Review: Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: 30th April 2013
My rating: 3 stars

Inner beauty wants out. When eighteen-year-old Becky Randle’s mother dies, she’s summoned from her Missouri trailer park to meet Tom Kelly, the world’s top designer. He makes her an impossible offer: He’ll create three dresses to transform Becky from a nothing special girl into the most beautiful woman who ever lived. Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, or that he’s producing a hidden camera show called World’s Most Gullible Poor People. But she accepts, and she’s remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself – an awkward mess of split ends and cankles. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see pure five-alarm hotness. Soon Rebecca is on the cover of Vogue, the new Hollywood darling, and dating celebrities. Then Becky meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and everything starts to crumble. Because Rebecca aside, Becky loves him. But to love her back, Gregory would have to look past the blinding Rebecca to see the real girl inside. And Becky knows there’s not enough magic in the world. A screamingly defiant, hugely naughty, and impossibly fun free fall past the cat walks, the red carpets, and even the halls of Buckingham Palace, Gorgeous does the impossible: It makes you see yourself clearly for the first time.

But instead I'm the most useless sort of Prince; I'm a idiot with a closetful of extremely uncomfortable formal clothing and a trunkful of extremely impressive engraved stationery for writing notes of abject apology to everyone. And I have no idea what to do, because after everything you've told me and after the fact that I've chosen to believe it, I'm still left with only one very real question."

"Which question?"

"Who are you?"

 
Gorgeous was a strange book, overall I did enjoy it, but I can’t exactly say that I loved it. There were parts that I adored and parts which had me utterly baffled, hopefully I can put my finger on what I mean in my review because I feel as if I’m on a bit of a see-saw.

When Becky’s mum dies, she makes her promise that she will say yes. Becky is heartbroken over the loss of her mum but also baffled by what her promise means, until eventually she finds out.  She’s left a number by her mum and immediately she’d plucked from normal Becky Randle from East Trawley to top super model for Tom Kelly Rebecca Randle. Within the first few weeks she’s making movies with heart throb Jate Mallow and covering Vogue magazine. But she doesn’t get how Tom did it, he designed her one beautiful red dress and it changed her dramatically, Becky’s more confident than she’s ever been, but her features have also changed within an instance, she’s hardly recognisable as Becky Randle, but super imposes as a glamorous model. What exactly has Tom Kelly done? And what are the repercussions? Becky can’t just expect this all for free can she?

Everything happened so suddenly for Becky that I did not understand anything either. Becky did deserve her time in the limelight she’d been living 17 years in a trailer with her mother who was eating herself away. But what I wanted to know was why Tom Kelly picked Becky amongst millions and how did he work his magic? Some of the explanations behind Becky’s big change I wasn’t expecting, but one of the big surprises I didn’t really get the purpose of, even when I think about it weeks after finishing Gorgeous I’m still confused about.

Despite my qualms about the mystery, there were some decent secondary characters which made this book for me; Rocher and Prince Gregory. What I liked about both of the characters was that they weren’t afraid to say what they thought. I definitely prefer characters that get to the point instead of faffing about. Also despite following a dark shady path, the story is laced with some nice humorous scenes along the way; one of my favourites was Rocher’s kerfuffle with Lady Jessalyn at Ascot.

At times I did feel like giving up on Gorgeous as there were passages which were so rambly, descriptions of people could go on for a bit, which at times I did find unnecessary. But I think the ending to Gorgeous did win me over. So if you’re looking for a different type of read with an unexpected twist, a story about growing up and finding your place in the world I would definitely recommend giving Gorgeous a try.

Blog Tour, Interview & Giveaway: Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

Hello readers! Today I'm excited to be part of the Blog Tour for Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer because both Jasprit and I are huge fans of this series!  With five SMOKING HOT boys, who can blame us?!! Spirit release May 28th, just a few short days away and we were lucky enough to have Brigid stop by and answer some of our most pressing questions! But that's not all, we have a giveaway, and some additional fun to kick off Spirit's release. All of this awesome was organized by the lovely Wendy at  The Midnight Garden. Thank you for allowing us to participate!

