by Carol Snow

Pub Date: September 2008

Summary: What would you do if every time there was a thunderstorm, you switched bodies with someone?

Every since Claire Martin became another teenager, this happens to her all the time.

During every thunderstorm, Claire finds herself as someone else.

Usually she’s back into her own body by the next time she wakes up.

But this time, something goes horribly wrong.

Claire gets stuck in Larissa’s body.

Larissa happens to be the new hot blonde.

She’s also got the attention of Nate, Claire’s longtime crush.

Claire isn’t sure she will ever get back to her old body, her old life.

If she can, she’s not even sure if she will want it all back.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: When I first received Switch in the mail, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I was excited to read it. For me, it kind of started out a little slow and at some points I found myself not really connecting with Claire like I hope to in books. But the plot was definitely different than anything else I’ve read. I really liked that about the book. The plot was unique and well written. But not all of the characters flowed and communicated well together. When Claire switches bodies with Larissa, I really didn’t expect her to get stuck. That was the big climax in Switch, but I think it might have came a little late for me. Sometimes the ending felt a little rushed. There wasn’t very much suspense before the book just ended. If you someone who thinks you would really like this kind of book, then you should definitely go for it! Chances are you will like it. It’s not a bad book, I just think some parts could have been a little better.

-Lexi (:

FTC: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.

Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel

Pub Date: October 2009

Summary: Tabby Freeman and Lora Froggett.

They go to the same school but seem to live in two different worlds.

Tabby. Rich, pretty, popular.

Behind closed doors, her perfect world is falling apart.

Lora. Smart, shy, target for bullies.

She’s becoming nervous. She doesn’t want anyone to find out her family’s secret.

Tabby and Lora might have something in common though.

They’re both hiding secrets and pain.

When a series of events causes the two girls’ lives to intersect, will they be saved or destroyed?

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: Two girls become unlikely friends. This plot is used a lot for Young Adult books, but for some reason it doesn’t get old. Girl on the Other Side was no exception. Yes, I know I only gave it 3 stars but I have my reasons! This book was really short. To me, it could have been a lot better if it would have been longer. Parts needed more description. I couldn’t always picture some of the situations in my mind, which is really an important part of reading for me. But Deborah Kerbel did make the plot unique. That’s why it still got a 3 stars rating. Tabby and Lora were really good representations of the two sides of the social scale. Girl on the Other Side showed that even though you may be really different on the outside, something on the inside could really be a lot alike. I think that’s a good thing of everyone to remember in high school. It’s not necessary to judge someone based on what’s on the outside because the inside could be so different.

-Lexi (:

FTC: I received this novel from its publishing company/author with the understanding that I would provide an honest review. I am not getting paid in any way for writing and posting this review.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Pub Date: August 2009

Summary: It’s been months, and Viola still isn’t over her boyfriend.

Ever since Lawrence ended their relationship, Viola hasn’t been able to focus on anything.

All she wants is to belong again and to have someone love her.

When Viola accidentally summons a genie into her world, she finds herself able to make three wishes.

Jinn, the young genie, only wants to return home.

Viola, on the other hand, wants to make sure she makes the right three wishes.

She wants the wishes to finally make her happy.

But, as Jinn and Viola spend more time together, they find themselves growing closer.

Soon, Jinn realizes that he’s falling for a human girl; he’s falling fast for Viola.

For Viola, it takes more time for her to realize her true feelings for Jinn.

After her first wish, she knows that she’s falling in love with Jinn.

With only two more wishes left, Viola spends all of her time, not wishing.

The sooner she makes those final wishes, the sooner Jinn will leave.

And the sooner Viola will be forced to forget about him.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: For me, As You Wish was just an average book with a bigger than life plot. I really expected more from this novel and from Jackson Pearce. I’m not saying this book wasn’t good; it definitely had its moments. The friendship and relationship that developed between Viola and Jinn was really cute and you could tell that they cared for each other. Since As You Wish is written from alternating points of view, I think it could have flowed better or just been told by one person. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable and light-hearted novel. If you don't think you'll be interested in As You Wish, you should still give it a try!

