To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

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Publication Date: September 1, 2011
Genre: Chick-lit
Heat Level: G
Reviewed For: Sourcebooks
My Rating:

After The Party by Lisa Jewell

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Publication Date: August 16, 2011
Genre: Chick-lit. Women's Fiction
Heat Level: G
Reviewed For: Crazy Books Tours/ Author
My Rating:

A Life That Fits by Heather Wardell

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Publication Date: June 1st, 2011
Genre: Chick-lit, Women's Fiction
Reviewed For: Author
Other Reviews: Planning To Live, Stir Until Thoroughly Confused
My Rating:




Blurb: Twenty-eight-year-old Andrea returns home from a business trip to find Alex, her boyfriend of fourteen years, nervously waiting for her. Assuming he's finally going to propose, Andrea's instead horrified to learn he's been cheating on her and is leaving to be with the other woman, who he calls Andrea's opposite. 
At first Andrea's paralyzed by shock and sadness, but the business analyst soon forms a plan: change every last detail of her life and become her opposite so Alex will come back to her. 
It's a challenge at first, but soon Andrea's loving the changes she's making, the new activities she's doing, and the new people in her life. But will she change enough to get Alex back? And if she does, will he fit into the wonderful new life she's creating for herself?


My Thoughts: This was a new style for me when it came to Heather Wardell's work. Usually I meet the character where they are in their present life. Then she takes me back on a journey through time to show me everything they had gone through. I would then get to return to the present and finish up with what decision this character had to make. So, when I sat down with A Life That Fits, I met Andrea and had expected a story on how her and Alex had gotten to the point of him breaking up with her. Instead, I got to go on a different journey with Heather's writing and I got to go with Andrea as she found her way to who she was. Not this person who for 14 years had done everything Alex had wanted her to do. She learned who she was and what she wanted. She made drastic changes in her life and then finally settled back into the middle and discovered who she was and what she wanted.

There were times in this book I wanted to shake Andrea as hard as I could. I wanted to give her a good talking to and tell her to get over Alex, he was no good. I knew at some point his character would crawl back begging for a return. There were several other characters in the book I enjoyed. One was Loren. I really enjoyed getting to know him. When reading this, you will meet Tina and you will want to chase her away and tell Andrea she is no good. The author weaves in a lot of different characters. This is a very good book and I think any of my readers who enjoy chick-lit are going to love this. There is a slight romance in this book in the background, but it is not the main part of the book.

I would definitely add this book to your to be read list. Be sure to check out Heather at her website and see what she's up to on facebook and twitter.
http://www.heatherwardell.com/

 

Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley

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Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Genre: Chick-lit
Reviewed For: Sourcebooks
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My Rating:


Book Blurb: When Jack proposes to Beth at the end of a holiday romance, she doesn't think twice--she knows he's The One. But then Jack walks out soon after their return, with no explanation, no nothing. 
Eight years on and Beth finds a fantastic new job--working for Jack. She could definitely do without having to face him everyday, but then shecan't do without the job... 
As the two of them are forced to spend time together, Beth unravels the mystery of Jack's disappearance. Is there too much baggage for them to try again--or could they finally be in the right place at the right time?


My Thoughts: This book was hilarious! I don't get to read chick-lit as much as I used too and I really enjoyed getting in touch with this genre again. Jack and Beth were both fun characters. Jack being the "Big Bad Scary Boss", when you meet him as a reader he just seems so mellow.

When you start the book you know where its going of coarse. Beth is almost engaged to a man named Marcus who would like her to just be a stay at home wife, while Beth has other ideas. She wants to see the world. She just can't in vision herself in that other life. So, when the family needs money due to her father's motorcycle accident, she decides to try and get a job at Big Outdoors where she will get to travel to different places. This is when she sees Jack again. After purposing to her 8 years earlier and then leaving her right before the wedding, Jack is looking forward to this interview, however Beth goes into it with a blind eye, thinking she is being interviewed by a woman.

This then starts a whirlwind romance as they like to call it. Jack wants Beth, Beth wants Jack, but no one is acting on it. So let the tension build between the two as Beth struts Marcus in front of Jack and Jack struts Camilla in front of Beth. Then, the two get stranded alone on a vacation spot they are checking out together.

I recommend this book to any of my readers who like chick-lit, a funny read, or a clean romance. This was a fun book!






 

Touchable Love by Becky Due

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Publication Date: February 15, 2008
Genre: General Fiction/Woman's Fiction/ Chick-lit
Reviewed For: Publisher/Author
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My Rating: 3.5
1/2

Book Blurb: Love will always conquer fear and Christy has much to fear. When she enters the lives of two men, they teach her everything she needs to know about love. However, while dealing with her past issues and trying to treat her body like the temple it is, she teaches them a thing or two in return.

