Not At All Cheesy: Better Off Friends

Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
Point, Expected Release Date: February 25, 2014

*ARC provided by the publisher to attendees of Liza Wiermer's Novel Luncheon - thank you for inviting me to this event and for the book!*

It's an age-old question, and one that Macallan and Levi have been facing for five years: can a guy and a girl really be friends, or is romance always just around the corner ready to ruin everything? No one believes that their relationship is purely platonic, even though she's had boyfriends and he's had girlfriends. The fact that they are best friends always seems to get pushed aside. But as they get older and life throws more at them, is it possible that everyone else was right? And does it even matter it means their friendship as they know it could be changed forever? Maybe they are better off friends. In a sweet Midwestern story, Elizabeth Eulberg takes on a When Harry Met Sally... scenario and makes it her own.

I have a crush on this book. It is pure and true and it was exactly what I needed to read. There's a reason Eulberg's stories have quickly become treasures to teen and young adult readers - they have a way of being contemporary and timeless. In her best book yet, Better Off Friends explores all aspects of teen life: friends, family, school, self-discovery, and that age-old war between the head and the heart. This story will hit home with readers anywhere, but I absolutely adored the Midwest setting. There's a sort of folksyness to it and even though I'm not from Wisconsin or a Packers fan or a regular consumer of cheeseballs, I completely connected to Macallan and Levi's world. I tend to identify myself as a Chicagolander just because it's easier, but in actuality I'm a suburbanite and this book perfectly captured what it's like to grow up in this part of the country but not in a major city.

Eulberg also perfectly harnessed what it's like for a guy and a girl to be friends because believe it or not, it really is possible. So often in contemporary romantic stories, the romance takes center stage, but I loved the growth of this relationship and how it started with two people who are best friends first and the possibility of something more is secondary. Having this base made the characters and the various conflicts in their lives that much stronger.

If you love contemporary stories with well-drawn characters you feel like you've known your whole life, then Better Off Friends is a must-read for you. Heart fluttering, palms sweating, and plenty of cause for swooning, this is a love story that readers will keep coming back to for years to come.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Elizabeth Eulberg's Website
Elizabeth Eulberg on Twitter

Waiting on Wednesday: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

From Goodreads:
From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

I fell in love with Stephanie Perkins and her amazing writing on page one of Anna and the French Kiss when it came out in 2010. Then I was lucky enough to meet her when the second book in this companion-series Lola and the Boy Next Door in 2011. Words cannot adequately express how excited I am for this book!

Charming and Kick-Ass: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3)
Feiwel and Friends, 2014

*ARC provided by publisher at ALA 2013 - THANK YOU!*

*This book is 3rd in a series, so there are some spoilers about books 1 & 2 ahead - you've been warned!*

When I was at ALA last summer, two of my roommates and I were completely on the same wave-length about one thing: If for some reason we could only get one ARC at the entire conference, it was Cress. We woke up extra early to get in line and the three of us were part of the first lucky 100 in line who got to walk away with this amazing, thrilling, heart-pounding, heart-wrenching, swoon-worthy third installment of Marissa Meyer's series which puts a science fiction twist on beloved fairy tales.

An outcast among Lunars because she's a shell, Cress's life has been isolated and lonely with only her netscreens to keep her company. A talented hacker, Queen Levana allows her to live only as long as she is useful living alone in a satellite and spying on the people of Earth. But Cress isn't exactly loyal to the royal - in fact, she's been helping Cinder, Scarlet, Wolf, and Carswell Thorne. When a daring rescue mission goes awry, Cress finally gets the freedom she dreamed of but the group is separated. With Kai's wedding to Levana growing nearer, these three girls may be the world's only defense.

It's impossible for me not to fangirl about this book because it just does so many things right! Our old cast of characters from Cinder and Scarlet have returned, and fantastic new personalities are introduced or expanded on here. Cress is a fascinating leading lady because she's the closest so far to a 'traditional' princess - or at least, that's how she sees it. Not that she's incapable - far from it - but that she dreams of having companionship and being saved by her crush, Thorne. While at first this put me off a little bit, I had no need to be nervous because Cress shows amazing growth over the course of the book as she learns that she has what it takes to save herself and others. She's charming and cute and totally kick-ass once she comes into her own. And of course she's right along side Cinder and Scarlet, making for a dynamic pack of protagonists. Each of them has a fantastic story in her own right, and they all intertwine masterfully.

Readers are treated to new settings and the depth of this saga continues to astound. Meyer moves seamlessly between characters and is a master of getting inside of everyone's heads. Though I read this book months ago, I still have strong reactions as I thumb through the pages. Every scene matters, every characters makes readers feel, and nearly every twist left me simultaneously shocked and awed. There's romance, intrigue, action, and awe on every single page of this book from start to finish.

