Book Review: "Catching Jordan" (Hundred Oaks #1), Miranda Kenneally

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Book summary:  What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though–she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

I didn't expect a lot of this book. I picked it up because it was all over goodreads and had a cute cover. And I have to admit: I LOVE CUTE COVERS.

Catching Jordan tells the story of a girl called Jordan Woods who plays american football in her highschool. She's the captain. She's never dated or even kissed a guy. Now she's finding herself in a confusing world of love after the new guy came to her school. And her team.

I really liked Jordan. It was nice to see her journey changing from tough tomboy into a girl who knows what she wants. I loved her relationship with her teammates: Sam Henry, JJ and Carter. I also liked the family plot where her Dad, NFL player, struggled to accept that his daughter plays a dangerous sport.

What I really liked about this book is... dialogues. Thanks to them it was fast paced and realistic. The part I didn't quite get was Jordan's journal. And all the sex-hooking up drama because for me teenagers and sex don't and shouldn't really mix.

Overall I truly enjoyed the book and I'll for sure read some more of this series.

Book Review: 'Hung Up', Kristen Tracy

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Book summary: Can you fall in love with a voice? This witty romance, told entirely through phone calls, chronicles the tale of a wrong number gone right.

It all started with a wrong number. The voicemails Lucy left on James’s phone were meant for someone else—someone who used to have James’s digits. But then when James finally answers and the two start to talk, a unique bond forms between the two teens.

Gradually Lucy and James begin to understand each other on a deeper level than anyone else in their lives. But when James wants to meet in person, Lucy is strangely resistant. And when her secret is revealed, he’ll understand why…

Okay. So the concept of the book was interesting enough for me to pick it up. Also, I can relate. I've met my boyfriend online and we've had a lot of conversations over skype, so the idea of a couple meeting over the phone because of dialing the wrong number was appealing to me. So the whole thing is written in a  form of chronological transcript of phone talks or voice messages.

I don't remember disliking both main characters in the book. Now it happened. Bear in mind, these are the only characters in the whole story. Ok, maybe I liked them sometimes. But mostly their mood swings were very annoying. Also, their talks were a bit flat and nothing gripping had happened... until I've reached 80% of the book. There, we're finally talking a twist! But to be honest, I've expected much more after it occured.

The read itself is very relaxing and fast but a bit boring at times. For many readers the ending may be disappointing. And if you're counting on a sparkly romance I have to burst your bubble - the whole book is more about a process of getting to know each other and building a trust. And concealments. And lies. And being honest.

I'm not overly sure how to rate this book. I've had a few nice moments with it and overall it made a good nightly read when I couldn't sleep. I've also, having in mind my own experience, recognized a few patterns of a "phone call romance". Pick it up if you're looking for a very very very light read and if you have a spare time for a book which may not enchant you. But still it can be a pleasant read.

'We were Liars', E. Lockhart

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Book summary: A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.

The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Disclaimer: I've read the book in Polish translation. Translation can always affect my overall opinion of the book.

After closing this book I was like... did I really just read what I think I did? I have very mixed feelings about it. At first I was a bit sceptical after reading some unflattering reviews so I was surprised to discover I kind of like the author's writing style. It was my first Lockhart's book and I'm willing to give her another shot. It was a fast and pleasant read. What I didn't like were the attempts of making the text more dynamic and expressive by dividing it into short lines. The other thing that didn't really hit the mark for me was rough language used to describe Cadence's headaches.

If you don't have any idea what this book is about then... well. It's about a very rich family with a private Island and numerous of houses. Cadence, Johnny and Mirren are cousins who spend every summer there. The money and prestige talks don't really appeal to them. In the year fifteen Cadence had an accident - and she doesn't remember what had happened. After a short break she returns to an island to discover some things have changed and she promises herself she will discover what happened to her and why her cousins and boyfriend Gat haven't uttered a word to her since the tragedy.

Maybe I was clueless enough not to see little tips throughout the book but I was completely startled by the ending of this book. If you'll guess what's going on there then you probably won't like this book as much as people as baffled as I was. Although the idea itself wasn't necessarily original (I've seen an American movie with similar ending long time ago - won't reveal the titlte to not spoil you the fun) it was definitely a strong point of We were Liars.

I would totally recommend this book for those who like a twisted mystery, astonishing endings and are willing to cope with rich and wealthy environment. If you let this seemingly plain story talk to your sensitivity you may also find some universal truths lying beneath. 

- with a minus

'Girl Online', Zoe Sugg

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Book summary: I had no idea GirlOnline would take off the way it has - I can't believe I now have 5432 followers, thanks so much! - and the thought of opening up to you all about this is terrifying, but here goes...

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

Disclaimer: I've read the book in Polish translation as an Advanced Readers Copy. Translation can always affect my overall opinion of the book.

I was very curious about Zoella's book. Everyone was talking about it everywhere: goodreads, blogs, youtube... I don't like to read popular books when everyone else does but I've decided to pick it up and check what the fuss is all about.

The story itself is really sweet but a bit typical. Shy and lacking confidence teenager from Europe has a chance to live an adventure of her life going to New York and meets a handsome musician. She experiences the taste of first love, gain self-confidence, finds the strength to stand up to her frenemies. All that with a leitmotiv of writing a blog.

The book was advertised as written by a blogger about a blogger. If I'm honest - personally I think there was too little about the whole blogging thing. I was expecting more chapters in style of blog posts, more descriptions of the whole online life... To get only that what is in Girl Online was a bit disappointing.

I can say that I liked Penny and her best friend Elliot, but other characters seemed a bit like a background to me (even Noah was a bit flat). 

The thing that didn't quite please me was the typical storyline. Other than that the book was nicely written and sweet. It was a relaxing and fast read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone not interested in YouTube life or not being a teenage girl though. It's a bit too naive for older readers - but you should totally pick it up when you're tired of reading more demanding books.

+

'Love Hurts' Malorie Blackman and others, collection of short stories

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Random House Corgi Childrens

Book Summary: Malorie Blackman brings together the best teen writers of today in a stunningly romantic collection about love against the odds. Featuring short stories and extracts about modern star-crossed lovers from stars such as Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak and Patrick Ness, and with a brand-new story from Malorie Blackman herself, Love Hurts looks at every kind of relationship, from first kiss to final heartbreak.

Love Hurts is an anthology of short stories written by well known authors (like Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak or Jenny Downham). Most of these stories are simply extracts from already written books. We can read a bit of If I Stay, We Were Liars or The Infinite Moment of Us - most of chapters are parts of different titles, but there are some separate stories as well.

If you didn't read original books it's easy to get confused while reading extracts, because they're simply out of context and we don't know the background of characters or events. On the other hand you can get to know different writing styles, read pieces of bestselling books and decide if you'd like to pick them up or not.

I'm not sure if making a book out of parts of other books is a good idea. I think readers would enjoy it more if these were separate short stories. I have to say that my favourite story was Malorie Blackman's standalone Humming Through My Fingers. It was a solid and touching read. 

I wouldn't call this book a waste of time but it certainly wasn't what I expected it to be. I would recommend it only to those who want to get to know writing style of different authors and decide whether they would like to read their works. If you expect an unique read like My True Love Gave To Me you will be disappointed.