4 to 16 Characters - Kelly Hourihan

4 to 16 Characters

Kelly Hourihan

Fifteen-year-old Jane Shilling’s best friends don’t know her real name. In fact, they don’t know anything about her at all. Jane’s life has collapsed in the last few years; following the death of her mother, her father turned to drinking, and Jane is reeling from the double blow. To escape, Jane devises a number of online personas, each with a distinct personality, life history, and set of friends. But things become trickier when she finds herself drawing close to some of her online friends, and winds up struggling with the question of how to maintain a real friendship while masquerading as a fake person. With the help of Gary, a socially awkward classmate and competitive Skeeball player who is Jane’s only offline friend, and Nora, her therapist, Jane begins to sift through her issues. The only catch is that that involves taking a long, hard look at what her life’s like when the computer is shut off, and that’s a reality she’s been fighting for years.

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First off I bet people who are not in fandoms had a lot of googling to do!  While I have never had her as much... passion for any of my favorite shows/movies/books as Jane does I can relate with her internet life (not the personas though).  You can still see similarities with Jane and her personas but at the same time they are still very distinctive and I really liked how every one of her personas reflected a small piece of her.   You can really see the difference between Jane talking to her therapist out loud and chatting with her online instead of just sitting across the desk from each other staring at each other. She would ignore her in real life while they were chatting online but would giggle out loud and seemed more open and friendly online.  I really liked watching her come out of her shell with Gary and I think why he was able to get so close to her is because when he would talk to her he was in her element so she felt more comfortable,  The down side of this book is there would be times there would be an email or something from someone to someone and I would be really confused on who they were.  I lose interest in the long chat sessions/conversations, and during some of the chats she would ask someone if they were there but if you looked at the time stamps it had only been like a minute!

If you go to the author's website there's a really cool fan work contest going on.

I was provided an E-galley from netgalley.com
Pages: 314

Phone Kitten - Marika Christian

Phone Kitten

Marika Christian

Shy, slightly overweight Emily would die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face-especially to her hot cop boy friend. She sure didn't set out to do phone sex-she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for "phone actresses" . . . Hey, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. No pantyhose or pantsuits, no regular hours, you're your own boss, and lots of people to talk to. Guys, that is. But here's the odd thing-lots of them want to talk about more than Emily's imagined attributes; they start to think of her as the best friend they'll never have to meet. Next thing you know, one of her customers gets killed and Emily knows a lot more about it than she should. But she can't tell the nearest cop, who's also her own true love, because then he'll find out about her secret life. What's a phone kitten to do? Solve the murder herself, of course-because wouldn't it be a great story for the newspaper that wrongly fired her? It's her ticket back to her real life-if it doesn't get her killed.

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First off the cover is pretty cute but nothing too special. I was really worried this book might be a little too similar to the movie For A Good Time Call but I was wrong to thing that! Who would think to mix murder mystery with a phone sex line?  

I loved how in the middle of laughs or drama there would be these sweet little lines that the author would throw in there like one of the characters telling Emily to remember that she is one of the pretty girls.

It was definitely interesting reading about Emily's different phone customers and what they like (Beef jerky in certain body cavities was my favorite! I laughed for a good ten minutes.)

Now I know some people will agree with me and some won't but the book automatically made men (I don't believe there were any women) perverts just because they called sex line and I didn't really agree with that.  

There was a part of the book that made me laugh because Emily goes over to her date's house and thinks 'I took a deep breath and said a little prayer, hoping he had his porn hidden in his bedroom.' and my note said  'girl you work for a phone sex line you can't be complaining about porn!'

One thing about the book that I didn't like was how Emily complains about her granny panties quite a bit and my thoughts were why she bought them and why she keeps wearing them!

I felt like this book would be interesting from another character named Rachel-ann's point of view.

Over all I really did enjoy the story line and it gave me a few good laughs.

Pages: 253

SPOILER

I thought the author kind of threw Jim Alexander's death at you but at the same time it was pretty realistic.  I feel like the main place someone would find out about someone's death would be the news (in this case the newspaper) if you weren't close to them or their family.

United We Spy - Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls #6)

United We Spy

Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

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First off the cover is much more pink than I thought it was going to be and I love how they put the GG crest (logo?) on the diploma. I thought it was sweet how Ally Carter dedicated it to all of the Gallagher girls past, present, and future.   Some people might find it annoying but I like how Tina Walters always asks for gossip at every welcome back dinner. The B&N hardcover has the special epilogue at the end (the cover just says extra short story or something like that) and I accidentally saw the title of it before I actually got there and OH MY GOODNESS I was so excited to find out who was getting married (and they went with periwinkle!). There were so many plot twists and I am really sad to see this series end (I almost cried during their graduation.) And I would love to be able to thank Ally Carter in person for writing the series I have grown up with have read and reread over and over again. Bex seemed more British to me in this book.

