Book Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Synopsis from Goodreads
Title: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publication Date: August 21st, 2007
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads.
 After her remarkable debut, Gabrielle Zevin has crafted an imaginative second novel all about love and second chances

My Review

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I've had high expectations for it, but I was disappointed on how bland it was for my taste.

I've expected to read about the hardships of being an amnesiac; it was sad how little of that I got to read.

It is true that there were some struggles on Naomi's part as she tries to cope with her memory loss, but the storyline lacked emotional substance. The story just jumped from one part to another.

Even with the love interests, there was absolutely no chemistry between the characters; it all seemed superficial to me.

Probably I've set very high expectations on this book, which actually lead to my disappointment from head start. If I did not have such high hopes, I migh have liked it.

Overall, it was ok, as there were parts that made me smile.

1.5/ 5 stars

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publication Date: 6th of April, 2006

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

My Review

It was an enjoyable summer and light read. It is the first book I’ve ever read of Sarah Dessen’s and it definitely won’t be the last.

Just listen is about a girl called Annabel, who is viewed and known as “The girl who has everything”, a popular best friend, a seemingly perfect family, a popular reputation for being the beautiful model. However, it all ended after one incident at a party she was attending last summer. She lost her friendship with Sophie, her reputation was tampered, and is totally alone. This incident traumatized Annabel, which her solution to it was isolate herself  the rest of the summer believing everything would be okay after returning back to school. Instead, her perfect plan backfired wherein she found herself alone and judged by everyone around her. Which also eventually, she still believes that not talking about it is still for the best, which in reality, she was lying to herself and to the people around her. 

One day, she meets this boy, Owen, who is a music freak.. He is addicted to it. He teaches her that there are many things to learn in life and where she can make options for herself instead of sticking with just one that might as well suffocate her. Other than that one incident, she also has issues at home in which her sister Whitney has eating disorder, and her parents were on denial of everything that’s going on around them, well maybe, mostly her mother. The whole plot is about Annabel's life after that incident and how she would be able to learn more about herself.

Character: Annabel can be relatable, but she still was very annoying to me. I just wanted her to speak up and say what’s on her mind. However, it’s the whole purpose of this book, where Annabel is in this journey trying to figure out who she really is and who she can be. Owen, was this sweet boy, but not so sweet to the point of being TOO perfect. He was realistic, and he also has some issues of his own. Whitney, Annabel’s sister, was dark, but has this unique character that makes you want to read more about. 

At first, I had issues with how the story kept going back and forth between pasts and presents. Nevertheless, I was able to get over it because Sarah Dessen was able to synchronize the past and present pretty well in which I did not feel out of place. The whole story was able to be a well rounded piece of work/art.

Overall, this book is great for teens where it teaches many valuable and memorable lessons. It teach us how to be honest with ourselves, how to be able to open up to people we trust expecting them not to judge us, and how to understand and figure out ourselves. A definitely recommended read for everyone. 

There are many memorable quotes I liked in the book; here are some I want to share:

“I was beginning to see, though, that the unknown wasn’t always the greatest thing to fear. The people who know you best can be riskier, because the words they say and the things they think have the potential to be not only scary but true, as well” Page 67

“It wasn’t until I was right up to him that it occurred to me this might be a mistake. But you get only so many do-overs in this life, so many chances to, if not change your past, alter your future” Page 145

“It was not the last time I would run away from my sisters. Not the last time I thought being alone was preferable. I am still the center sister. But I see it differently now. There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can ever truly be a whole. Because it is not just the space between, but what also holds everything together” Page 333

“There comes a time in every life when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you’d better learn to know the sound of it. Otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s saying” page 349

These quotes taught me a lot.. this book is filled with advices, so it’s a must read!

5/5

I know I’m always positive about my books, but I guess I choose them pretty well :P 

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: The DUFF

Author: Kody Keplinger

Publication Date: September 7th, 2010

Publisher: Little Brown

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My Review

The DUFF = the Designated Ugly Fat Friend is basically an ugly person in a group of friends. Wesley, a notorious bad boy, also known as a man-whore, gave that title to Bianca, a short and cynical girl. He tries approaching her one weekend at a club called the Nest in order to get close to her hot and cute friends, Jessica and Casey. Bianca hates his guts and is grossed out by his way of "lifestyle".

However, all of it will change once Bianca's life turns upside-down. She is overwhelmed by her family's problem and ex-boyfriend's issues. Instead of facing reality, she turns to something UNUSUAL for distraction; she sleeps with Wesley! the boy she detests. As her problems accumulate, she regularly goes to Wesley to run away from them. However, everything got complicated; and she needs to deal with the consequences.

Hence, the book teaches us one great lesson = Do not run away from reality as it will catch up to you eventually.

What I truly love about the book is Bianca's friendship with her two best friends. They are all very supportive and loyal. Of course, they do tend to have problems like anyone else which made it seem realistic. Bianca's and Wesley's relationship and chemistry was so intense, complicated, and sweet.

I had some issues, at the beginning, with Bianca's negativity and cynicism, but I got over it once I started to get to know her better throughout the story. It was interesting to read about her life and how she was able to overcome her life's obstacles.

I was amazed to find out that the author, Kody Keplinger, just recently graduated from High School. Which also made me understand the book a little bit more because most of the phrases were "teenagery" if u know what I mean :P.. There were also a lot of acronyms, such as: "OMG, WTF"... A lot of swears too :D.....These things made it realistic to me as the protagonist is a teenage girl afterall.

Overall, amazing book and a page turner. there were a lot of times where I laughed and squealed as it was sweet and cute! definitely a recommended book. This was a great debut by Keplinger!