Rachel: Hi Brigid! I’m so excited to have you on the blog because I’m a huge fan of those HOT Merrick Boys The Elemental Series!!

I read that you came up with the idea of writing about four brothers while you were in high school.  Which of the Merrick boys or Hunter would you have been drawn to while there?  Someone like Nick: smart, responsible, good-guy or someone like Gabriel: cocky, hot tempered jock with a soft heart underneath, or someone like Hunter: tattooed, pierced, and intense? 

Brigid: Oh wow, this is a great question! When I was in high school, I probably would have been terrified by an intense guy like Hunter, especially with the tattoos and piercings. Then again, I probably would have been intrigued by him, too. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school, so I would have wanted to bring him home, just to see what my mother would say. I totally would have gone for a guy like Gabriel, just because I think he would have called me on my BS. I worked on a horse farm and I used to challenge guys to arm wrestling matches. I imagine a guy like Gabriel would have been like, “Bring it on.” And then he would have won. And that would have been HOT.

Rachel: Are any of the characters inspired by or based on real people?  If so, can you make some introductions? Lol! Just kidding.  Well, mostly….

Brigid: Haha, not the guys. They’re all straight out of my head. Becca’s mother was very loosely based on my mom, who is a night nurse.

Rachel: Spirit, in my opinion, was a lot darker, emotional, and intense than the other books in the series.  Was it hard on you to write in that mind set? 

Brigid: Hunter’s book was so hard for me to write. Both Hunter and Kate are struggling with who they are and who they want to be. There’s a lot of indecision and fear on both sides of the table. I was so emotionally wrung out by the end of Hunter’s book that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to continue the series. Then I wrote Nick’s novella and I realized that I wasn’t tired of the series, I was just exhausted from Hunter’s and Kate’s inner struggles – not to mention what happened to them in the end.

Rachel: Gabriel and Layne are my favorite couple in the series.  I just love that Gabriel’s reaction and feelings for Layne exposes his big heart, as does his relationship with her younger brother, Simon.  Do you have a favorite couple?  Or maybe a couple that’s easiest to write?

Brigid: Well, until I wrote Nick’s book, I would have agreed with you. I loved writing Gabriel and Layne’s relationship. But then I wrote Nick’s book, which actually features two couples: Nick and Adam, and Quinn and Tyler. I loved both their developing relationships so much that I’m actually mourning the story. I might need to write a few extra chapters just to fully get them out of my system.

Rachel: I have to say I was surprised by Nick’s story in Breathless.  I did NOT see that coming, but maybe I’ve been a little dense, lol!  Did you know from the start about Nick or is it something that came to the surface as his character developed?

Brigid: When I first wrote Storm, I had an inkling about it. It was definitely in the back of my head, and it was always Nick. I wasn’t thinking, “I should make one of these guys gay.” It was always him. I just didn’t know if I could pull it off. But then a friend (who is gay) asked me if I’d consider making Nick a gay character. Even though it was in the back of my head, I was initially resistant to the idea. I was scared, honestly. I wasn’t worried about backlash or anything like that. I didn’t want to do it wrong, you know what I mean? But I had a third novella under contract, and I knew I wanted to write it from Nick’s point of view. I sat down to write, and I put a guy in front of him, wanting to see what would happen. Well, Adam happened, and he’s one of my favorite characters to introduce to the series.

Rachel: I’ve noticed you’re very accessible to your readers, and I appreciate that you answer so many questions about the series on your website.  What would be the one of the more interesting question/comment you’ve received?  Have they ever given you ideas for your stories?

Brigid: I love talking to readers! I always feel badly when people start off an email or a tweet with, “I’m sorry to bother you…” It’s never a bother! Seriously, I’ve met so many awesome people since beginning this writing journey. I can’t imagine turning off the social media. It’s so much fun.