Pages: 304

SPOILERS!!!!!!

HER MOM GOT ENGAGED!! I was actually hoping it would be Cammie getting married in the future. Holy guacamole Townsend is Zach's dad!!! 

Classified Information (Gallagher Girl 4.5) Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter (Gallagher Girl 5)

This is a double review so the first book is

Classified Information

Ally Carter

Only Ally knows the secrets that lie within the world of the Gallagher Girls.

And the biggest secret of all? In Out of Sight, Out of Time, the fifth installment in the Gallagher Girls series, Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan has awoken in an alpine convent with one very important thing missing — her memory. So what happened to Cammie over the summer? Did her friends manage to find her before it was too late?

Click here to access a classified short story from Ally Carter, broken into ten parts. We’re releasing a new part each week, so keep coming back to get the full scoop, for Gallagher Girls eyes only!

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If you don't know Ally Carter made a website after GG 4 that was updated every week (I think) leading up to GG 5 and it changes POV every 'chapter' and I don't have too much to say about it but I thought it was really cool.   All you have to do is make an account to be able to read it.

Pages: We will just say 10 since there's 10 entries.

Out of Sight, Out of Time

Ally Carter

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan-an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie's summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It's a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

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To start off this is probably my least favorite cover.  I just don't like the colors (I think it may be the red) and her boots.  I actually got emotional while reading about how Cammie thought she was losing her friends because I know exactly what that's like (i'm sure a lot of us do) but I still think Zach and Bex still seem suspiciously close. Ally Carter will not let Cammie get seriously injured (Every time there is a chance for serious or fatal injuries someone else takes the hit!) and in the next book I really just want her to get shot or something not because I want to see Cammie hurt but because I think it's her time considering how many people have gotten themselves seriously injured for her.  When I first read this book I could have sworn the covenant parts were way longer (now it was just like three chapters if that)  I wish Ally Carter would have taken a more personal and in depth view on Cammie's feelings (like after the gun incident) because I felt like there could have been a lot more said.  The whole music thing was really bothering me and I didn't think we would find out why she would randomly start hearing/singing/humming music but once we found out HOLY GUACAMOLE that was genius.  

A lot happens and if you compare the early parts of the book with the last its like 'wow a lot happened' and they almost seem like different books and some scenes were short and some people might think it moved too quick or didn't go into enough detail but I didn't think so.  I still don't feel any differently about Zach (but I didn't dislike him as much) and I was just putting up with him the whole book.

I Have so many questions about this book that I don't' think will be answered like

how did Cammie first get into the safe deposit box?
HOW DID SHE GET INTO THE RIVER TO WASH UP AT THE CONVENT!?
They said that Cammie did the gun thing to herself but HOW?

Pages: 294

IS ANYONE ELSE FLIPPITY FLAPPING EXCITED FOR THE LAST BOOK!?  I have the hardcover pre-ordered from Barnes and Noble so I should be getting that in the mail in just over a week (and I will have the extra little epilogue too!).
Until next time
Baylee

Playing Nice - Rebekah Crane

Playing Nice

Rebekah Crane

Martina "Marty" Hart is really nice. At least, that's what people think. 

It's Marty's junior year at Minster High. Minster's a small town where making great grades, smiling pretty, helping old people, running the new-student Welcoming Committee, and putting up decorations for all the dances--including the totally awful Hot Shot fall hunting celebration--gets you ... what? Marty's not sure. Instead of dreaming about a sororities-and-frats future at nearby University of Michigan, she's restless, searching for a way out of the box her controlling mother and best frenemy Sarah have locked her in. When Lil--don't call her Lily!--Hatfield transfers to Minster, Marty gets her chance. Lil's different. She smokes, wears black, listens to angry punk records, and lives in a weird trailer with her mother. Lil has secrets--secrets that make her a target for all the gossiping and online bullying Minster can muster. But so does Marty. And Marty sees something different in Lil. Something honest. 

Something real. 

PLAYING NICE is the achingly true story of a girl who's been following the rules for so long she's forgotten who she was when she started. It's about falling in love with the wrong people and not seeing the right ones, about the moments in life when you step out of line, take a chance ... and begin to break free.

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First off I love the cover!  The font and the use of colors really makes this book stand out on a bookshelf.

There were a lot of things that irked me about this book and it seems like Crane never went to high school or knew anyone who went to high school.  For example:

1. Band kids do NOT wear their uniforms to school
2. There seemed to be all of these stupid 'rules' in this town/school that make no sense for example "Once you date someone in Minster, you're off-limits for the rest of your high school career.... It's unwritten dating law."   You're kidding me right?
3. She seems to think kids can't text in class whenever they want.