-Lexi (:

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

Pub Date: April 2009

Summary: The Summer of Passion.

For seventeen-year-old Jory Michaels, she hopes the next three months are the best summer ever.

Spending time with her best friends. Obsessing over her crush. Trying to find what she is passionate about. Saving money for a nose job.

The only thing that stand between Jory and her happiness is her nose, the Super Schnozz.

To cover the cost of surgery, Jory takes up a job delivering wedding cakes.

But she forgets to mention that she is accident prone.

Jory tries to find her passion by trying yoga, trying to become a foreign film buff, but to her, nothing is as good as finding a boyfriend.

But, to Jory, that can't happen until she loses the Super Schnozz.

She soon discovers though, that the beautiful person she want to become, may not be as perfect as she wants to be.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: My Big Nose was kind of a disappointing book. The beginning was too slow. I wasn't really pulled into the story as I hoped to be. The middle and ending though, did pick up a bit to the point where I ended up loving the end. Jory was such a cute character. I didn't like her that much at first, but by the ending I wanted to be her friend. I thought it was nice how she was there for her friends but I didn't like how obsessed she was with getting a nose job. I know that people out there are like that, but I think people, girls especially, should be comfortable in their body. I think that I might read this book again, but I do recommend it to readers.

-Lexi(:

Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer

Pub Date: July 2009

Summary: Dara Cohen was the cutest seven-year-old. She was a star when it came to singing.

No wonder she was crowned Little Miss Maine.

Now at the age of seventeen, Dara isn't so little anymore.

When her classmates find out about her past, they're amazed.

This becomes only one of her problems.

Her mother is a control-freak and won't get off her back about things.

But the worst thing is their family secret, Dara has an older sister that her parents tried to erase from their lives.
Dara realizes she has a decision to make after a school project sends her to the office and her parents pull her out to save face.

Option A: Keep following the rules and being misunderstood.

Option B: Reach out to the sister her parents tried so hard to keep a secret.

Dara chooses option B.

To figure out who she really is, Dara just might have to let go of everything she took for granted.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: Secrets of Truth and Beauty was a very slow book at the beginning. It took me awhile to get into it. Before I started it I had really good expectation for it, but I think they might have been too high. By the end of the book, the plot really started to pick up. But I feel almost like everything was jammed into the end and middle of the book. The beginning had almost nothing in it that grabbed on to you and made you want to finish the book. Also, I felt like not a lot of the characters were very likable. Dara wasn't even my favorite character but she was a good character. I loved everything she learned and by the end of the book, I was proud for everything she accomplished. I don't know if I'll read this book again, but I'm still glad I read it.

-Lexi(:

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Pub Date: September 22, 2009

Summary: Megan takes a job at the Land of Enchantment amusement park so she can spy on her boyfriend Ryan and his best friend Samantha.

Samantha happens to be in love with Ryan.

When Megan starts seeing the ghost of her dead sister, Remy, she knows this summer can't possibly be the good one she was hoping for.

Then Luke, another employee at the Land of Enchantment, tells Megan that he can see Remy too.

Megan doesn't know how to save her sister.

When something very unexpected happens, she knows she has to try to find away to change what else might happen.

Only to make things more complicated, Megan's new friend Ari has a serious crush on Luke.

But Luke has eyes for someone else. . . Megan.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: I didn't really enjoy Devoured. For me, it started off way to fast. It seemed like everything was happening at once. Then towards the middle of the book, things got kinda boring. At the end, things seriously picked up. I wish this book would have slowed down so things could have had more time to develop. Including the characters. Megan and Luke were pretty much the only well developed characters. I didn't really like Ryan that much. So I'm happy that it ended the way it did(: At a couple parts I got a little confused mostly because I didn't know the story of Snow White very well. If you're planning on reading Devoured, brush up on the fairy tale.

-Lexi(:

Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton

Summary: Jane's big sister has always been the center of attention.

She's everything Jane wants to be.

Pretty. Popular. Straight A Student.

Or in other words, Perfect.

