Book review: "The Sea of Tranquility" by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility
Author: Katja Millay
Publisher: Atria Books, 2013

Nastya starts school in a new school district, one far away enough that she doesn't think anyone will recognize her as that girl. We don't learn right away what happened to her, but we know it was traumatizing enough that she has decided to stop speaking. But when she finds Josh's garage one night when she gets lost while running (a way for her to achieve complete exhaustion and some form of relief), she knows her life has changed forever.

Josh has no clue why the new girl chooses his garage to visit night after night, and he tries to get her to leave, but it's not working. He's used to being alone, to losing everyone close to him, and he's not about to start getting close to someone now. But this girl just won't quit. Soon they're pushed together not only by her compulsion to be with him in his garage, but by an unlikely mutual friend. And slowly, Nastya starts opening up.

This is a book about incredible loss, grief, love, and healing. Nastya's life was shattered two years before the book opens, but we have no idea what happened; we only know she was brutally attacked and left for dead. Josh's story is more quick in being revealed, but it's pretty heartbreaking. These teens have been through more in their short lives than many adults have, so it's no wonder they gravitate toward each other. I loved how Millay paced the reveal of Nastya's past; I thought she did it perfectly, slowly giving us clues until Nastya finds the courage to narrate it to us, or say it aloud. The romance was slow burning too, one that develops over time, and with some outside help.

I honestly wasn't impressed with the writing when I started reading this, with certain phrases and similes seeming forced and insincere, but that dissipates as the book progresses. And personally, I found the ending incredibly poignant and delightfully unexpected.

I ended up liking this one, if not for the prose, than for the character development and the story. Toward the end it turns into a bit of a thriller, and the compulsion to know what happened to Nastya kept me turning the pages. I'd recommend this one to a fan of YA who likes drama, a little mystery, and romance, especially if they tend to read books with darker themes. A light-hearted romance this is not.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley of this book via NetGalley.

Book review: "Going Vintage" by Lindsey Leavitt

Title: Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, will be out March 26, 2013


When Mallory finds out her boyfriend Jeremy has an online girlfriend, named BubbleYum no less, she is humiliated, shocked, and hurt. When the situation starts to snowball out of control and she is a target of abuse  on Friendspace (the fictional equivalent of Facebook), Mallory decides to completely swear off technology, especially after finding a list her grandmother wrote in 1962 at the beginning of her own junior year of high school: become the secretary of the pep club (for Mallory this means starting one first), sew a homecoming dress (after learning to sew), find a steady (not necessarily for herself—swearing off boys), host a soiree, and do something dangerous. But accomplishing everything on the list, along with her other responsibilities, without any technology that was available in 1962 is no easy task as it turns out. She enlists help from her sister, and accidentally gets the help of Jeremy's hipster cousin, but it's her connection with her grandmother that proves to be the most difficult to make.

This is a fun, upbeat addition to teen literature. Mallory is a very likable person, and very funny, even if she is sometimes squashed by others (i.e. Jeremy). I was amazed at how well she handled the whole Friendspace fiasco, especially after she started receiving threatening text messages from strangers who apparently are all Team Jeremy. She never lets anything bother her to the point of despair, bouncing back from everything that is thrown from her. I loved her determination to stick to the rules she gives herself, with of course the help from her sister Ginnie. She really tries to get into the period, which by the way readers will also start to get a feel for from all the information Leavitt gives us through the story.

There are so many subplots to the story, mostly dealing with Mallory's relationships with others (her mother, sister, grandmother, dad, and Oliver, who happens to be Jeremy's cousin), and yet it all flowed together so smoothly. I rooted for her every step of the way. Her "going vintage" is a journey of self-discovery, making her realize her own self-worth yet also seeing that she is not always the reason for another person's actions or emotions. She can be so very clueless, but it's part of what I liked about her. (Cluelessness also seems to run in the family, as her parents were pretty good at that too.)

If you're looking for a pick-me-up, look no further than Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt. Light and fun with some depth and great characters, it's got everything going for it.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley of this book for review via NetGalley.

