Review: Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys

Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


When she was nine, Megan Meade met a group of terrible, mean, Popsicle-goo-covered boys, the sons of her father's friend -- the McGowan boys. Now, seven years later, Megan's army doctor parents are shipping off to Korea and Megan is being sent to live with the little monsters, who are older now and quite different than she remembered them.

Living in a house with seven boys will give Megan, who has never even been kissed, the perfect opportunity to learn everything there is to know about boys. And she'll send all her notes to her best friend, Tracy.


My review:


This was one of those times that my real life probably got in the way of my starting out with a good impression. Put it down to having two teenaged boys (though honestly, she utterly nailed the teenage boy part of it) and the fact that I don't know any parent that would send their sixteen year old daughter to live in a house with seven boys - half of which were around her own age. Or put it down to spending 21 years as a Navy brat and another 21 as a Navy wife and knowing just how orders work...and that you're told well in advance of a change of orders, especially overseas. And that for two career officers of high rank (which they would be to have a sixteen year old daughter) to be sent to Korea, for two years, isn't something that's likely to happen.


Again - something probably only other service wives/brats would cotton to but since the premise didn't ring true, the story started out in the negatives. I was able to set it aside, though, because the story itself did grab me.

I loved Megan's emails to her BFF in Texas, and probably because I have two teen boys, I loved the way they acted...like boys. Walking around in their boxers without a care, leaving the bathroom looking like something out of a truck stop that hasn't seen a good cleaning in decades, all of that. I loved Miller, totally associated with Regina being so thrilled to have a girl in the house for a change. I hated Hailey with the intensity of a thousand suns an she totally earned it.

I seriously loved the way she showcased the soccer - and that Megan was a hardcore player. The author did an excellent job of explaining the action sequences in the practice - the way Megan took the ball up the field to how the illegal hits tripped her up and flattened her to the grass. I also loved that Megan was a serious player and took it all in stride. That part was brilliantly done.

In the end it comes down to...well, the end. Without too many spoilers it fell flat to me. No clear resolution at all. It just sort of...stopped. And mostly, the one defining thing was Megan's crush(es) with the McGowan boys and as the story wound down, after the dramatic climax, there wasn't any reunion. There was the main conflict resolution and then...boom, a motorcycle, an ultimate frisbee game, what could have been a great reconciliation and then...the end.

If we'd just seen that one reunion - the two together after their aborted Moment of Truth. But it wasn't meant to be. Still, I enjoyed reading it but it won't be one I go back to again.

Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look. 

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. 

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.


My review:

A little change of pace. My reviews are going to be here and here only from now on. I'm not deleting the blog, just abandoning it as a failed experiment.

Hell with it. I'm game if you are.

The reason this one lands at 3 stars instead of 4 comes from the genius of the movie/stage play Amadeus. At one point, the Emperor declares that Mozart's opera has "too many notes." That's how this book felt to me - too many words.

Stephen King is a self-proclaimed sufferer of "diarrhea of the word processor" but with his stories, the words provide detailed histories, backstories. In this book, it was more like...endless description about things that really didn't matter. The whole scene with the report that went on....forever. I'd have more examples but, to be dead honest, I started skimming a lot of it.

I liked the characters fine but it was hard to form strong attachments around the endless scenes of Peril followed by expostion followed by lies/misdrection followed by More Peril followed by...you get the idea.

Still. The ending intrigued me enough to want to finish the series out. But for right now I'm planning on holding off until the third book is out, or close to being out.

Review: Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer

Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Meridian Sozu is a Fenestra—the half-human, half-angel link between the living and the dead. She has the dark responsibility of helping souls transition safely into the afterlife. If people die without the help of a Fenestra, their souls are left vulnerable to be stolen by the Aternocti, a dark band of forces who disrupt the balance of good and evil in the world and cause chaos.