No one ever pays attention to Plain Jane.

But, on her twelfth birthday, Lizzie takes her final turn in her road to a fatal eating disorder.

Now Jane knows what's harder then living in her sister's shadow.

Living without her.

After a tragic accident, Jane learns how to focus all of her feelings on something new.

Looking through a camera lens and seeing her life differently.

Her family is broken but maybe through all the pain, Jane can see that ever girl has her own season to blossom.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: Jane in Bloom was an interesting book. Going into it I kind of thought that it seemed a little too short, but it's length wasn't a problem because the story was told really well in a small period of time. It didn't take me very long to read this book. I read it in one night. Mostly because it's a quick book, but I did enjoy it. I liked how the plot sounded and I think that books that have eating disorders aren't really read that much. To me, eating disorders add something to the book. It made me happy to see that Jane focused all of her anger and pain into something positive and how she actually felt important to her family. Jane in Bloom was a good book but I also think that maybe it could have been a little better. You're definitely pulled into the book though, which I liked.

-Lexi(:

Second Skin by Jessica Wollman

Pub Date: July 14, 2009

Summary: Popularity. A-List. Worshipped. The IT Girl.

Those are things every girl wants during her high school career.

What if you could have all those things?

Would you leave everything about your old life behind? Even your best friends?

Why not, right? I mean, you would be popular.

That's what happens to Samantha Klein one day.

The most popular girl in school becomes her next door neighbor.

Sam finds out why Kylie is so popular.

It's not because of her clothes, her hair, her spot on the cheerleading squad.

It's none of that.

Kylie has a second skin.

No one can tell she wears it, you can barely even tell you have it on.

When you wear it, you feel different.

You feel popular, special, invincible.

Sam has a plan to become the most popular girl in school.

Can she go through with the plan?

Can she lost everything she once held dearly to her?

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: Second Skin was so not what I expected. The main idea that Jessica Wollman came up with was definitely something that I had yet to read. Sometimes I don't like books that are really far off, but I did enjoy this one. It's not one of my favorite books, but it's enjoyable. It's the book to read if you want something new and different. I did, however, liked the lesson that both Sam and Kylie learned at the end of the book. I always love an ending with a message. Personally, I've never really wanted to be popular, it's just not my place. Second Skin sure didn't change my mind. I mean, yeah it does sound fun, but I couldn't lose all of my friends. So it was nice to read a book where the characters don't want to be popular anymore after they have actually experienced it. Instead of the fairy tale ending where the IT girl loves her life and couldn't imagine it going back to the old way. All in all, I really liked the angle of Second Skin.

-Lexi(:

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

Summary: Two Juliets, both alike in desperation..

Mimi Wallingford is seventenn-year-old girl who has a life most teenage girls find themselves dreaming about.

She comes from a long line of actors and actresses.

Mimi plays Juliet in her family's production of Romeo and Juliet.

Acting though, is not what Mimi wants to be.

She has dreams of being a doctor.

Fourteen-year-old Juliet Capulet has lived a lonely life.

Her mother is forcing her into an unwated marragie.

Juliet believes that she would do anything to escape from being married.

Mimi wishes to get away during her final proformance.

Her wish, comes true.

Mimi and her heartthrob costar, Troy Summers, are both transported to Shakespeare's Verona.

After befriending Juliet, Mimi doesn't want to see her die or be unwillingly married.

Can Mimi and Troy ever make it back to Broadway if they stop the tramatic ending of Romeo and Juliet?

Rating: 3 STARS

Review: This book was.. different. I just read Romeo and Juliet in English, so the Shakespeare's version was still fresh in my mind. To me, this was just a tad too weird. There was some stuff I liked, some stuff I didn't. I didn't like the new ending. Suzanne put a lot of different spins on different parts of Romeo and Juliet. In Saving Juliet, instead of killing themselves, Romeo and Juliet ran away together. It was nice that Romeo and Juliet got to live happily together, but to me, thats not how it should end. I did, however, like the romance that happened between Mimi and Troy. I thought it was cute how they each thought the other hated them. There was some funny parts in the book though that made me laugh. So I really can't say that the book was horrible. I like when a book makes me laugh so that was a good thing. While I don't think I'll be reading this book again anytime soon, it was worth the read.