Some of the situations in the book are believable particularly the whole teenage 'Who am I?' crisis but others... eh not so much.  There was one particular thing Marty's mom said I think people could really relate too about how you could love somebody but not always like them.  I also found Marty's view on her and her best friend's relationship changing extremely relatable!  I have been through that myself and I am sure plenty of others have too.

I really thought Marty was an idiot for following Lil outside to sit with her while she smoked and then she was paranoid about people smelling it on her, well Honey if you didn't want anyone to smell it you shouldn't have been sitting next to someone who is smoking illegally.

"And then Matt winks at me. A deliberate, slow, super-sexy wink that makes his hair fall in his face." This just makes me go "What?"  I really wish someone would do this for me as an example because in my mind it just looks weird and how does just eye lid movement make your hair fall in your face?

I hate to say one of the most popular things used in my notes was 'Really!?'

Now lets address the main protagonist Marty!

I did not like her.  She seemed to have an obsession with sex and her virginity.  Some of the thoughts she has about a rocker boy who she has a crush on was just a little too much at times (and keep in mind I am young so this isn't coming from some middle-aged woman) and I was thinking 'What is this?  50 Shades of Teenagers?'.  She keeps referring to her 'rotten and stinky virgin vagina'  (not an exact quote) and I was getting really irritated/tired of it it.  Here is a quote from the book "I'm surprised at how steady my voice sounds and the fact that his leg is touching mine isn't sending my mind into a crazy montage of sex scenes"  reeeally!?.  You know how in some books with angst-y teens they always go on and on about something or how people fish for compliments and it gets really annoying? This was Marty's version of that. 

I understand teenagers have angst and disagreements with their parents but at certain parts of the book Marty was downright disrespectful, immature and overreacting.

She says at one point "It makes me want to tear off my skin and crawl into someone else's. Someone like Lil, who says what she wants, who can sleep with any body and not care and smoke cigarette after cigarette out in the open for the whole town to see.  Who can say you smell like a virgin and I want to get laid and 'Shot through the heart is a terrible theme because no one cares about Bon Jovi anymore!'"  why would you want to be somebody like that?

But what's up with her obsession to become friends with Lil?  Does she not understand that some people might not like her?  Does she think she's that amazing and perfect?   The answer to that is yes.  Through out the book you notice that she's not nice she's actually pretty rude immature and conceited.  She doesn't do things to be nice or helpful she does them for self gain and benefit. 

She seemed to judge and assume things about EVERYONE whether it was Lil when they first met or her mother.  At one part of the book she thinks "I touch my black jelly bracelet.  I was overreacting about Meghan. Matt's busy with guitar and school.  His pothead mom probably doesn't have a computer" did she ever think that Matt's mom feels the same way Lil and her mom do when it comes to stereotypes and people assuming things?

She has these ridiculous rules about dating boys!  For example  "But he's a jock, and I just can't date a jock. I hate the smell of sweat."   Has she never heard of showers? She also went to a party as one boy's date just so she could talk to another guy she even thinks "I'm not supposed to leave with Alex I'm supposed to be with Matt."  Who does that?

I got really tired of her always 'Because it's the nice thing to do' or 'Because that's what a nice person does' now when you just read it it doesn't seem that bad but it's all about context.  You shouldn't have to think about or remind yourself to be a nice person if you really are a nice person.   I also thought the fact that she used curse words was a little out of character for a character who has such high expectations from her parents and is just all around supposed to be perfect and nice.

She has no idea what humility is.

At the beginning of the book I thought I could really relate to Marty but I learned really fast that that was not the case.

I'm glad that Marty finds out who she really is inside and she does grow up some in the last chapter or two but she still has A LOT of growing up to do.  I was glad that she finally understood her mom at the end.

Now it's Lil's turn.

I did like that she seemed to be the voice of reason at certain parts but I found her pretty cliche a lot of the time.
That is all.

The book features quite a bit of poetry written by 'Marty' and I will be honest after the first few poems I started skipping over them.  I understand she write poetry but do we really have read everything she writes?  I found it unnecessary but I'm sure someone out there liked it.

I feel like the only person who would enjoy with book would have to be 13 years old but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 16.  I wouldn't consider this a coming of age novel because I don't think this shows Marty or Lil's transition to adulthood. Marty still has A LOT of maturing and growing up to do.   I ended up reading it just to see what happened not because I wanted to (thank goodness it's short!).

Pages:  270

P.S  I actually had to stop about half way through writing this review because It brought up all of my frustrated feelings I had while reading the book!

P.P.S  There is a huge spoiler for West Side Story in this book that I was not pleased about.