Having recently lost her beloved Auntie—the woman who showed her what it meant to be a Fenestra—Meridian has hit the road with Tens, her love and sworn protector, in hopes of finding another Fenestra. Their search leads them to Indiana, where Juliet, a responsible and loving teenager, works tirelessly in the nursing home where she and several other foster kids are housed. Surrounded by death, Juliet struggles to make a loving home for the younger kids, and to protect them from the violent whims of their foster mother. But she is struggling against forces she can't understand . . . and even as she feels a pull toward the dying, their sickness seems to infect her, weighing her down. . . .


My review:

Life seriously got in the way of reading and reviewing this week. Between work stress, kid stress and being sick as hell...yeah. Funtimes.

Finally wrapped up the second in the Fenestra series though and while it was a fine read, I think I'll be leaving the world here. The sad part is, there isn't a real defining reason why. I just got to the end of the second book and there was absolutely nothing pushing me to hit Overdrive for the third book. It was more of a "that's done" kind of feeling instead.

I wish I could pin it down to one thing, but I can't. The story was compelling (even though it did have more than a few holes in it) and I absolutely loved being back with Tens and Meridian agan.

I do love Tens, even more in this one than I did in the first one. I understand him a lot better than I did in the first book, and get what drives him to do the things he does...even when I want to reach through the pages and shake him for them.

The supporting characters were a little weak this time around an I think that might be what kept me from really falling in love with it. Rumi was supposed to be cute and quirky with the obscure SAT words but all that did was pull me out of the story. Joi was a little...too much, I think. Too quick to accept, to quick to jump in and give them a place to live, etc.

For Juliet and her crew - again, there wasn't a strong connection to the newest fenestra in town. Maybe I'm just over "ten years of unimaginable suffering" in a character, but I really am. It's just too hard to believe that residents went in to DG and no one ever came to see them again. it's one of those "out of reality" things that seriously keep me from accepting a story. I know I'm reading about half-angels, but I'm sorry. If there are family members paying for care, they'd be there to see the place. If they were being paid from Medicare, they'd be inspected. Someone would have noticed something. Especially in small town Indiana.

Anywho. It's a good series and strong stories, it just didn't pull at me enough to have me continuing.

Review: Me & My Invisible Guy by Sarah Jeffrey

Me & My Invisible Guy by Sarah Jeffrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:

The cheerleader who has everything . . . ? Mallory Dane has a great family (at least on the surface), is popular at school (as long as she doesn’t make waves), and dates an amazing boyfriend, Todd (who happens to be completely made up). Boys—and sex—are something Mallory just can’t deal with, so she created her “invisible guy” to avoid it all. But when Liam Crawford comes along—a real guy, flesh and bones and strumming his guitar—Mallory starts questioning her fictional relationship. Is she really willing to give up Todd for Liam? And can she make amends for the lies she’s told—even to her best friend, Tess? What if your biggest, most embarrassing secret was broadcast to the whole world? Letting go of her secret will be easier said than done, and Mallory will risk everything—her family, Tess, cheerleading, her reputation, and most of all, her heart.

My review:

Another recommended to me impulse buy (starting to think I need to make a shelf for that, tbh.)

Another story that didn't really know what it wanted to be, so it tried to be everything. It almost succeeded. The almost is what kept me reading despite the issues - because even if it kept going from theme to theme, they were still brought together to a logical and fulfilling resolution. I was still cheering for Mallory, and her sister, her friends, her family, and I wanted to see if everything tied up. Surprisingly, it did.

I should put a warning on - if you're turned off by books that mention God, or have characters whose faith is a strong part of their character makeup, this probably isn't for you. I didn't find it overly preachy at all - and it could have been. Just putting that out there.

Still trying to figure out what the underlying theme was supposed to be. Lying is bad and will mess things up faster than you can blink? Premarital sex is bad and will mess things up exponentially, too? Lack of religion in your life can leave you empty/not all religious people are fanatical? Standing up for what you believe in is more important than being popular? Making the right decision is more important than making the wrong one for the right reasons?



Those are the main areas of the storyline as Mallory's story moves through a few months of her life that upend a life that's about as stable as lake ice in November. Sure it looks frozen solid, but one wrong move and it all goes to hell fast. The first crack splinters and leads to more and more until she's drowning in it.

