I Know It's Over

By: C.K. Kelly Martin

Summary:
Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parent's divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs.
All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he's neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn't mind in the least. But Nick's world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then weeks later, while Nick's still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she's pregnant, and with his emotions and hopes crashing in around him, Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can't stop caring for, the girl who insists that it's still over. (Summary from ckkellymartin.com)

Review:
Character Development: 9/10
Originality: 5/10
Overall Enjoyment: 10/10
Ending: 6/10
Voice: 9/10
Recommendation: 10/10
Total Score: 49
Grade: A

Rating:
Cussing: 3/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: 6/10
Sexual Content: 9/10
Aimed at: 16 and up

Other:
# of pages: 244 pg.
Written in: 1rst person narrative, male
Released on: September 23, 2008
Tone: sad and sweet and everything in between

Now I know I said I was going to be tougher on books but I'm being as tough as I can on this one. It had me hooked from the very first page. The writing is filled with all sorts of strong feelings but its not over emotional. It is an inside look at what goes on inside a boy's head. C.K. Kelly Martin has a great voice that is very evident in her debut novel. There were a lot of descriptive sexual scenes but it's a book about teen pregnancy so it shouldn't be a big surprise. I loved how the book was told through a boy's eyes. It helped to keep this book unique. The many references to the past through Nick's memories really helped to develop the characters enough to where the readers can connect to their emotions. I have read 3 other novels about teen pregnancy but none seemed as accurate and emotional as this book did. This book shows the joy of a true love and the fear of a mistake. It shows how love never really fades even if the relationship does. It shows why great friends are great and how family will always be there. I loved this book. Throughout the whole thing I laughed and smiled and cried and sometimes at the same time. It is a heartbreaking novel that is beautifully written with vivid descriptions of the obstacles and consequences no one wants to face alone. With strong writing, a powerful topic, and such real, raw feelings, it's hard not to fall in love with I Know It's Over.

-Jill

Also look out for an author interview with C.K. Kelly Martin coming real soon. If there are any special questions you'd like me to ask just leave a comment or email me at readingisbliss@gmail.com

BLOG ALERT:

Hey everybody remember my best friend Elise...are you starting to remember...you know she did a guest blog and reviewed Beastly...do you remember now....ok good and if you don't scroll down. She posted an "About Me" post andI have an "About Elise" gadget on the sidebar.

Well anyway on to what I started this post for................She decided to start her own blog after seeing how much fun they are from being a guest on mine. What she will have to learn is that they are also a LOT of work.

Anyway check out her blog and leave her encouraging comments or suggestions.
Please, Pretty Pretty Please with a cherry on top
Thanks so much!

her blog is http://readingrocks4me.blogspot.com/

Thanks again
-Jill

Kinda Important News that you shouldn't scroll over

It has come to my attention that I am too light on the books I review. I don't really speak absolutly every one of my thoughts. Usually I share only the good thoughts I have. Why do you do this? you may ask. I don't know! I really don't. It's like I sit down ready to type out how this character was a jerk or how that the tone was too whiny the whole way through but I don't. I think the problem is I'm too nice. No seriously. I can't say no and I can't type out a decent review. Well get ready everybody because mean Jill is about to come out. The one that can criticize like no other. Because really what is the point of having a book review blog if you don't honestly share your thoughts on a book with others. How else will they know to read it or not? Okay that's all I have for my rant today. I just wanted to let you know so if my reviewing system changes you know why. Okay now that's really all. Bye for now.

-Jill

Beastly (Review By Elise)

By Alex Flinn

Summary:

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster. You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell. Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly. (barnesandnobles.com)

Review (by Guest, Elise)-

Character Developement: 9/10

Voice: 8/10

Originality: 7/10

Overall Enjoyment: 9/10

Ending: 10/10

Total Score: 43

Recommendation: A

Rating-

Cussing Amount: There's a fair amount of cussing

Drugs, Alcohol, Etc.: I can't remember too much, but usually I just block these type of things out of my mind.

Sexual Content: It is subjective, but definitely and prominently there.

Aimed at: (14 and up)

This was a great book! It tied the classic story of Beauty and the Beast perfectly with a modern day adaptation. Being honest, I really didn't like the beginning. At the beginning, before Kyle transforms, he is just a real jerk. It bugs me to death. I couldn't stand reading it. But it was definitely essential to the story, and the changes that took place in him. It was a quick read, and kept you hooked the entire way. There is a fantastic twist at the end, which, if you're sharp, you might even recognize it would happen from the start. I fell in love with all the main characters, including Kyle (after a transformation took place inside of him). At the beginning of each new part, there was a chat box. In this, internet discussions occured between other bewitched teenagers. It included a frog, a mermaid, and other creatures that came about by magic. This added interest to other stories and sometimes foreshadowing to what you would learn next. Overall... fantastic read.