My Thoughts: This is a very different book from my every day reading. Christy is a woman who is struggling with herself as a person. She doesn't have a lot of self worth about herself and just kind of floats along in life. She really hasn't found her place yet. She puts a lot of her self worth into her body. After quitting a job as a nude model she finds herself wanting to be on the other side of the camera. She gets an offer from a man named Paul who happens to be dieing from aids. He wants her to photograph his life and after he is gone, finish his book and distribute the book for free. She won't make money off this deal, but her name will be known. She does this, but as she takes the time photographing Paul, she falls in love with him and doesn't understand how she will ever gets past losing him. Another man in Paul and Christy's life is Brian. Christy and Brian bond as the end of Paul's days come.

I was captivated by this book. The writing style is unique and different. The story itself is different from what the average reader is used too. It isn't every day we sit down and read a love story that involves aids and other diseases and how real these diseases really are. That there are people out there everyday dieing. This book leaves you with mixed emotions.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to a friend. I recommend this to readers who like a story that will leave them thinking and don't mind seeing the other side of life that might be ugly.


 

Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant

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Publication Date: October 1st 2010
Genre: Chick-lit
Format I Read: Paperback
Reviewed For: Crazy Book Tours
My Rating:


Book Blurb: Every woman remembers her firsts: Her first kiss. Her first lover. And her first time contemplating an affair...

Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids, and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation...

Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made—and the ones she can unmake—as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara begin to realize how little they know about each other, their marriages, and themselves, and how much there is to gain—and lose—when you step outside the rules.

My Thoughts: This book was a delightful little read. I enjoyed ever moment that I was sitting down with this book. Marilyn told a very relateable story about three women who were trying to find themselves outside of being a wife and mother. I think this is something that many women can relate too. This book focused more on the stay at home crowd I feel. Most of the women worked from home if they did work. Jennifer, Bridget, and Tamera are the three women we take the journey with. Jennifer opens up a topic on one of their Friday mornings, and that is about if any of them have thought about having an affair. For the next year of these ladies life's, we take a journey as Jennifer decides if she wants to leave her life for her ex flame; Bridget is making eyes for her boss, and Tamera has a hunky neighbor and a husband who always travels and pays her no attention.

One thing I enjoyed most was that this book was real. It wasn't a bunch of fudge. These women really had to make decisions and they way there spouse reacted was real. All three situations were different. This books ends in away where there isn't a happy ending for all. Your left to ponder about one character and wonder what is to come. I think it was a perfect ending.

I recommend this book to the stay at home/work at home woman crowd. This book is right up your ally. Also, if you just a fan of chick lit I think you will find this book enjoyable.


 

The Liberation of Alice Love by Abby McDonald

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Publication Date: March 1st 2011
Genre: Chick-lit
Format I Read: Paperback
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My Rating:


Book Blurb: Clever and elegant, this novel forces you to think about how far you'd go to find the truth, and how many lies you'd tell to uncover it. Alice Love keeps her life (and boss, and family) running in perfect order, so when her bank card is declined, she thinks it's just a simple mistake. Sadly, someone has emptied her bank account, spending her savings on glamorous holidays, sexy lingerie, and a to-die-for wardrobe, and leaving Alice with lots of debt. But she soon wonders if perhaps her alter-ego's reckless, extravagant lifestyle is the one Alice should have been leading all along...

My Thoughts: It has been awhile since I read chick-lit. I was addicted to it for quite awhile. I remember why now. I loved the change in reading style from my usual romance books to this one. There of coarse was a slight romance in this book that as a reader I wanted Alice to get out of her self absorbed self and realize it. However, this story is not about romance at all. Alice has had her identity stolen, then she is shocked when she learns just who stole her identity. She isn't satisfied with just letting the bank take care of this, she has to track down the person herself. While doing this, Alice changes who she is in some ways for the better. She enters into this persons life and sees who she could have been all this time. She grows into a more confident woman who can stand up for herself.

This was a refreshing story and will leave every reader wanting to go check all there private documents and change all their passwords. Having what happened to Alice is scary and it was as I said before, refreshing to read about a real life challenge instead of some of these stories from my usual romance novels.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes chick-lit, light romance books, or just a basic general fiction book. I had a hard time putting this one down, so be prepared to spend a few days in a comfy spot as you indulge all your time in this story.