4/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: North of Beautiful

Author: Justina Chen Headley

Publication Date: February 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

My Review

A very inspirational book; I honestly enjoyed it.

It started off a bit slow where Terra was just describing stuff out randomly, but then the story was progressing to something really addictive.

Terra's father can be a pain in the a$$, I really wanted to punch him on the face.. argh!

I looved the relationships between (Terra & Jacob), (Norah "Jacob's mom" & Lois "Terra's mom"), and (Terra & her mom) they were all just soo sweet. Terra's progress and her mom's were very inspirational; Justina came up with an amazing character and story wherein she truly made me pause and think a lot about life and its meanings... North of Beautiful.. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

4/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry #1)

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Perfect Chemistry

Author: Simone Elkeles

Publication Date: 2009

Publisher: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. 

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.

My Review (which is SIMPLE)

The sweetest thing I have ever read, but of course there were some cheesy parts :D.. That's all I have to say; AWESOME

5/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: Lost for Words by Alice Kuipers

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: Lost for Words

Author: Alice Kuipers

Publication Date: August 15th, 2009

Publisher: HarperTeen

My New Year's resolution: I'm moving on from everything that's happened. I'm not going to talk about it, think about it, let the memory pounce upon me like a waiting tiger, nothing.

All Sophie wants to do is forget. But it's not easy now that everything's changed. The house feels too big, school drags on for too long, lights are too bright, the room spins, and her hands get sweaty for no reason. And she can't remember why she was ever best friends with Abigail, who is obsessed with parties and boys. Only the new girl, Rosa-Leigh, with her prose poems and utter confidence, might understand. But talking to her seems impossible.
Lost in memories of the life she once had, Sophie retreats into herself. But there's only so long she can keep everything bottled up inside before she explodes. Maybe by confronting the tragedy of her past she'll figure out how to fix her future.

My Review

Plot: It is about a girl called Sophie who struggles to forget an incident that happened last summer. It is all about how she copes with her new life after that. She finds it hard to communicate with the people around her; she rarely talks about it, and basically pushes people out. She starts writing a diary on a notebook her psychiatrist gave her at some point believing it’ll make her better. The book is Sophie’s diary stating her life on a day to day basis.
Likes: I did not find it that likeable at all! Probably, what I liked most is the character Rosa- Leigh, a Canadian girl Sophie ends up being friends with. Sophie’s’ mom is just heartbreaking which made me love her. I also probably like the ending because it got better during that moment.
Dislikes: I believe that this book is just too depressing. Sophie was basically annoying, she wants help from people, but she pushes them away anyhow?!!. Probably that’s what the author wanted, to make a sad novel, but it was just irritating because it was veeeeeerrrryyy dark and depressing. Sophie treats her mother horribly during the story which made her seem soo freaking annoying. The storyline was a drag from me! It took me to read the whole book until finding out what happened. I wish the mystery was at least solved in the middle of the book rather than the end, just to grasp what I was reading.
Overall, I would probably not recommend it to people who wants to read something light because this book is heavy with sad emotions.

2/5

Xoxo Meera

Book Review: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: The Notebook

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publication Date: First published on October 1st 1996

Publisher:Warner Books

"Somewhere," muses Noah Calhoun, while sitting on his porch in the moonight, "there were people making love." The Notebook, a Southern-fried story of love-lost-and-found-again, revolves around a single time-honored romantic dilemma: will beautiful Allison Nelson stay with Mr. Respectability (to whom she happens to be engaged), or will she hook up with Noah, the romantic rascal she left so many years ago? We're not telling, but you have two guesses and the first one doesn't count. Decades later, after Allison develops Alzheimer's, her beau uses "the notebook" to read her the story of the great love she's plumb forgot.

My Review

Well, the plot is basically about two people falling in love one summer. Noah, who was 17 years old, falls in love at first sight with Allie who was 2 years younger than him. They are of very different backgrounds where Allie’s status is higher than of Noah’s. They kept dating that summer, but eventually they were separated in which Allie had to leave town with her parents. However, during the following years, although separated, they are yet intertwined with each other’s love. They keep looking for the other in other people they’ve dated, but of no use. In the end, Noah is all alone, and Allie is engaged to marry a well established man called Lon who is also a well reputed lawyer. Basically, the book is all about the time Noah and Allie meet after their long separation.
Likes: Noah is just the sweetest person on Earth!!. His love for Allie is so deep which makes him the man that every woman on Earth whishes to obtain. I liked how Nicholas Sparks made Allie look so innocent and cute. I even imagined the dresses she wore which are very feminine, but cute at the same time. I was sooooo touched by their love with one another, although it started at such a young age, which also made me think “How can kids fall in love like that … where.. it even keeps growing while they’re apart?”. It somehow was a bit unbelievable in which I couldn’t grasp it at first, but then it still intrigued me and kept me reading. Also!! Although sad at times, I looooved reading about the times when they were old together.
Dislikes: To be honest, I wish there were more action in the storyline. The plot went by so fast…BOOM!! Everything was okay in a second. I wished more thinking and regrets would occur on Allie’s part at least! where I wanted some obstacles to occur as the story progresses. Also, I really hoped that Lon was put into the picture more often because he was an interesting character to read about. As for the ENDING! True that it was a happy ending, but I really wanted it to be sweet and innocent, which it wasn’t. U’ll all find out why I said that if u’ll read it.
Overall, it was a nice light read, I recommend it to people who would love a light romance novel. The writing style is awesome where it was pretty easy to get into it!! Nicholas Sparks made the story flow so easily which made it easier to read and be a part of it… I’m planning to buy more of his books!  

3/5

Xoxo Meera