-Elise

Just Like That

By: Marsha Qualey

Summary:
Things change so suddenly. one day Hanna has a long-term boyfriend; the next, she realizes she doesn't have strong feelings for him and breaks up with him. one day Hanna trusts her two best friends completely; the next, all of that trust is toppled. And then Hanna finds herself the bearer of a major secret: she was the last person to see two teenagers before they died in an accident on the icy lake. she can't tell anyone, so when Hanna finds herself drawn to will, the elusive boy she's noticed around town, the kind of boy who'd increase any girl's pulse, she doesn't hold back. what she learns about him will astonish her. but what she learns about herself-her friendships, her family, her life-will affect her far more. (summary from Barnes and Noble)

Review:
Character Development: 8/10
Voice: 10/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall Enjoyment: 7/10
Ending: 9/10
Total Score: 42/50
Recommendation: A

Rating:
Cussing Amount: 4/10
Drugs, Alcohol, Ect.: 1/10
Sexual Content: 7/10
Aimed at (15 and up)

This book was pretty awesome. A lot of times the YA fiction have similar plots but I haven't seen a book yet with anything similar to Just Like That. This book focuses intensely on secrets, betrayal, and forgiveness. The characters seemed so real because of the great voice Marsha Qualey uses in her writing. I sped through this book. There were so many addicting story lines you couldn't help but get totally into them. But even with the many story lines in Just Like That, they all came back to the same theme about dealing with your past and the secrets in them as you focus on the future ahead. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read with good characters, good voice, and a good plot. It is definitely worth checking out.

In My Mailbox

Most everybody has already started this post inspired by the Story Siren(http://www.thestorysiren.com/) but I just got my first set of books in the mail so it seemed like the perfect time to start so here it is.......

This week in my mailbox I received

The School For Dangerous Girls
By: Eliot Schrefer
Received via: Mail

Angela's parents think she's on the road to ruin because she's dating a "bad boy." After her behavior gets too much for them, they ship her off to Hidden Oak. Isolated and isolating, Hidden Oak promises to rehabilitate "dangerous girls." But as Angela gets drawn in further and further, she discovers that recovery is only on the agenda for the "better" girls. The other girls -- designated as "the purple thread" -- will instead be manipulated to become more and more dangerous . . . and more and more reliant on Hidden Oak's care. (summary by Amazon

I Know It's Over
By: C.K. Kelly Martin
Received via: Mail

PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant. Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over. (summary by Amazon)

Impossible
By: Nancy Werlin
Received via: Library

Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter. Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.
Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil? (summary by Amazon)

Perfect Chemistry

By: Simone Elkeles
Received via: Library

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart. (summary by Amazon)

Just Like That

By: Marsha Qualey

Received via: Library

Things change so suddenly. one day Hanna has a long-term boyfriend; the next, she realizes she doesn't have strong feelings for him and breaks up with him. one day Hanna trusts her two best friends completely; the next, all of that trust is toppled. And then Hanna finds herself the bearer of a major secret: she was the last person to see two teenagers before they died in an accident on the icy lake. she can't tell anyone, so when Hanna finds herself drawn to will, the elusive boy she's noticed around town, the kind of boy who'd increase any girl's pulse, she doesn't hold back. what she learns about him will astonish her. but what she learns about herself-her friendships, her family, her life-will affect her far more (summary by Barnes and Noble)

Twilight

By: Stephenie Meyer
Received via: my best friend who I think only shared because of her annoyance with my hesitation to read this book...but o well I have it now

Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear (summary by Barnes and Noble)

How Was Your Valentine's Day

Hi

I hope everyone had a great day near the ones they loved and lots and lots of chocolate. I personally had a very good Valentine's Day though it was basically just a day with more candy than normal. Lots more candy. I went to the library , had family over, a Saturday night babysitting job, and lots of delicious treats. The only thing I was missing were some very yummy chocolate covered strawberries. Maybe next year. I hope your day was just as stupendous. Actually I hope y'all had a better day then me. Tell me all about it if you want. I'd love to hear.

Wishing everyone lots of love on this special day,

Jill

Rhymes with Witches

By: Lauren Myracle

Summary:

No one notices Jane--not the jocks, the stoners, the debaters, the drama geeks, the cheerleaders, and especially not the Bitches, the school royalty made up of one girl from each class who's so transcendently beautiful and fascinating that no one can help but worship her. Imagine Jane's surprise when the Bitches approach her to be their freshman member. She wants this kind of popularity more than anything, but when she discovers the sinister secret of the Bitches' power, she's forced to make the toughest choice of her life. This savagely funny book will be the talk of the season.

Review:

Character Development: 9/10

Plot: 8/10

Originality: 10/10

Overall Enjoyment: 8/10

Ending: 5/10

Total Score: 40/50

Recommendation: A

Rhymes with Witches was great. I couldn't put it down. It's one of those books where you pick it up every spare second you have to read even if you only get to read a paragraph. Lauren Myracle developed her characters so that their personalities really shined through. She made her characters easily distingusable in their personalities, habits, likes, and dislikes. The book flowed perfectly. The only problem I had was the ending which I thought left a few loose strings. The concept was so original. There are many books about high school and cliques but Rhymes with Witches is more about what makes a group popular or at least a certain group at Crestview High. Though obviously not all popular groups seem to have the same force around them that the Bitches do in Rhymes with Witches this book is still really relatable. Most all of us can relate to the want to be liked no matter what it takes, or leaving a best friend for better friends, or even that feeling of disgust when you see what you have become. The only thing that might not be so relatable is having many wild cats roam your high school. But overall Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle is a book worth checking out. It is filled with humor, spunk, and just the right amount of darkness.

Please leave your comments. Thanks.