**This book was provided to me by the publishers in return for my honest review.**

A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck

Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Genre; Chick-lit/ Christian Romance
Format I Read: Paperback
My Rating:


Book blurb: He's a handsome billionaire. She's not impressed. 
Katie McKenna has never loved any man but one; billionaire Luc DeForges. He was her first love. But there are a billion reasons why she's engaged instead to Dexter Hastings, a solid and stable man who wants the same things she does; marriage and a family but all of the things that she wants without the deep-seeded pain and fear of being abandoned that Luc brings. 
Dexter and she have worked an arrangement that's akin to faith without action, love without deeds -- a dead faith. Going home to New Orleans to sing for her childhood friend's wedding, Katie must search her heart to find out if any of her reasons for being with Dexter are stronger than love. Only when Katie steps fully into faith and jumps off the cliff of life into the arms of Luc does she understand the fullness of God's grace.


My Thoughts: I love Kristen Billerbeck. I read her Ashley Series almost a year ago now and fell in love with this authors writing. So, when I was on Booksneeze.com and they were offering this book for review, I jumped on it. I was so excited when it came in the mail. This book did not leave me disappointed in anyway. I was glad though, with this being chick-lit that it didn't have the same kinda whiny character, if you know what I mean. Katie was well down to earth, she grew a ton in this book. She was always confidant in herself and that helped me enjoy this book. Katie is engaged to Dexter and her love from eight years ago, Luc returns. He's charming, good looking, rich,  but has the reputation of a playboy. Oh and he broke Katie's heart eight years ago when she proposed to him in front of the whole town and he turned her down. Dexter is dependable, passionless, predictable and seems perfect for marriage! Which way will Katie's heart lead her?

You will love this book. This is a good clean read that will leave your heart warmed. It is catching and you will put this book down, only to want to make time to pick it up again. The cover itself is adorable and your going to love having it sitting out just so you can look at it and others can see it. Check it out and head over to booksneeze.com and see what others have been saying about it.



**This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.**

How To Meet A Guy At The Supermarket by Jessica Degarmo

Publication Date: November 4th 2010
Genre: Chick-lit/ Contemporary Romance
Format: E-book and Paperback
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My Rating: 3 1/2
 1/2



Book Summary: Join Quinn on a hilarious journey of self-discovery and dating. Will she find a beefcake or a rotten apple? Will Quinn find love or sour grapes at the supermarket? Quinn is a successful journalist who has been so busy trotting the globe looking for stories that she sort of forgot to invest in her private life. Eventually, she takes on an assignment with a nationally-syndicated travel magazine back in her hometown in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and is able to settle down. The problem is she's lonely. She's too young to be a spinster and too old to pick up a man at a bar, so what is she to do? Quinn sets out to find a man in the unlikely setting of the Grocery King Supermarket. She devises crazy plans to find a mate, no matter what it takes. Cue a whole series of misfortunes as Quinn is mistaken for a prostitute, has the whole world looking for her imaginary dog, and resorts to doing the strangest of things--like fainting in the bakery section--to meet the man of her dreams. And what does she have to show for all this trauma and hard work? Yep, a hapless collection of Mr. Wrong, Mr. Wrong and Mr. WRONG. Jessica L. Degarmo's 'How To Meet a Guy at the Supermarket' is classic witty romance/ chick lit with a difference - Quinn actually feels like a real person written by a real person. You have probably met her, and she no doubt confused the hell out of you every bit as much as she confused herself.

My thoughts: This was a cute read. Quinn is tired of being single and is ready to meet Mrs. Right and the supermarket seems like the perfect place. She has tons of stunts that she decides to use to meet the right guy. The only person she remotely attracts is the guy is the meat department, whom she calls "Shrimp boy." He is a bother to her to begin with and after a few months, she finally starts to have a friendship with him. Quinn does dive into several relationships in this book as she struggles to find Mr. Right. This is where my complaint comes with this book and why I couldn't give it 4 stars. The time length she was with these guys in the book, seemed unrealistic to me. If she had doubts about these men from the beginning, the way the character was written, in my opinion never would have stuck around. Quinn didn't come off as extremely desperate and she would marry anyone. Yes, she was lonely, but she had a lot of spunk to her that both of these men crushed in her. The time length in a lot of this book to me was too long. Now to jump back to positive, the story was very cute and well written. The author really knows how to paint a picture. Quinn is a very likeable characger and I would love to be a friend of hers. She has a very positive attitude and made for a fun read.  So please don't let my one draw back keep you from picking up this book. You will sit down and have a few laughs on Quinn's journey to love. Many times you will want to whack her in the head and tell her to look in front of her.