The synopsis is pretty spot on for the story - the plot doesn't center around Mallory's relationship with her fake boyfriend, but on the fallout of what happens when she "breaks up" with him and still the truth gets out. One truth, then another, and another. Crack, crack, splinter, splash.

I did like the way Mallory stood up to every crack in the ice. Once she had made her decision, and her 12 steps, to stop lying - she really did stick to her plan. She did backslide once (which, to my mind, made it more realistic) but rectified it almost immediately. And though she kept trying to be everything to everyone, and sometimes did the right thing only because her hand was forced...once she did, she stuck to her reasoning. Even when it meant losing everyone.

Even then, she didn't back down. She owned it.

The love story was more a secondary thing - important, and even adorable - but this was more Mallory's story than it was Mallory and Liam's. And it really was a good one, even if it had a little trouble staying on course at times.

Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Hysteria by Megan Miranda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

My review:

What did I just read?

That was my first reaction when I finished the book. I actually sat there, looking at the Acknowledgements page and couldn't pull the frown off my face.

Seriously, what did I just read?

I'll start by saying I loved her first book, Fracture. I loved it a lot. It was a little paranormal but mostly it was about coping, and about choices and the life you want to lead over the one people tell you that you should lead. It was funny in places, emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.

Her second book...It was like she couldn't decide what she wanted it to be. Paranormal? Contemporary? Was the main love story between a girl and a guy or two girls? Was Mallory being haunted? Stalked? Terrorized? And if so, by whom?

I get that Mallory was traumatized by what happened the night she killed her boyfriend in self-defense. Who wouldn't be? I also get that the human brain is a complex organ and has an amazing ability to protect even as it tortures.

I also get that writers want to keep mystery in their stories - the constant "who done it" storyline that keeps the reader engaged, the fun little hints and red herrings all leading up to that big Ah Ha moment when the plot reaches its climax and everything comes together, memories are recovered and the resolution leads us off into the sunset.

I never got the feeling that we had that moment with this story because it was trying to be too many different things at once. It didn't even feel like plot and subplot. There were Mallory's memories of That Night, her experiences at night, her relationship with Colleen, the restraining order against Brian's mother, Reid, Krista and Crew, and then Jason. And to me - they didn't compliment each other. Instead, they tended to work against each other, especially at the end.

Was it worth the read? Definitely. And Reid is just lovely and constant and wonderful. But it was a bit of a letdown, too. I'm hoping that this was only sophomore novel syndrome and that she'll come back with a third that's stronger.

Review: Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.


My review:

I have not had good luck with books this week.

After abandoning one (though its technically still on pause for now.), this one came up in my library hold queue and I dove in. Wasn't long, unfortunately, before I wanted to dive right back out again. It wasn't a long, overly wordy story, though, and I did want to find out how it would end, so I pushed on to the end.



The story premise is pretty good, if not altogether unique, with some similarities to Twilight but without the vampires (boy saves girl from nearly being crushed by a car, boy has staklerish tendencies, boy is keeping secrets, etc.) These Twilight ties aren't the reason I came away with a lot of meh when I was finished. My problem was that there wasn't a lot of consistency. It's a case of the author wanting to keep the reader guessing about whether or not boy is protecting girl or the creepy stalker. I'm all for mystery - but when consistant characterization suffers? End the mystery and pair the two up to fight the bad guy.


Ben was continually "don't touch me" all over the place, but then out of nowhere (and sometimes only a minute after that "don't touch" bark, he's reaching for her hand.) Cue me blinking and rereading to see if I got it right. I'm still trying to figure out the "trying too hard" part - where he'd hold on for too long and somehow hurt the person he was touching. I don't know if that element added anything other than confusion for anyone else, or just me.

It all just seemed like a lot of potential that was unrealized.

