for high school graduates: Roomies

Title: Roomies
Authors: Sara Zarr & Tara Alterbrando
My rating: 3.4/5

"It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate."


**Announcement: I got this book as an ARC at BEA. The expected publication date of Roomies is December 2013**

I finished Roomies in one sitting on my thirteen-hour flight from New York to Beijing. It's been four days since I finished reading it, and I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about it. It's really sort of like "hmm...eh...oh well."

Why do I say so?

Part 1: Hmm.
The beginning of the book had a lot of promise. The email setup is refreshing and sums up a lot about the two protagonists EB and Lauren in a few short emails. The narration in between the emails spell out the protagonists' thought processes fairly well, as a supplement for the emails. It's understandable, since you don't expect two otherwise strangers to spill out their hearts to each other upon the first email exchange. By adding the narrative the authors help us get a better understanding of EB and Lauren's personalities. This first part of the book I liked. Not loved, but liked. I was starting to expect something great to unfold.

Part 2: Eh.
As the story carried on, however, I started to feel a little disappointed. Other than the unconventional email setup, everything else about this book seems just so...average. Nothing dramatic seems to happen, besides the typical high school stuff (oops I just cheated on my boyfriend. Oh wait, maybe he's not my boyfriend anymore. He's with so-and-so anyway). There is a bit of family drama for both EB and Lauren, that I have to admit, is one of the deeper topics this book touches on, however it doesn't touch on it quite deep enough that the protagonists gain something significant from it. So this is the "eh" part, where I feel like I'm rereading any chick lit book from my 10th grade stash.

Part 3: Oh well.
Towards the end I started liking the story again, especially in the last few pages, where both EB and Lauren start to approach the dorm, and your expectation just builds and builds and builds. You think about all the emails they exchanged, their virtual friendship, wrecked and pieced together again. You wonder if they will get along, just like I as an upcoming college freshman wonder if I will become good friends with my own roommate. I guess in this sense the book has come to me at a right time; I can totally empathize with the protagonists. Above all, the writing is still good and enjoyable, there is an okay flow to the story. For when you are on the airplane, or on the beach with not much to do, this is just the right casual book to read.

xx
Vanessa :]

The town was paper, the memories were not.

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Rating: 3.9/5.0

"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows.  After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew."

I really wanted to fall in complete love with this book like I did when I read The Fault in Our Stars. Unfortunately, I did not. It's not that it's a bad book. Don't get me wrong! But it isn't as brilliant  as some of his other work.

To like this book you have to look deep inside of you. I'm a senior in high school. I've got less than two months until I graduate. So this book hit me at a perfect time in my life.

John Green does something that John Green in best at. Understanding teenagers better than teenagers understand themselves. Green has this uncanny ability to create something prolific from something so minuscule.

Now maybe I didn't like this book as much because it kind of lost me in the middle. Maybe it's because it didn't make me cry. But it made me think. It made me think about what was important in my life. About how I looked at my life, and what I was going to do with it.

Looking back at it, the middle (where I got lost) was probably the most important part. It's the part where the main character begins to realize who he is. You see Quentin realizes that all the people in his life are very different from what he believes them to be. Not because they're leading him on, but because he has a mental picture of who his friends are. While it's not completely incorrect, it's not perfectly accurate.

We see people in our lives how we want to see them. We do things because we believe that we need to do them. We spend every day of our lives planning for the future. And as soon as that future gets here, we begin planning ahead for the next day.

I'd really like to write a longer review of this book. But there's not a lot to say. If I were to try to paraphrase the 332 pages of this book I would never do it justice. Because what I get out of it will be completely different than what you reading this right now ever would. This book draws from the experiences of the reader. You project your own feelings into this book, and that's what makes it so great.

[Source: Goodreads, DeviantArt]

When You Open Your Eyes

Title: When You Open Your Eyes
Author: Celeste Conway
My Rating: 3/5

"Tessa’s head over heels for Lucien, the son of a French diplomat. Sexy, artistic, and daring, he brings out a completely new side of her. With him, Tessa feels beautiful and exotic. So when Tessa’s strict father forbids her to see Lucien, she’s determined to keep their relationship a secret.

