Waiting on Wednesday

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

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: September 29th, 2011

Description: Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

 I have heard great things about this book and I can't wait to read it!

Review of Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Title: Something Like Fate

Author: Susane Colasanti

Description: Lani and Erin are lifelong best friends — and total opposites. Lani’s a down-to-earth Taurus; Erin’s a fiery Leo. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. They’ve always had wildly different tastes, from pizza toppings to guys.
That is, until Erin starts dating Jason.
From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can’t deny the amazing connection she feels with him. It’s like they’ve known each other their whole lives. She’s not sure if he feels it, too — but even if he does, he’s off-limits. Lani’s determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than hurt her best friend.
Then Erin goes away for the summer — and Jason seems to appear everywhere Lani turns. How long can she keep running from the guy who just might be the love of her life?

Review: In Something Like Fate, Susane Colasanti tells the classic story of a girl falling in love with her best friend's boyfriend. When Lani meets Jason, she emidiately notices that they have a connection. As she gets to know Jason better, Lani realizes what they have is something special. A strong believer in fate, Lani is left wondering what to do when you meet someone who seems to be your soul mate, but he just happens to be dating your best friend. When Lani's best friend Erin goes off to summer camp, she gives Lani and Jason the perfect opportunity to get to know eachother better. And the more time they spend together, the more they realize that they are meant to be together. This further complicates life and leaves Lani with an important decision-Should she choose her best friend, or the love of her life?

Bottom Line: This is a really good book about making decisions and realizing sometimes you can't have everything you want. Susane Colasanti is good at making you want to read on and I can happily say I did not have to skim any pages.

Rating(1-5): 3.5

Review of The Decoding of Lana Morris

Title: The Decoding of Lana Morris

Author: Laura and Tom McNeal

Description:  Sixteen-year-old Lana Morris wishes her life were different, that she were somewhere else, someone else. Her foster mother wants her gone, she's stuck taking care of the other kids in the house, she longs to become closer to her foster father, and the only cool people around refuse to acknowledge her. Then Lana stumbles into Miss Hekkity's mysterious shop, and she begins to realize that she might actually have the power to change things—to make some of her wishes come true. But wishing isn't always as harmless as it seems. . . .

Review: The Decoding of Lana Morris is a great book about a girl named Lana, learning life lessons and growing up. She lives in a foster home that is full of kids with mental problems, a cruel foster mother, and an alluring foster father. When she first gets there, she begs her caseworker to send her anywhere else. Finally, she realizes that's not going to happen and she must deal with what life has given her. After and unplanned trip to Miss Hekkity's unusual shop, Lana realizes she now possesses the power to change things and make her wishes come true. As she stays longer in the foster home, she bonds with her fellow foster children and realizes they need her and she needs them. Life gets complicated and Lana must use her wishes wisely, after all, what she wishes for will determine the fate of many people.

Bottom Line: This book keeps you interested and you feel as though you have to keep reading to see what happens to Lana and the rest of the foster children. By then end of the book I felt like I knew Lana and all of the foster children and I loved their unique traits.The ending leaves you satisfied and it is an overall good book.

Rating(1-5): 4.5

Waiting on Wednesday

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Release Date: September 27th, 2011

Description: Mara Dyer doesn't believe life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.                                                                                                                                                  

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is.                                                                                                       

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

I am really intrigued by this description and I already want to know more!

Review of Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

 

Title: Moonglass

Author: Jessi Kirby

Description: When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love.
Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.
But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.

Review: Moonglass tells the captivating story of Anna, a girl whose mother commited suicide when she was very young. Anna has developed this hatered for her mother over the years, because she believes her mother abandoned Anna and her dad. When her father suddenly decides to take a promotion and move to the place where he and Anna's mother met and fell in love, Anna is not happy. But when they arrive, she soon notices what a special place it is. Many people in the beach community were close to Anna's mom and the longer she stays, the more she learns about the woman her mother really was. In the end, Anna decides to remember her mother as she would want her to, and accept the fact that she cannot change the past. She finally accepts what life has delt her, and has a better life because of that. I was really moved my this book and I had a very hard time putting it down.

Bottom Line: This is a book about love, loss, and growing up. I absolutely loved this book and it entertained me the entire way through. Jessi Kirby has written a wonderful story line and I cannot believe this is her first novel!

Rating(1-5): 5

Review of What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

                                                                      Title: What Happened to Goodbye



Author: Sarah Dessen


Description: Since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move - four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, Mclean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, Mclean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself - whoever that is. Perhaps her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out. Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.


Review: What Happened to Goodbye is a story about growing up and learning who you are. Sarah Dessen builds the characters well and you really feel like you know and love them. However, I do not think this is Sarah Dessen's best books. It did not really wrap me up or pull me in as much as I would have liked and I had to do some skimming. If you are willing to skim a little, What Happened to Goodbye has a good plot and satisfying ending.


Bottom Line: At times it gets boring and you have to skim a bit, but overall the plot is well-written and the end is satisfying.


Rating(1-5): 3.5

Review of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

                                                                     
                                                                       Title: Something, Maybe

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Description: Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she’s got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad’s girlfriends and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar . . . and that’s just how she likes it.
Of course, that doesn’t help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah’s sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can’t stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she’s going crazy. Yet she’s determined to make things work out the way she wants-only what she wants may not be what she needs. . . .
Once again, Elizabeth Scott has created a world so painfully funny and a cast of characters so heartbreakingly real that you’ll love being a part of it from unexpected start to triumphant finish.

Review: I really enjoyed this book because its easy to relate to. Not necessarily the part about having a dad with a party lifestyle who pretends you don't exist, but the part about trying so hard to be someone you're not just to get noticed. Often it doesn't work and when you just start being yourself, life is so much easier. I thought this book was good, not extremely thought provoking, but I would still recommend it.

Bottom Line: Something, Maybe is a good book about growing up, and living life.

Rating(1-5): 4