Accidentally Me by Kim Karras

WANTED: Pretend stalker. No experience required. Tall, dark, and quirky preferred. Sabrina is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. If she wants to maintain her perfect child image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps . ..

Goodreads Summary

I don't think it would ever occur to me to pay someone to stalk me (talk about creativity). Sabrina wants to go to CalTech despite her parents wanting her to stick around home. She concocts a foolish and entertaining charade to have a boy "stalk" her so that she can convince her parents that her safety is compromised and that she should go to CalTech. She hasn't felt loved by her parents or family because of the circumstances of her birth. To me, it seemed like she just didn't realize that they cared for her even in a quiet way. 

This book was one big great disaster for Sabrina. As soon as I read the plot and got beyond the first few pages I knew that her plans were likely to go awry, but I never guessed how much! The tone of the book is humorous and light and carries all the way through. Sabrina's character, though zany, was fun and easy to like. I even got to like her pretend "stalker." I sympathized with Sabrina. Although I'm a little older than her, I still feel badly whenever I go against my family's wishes (not often!). I enjoyed the ending and was sad to see the last of Sabrina...who knows, maybe there will be a second!

4 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The Cruelty by S. Bergstrom

When her diplomat father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17 year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.

Goodreads Summary

This book has everything a reader would want from a thriller: a fierce heroine, exciting and exotic locales, and fast-paced adventurous scenes. I loved how the author jump-starts the book by immediately getting into Gwen trying to find her father and going it alone (the government would not step in). The descriptions of the places she searches and looks for clues are fascinating. It made me want to visit them in person. Gwen isn't the "ideal" heroine as far as looks go; I really liked that the author broke the typical heroine mold. She often made choices first before thinking them over. Some I did not understand and thought she made a rash choice while others...well, I guess she had to live with the consequences. 

The secondary characters she meets along the way were exciting and fun. They fit into the story well. The only one that felt a little off was her love interest. Since she just lost her father I was surprised she even had a love interest develop since she had so little time. The author does not hold back with the more violent scenes. I did appreciate how he kept it a little more realistic. Sometimes I questioned the authenticity of her character. It seemed like she knew quite a bit for a teenager who wasn't exposed to these types of activities. I thought the ending was good. It tied up the loose ends and set the book up for another in the series.

4 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Captured by a giant! The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast. 
When Sophie hears that they are flush-bunking off in England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Goodreads Summary

I loved this book as a child and still love it as an adult (well, mostly an adult).  The illustrations are adorable and I love how they appear hastily sketched.  Those sketches remind me of childhood which, for me, was lovely.  Sophie accidentally catches sight of the BFG performing his dreaming duties so he feels he must take her back with him to giant country where danger awaits.  

Sophie's character was adorable.  She really brought the BFG out of his shell.  The BFG's goofy use of the English language is one of the best part's of the book. The author is so inventive to combine and mish-mash so many words together.  The cadence of his speech adds to the novel, too.  I liked the descriptions of the giants and giant country.  The additions of the Queen of England and little details like the drink that makes you gassy make the book forever memorable.  Overall, this is a wonderful read for children of all ages.

5 Stars

This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ

The Real Liddy James by Anne-Marie Casey

Forty-four, fit, and fabulous, Liddy James is one of New York’s top divorce attorneys, a bestselling author, and a mother of two. Armed with a ruthless reputation and a capsule wardrobe, she glides through the courtrooms and salons of the Manhattan elite with ease. What’s her secret? Liddy will tell you: “I don’t do guilt!”

This is the last thing literature professor Peter James wants to hear. Devastated by his divorce from Liddy six years earlier, the two have a tangled history his new partner, Rose, is only just sorting out. But Rose is a patient woman with faith in a well-timed miracle and she’s determined to be sympathetic to Peter’s plight. Together, Liddy, Peter, and Rose have formed a modern family to raise Liddy and Peter’s truculent teen and Liddy’s darling, if fatherless, six-year-old.

But when Rose announces she’s pregnant, Liddy’s nanny takes flight, the bill for a roof repair looms, and a high-profile divorce case becomes too personal, Liddy realizes her days as a guilt-free woman might be over. Following a catastrophic prime-time TV interview, she carts her sons back to Ireland to retrace their family’s history. But marooned in the Celtic countryside things are still far from simple, and Liddy will have to come to terms with much more than a stormy neighbor and an unorthodox wedding if she ever hopes to rediscover the real Liddy James.

Fun, fearless, and full of heart, The Real Liddy James takes a fresh look at the balancing act every family performs. With the deft characterization and sharp wit that made her first novel an international bestseller, Anne-Marie Casey invites us into the ambitions, passions, and misadventures of this extraordinary heroine. 

Goodreads Summary

The author's reflective writing style is what made me enjoy this book. I disliked Liddy, Peter, and Rose although Liddy's children were nice enough. Liddy's "I don't do guilt" philosophy didn't really resonate within me. I liked how the adults' relationship dynamic was so intricate. I don't think I could have handled my ex-husband's pregnant girlfriend too easily (disclaimer, I'm not divorced). When the summary says there is a delicate balancing act there really is. I never thought too much into family relationships and dynamics and this book really helped me explore that aspect with this fictional family. 

Roughly two thirds or so into the book, something drastic happens to Liddy and causes her to throw her carefully structured life in the air. Gone is the safe, carefully constructed airs she kept around herself. Her philosophy must be changed. I do wish that the characters had been more sympathetic and easier to like. At times, they downright aggravated me. The "discovery" of herself was interesting because I never imagined people "discovering" themselves in quite that way (though to be fair, I never spent much time thinking about it). Overall, the book was fast-paced and a quick read.

3 Stars


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