Audiobook review: "See You At Harry's" by Jo Knowles

Title: See You At Harry's
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, 2012 (print available from Candlewick)
Narrator: Kate Rudd

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible most of the time. Her parents run a restaurant, her older sister Sarah is taking a gap year before going to college, and her older brother Holden is absorbed in his own problems as a freshman who is figuring out his own life. Three-year-old Charlie, the baby of the family, is the only one who seems to notice Fern, though it's not always a welcome attention. In fact, Fern is usually the one who ends up watching Charlie when her parents and siblings are too busy to take notice, to her great annoyance.

But soon a terrible tragedy turns everything upside down, and Fern has no idea what to do or how to deal with it all. Guilt, mixed in with denial and intense grief, invade her life and her family's. Together, they must find a way to heal in a world that will never be the same for them.

This is an excellent audiobook, and an excellent story. Jo Knowles based a lot of it on her personal experience of growing up in a family-run restaurant, and also having an older brother who is gay. It all feels very genuine, especially when tragedy strikes and the family is thrown into the depths of grief and sorrow. It feels very personal and intimate, and tells the heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful journey through all that, plus all the other crap that can happen in middle and high school. Fern and Holden have to deal with some incredibly nasty bullies, both peers and adults.

I listened to the audio, and Kate Rudd does an excellent job in her narration. She IS Fern. Her acting skills are never too much, yet we hear all of the emotions, the tiny catches of breath and yells, everything. I didn't want to shut my car off after reaching each destination because I wanted to hear what happened next. Another cool thing the producers did was layer Rudd's voice on words and phrases that people speak together, which is something I've never heard before.

There are so many pieces to this story, and I'm amazed at how well Knowles is able to give us all the information we need, show the subtleties in each character, craft the developing relationships, show us how Fern is growing up, illustrate how not one of these people is anywhere near perfect yet leading us to care for them, and to do it all with such beauty. I'm hoping this will win at least a Newbury honor. This is my first book I've read by Knowles, but it won't be my last.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. This in no way influenced my reaction to the book or my review.

Book review: "52 Reasons to Hate My Father" by Jessica Brody

Title: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father
Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012

Lexington Larrabee has grown up with everything she could possibly want: custom-made cars, private jets, mansions across the United States and Europe, designer clothing, the works. She just hasn't had much of a father, since her dad is the CEO and founder of Larrabee Media, one of the biggest media corporations in the world. She is counting down the days until her 18th birthday, when she will be given access to the $25 million trust fund in her name, allowing her to have her freedom from her father's estate and rules. But after a particularly bad car crash into a convenience store, Lexi's father decides she needs a bit more time and effort to earn her trust fund. He picks out 52 jobs for her, one per week for a year, before she can get that check. Jobs like being a maid, digging graves, working in a fast-food restaurant, and working at a caterer's. Lexi is horrified, and things are only made worse when one of her father's interns, Luke, has been assigned as her "liaison," or as Lexi calls it, her babysitter. She's going to have to figure out how to get through this next year without having things done for her or handed to her without question, and without going crazy.

This whole premise reminded me a little bit of that "reality" show with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, The Simple Life (remember that?). Except there are no cameras, no script, just Lexi, Luke, and each job. Along with each supervisor who has signed a NDA too, of course. Basically Lexi needs to let go of her pride and get down to the dirty work, most of the time literally. So, think The Simple Life crossed with Dirty Jobs.

Not only was this book really fun, I enjoyed watching Lexi's character develop throughout the novel. It's predictable that Lexi will change over the course of the book, otherwise there would be no real point, but it was still nice to see the gradual change. I especially liked how she reacted to her friend Rolando and his living situation, and what she took from that experience.

This would be a good read for people who enjoy living vicariously through books like Gossip Girl, without the shallowness. There is depth and growth in the characters, as well as some great dialogue and a plot with both humor and a bit of suspense. It's true there is some name dropping going on in here as well, which I usually can't stand, but fortunately the names being dropped are from more timeless designers and are much less likely to be dated in a few years.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to people who are looking for a quick, fun read and who enjoy reading about glamourous lifestyles, without having to sacrifice on the quality of the story.

If you're still not convinced, take a look at this book trailer.