But as Tessa gets caught up in Lucien, he becomes increasingly volatile. What she once found alluring about him now feels alarming. Tessa must figure out how far she’ll go for Lucien before she risks losing not just him, but everything she loves."

Set in lush, exotic Buenos Aires, When You Open Your Eyes tells the story of Tessa, the daughter of diplomat parents, and the different, almost unimaginable life she lives. While the plot largely deals with her romantic relationship with Lucien, the author also shows us the very interesting perspective of being an American on foreign land--something the Americans don't get to experience as much anymore.

The good things about this book: 

-the prose. The author writes in such a way that the story flows quietly yet dynamically; the writing has a strong lyrical quality, at times beautifully poetic;

-the details. The tireless descriptions of little things such as a dress, or a hors d'oeuvres, brings the reader to the scene immediately, which enlivens the reading experience

The not-so-good thing:

-the story itself. I know, it's always sad when, after reading a book, I arrive at such a conclusion: the story itself is not good enough. While I'm constantly curious about the different things about Tessa's life, I'm never quite attached to her or any characters. This is a bad thing, because then I don't root for anyone or anything...which makes it hard to be engaged at times. Unfortunately, this one thing alone can make a story really good or not quite so, and unfortunately When You Open Your Eyes is the latter.

In the end, I just want to say how similar this book is to Anna and the French Kiss (see my review here). Now, now, I know some of you may disagree strongly--"the writing style is totally different!" "The story doesn't take place in Paris, jeez!" However, think about this for a minute: both Tessa and Anna are Americans living in a foreign country (Anna in Paris, Tessa in Buenos Aires), both meet cute French boy (Anna and Etienne, Tessa and Lucien--yes, I know, Etienne is technically half English half American), both have family problems (Anna's parents are divorced, Tessa's parents are, oh well), both girls' best friends at home "steal" their "potential love interests" at home, both Etienne and Lucien have dysfunctional families (both of controlling dads), both have a love-hate relationship with art... the similarities go on and on. 

Now, I'm not saying anything, but I just think it's quite surprising how similar these two stories are, if you think about it this way. However, at the same time, they're totally different too. The execution, the ending, the general atmosphere... it makes me think of how different writing styles can change a story so significantly--I think that's something every (aspiring) writer should consider seriously before setting pen to paper (or sitting down at computer).

xx

Vanessa :]

Insanity Candoramity: Insurgent

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
My Rating: 3.2
See Vanessa's Review

Wow. First of all I would like to say that Insurgent blew Divergent right out of the water. Secondly, I would like to say that it still didn't live up to my expectations.
This is a beautiful plot, with an amazing setting. The idea behind this book is fantastic, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

First half of this book was...zzzzzzzzz. Huh? Oh, sorry! I fell asleep just thinking about it. So boring, so completely useless.
Second half of this book was...not that great either. But I'm holding my head high, and praying that it's just fallen prey to the "second book curse" and is just setting up the series for a majestic ending to end all endings. *crossing fingers*


And then there were spoilers... (skip to the next purple bit if you don't want them)

Let us begin with the characters. I would like to blatantly say that none of the characters in this story caught my attention. You never fell in love with them. You never hated them. It was like reading a news article about people you don't know, something that doesn't affect you. Seriously, when they started bring back characters...I couldn't remember who they were. I had to go back to the Divergent and re-read parts to remember what the characters had done (I forgot that Will died...and who Will was in the first place)

Tris is...weak. I actually liked her a bit more in the first book. In this one, she seems to spend too much time trying to deal with the death of her parents and Will. Now, while I understand that this had to be hard for her, it still seemed too much. Also, her aversion to guns, while creating an extra conflict in the story, was extremely annoying after multiple mentions. Her insistence on dying for the first half of the book was alarming, but finally tapered off after she "died". One of her redeeming qualities is her divergence, which finally came into play in this book (thank god). Her aptitude for Erudite was very interesting as we witnessed her develop plans and beat Jeanine at her own game.

Moving on to Tobias/Four/whateveryouwannacallhim. Where? Did? He? Go?
Yes, I understand that this book revolves around Tris, and she was always going off by herself and risking her life (and Tobias had to come and save her...multiple times). But seriously, it was like he didn't even exist at times. Tobias was Tris's redeeming quality. Tobias was what made Tris interesting. Yet Roth constantly left him out of the plot line. Why? I don't know.