I get a lot of interesting emails. Sometimes people send me fanfiction, which is incredibly flattering, but it’s really, really difficult for me to read. It’s like hearing someone else animate my children. It’s just … jarring, you know? I’ve also had people ask very detailed questions as if the characters were real people. Like … “If Gabriel and Layne ended up getting married and having a child, would the baby be a Fire elemental? Or …” I love questions like those because even though they’re sometimes tough to answer, I know it means someone has grown close enough to the Merrick boys to feel like they’re a part of their lives.

Rachel: Are you currently working on Nick’s book?

Brigid: Just finished! It’s off to my editor! Cross your fingers for me, ‘kay?

Rachel: Can you give us any teasers for the upcoming books? 

Brigid: Of course! How’s this: someone we thought was dead will make a reappearance at the end of Nick’s book. 

Rachel: Oh my goodness, Brigid!! What a teaser!!  Now I have all sorts of speculations (and hope) running through my brain!

Thank you so much, Brigid for stopping by.  I can't believe Spirit will just be releasing because I'm already primed and excited for the next story!  

 

Publication Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher: Kensington Publishing 
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

Brigid Kemmerer started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years!

Connect with Brigid on her:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Check out the other tour stops for more features and goodies: 

Tour Stops: 

5/20  The Midnight Garden  

5/21  Bewitched Bookworms 

5/22  The Reader's Den

5/23  Hobbitsies 

5/24  The Starry-Eyed Revue

5/27  Saz101

5/28  Realm of Fiction 

5/29  Stuck in Books 

5/30  Books with Bite

5/31  Cuddlebuggery

Kensington Publishing has generously provided a free download for Elemental (Elementals #0.5) where we first meet the Merrick brothers!  Click HERE and enter promo code: VCARD

Make sure you cast your vote below for favorite Elemental boy before entering the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of Spirit generously provided by Kensington Publishing! Thank you for stopping by and good luck!

Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: May 7th 2013
My rating:  4 stars

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

Nantucket Blue was more than I was expecting.  I looked at that amazing cover and thought: light summer read, fun and flirty romance, lazy days at the beach.  Sign me up! This was more.  It was a story about defining your identity, best friends, family, loss, and first loves.

Cricket Thompson has been best friends with Jules since eighth grade. Cricket loves Jules and her family almost in a hero worship sort of way.  So when tragedy strikes Jules’ family, Cricket wants to be there with her, comforting and consoling her.  Cricket’s plan of spending the summer with Jules in their vacation home in Nantucket is upset by this tragedy, but Cricket doesn’t give up.  The thought of spending the summer home alone with her mother, and away from Jules is more than she can take, so she makes her own way out there, taking a job as a chamber maid to do so. 

This summer is shaping up to be completely different from what Cricket expected, because Jules is less than thrilled with Cricket’s appearance.  Lonely from Jules’ rejection, Cricket finds solace in Jules’ younger brother, Zack, spending more and more time with him.  Their mutual attraction leaves Cricket breathless and excited unlike any other boy before, but it also stirs up feelings of guilt over what Jules would think.  Cricket is sure she would disapprove.  

I didn’t expect to love this story as much as I did.  I connected with Cricket right off the bat so her journey felt completely personal to me.  I was so ticked off with Jules’ treatment of Cricket, I COULDN’T STAND HER!!  I don’t care if she suffered loss, I don’t think that gave her license to be such a colossal witch!!  But at the same time I’m almost glad that Jules treated Cricket the way she did.  This forced her to wake up and realize she held value and merit all on her own, without Jules.  She made new friends, spent time alone with Zack, got insight on her mother, and landed an internship; all things that probably wouldn’t have happened had she stayed friends with Jules.  I do think Jules got off pretty lightly, but I don’t think things would’ve ever been the same between those two, even if Jules was more repentant.  Sometimes it’s better to cut your losses and move on. 