** This book was provided to me by the author in return for my honest review.**

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

Publication Date: Oct 26, 2010
Pages: 321
Genre: chic-lit
My Rating:


Summary: Holly Maguire’s grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine—a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can’t make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that’s why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla’s Cucinotta, she’s determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother’s legacy.
But Holly’s four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla’s chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter’s heart. Juliet, Holly’s childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can’t find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad, Liam, from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla’s essential ingredients of wishes and memories in every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed—andtested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.


My Thoughts: I love stories that deal with people from your past coming back, whether its an old friend or an old crush/flame; and this book had both. I had hoped the book would go into a little more depth with the friendships that were formed in this book, then again it may have made it like too many other books out there if that had been the case. Especially since this one dealt a little more on the romance side between Liam and Holly. When we first meet Holly in this book, she is leaving a romance that she had thought was the one. The man who seemed perfect, yet he wouldn't eat Sa Cordula which is her curse so to speak. Her grandmother told her she would find her great love when he would eat this dish. Sa Cordula just happens to be a pasta dish with goat guts. Yuck, I know! So, who she felt was this great love of coarse took one bite and he hated it. This is how she gets back to her hometown with her grandmother, who unfortunately passes away and leaves her cooking business to Holly. Holly takes over, trying to make it her own and still offers the cooking coarse.

Mia is Liam's daughter who wants to take the class so she can learn to cook for her dad and get rid of his current girlfriend. This is when Liam enters into the picture, who also just so happens to be someone she had always had a crush on when she was in high school. However, the book really doesn't dive into that. Its mentioned a few times, but there is never any dialect between Liam and Holly about this, so its easily forgotten.

This is a really good book. Its interesting and will hold your attention for the most part if your into just a classic story where you don't need a little suspense. When reading this book, make sure in you weekly menu you have something Italian on there. Your going to finish this book and crave something warm, cheesy and full of marinara sauce!




**This book was provided to me by the publisher's in return for an honest review.**

Holly's Inbox; Scandal in the City by Holly Denham

Publication Date: August 1, 2010
Pages: 552
Genre: chick-lit
My Rating:


Summary: This is the second book in the Holly's Inbox series. I have not read the first one, but it is a very easy story to catch up on. Holly is a receptionist at a bank. In between working, she spends her time e-mailing Trisha, Jason, a few women co-workers, her crazy grandmother, her mom and sister, her insane upstairs neighbor, and her boyfriend. This whole book is written in e-mail back and forth. The e-mails are normally one or two sentences so they are short. They carry on normal conversation through them. The receptionists are not aloud to speak to one another, so this is their way of communicating. Through the e-mails you learn about there life outside of work, because we as the reader don't follow them anywhere but when they are e-mailing.

My thoughts: This was a hilarious book. The book is huge, but it is a fast read since they are not full pages. I read this book in 24 hours. I got so caught up in the drama in holly's life and all the e-mails. It kept the story fresh. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. There was love, hate, and friendship in this book. This book will have you laughing. The things these characters write about to one another, you can't help but wish you were there with them getting e-mails. I hope there is a 3rd book in this series. I want to see what happens after the book ended.  The story itself is a classic chick-lit; single woman with relationship problems and another woman is butting into it. However, you enjoy it so much more with the way Holly Denham wrote this book.

If this has been on your TBR list, move it up or run out and find it. Its funny! I plan to try and find Holly's Inbox to read next!



** I read this book through Crazy Book Tours**

Kristan Higgins--The Next Best Thing

Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Pages: 392
My Rating:




Book Summary from Goodreads:
She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbeque, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important... someone who won't inspire the slightest stirring in her heart...or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can't risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate "friend with privileges" and hello to a man she can marry. 
Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere. As far as he's concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

My Thoughts:
I may have just had a hard time reading this book due to the fact the hunky male characters name was Ethan, and my 6 year old sons name is Ethan. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters, which could be simply because of the name. Who knows.

I loved the little group of ladies called the Black Widows. They were a kooky bunch of women who I would love to visit and be highly entertained by. I had a hard time with this book relating to Lucy. I had a hard time believing that six years after her husbands death, she would still need to watch her wedding video every night. She was a big whiner. She was very emotional which made it hard to read and relate to her.  Her sister Corrine made me want to bop her over the head and I was kind of glad that near the end of the book, that character did not appear quite as much.

Over all, it was a very cute love story. Kristan Higgins always puts a funny story line that usually someone involves a sister marring her sisters ex, or in this case, being in love with your brother in law.  Her scenarios are always something you think would never happen in a million years. However in a Kristan Higgins book, they always happen.

If you are a fan of hers, I recommend it as a read. If its going to be your first book by her, I would say skip it. Look for Too Good To Be True for a first book by her.

Tour: The Home for Broken Hearts by Rowan Coleman

Publication Date: September 7, 2010
Pages: 382
My rating:





Summary:

When Ellen Woods is unexpectedly widowed at the age of thirty-eight, she and her ten-year-old son Charlie are left to cope alone. Financially insecure and facing the possibility of losing her beloved London home, Ellen lets her forceful younger sister Hannah talk her into taking in lodgers. Before she knows it, freelance copy editor Ellen finds her home invaded by strangers—a business woman who is running away from a cheating husband, an elderly but legendary historical romance author made temporarily homeless by a flood, and a twenty-five-year-old men’s magazine writer and Casanova.

Used to living a sheltered life, protected by her husband and working exclusively from home, Ellen struggles to adjust to the changes in her life, not to mention the stormy relationship she has with her son since he lost his father. As the first anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, the safe little world Ellen is used to begins to crumble and fall apart…until she uncovers a secret that will change how she lives her life forever.

My Thoughts:
I really liked the book, I want to start off and say. I really felt for the main character in her loss for her husband. Imagining myself in the same situation is heart breaking. She is left to raise their eleven year old son who is of coarse at a trying time in his age. Ellen is also left not in the greatest financial situation. She does what she feels is fit to do, and has lodgers move in. This book is set in England. In having lodgers come to stay with her, she starts to grow and somewhat comes our of grieving. She starts to learn that there is more to life then staying in her house, cleaning and taking care of her son Charlie. Each lodger plays a part in this.  Especially the young charming Matt!  I really liked how the story had another small story in it, as she is helping to co-author a book with a big historical romance writer. This in itself helped Ellen open her eyes and look at her own marriage with her deceased husband Nick.

Now on the subject of her marriage is where I had my dislikes in the book.  I will try not to say too much so I don't give away too much. The author had something happen with the husband that Ellen finds out right around the one year mark of his death. I know the writer looked at it as a way of having Ellen break out of her shell and grow into the person she needed to be. However, I did not like that part of the book. It was a bit predictable and I also thought it just didn't need to be done. With that said, its hard to write anymore on that subject without giving away anything.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the characters in the book. This book being set in England and the more carefree lifestyle they live, made me really enjoy this book.  Its definitely a good rainy day weekend read when you want to be locked away from reality and dive into a world of fiction characters. Each character brought so much to the book and made the story what it was. If it hadn't been for my dislikes I spoke about above, this book would have had a 5 star review.

Be sure to check it out. As always, clicking the picture of the book above will take you to Amazon to purchase!

**The book was provided to me by Pocket Books in exchange for my honest opinion on this book. I was not required to write a positive review**

How to Buy A Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

Publication date: July 27th 2010
Pages: 392
My Rating: 



Summary (Goodreads):
Asked to name her favorite book, sixteen-year-old Carley Wells answers, "never met one I liked." Her parents are horrified and decide to commission a book to be written just for her. They will be the Medicis of Long Island and buy their daughter The Love of Reading. At first, Carley's sole interest in the project is to distract Hunter, the young bibliophile she adores. But as Hunter's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Carley begins to understand the importance of stories-and how they are powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her. 


My Thoughts:
When I saw this on the Crazy For Books Tour site, it sounded very interesting.  I thought, especially because I love reading, this should be a fun book. I have yet to write a bad review and if I hadn't agreed to review this book, then I probably wouldn't write a review. I usually don't for the bad books, well because I know someone worked hard on this book. I know the author is proud of their work and well frankly, I feel bad writing something that says I don't like the book.


With that said, I sat down with this book. From the beginning I found myself having a hard time getting interested.  I had a hard time following this book and the characters lacked anything interesting to me. I was bored frankly. I read until about 150 pages in and then decided to read the last two chapters to see what ended up happening. I don't feel like I missed all too much by skipping ahead.  Carly was the main character and she bored me. Maybe that was the authors intention and maybe at the end of the  book she got interesting. I just felt like, if I was almost halfway through and nothing interesting was happening, that I just didn't see it getting better. The teenagers in this book were drinkers and drug users and all had parents who were to busy in there own affairs to worry about the kids.


So, this was my first bad review posted. If you have read this book, let me know what you thought. I am very interested in the opinions of others, especially with this book. I want to know if it was just me and if I just didn't get the book.


Be sure to check out Crazy Book Tours where you get the opportunity to review ARC or recently released books and then pass them on.