I think what kept me from connecting with these two is how long it took Camelia to accept Ben as the good guy. She's defending him to her friends, she admits she's scared, and then when he comes over all she can do is level accusations at him. Repeatedly. Kinda made the kissing hard to swallow, too. If she didn't trust him, thought he was the one behind the pictures and notes and calls, then kissing should be coming in last. On the same token, if she trusts him enough to be kissing him, stop accusing him of stalking another girl.

I'm still trying to decide if the best friend, Kimmie, was supposed to be cute, and maybe some found her that way. To me? She was just flat out annoying. I wanted to crawl into my Kindle with a roll of duct tape and silence her for good. Could very well be that I've read too many Mean Girls-based books lately, but any "friend" who constantly, and openly, mocks and derides the guy you like....probably needs to look the word friend up in the dictionary.

There are more books in this series, but for me, it ends here.

Review: Play with Me by Piper Shelly

Play With Me by Piper Shelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Ryan Hunter's parties are legend. And tonight she's going to be there.

Liza Matthews anticipates the return of her best friend and only love since kindergarten from soccer camp. But when Tony finally shows up, his mind is more focused on another girl. And worse, she's a soccer player. Fighting for the attention Liza craves, she's just a hairbreadth away from making a very stupid decision. But when extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, she's prepared to play ball to get her man.

The tryouts are hell, the first match ends bloody, and the morning after the selection party she wakes up in the worst place possible—in the arms of the captain of the soccer team. The hottest guy in school. Ryan Hunter.

My review:


Hmm.

I'll admit it, when I saw this on the "Customers who bought this also bought..." list after I finished Catching Jordan...I was drawn straight to the soccer ball and clicked "Buy" without blinking. As a former player and current soccer mom, I do love anything and everything soccer.

Unfortunately, because I am immersed in the soccer world, and especially at the high school level, the lack of correct technical details really drew me out of the story. High school soccer is a competitive thing and unless the high school team is more club than team, it's rarely a walk-on sport. Especially for someone who's never played. Or can't run half a mile without gasping for breath. (Serious issues with the one player asking if she was going to get a "soccer dress" or play in sports clothes, and Liza's statement that she wouldn't be wearing cleats.) Also, soccer is very rarely a fall sport at the high school level. Tryouts would have been in the late winter/early spring.

Okay. Rant finished.

That said, the love story itself was incredibly cute. I absolutely loved Ryan, I wanted to throttle stupid Tony and Liza herself was adorable. Then again, I am a sucker for stories when the heroine misses what's right in front of her. That part of the story kept this review from dipping down into 2 stars and I think it's because I read it literally back to back with Catching Jordan. The underlying romantic conflict was the same and to my mind, it was executed better in this story. There were hints of the crush that we, the reader, could see even if Liza couldn't.

Very probably a re-read for the great scenes between Ryan and Liza, even with my initial issues with the soccer stuff.

Review: What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Goodreads summary:
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 Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

My review:


The funny thing about reading something from a new author - I'm never sure if it was just the one story that didn't thrill me to bits...or if I just don't care for the author's writing/storytelling style. Because in the case of this story - it could be both or either. Whichever the reason, though, the story didn't really resonate with me.

Dave was adorable, but wholly underused if this is going to be billed under the romance banner. There were so many lovely little scenes with them, but he was very much an afterthought character to me. Deb, Riley, Hunter, even Opal got more screen time, so to speak. Then he makes a point of saying he didn't build model trains, he did war staging. Then he says "all that time with model trains didn't go to waste." I honestly couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or if the author forgot what his specialty was.

I loved the head on the shoulder in the van, I loved what happened with the model, I just wish there'd been a little bit more.

I seriously didn't connect at all with McLean at all, especially at the end when everything started to unravel. She's strong enough to register herself for different schools, get moves organized, basically raise herself...but her friends find her aliases, and she freaks/runs. Then she finds out they might be moving again, and she freaks/runs again. Misunderstands an overheard conversation...boom, she's off. I dunno, I wanted to smack her upside the head more than I empathized with her.