Now onto the romance!  Cricket crushes on one boy in the beginning, but things in life never go according to plan.  Zack is someone Cricket knows really well, but the attraction when it clicked took her by surprise.  It’s not something she would’ve chosen, because he’s younger than her, but this worked!!  I loved it when she’d realized that Zack was flirting with her or when he sent her heart racing just by looking at him!  The romance left me warm and zinging along.  Just lovely! *sigh*

The boat drifted and his hands did, too, back to my legs, up my arms and neck. We kissed. We drifted and kissed and drifted and kissed as the sky flashed and clapped and bloomed and broke.*

There was a little bit of an unfolding mystery with Cricket’s mother’s past.  Discovering that her mother was an actual teenager with desires and thoughts much like hers had Cricket cringing and yet captivated at the same time.  It had me cracking up! I have to give a “thumbs down” to Cricket’s father.  Some definite groveling is in order, and I certainly don’t think Cricket owes any apology to him!  

I’m impressed with Leila Howard’s debut novel!  Her prose was beautiful and touching without being overly flowery.  Her characters felt real and relatable, and I could almost taste the salt air of Nantucket, right along with Cricket, from her descriptions.  I’ll definitely be on the watch for her next novel!

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy. 

Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Golden by Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: May 14th 2013
My rating: 4 stars 

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance. Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury. Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Golden was a gorgeous novel that delves into the aspect of first loves and choices. Shane Cruz and Julianna Farnetti have always been looked up to as the golden couple in Summit Lakes. Their lives were taken too early on the night of their graduation. They’re honoured by a billboard with a photo of them as soon as you leave town and a scholarship to give youngsters a chance on what they missed out on. But when Parker is set the task of posting out diaries from students 10 years ago, she discovers the golden couple weren’t as perfect as everyone imagined.

I liked how Kirby focused Golden on both of the past of Julia and Shane and with the present life of our MC Parker. Parker’s life wasn’t by all means perfect, she was going for a scholarship her mother wanted her to go for, she was studying hard for her mother, and she had confused feelings about the guy from school Trevor. Was she really doing something for herself? Her stumbling across Juliana’s school project/diary was the wake-up call she needed. She didn’t want to read a person’s private thoughts especially not a dead persons but she found once she started, she really couldn’t stop. And some of the things she discovered really someone needed to know about. Julia and Shane were epitomised as the golden couple and their demise was truly tragic but the real truth behind their relationship was much more so.

I liked how Parker decided to put everything to one side to get to the truth of the matter. She had an important speech to write up for her potential scholarship but she put it to one side to go on what some may have considered a wild goose chase. But the more she delved deeper, she discovered it wasn’t that but a truly heart rendering story of what could have been. I enjoyed discovering the mystery behind Juliana’s story and Parker’s mission to find a happy ending. But what I enjoyed most was how much Parker was able to take away from just once in her life taking a risk and doing something she normally wouldn’t. Not only was the journey she went on a discovery of Juliana’s life. But it was also an important journey of discovery about herself.

Only a few books I have discovered which truly resonate with me. Jessi Kirby’s Golden I am pleased to say is one of those books. Her writing is poignant yet purposeful, with it evoking such a depth of emotions within me. This was my first novel by Jessi Kirby, if I have to take anything away from this novel it’s that it’s certainly won’t be my last.

If you’re looking for a novel littered with beautiful meaningful passages, a beautiful mystery, a road trip full with revelations, strong relationships and a sweet romance then go pick up Golden.

Rachel had the great opportunity to meet Jessi Kirby, as part of the Summer Lovin' Tour, you can read her wonderful recap here. And enter to win a signed copy of this beautiful book. 

Author Event Recap & Giveaway: 2013 Summer Lovin' Tour

 

Hello readers! Last night I attended the Summer Lovin' Tour at Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Bookshop in La Verne, CA.  I know I'm incredibly lucky to live in the Los Angeles area, because of the awesome authors that come through our city.  With that said, this event has to be one of the extreme examples of just how lucky I truly am!! Six amazing authors all in one spot.  I seriously needed smelling salts to keep me from collapsing on the floor!! I laughed hysterically while being pelted with snack size Skittles, and chocolate that the authors would throw at us (yes, I'm serious).  That was our reward for correctly answering which book a quote came from. 