-Lexi(:

Bliss by Lauren Myracle

Summary: The ivy-covered buildings of Crestview Academy seem grand and full of promise to Bliss, the new girl at school.

Having grown up on the commune, she didn't have a chance to have friends, especially ones her own age.

But, here at Crestveiw, that's exactly what Bliss plans to do.

With her new uniform and manners, she feels as ready as ever to start her new life.

That is, until she hears a voice.

A voice involving a death that happened at Crestview a long time ago.

But, that's not the only secret the walls of Crestview Academy holds inside.

Death. Blood. Power. Magic.

Bliss's classmates never seem to notice anything going on, though.

Soon enough, Bliss will learn that her classmates have secrets of their own.

Can Bliss overcome a struggle for power?

Rating: 3 STARS

Review: When I started reading Bliss, I didn't know what to expect. I've only read one other book by Lauren Myracle and I didn't like it that much, so when I started this one, I was hesitant to say the least. But as the book got going, it was better then I thought it would be. It actually kinda of drew me in, the way the characters where intertwined and stuff. It was just kinda of unexpected the way they interacted and the way friendship grew but also disappeared. Some of the friendships that happened in the end were really kind of unexpected when you compared the characters and events that happened when the book began. There were twists and turns and all you really wanted, was to know what was gonna happen next. Now although it wasn't an AMAZING book, it was good. But, I don't think it's something I would go and read again.

-Lexi(:

Across the Pond by Storyheart

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Fred Squire is being sent to the USA, something he is not happy about.

Until he meets Brittany.

Fred finds many struggles while in the USA.

His feeling for Brit. The new language. Brit's friend Angel, who seems to have her eye on him.

Fred then finds another problem thrown in to the mix after Brit tells him her big secret about the town bully, Harris.

"Brit and her Brit" have a lot to accomplish before Fred is to return back to England.

3 STARS

Review: When I first started this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a new author I hadn't heard of before and a book I hadn't heard much of anything about. But I soon started to love this book. It a really short but cute book about what can happen when you really least expect it. The last thing Brittany and Fred think is going to happen is that they'll end up falling for each other. But that's exactly what happened. There was a lot of different little stories going on in this book so you had to pay attention like with any book. But I found myself having a hard time putting this book down. It only took me a day to finish this book, which might not be a bad thing. But Across the Pond is definitely a book worth reading.

-Lexi(:

Wake by Lisa McMann

Summary: Your Dreams Are Not Your Own.

Not All Dreams Are Sweet.

Having to live every one's dreams every night is getting old for 17-year-old Janie.

She has to deal with the falling dreams. The naked dreams. The sex-crazed dreams.

She's seen enough dreams to last her for the rest of her life.

But, Janie can't tell anyone what happens to her every time someone around her falls asleep.

They wouldn't believe her or they would think she's a freak. Which is even worse.

So Janie lives her life alone.

With a mother who doesn't pay attention to her. A best friend who lives next door but is also best friends with Janie's enemy.

One day Janie gets sucked into a nightmare.

Worse then one that she has ever witnessed before.

But not only is Janie a witness she's also a participant.

Trying to control her "power", as some would call it, and trying to help others in the process is not as easy as she would hope.

Then the person she's trying to help becomes more important to her then anyone ever has.

Making the situation even more of a struggle for Janie.

Rating: 3 Stars

Review: When I first started reading this book I didn't think I would like it. I thought it was going to be a stupid read and that I would really hate it. BUT when I started to read it I was amazed at how the author wrote it. I felt like I was actually Janie a couple times. This was another one day read for me. Not because it was so boring but because I couldn't possibly put it down no matter how hard I tried. Which didn't make my mother very happy. I think that everyone would really love this book. Because if I started reading this book with a negative attitude but ended up loving it, I think anyone would really like this book. Now all I have to do is save enough money to buy Fade.

-Lexi(: