Recently Read Young Adult Books

Perfect You- Elizabeth Scott
Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast.

Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible.

And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest.

Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen - but only if she lets them....


This is the second book I've read(Bloom the first) and I've come to the conclusion that I love her books. When Kate's father quits his job to sell Perfect You vitamins at the mall, and her best friend abandons her for the popular crowd Kate feels her life is over. Elizabeth knows how to write about teenage angst. The character of Kate seems accurate in its potrayal of a teen girl, and the awkwardness of the teenage romance between Kate and Will also seemed real. I found myself giggling like a school girl in some parts, which is great considering that I'm 30. Any book that can do that is a must read for me.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (March 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416953558


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The Book of Luke- Jenny O'Connell
Emily Abbott has always been considered the Girl Most Likely to Be Nice -- but lately being nice hasn't done her any good. Her parents have decided to move the family from Chicago back to their hometown of Boston in the middle of Emily's senior year. Only Emily's first real boyfriend, Sean, is in Chicago, and so is her shot at class valedictorian and early admission to the Ivy League. What's a nice girl to do?


Then Sean dumps Emily on moving day and her father announces he's staying behind in Chicago "to tie up loose ends," and Emily decides that what a nice girl needs to do is to stop being nice.


She reconnects with her best friends in Boston, Josie and Lucy, only to discover that they too have been on the receiving end of some glaring Guy Don'ts. So when the girls have to come up with something to put in the senior class time capsule, they know exactly what to do. They'll create a not-so-nice reference guide for future generations of guys -- an instruction book that teaches them the right way to treat girls.


But when her friends draft Emily to test out their tips on Luke Preston -- the hottest, most popular guy in school, who just broke up with Josie by email -- Emily soon finds that Luke is the trickiest of test subjects . . . and that even a nice girl like Emily has a few things to learn about love.


This book started off slow, but quickly picked up. Emily has always been nice, and after some things don't go as she would like, she decides enough is enough. The reference guide for guys starts off as a way for her and her friends to vent but quickly spirals out of control when they decide to test their guide on Mr. cute and popular, Luke. I liked this book, and look forward to reading more of Jenny O'connell's books.

Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: MTV (April 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416520406