There is a reward at the end of this post.  I'm giving away a SIGNED hardcover copy of The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler and a SIGNED hardcover copy of Golden by Jessi Kirby, so make sure you scroll down and fill out the rafflecopter!

Suzanne Young, Kimberly Derting, Sarah Ockler

Jessi Kirby & Shannon Messenger

Kicking off the night, we played a game where each author told us two truths and one lie. We had to guess the lie. Let's go with some truths: Shannon Messenger had to make conversation with a shirtless Rob Lowe!! (that poor, poor girl!); Sarah Ockler wore PJ's to school everyday in high school, for one WHOLE year; Jessi Kirby never ditched a day of school in her life (she was much like the protagonist in Golden); Morgan Matson could get in touch with Justin Bieber if she wanted to, and Kimberly Derting hung out for one week with the Olympic Swim Team from Bahrain.

Sarah Ockler minus the "blue bandana"

The authors introduced the books they're on tour for (see above for books).  I read and really enjoyed The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler (my review), and she was a thrill to meet!  Underneath that conservative looking exterior is a wild gangster-rap loving woman!  She embraced that persona in high school by wearing purple baggy jeans, and a blue bandana to complete her look.  We were all giggles as she was relating which rap groups were "authentic".  Back to books: in addition to her newest release, The Book of Broken Hearts, she's currently working on Love & Other Internet Disasters about a girl with a mad crush on her best friend's boyfriend, a forbidden kiss, and how social-media-gone-bad figures in.  It sounded amazing, and is coming to us Spring/Summer 2014. 

Kimberly Derting is the author of The Body Finder series, which I love, and The Pledge series.  She was out promoting the second in The Pledge series which is a dystopian world separated by languages.  Each language is in it's own caste and it's illegal for anyone to speak a language other than their own.  The series centers on a girl who can speak and understand all languages. Kimberly is currently working on the third in the series as well as a new series coming out in 2014.  The new series is called The Taking and is about a girl who vanishes from the car while her father is driving and is missing for five years. She reappears to find everything about her life changed yet she is still the same sixteen year old with no recollection of where she was.  It's expected publication is summer 2014.

Morgan Matson &Jessi Kirby

Jessi Kirby's was out to promote her latest: Golden and so far it's been receiving raving reviews. (Tune in Monday for Jasprit's review!) Golden is about Parker who lives in a world of expectations until she finds the journal of a girl from her school that was part of the "golden" couple that disappeared ten years ago. Exploring the past and the mystery behind this couples disappearance, spurs Parker to find her own identity and direction.  Jessi told us about the book she's currently working on and I was blown away by the description! A girl loses her boyfriend in an accident, and his organs are donated.  Trying to work through her grief she writes to each recipient, and all but one writes back.  Guess which organ?  Well she tracks down the owner (illegally, there are strict rules that govern identities in organ donation) of that organ, and he is instantly drawn to her, putting her in an awkward situation because he has no idea who she is! Sounds incredible, right?!! 

Shannon Messenger

Shannon Messenger is currently in "threequel purgatory," working on the third book of both her series': Let the Sky Fall, her YA fantasy/romance trilogy, and the third in her middle grade series: Keeper of the Lost Cities. 

Morgan Matson is working on another contemporary romance about a girl named Emily who's best friend leaves without warning and sends a list to Emily with thirteen things to do, like go skinny dipping, kiss a stranger, break something, and has no idea what all these things mean but thinks if she does them it will give her a clue to her best friend's whereabouts. There's also a boy, and kissing, of course!  This is due to come out May 2014. Morgan also informed us that she did indeed take the road trip in Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, sadly, there was no "Roger". 

 Suzanne Young is the writer of The Program and A Need So

Beautiful series working on the second and final book to The Program series.  She's also working on something with Cat Patrick, Just Like Fate which shows two distinct paths a girl's life could go on based on her decision made one night.  This will be out in August 2013. 

As part of this author recap I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of Golden by Jessi Kirby and a SIGNED copy of The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler. The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL, just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win!