Cress continues in the excellent tradition readers have come to expect from Meyer and my only complaint is that Winter, the fourth and final book, will not be coming out until 2015. I'll do whatever it takes to get my hands on one of those ARCs once they exist because I simply cannot wait that long! Consider this post my official plea. Like I said before - if I can only get one advance copy of anything for the rest of the year, that one is it.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Marissa Meyer's Website
Marissa Meyer on Twitter

Not From Around Here: The Rules

The Rules by Stacey Kade (Project Paper Doll #1)
Disney-Hyperion, 2013

*ARC won from Literary Lushes - Thank you!*

The residents of Wingate, Wisconsin have no idea that their sleepy little small town is the home of one of the world's biggest secrets, and Ariane would like to keep it that way. Because Ariane is no ordinary girl, she's a genetic experiment - half human, half alien - who must live by the carefully crafted rules established by her adoptive father, the man who helped her escape from the lab she came from. She's biding her time until she's 18 and can leave town without suspicion, but when a school prank goes awry Ariane goes from being able to disappear in a crowd to being the center of attention. And when the police chief's son Zane notices her, she finds that the rule she never paid much attention to before may be the one that one that makes everything she's built fall apart: Don't fall in love.

My journey into to the science fiction genre has been a gradual one. With slow steps, I've warmed up to stories with fantastical and paranormal elements, but with Kade's novel I finally hit a story that is directly about the aspect of the genre I've been most skeptical about: aliens. And I'll admit it, I was pleasantly surprised. The premise here is an interesting one about an experiment who must hide in plain sight and how her carefully constructed world comes crashing down. The internal war between Ariane's human and alien natures was well thought out and then displayed. I even liked the dual narrators of Ariane and Zane as it gives readers a look at her camouflage from both sides (though after reading multiple books with multiple narrators lately, I need a break).

Where this book left me scratching my head was in the third act. Since this is the first book in a series (I believe it's a planned trilogy, but don't quote me on that), of course not all of the loose ends will be tied up here, but some of the characters' choices left me absolutely flummoxed. Without spoiling anything, there were at least a few times where I found myself thinking "uhh...really?" Not that I was confused, just had a hard time believing it.

All that being said, the Project Paper Doll series is off to an interesting start. I'll probably pick up sequels at my library in time. To those in the mood for a contemporary story with an extra-terrestrial twist, The Rules may be for you.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!

Stacey Kade's Website
Stacey Kade on Twitter

Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Thief

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on: Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen (Scarlet #2)
From Goodreads:

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

Back when I read the first book in this series in 2012, I was pleasantly surprised by this retelling of Robin Hood in which Will Scarlet is actually a young woman in disguise and a member of the Merry Men. I got really into it, but sequels hadn't yet been announced so I was afraid of not getting to find out what happened next! Lucky for me, book 2 in this planned trilogy is due out in February.

Just Keep Swinging: The Art of Fielding

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Little, Brown, 2011

*Paperback AND shirt for the book sent to me by the publisher - thank you so much!!*

There's something truly magical about when a book comes into your life at just the right time, and such was the case for me when I started reading The Art of Fielding. At Westish College, a small liberal arts school in Wisconsin on the coast of Lake Michigan, the worlds of five individuals are forever changed by a baseball season. When Henry Skrimshander, an unassuming looking guy who is actually a brilliant shortstop destined for the big leagues, makes a routine throw that has disastrous results, events unfold and lives become intertwined in ways so much bigger than they could have anticipated.

Though this time of year is resolution season rather than baseball season, now is a fitting time to pick up this novel. Goals are great, of course, but this book looks down the path that so many of us end up walking down despite are refusal to acknowledge it. It starts with Henry and what do you do when your confidence is shaken? Other characters are faced with equally daunting questions, sometimes overlapping. What do you do when your plans don't work out? Is it possible to live your life as one person only to realize that's not really you at all? How much are we willing to pay or sacrifice for the things we want, or thought we wanted?

I felt a certain kinship with a few of these characters due to their ages. While I adore YA for a lot of reasons, there's something about being in your 20s and college that brings about a certain kind of panic that teenagers can't fully appreciate. It's a constant state of confusion in how some days you can feel so grown up, and most days you feel like someone made a mistake because there's no way you're ready for this.

While I liked this book, it isn't for everyone. At times, especially in the second half of the novel, I felt like I couldn't understand the responses characters were having in some situations, and one story line's conclusion was a bit too convenient for my taste. Also, considering Mr. Harbach is from Wisconsin, I was surprised at some vocabulary choices. I have family and friends in the state, actually not far from fictional Westish, and upon asking them, they said they'd never heard of a "gut course" (what I've always known as a blow-off class) or people in the area who referred to people in their first year of college as 'freshpersons' rather than 'freshmen.' However, none of these criticisms would be enough to stop me from recommending this story. Maybe just read it along side something a bit lighter for balance. I was rooting for Henry and empathized with him deeply every step of the way, and this novel is deserving of the praise it's received over the years.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading.

TBR Throw Back Thursday: The Alchemist

TBR Throw Back Thursday is a weekly post hosted by me that looks at my TBR pile and spotlights books that have already come out - some recently, some centuries ago - that I keep meaning to read (or reread).

This week, I'm throwing it back to: The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
Publication: 1993
On Goodreads:

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

This novel was required reading at the high school where I did my student teaching. It's less than 200 pages so I really have no excuse for not getting this one read soon!