Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Summary from BN.com: Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever? I can now declare that Janet Gurtler is one of my top five favorite YA contemporary writers of all time. Seriously, after reading her two books, I am totally in love with her writing. She pushes issues that teens deal with and need to be brought out in the open. Since I read a lot of Christian fiction, one thing that I have major problems with that market is that it tends to be very few POC (person of color) main characters in the stor...

Summary from BN .com: Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that's okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. But, the smiles of her picture perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn't hold it together, who will? As a lover of contemporary YA, I get very excited when I hear a new one has been released. I had been hearing good things about Janet Gurtler and her books so I was very eager to read this one. Let me start off by just saying, I loved how the inside of the cover of the book is a light shade of green. You rarely see color INSIDE the book! It was just a very nice touch. And it set the setting for a lovely read. Tess's beautiful and popular older ...

Summary from BN.com: When Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with Natalie "the Boob Job" Stone three days before their drama club's departure to Italy, she completely freaks. Stuck with a front-row view of Sean and Natalie making out against the backdrop of a country that oozes romance, Jessa promises to follow all of the outrageous instructions in her best friend's care package and open her heart to new experiences. Enter cute Italian boy stage left. Jessa had prepared to play the role of humiliated ex-girlfriend, but with Carissa directing her life from afar, it's finally time to take a shot at being a star. Kim Culbertson's first book, Songs for a Teenage Nomad, made my Best Reads of 2010 so I was really looking forward to her next book. She writes in style that I really enjoy and gives insight to characters that most YA writers tend to skim over. I really enjoy how her books are more about what the characters are feeling as opposed to just th...

Summary from the publisher: It’s been months since Darina has seen her undead boyfriend and her heart is breaking all over again. The wait is slowly driving her crazy. All she wants to do is be with Phoenix, to feel his arms wrapped around her. But to earn the pleasure of that embrace, Darina must track down the crazed killer that shot Summer Madison. Was it a random shooting? Or was the gifted singer the victim of an obsessive fan? As time runs out, Darina will risk her own life to discover the truth. But if she solves Summer’s murder, Darina knows it only brings her one step closer to losing Phoenix forever… Every time I read one of the books in this series, I am always amazed at how much I enjoy them. I normally stay away from this type of YA but for some reason I really do get into these books and have a grand old time while reading. Maybe it's because even though the undead is involved in this book, they aren't the typical zombie-type. I will say that while I did enjoy...

Summary from BN.com: Amelia O’ Donohue was stunning. We all knew we were in the presence of tremendous beauty, humbled by her eyes and by her expensive designer clothes. We all deferred to her, waiting for her to initiate conversation, and hanging on every word she said. So when Amelia asked for my help, What was I to do? Did I have a choice? It’s not like I could tell everyone that she sneaks off in the middle of the night in her pink silk nightie to sleep with her boyfriend. Right? But this one favor leads to a secret so big it just might change everything—for Amelia and for me… Without spoiling anything, the book isn't so much about Amelia O'Donahue as the title or the summary make it out to be. Instead the book is told from the viewpoint of Rachel Ross (a homage perhaps to the Friends super couple?), a new student to a boarding school in Scotland. She comes to the school as someone who has suffered from issues with her parents and due the emotional trauma she's fac...

Darina’s only chance for immortal love is to sacrifice everything for an enemy… Darina has always loathed prickly, arrogant Arizona but after weeks with no sign of the Beautiful Dead, Darina is willing to put up with anything if it means seeing her undead boyfriend, Phoenix. With less than two months before Arizona’s time is up, Hunter returns with the Beautiful Dead and demands that Darina live up to her promise to help them. I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I was actually really surprised that I did because this book has paranormal elements and normally I don't read those types of books at all. However, the story really grabbed me due to the mystery plot line and I found myself really engrossed in the book. Reading Arizona's story was no different. I really enjoyed the story and as soon as I finished found myself raving about it online. As I said with the first book, I found the storyline to be pretty believable. Even though the Beautiful Dead are pretty ...

When Erin Channing’s favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of weird instructions. Granted, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived “outside the box.” But now Erin and her two best friends are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to their future—or at least the key to getting dates… Ever wish that your life was more exciting? Think that nothing exciting ever happens to you? That's what is going on in Erin's life. She's interested in a study abroad trip to Italy but in her application she's required to write an essay about her life. She feels that she can't write an essay that will make her application stand out because there's nothing that goes on her in her life. Then the news comes that her favorite but eccentric aunt has died. Erin is left with a pink crystal ball. The ball seems normal, like a Magic 8 ball. However, this isn't just a toy to play with. This is something else that changes Erin...

After living in twelve places in eight years, Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Another new home, another new school…Calle knows better than to put down roots. Her song journal keeps her moving to her own soundtrack, bouncing through a world best kept at a distance. Yet before she knows it, friends creep in—as does an unlikely boy with a secret. Calle is torn over what may be her first chance at love. With all that she’s hiding and all that she wants, can she find something lasting beyond music? And will she ever discover why she and her mother have been running in the first place? This book was absolutely beautiful to read. I found myself completely engrossed in Calle's story as soon as I started reading. It was like discovering a new song and you can't stop listening to it for several days because you feel as if it is perfect for you. Calle's story was just that. I could not stop reading as I wanted to find out more and mor...

Something strange is happening at Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street-fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer, and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumors of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss. Darina, Phoenix's grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can't escape her intense heartache or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echos inside her head... And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. He tells her that she must help Jonas-the first of the four to die-right the wrong linked to his death. Only with her help can Jonas finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free? This book was a total surprise to me. To be honest, I really had no idea what to expect when I started this book. This was a new author and a new publishe...