Meant to Be

Title: Meant to Be
Publisher: Random House Childrens Books
Pub Date: November 13th 2012
Author: Laura Morrill
Received From: NetGalley

     Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question. 

     It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be"). 

     But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love. 

     Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.


I am a huge fan of fun books that let me relive the moments of my youth that I enjoyed so much! With Meant to be what I found was an experience I never got to have. But even thought i'm not re-living.. I was  living in the moment in this book. It was really great to see Julia who is for sure a bit stuffy and stuck in her ways to begin with come out of that shell she's been hiding under. The class trip to London was one that changed the lives of both Julia and Jason. it is always great to see the depth of a character grow over a story and that really happened with Jason  These two had some crazy adventures and in the end found they were seeing one another in a new light. I'd consider this a good fun YA read!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Publisher: Harlequin UK
Pub Date: October 5th 2012
Author: Rachel Cohn David Levithan
Received From: NetGalley

"I've left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please."

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.


 Two teenagers stuck in the city over the holidays with no family around find one another when Lily leaves a Red Notebook with a dare in it in a bookstore. Dash happens to be the one to find it and the adventure takes off there. The reader is taken on a journey unlike any I've seen with the usual teenage angst added in to the places they send one another and the amount of time it takes till they meet in person. I found it so fun to follow this journey! Dash opens his heart in this notebook, sharing things with a mystery girl. Life isn't exactly all roses and cupcakes for either teen. But they handle things like Lily's disappointment in her parents choices, and Dash's mad at the world moods are lightened a bit by Lily. The one piece of the book I didn't care much for was the whole becoming infamous and what for. the authors descriptions of the actions by the mothers in the book made me gasp. Really who acts like that? I am for sure a protective mom but I felt like this just gave teens more reasons to hate adults. Overall I'd say it is a cute fun book and a easy read!

Skinny

Title: Skinny
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub Date: October 1st 2012
Author: Donna Cooner
Received From: NetGalley


Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies's head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she'll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it. 

But there is another voice: Ever's singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical - and partly to try and save her own life - Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over. 

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own. 


Ever is one of those characters that you just fall right in love with.I mean honestly she isn't perfect, in fact she is kind of mean in the start of this book, but I felt like I got her. Maybe it's because I too listen to Skinny far to often, but from the very first chapter I was sucked into this book. Ever being a large weight decides to undergo gastric bypass surgery after hearing the Skinny in her head share what she thinks people really think of her. The surgery isn't a end all cure but it is a beginning point where things start to change for Ever and the author writes the story and the characters in a way that you really see all sides of it and them. Books like this are something that should be in the hand of all teens!