The only thing I did like is the way the author handled McLean's shifting perceptions of her parents - how her father was sainted at the beginning and her mother the selfish jerk, but as McLean started to remember herself and the way it really had been, her father's warts started to show as did her mother's compassion. It was brilliantly handled for a complex realization.

Overall, it wasn't a bad story, just not one I really connected with.

Review: Let It Snow Anthology

Let it Snow by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this one 3 stars....and that's a gift.

I don't read anthologies often, but I do like them. It's a good opportunity to find new authors and I've found some brilliant ones in the past. Unfortunately, in this case, the only think I'm sure of after reading these three stories is that I'll probably not read any of their other books. They weren't bad, per se, they just weren't to my taste, writing wise.

Or maybe some day I'll relent and try again in case it was just these characters and not the writers.

When I finished the first story, I was kind of pissed because there was a pretty big question left unanswered. That was until I started the second one and realized the authors were each writing a couple in this town on this snowy Christmas Eve/Christmas Day until they all converged in a Starbucks the day after Christmas and had their Ah ha! moments of unknowingly intersecting with each others lives for 3 days.

In the first story, Jubilee meets Jeb on the train and he's frantic about something...something he's still frantic about when he runs into Tobin in the second story....that something being Addie, the girl we meet in the third story. And so on.

The one story I did like was Tobin and the Duke, and it's probably the reason this has 3 stars and not 2. Tobin was deliciously boy-clueless and watching him come to terms with unthinking things, and middle happy, and poor Angie wanting to kiss him and/or knee the clueless out of him was a delight to read.

Jubilee and Stuart - dude, I have no idea what I was reading even as I read it. Was Jubilee ubersmart? Or just a bubblehead who didn't track well. I saw no signs of the former and many of the latter. And seriously, what was up with the mother and "you're one of us now." I kept expecting her to be locked in the basement or sent up to the mother ship or something.

Then there's Addie. Self-centered Addie who has some remarkable epiphany? I don't buy it. Maybe I would have if her moment of showing that she'd changed wasn't filled with "hey, you're that Addie?" and "omg is that a pig??" sprinkled into it. And Mayzie...seriously, what was with the strange bit of angel stuff thrown in there out of absolute nowhere??

It felt to me that they had a great opportunity for deus ex machina with Mayzie, or probably moreso with the Tinfoil Guy (don't ask) but even though he was *in* every story, he didn't seem to have any sort of impact on the couples. I don't know if that would have helped, but even then, I'm not sure.

Review: Opal by Jennifer Armentrout

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cliffhanger. Ugh.

Worst part? I know there are, according to her website, two more books: Origin and To Be Named. What that means? Probably an even worse cliffhanger the next time. And considering how Opal ended? I'm almost scared to find out.

End result, I will probably not read Origin when it comes out. I will wait until To Be Named is released and read them back to back. Just like I did with Hunger Games. It's easier on my poor heart that way.

I'm actually already doing that with her Covenant series. As much as I loved Half-Blood, I'm waiting until the whole thing is released, then I'll pick it back up again. I'm still on the fence about the longer-series arcs over the more traditional trilogy. Sometimes there's enough to make it through 5-6 books. Sometimes those middle books feel more like filler.

Which, unfortunately, brings me to Opal. Don't get me wrong, it was a great book. The Katy/Daemon stuff was pretty awesome, I got my desire to kick Blake's nuts into his throat renewed to the point that I actually brought my foot back a few times. We got some new characters introduced, some new carrots dangled, a great finish.

But it also dragged a bit for me. I didn't feel the need to sneak off and read it when I shouldn't be reading at all (at work, pretend errands where I really just sit in Starbucks parking lot, hide from my family, and read in peace, etc.) I was alone at work a few times and didn't rush to pull my Kindle out...I played free flow instead. It was fun *while* I was reading it, but it didn't call to me apart from that. The tidbits of plot advancement, the continual 'training with the onyx' mixed with further 'let's be normal' mixed with 'will they or won't they this time' scenes didn't make me dive for the book at every opportunity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving the series, but this one probably won't ever be my favorite.