Even though no time passed between the first and second books, I felt like the characters were completely different. The relationship felt forced. It didn't feel real. Not because the characters didn't feel it. But more like Roth didn't. The relationship seemed to take a backseat (which isn't always a bad thing), and the story lost some of its luster. Don't get me wrong. The relationship was definitely there. They make out every chapter for the first half of the book. But then Tobias tells Tris to be safe, Tris promises to, Tobias falls asleep, Tris slips out to risk her life. EVERY TIME. There just wasn't a point.

There were some nice twists that came about in the second half of the book. Peter, finally, turned out to be (moderately) good, and helped to save the plot. Caleb turned out to be bad. Which I guess didn't surprise me since his presence in the story was ultimately useless otherwise.

You are safe now... (no more spoilers from here on)

I would like to state that NO ONE IN THIS BOOK IS EVIL. Jeanine is disturbed. But not evil. I didn't hate her. I just found her annoying. Like a mosquito. Or draperies.

Let's just say that no one is this book is endearing, nor is anyone despicable. They are forgettable at best.

Oh goodness. What happened at the end? It was so strange. I'm not going to talk about it. You can draw your own conclusions. I hate all book endings.

So, after reading this entire review, you are probably wondering why on earth I gave this book three stars? Because the main idea behind this is brilliant. I love the factions. I love the simulations. Let's face it. I'm Jeanine.

While I do find the factions...useless (they never really are explained), and the whole, "Dauntless have to have tats and piercings. They have to jump of trains and pull bullets out of their abdomens without pain killers," and "Erudite have to wear glasses," and "Amity have to act like hippies and be pumped full of drugs so that they act like hippies," is moderately annoying. It's almost too cliche.

But I still LOVE it. If you ignore the serious lack of story line and character building...this book is AMAZING.

In conclusion. It's worth the read in my opinion. The setting is unbeatable. Use your imagination. If you're looking for a quick read, it's totally worth it.

Being young is wonderful: Anna and the French Kiss book review

 Book: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

My Rating: 4.75/5

As promised, I am here on this fortnight (:P) to write my review of Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins.

"Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?"

Just the jacket blurb is promising enough, right? I was happily surprised to find out that the book is so much more that what's in the plot summary. 

It's not your regular chick flick. And I'm not saying it's not a quick and enjoyable read. I'm just saying that it's not one of those "no-brainer" books that you don't have to waste one brain cell on. Anna and the French Kiss, you actually have to pause at times to think. And that's when I know I'm reading a great book—a book that makes me think.

Anna and the French Kiss succeeds largely on the level of portraying an authentic life of a teenage girl. Through Anna, the protagonist's narrative, we as readers get to experience all that she experiences in Paris, the City of Light. In her seventeen-year-old voice, everything is a bit exaggerated, with a spin of sarcasm and the daydreams of a typical girl. 

Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I cannot help but fall in love with Etienne, as Anna slowly but surely falls for him. The way the author portrays him constantly reminds me of the male protagonist in the 2008 French movie LOL (see pic here ;) http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mychemicalukas/default/jeremy-kapone--large-msg-12586813011.jpg like, HONESTLY.) So yeah, that's how I picture him. 

Most of all, I think the relationship between Anna and Etienne is totally believable. We as readers just...buy it. Effortlessly. The will-we-won't-we tension is perfect, and as events escalate, the story is sure to keep you up late at night. The "friend-zone" relationship is refreshing, and will absolutely make you feel like a teenager.

The only thing I'm a little eh about this book is the ending. While it's certainly great and what I wished for, I can't help but think it's a little...too perfect. Throughout the whole story I've been awed by its authenticity and believability, until now. Somehow I don't think the ending is how life works--all the problems solved, everybody happy. I guess I had hoped too much for a YA book to have a not-so-Hollywood ending. 

But overall, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone. It's a thrilling read, and absolutely beautiful and funny and pleasantly surprising.

Finally, music accompaniment to the book:

xx

Vanessa :]

EDIT:
One more thing: the secondary characters (Meredith, Josh, Rashmi, etc) are all very realistic and fleshed-out, and they feel like real people instead of just being there to fill up the plot/back picture.