And if you're wondering, I'm pretty sure this will be made into a movie sometime soon, if Brody's acknowledgments at the back of the book are anything to go by. Get excited.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Book Review: "Lola and the Boy Next Door" by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books, 2011

Stephanie Perkins has this amazing ability to just get it and write it all down. I don't know how she so perfectly captures the feelings of crushes, young love, awkwardness, and the pain and hurt that come with rejection or not being able to have the one you want, but she's done it again.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is told from Lola's perspective. Lola is dating an older guy named Max, a 22-year-old lead singer in a rock band. Unfortunately her two dads hate him. Also unfortunately, Cricket Bell and his family (including twin sister and not-very-nice person Calliope) move back next door. Lola had a thing with Cricket a couple of years earlier that didn't end so well, and she's still upset about it. But Cricket is only home on the weekends since he's going to college, and as the weeks pass, it turns out he's not as terrible as she thought. They begin a tentative friendship, but that is all it can be, because Lola is in love with Max. Right?

Lola is a pretty kooky character, in the best way possible. She has such a strong sense of self that she is able to dress up in costume almost daily (which she does). She loves color and originality and isn't afraid to show it in her wardrobe. All of the other characters in the novel are nice and round too, as they should be. Every one is fully developed without a stock character in sight. Lola's dads, Nathan and Andy, are awesome, oh and by the way, Lola has gay parents, which is also awesome. And Cricket is just such a cutie. A really really smart cutie who can be incredibly awkward. Really, every character is just so well thought out. And this is a pretty character-driven novel, so that's a great thing.

I don't think I enjoyed this one as much as its predecessor, Anna and the French Kiss, but that's only because AATFK was one of the best young adult novels I've read in a while. Both are excellent in their own way, I just preferred the first one over the second one. I think part of it might be because sometimes I just found Lola to be too much, but just for my tastes. Obviously she is just right for her own, and that's the point.


This is just a sweet, realistic romance that I could relate to as a reader, and I'm sure many other readers will be able to relate to as well. Highly recommended to fans of contemporary romance, quirky characters, and realistic fiction. Needless to say, I'll be picking up Perkins's third book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, when it comes out next year.

Disclosure: I got this from the library.

Review: "Something Like Normal" by Trish Doller

Title: Something Like Normal
Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury, 2012

Trish Doller brings us into the mind of a young Marine who comes home on leave after being on tour in Afghanistan. But it's no happy homecoming for Travis. The 19-year-old has nightmares every night, sees his dead best friend everywhere, and can't connect with his old friends as he was once able to do. To make matters worse, his parents are having marital issues, and he gets along even worse with his father and brother than he did before. But there is a bit of hope when he reconnects with Harper, that is, after she punches him in the eye for ruining her life. The two begin a tentative friendship, which turns into something a bit more. But their relationship will have to go up against Travis's troubled mind.

I really enjoyed Trish Doller's debut. It seemed very genuine to me, and it was clear she did her research—that much is confirmed in her acknowledgements. I'm so glad it was told from Travis's perspective, as I don't think I've ever read a contemporary novel told from the perspective of someone who had been at war, especially a war that is continuing right now.

It's clear from the beginning that Travis is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt. His best friend, Charlie, lost his life while they were on tour, and he was there to see it happen. He feels incredibly guilty that Charlie was the one to die and not him, and he struggles with that every day of his life. The language is raw and very real, as are the experiences the teens in this novel have.

A note about the characters. Not everyone is likable at once. Travis's buddies are rough around the edges, as is Travis himself, but I appreciated that. I really liked the relationship he had with his mother, which develops from one where Travis has trouble expressing his feelings to one where he is able to stick up for his mom and help her out in whatever way he is able to. His dad was pretty much just a jerk, and I kept waiting for Travis to put him in his place. His brother too.

The main relationship in here is between Travis and Harper. Initially, Harper hates Travis because of an exaggerated story that took on a life of its own when they were freshmen in high school that pretty much destroyed her reputation. But somehow they get past that, and slowly they become closer. Harper is able to calm Travis in a way no one else can; she manages to ground him and keep him steadier than he is able to keep himself alone. And Doller doesn't wrap everything up in a nice bow, either. Travis is still dealing with his demons at the novel's end, and he and Harper are still working on their relationship, which of course becomes long distance since he is not finished with his tour of duty. We don't know where they end up, but the last lines are filled with hope and promise of having a life that isn't perfect, but is bearable and as normal as they can hope.

This is a really important book for teens to read, especially those who know someone who is fighting overseas. It might help them to understand a little bit better what soldiers go through and what they deal with when they come home.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.