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Review: Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I finished this late last night (okay, early this morning,) I wondered if I would have given *this* book the five star rating instead of What a Boy Wants if I'd have read it first. Waking up this morning, I know I wouldn't have. What a Boy Wants was the stronger story.

It's not that I didn't like this one, I did, but Sebastian's story was stronger.

I did love Tegan, don't get me wrong. He was lovely and flawed at the same time. I also liked Annabel. Their story warmed my heart, made me cheer and sniffle, get angry and laugh out loud. They were both real in that they made mistakes, serious ones, backsliding ones, but came back stronger for their learning experiences. I think I just connected more to Sebastian than I did to Annabel.

Still. I did love the way he loved her. I loved the whole progression of the story and the way some things worked out, and some things didn't. (view spoiler)[And I love that what came from heartache were two stronger people able to be fully together. It was heartwrenching to read even though I knew it had to happen. Annabel was right - she put him on a pedestal he could never have lived up to, and that she found the strength in herself to accomplish her goals outside of Tegan's encouragement. (hide spoiler)]

My original intent was to read Finding Carter by the same author...but then I read the synopsis. It reads a lot like this one (hero with a protection complex) so I think I'll put a few books between this one and the next, see if I can read without comparing them.

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Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I seriously wanted to love this one as much as I did Anna's story. But very seriously, the best part of Lola's story for me were the parts with Anna and Etienne, and the glimpses into their lives after graduation.

I had a hard time connecting to Lola, which is strange considering I was an individualist just like her. Okay, not to her extreme with wigs and the costumes she put together, but I did spend a week walking around my high school with a Peter Pan hat from Disneyland. I think the reason I couldn't connect were the mixed reasons why. For the majority of the book, I was under the impression that she dressed the way she did for precisely the reasons Max fired off at her - because she didn't like who she was, or to be thought of as anything like her mother. Then Max asks which one he's talking to - because, yes, Lola lies, and she lies a lot. That's when it comes clear that she does it to express who she is. Okay. It's kind a willful misdirection, and it didn't help me connect.

About the lies. Imho, she has no right to get pissy with him for not trusting her. She lied and he drew him into a relationship that could have gotten him jailed. Then, to be super honest, if her dads didn't like her with Max, and they seriously did seem to utterly loathe him, they'd have had him arrested for statutory.

I also had a seriously hard time connecting to a guy named Cricket. Maybe it's because I had a friend growing up and we called her Cricket (her real name was Cathy) but whenever I read the name, I saw my friend, not a hot guy in tight pants (and no, I'm not going to comment on the reactions to the hot pants from Lola, or from her Dad...ugh.)

I spent most of the book wanting to punch Calliope, and frankly, punch Lola, too. And maybe, just maybe, I liked Max a lot better than Cricket. He was a strong character, he loved her, and he called her on it when she started lying to him again. Cricket was just a little too weak to really have me falling in love with him.

I did start to like it more when Lola grew up a little, when she stopped lying to everyone, including herself, and her making the costume for Calliope made me smile.

So it wasn't an all out loss, but it's not one I'll be going back to.

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Review: Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm. I'm still trying to decide what I think about this one.

Overall, it was a well told story. Interesting worldbuilding with the Gifted, the menace of the Facility, the creepy pseudo-sinister "family" that abducts/protects Olivia and Ember. And I did like that part of it. I think the reason it's at 3 stars rather than four or five because I never really connected with the characters. Not Ember so much, because she was a very well-crafted character. I think the problem is that Armentrout did *too* good a job of making Hayden shady. (view spoiler)[ So much so that when Ember found and read the files, and read all the info Theo had planted in her mind, my first guess was that Hayden was making her believe she was seeing something different than what she'd seen at first. (hide spoiler)]

Because of this, I guess I didn't really connect with Ember and Hayden, kept waiting for another option. Gabe, maybe? I dunno. That, and the animosity in the house felt like it just resolved too quickly. No small moments that indicated a softening of attitudes, more all of the sudden, things are rainbows.

Overall a good read, but not one that's going to cause much in the way of book hangovers.

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