library(an) cameo: Back When You Were Easier to Love

I love when I read a book and libraries and librarians are a part of the plot. Or even just mentioned. And it happens quite a lot, especially YA. Probably because writers are readers and libraries are a depository of books. They're awesome! Just look at the cover...

Emily Wing Smith knows how to catch my attention. This is the very first page of her new book, Back When You Were Easier to Love (from the ARC)

"Over the summer my best friend, Mattia, and I were the token teenage patrons of Haven Public Library...Honestly, I think Mattia went less because she liked to read and more because she liked to make fun of a library with a set of encyclopedias claiming that Hawaii had yet to become a state...But I loved the library simply because it was a library. I love libraries. I like reading, but I love libraries."

Me, too!

In My Mailbox (14)

I haven't done an IMM post in a long time because I haven't had any books to share. But now I do! Only two, but I'm excited about them. I linked the titles to goodreads if you're interested.

Thanks Macmillan!

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

--I really liked Brody's Karma Club and this one sounds just as fun--

Anya's War by Andrea Alban

--I love that it's based on a true story--

What's in your mailbox?

the In My Mailbox meme is hosted by The Story Siren

review: Human Blend by Lori Pescatore

pub date: 2010
publisher: self published
pages: 234
source: ebook from author
challenges: ebook
appeals: paranormal, romance, love triangle,
content: lots of kissing, sex that is left to the imagination, violence, some swearing

goodreads:
Marion, Virginia seemed like a nice place to live a normal life, but she is not a normal girl. Laney has special abilities that keep her looking over her shoulder as she makes her escape from the men who had kidnapped her. A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's budding relationship with a local boy puts both of them in danger when the men she was hiding from find her. All of their lives will change forever as ancient secrets become unearthed.

me:
I thought Laney's abilities were rather cool. And later on in the book when the reader, and Laney herself, discovers why she has the abilities she does, that was neat, too. There are exciting things that happen in the plot, a lot of characters with unique skills that make them interesting to read.

So while I liked the concept of the book, I had a hard time reading it because I thought the characters were underdeveloped and acted in ways that made no sense to me.

For example:

Laney is hiding from an evil man. She is afraid of him and afraid what he would do if he found her and anyone connected to her. So she moves around a lot and changes her name and hair color before settling in Marion.

Though Laney says a couple of times that she shouldn't get attached to anyone because she puts them in danger, her behavior does not match her worry. Within two days she's sleeping with her new boyfriend. For someone who has been through traumatic experiences with other men, she sure is trusting.

Laney has the skill of healing people so she wants to volunteer at the hospital so she can use it. But for someone on the run from an evil guy who knows her abilities, she isn't worried about instantly healing people who are really sick. I would be worried this would attract attention. And it does--the doctor, Eli, realizes rather quickly that something is going on. Luckily Eli doesn't want to expose her.

But Laney doesn't know this. Within minutes of meeting Eli, Laney is telling him everything about her healing skills. I just don't get why she would be so trusting of strangers when she knows what others have done with this knowledge.

There is one guy who does act suspiciously around Laney, but it doesn't raise any red flags for her. She just finds his nosey behavior rude and annoying.

But what really bothered me was the way Eli kept touching Laney's cheek and kissing her on the mouth and hugging her. Touchy, touchy! Laney thinks nothing of it, doesn't find it at all odd that this man who is practically a stranger is touching her so much. Eli obviously likes Laney, but Laney is clueless and accepts all this attention without batting an eye. All the while Laney is sleeping with someone else.

And then of course there are the other men Laney kisses. Wow. And it never crosses her mind that she is cheating on her boyfriend. It bothered me and I thought it should have bothered her.

So, mostly I had a hard time with this book because I didn't understand why the characters, especially Laney, behaved the way they did. The relationships aren't developed. And because of Laney's loose lips, I didn't really like her much.

[review] The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

pub date: March 7, 2011
publisher: Harcourt
pages: 293
source: netgalley
challenges: ebook
appeals: historical fiction, romance, mystic, supernatural
content: clean


goodreads:
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.


When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.


me:
I enjoyed this book, a lot actually. It was a quick read and one I got lost in. I started reading at 6pm, and suddenly it was 9. I thought it was original and interesting and exciting and mysterious.


Though I must say that it isn't a happy book. A lot of sad things happen and though Amelia gets the guy, it's rather bitter-sweet.


I did feel like there was more story to tell. It's never explained why Amelia can see what she sees and why Nathanial can do what he does. There isn't a lot of set up and not much of a conclusion. This wasn't necessarily bad, I was just left wanting more of the story. (And a happier ending).

review: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

pub date: August 1, 2009
publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
pages: 352
source: library audiobook
appeals: historical fiction, sisters, paranormal, gothic, demons
content: clean

goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans, and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies.


The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her.

me:
I actually own this book, but got the audio from the library and listened to it while on a road trip to Idaho this past weekend.  I liked the reader and enjoyed the book a lot. It wasn't what I expected, which is always fun because it keeps me guessing. I was surprised to find that it's kind of a fallen angel book--and I listened to it just days after I said I wouldn't read another one of those kinds of books. But it wasn't an angel romance, and the fallen were more demons than anything else, so it didn't bother me too much.

I thought the world Zinks created was really interesting, and Lia and Alice's roll in the prophecy was rather cool. The characters were well developed and I especially liked Lia's friends. Alice makes a nice foil for Lia, and I'm interested to see where it goes in the next book.

Something that did kind of irritate me were the secrets. Lia's father kept secrets from her, then died. So Lia is left to search out the secrets when he should've just told her long before. I understand that without the secrets, then there would've been no story, but still it was annoying how ignorant Lia was when everyone around her knew what was going on. 

Then at the end there is someone else that has information for Lia, and instead of just giving it to her, they hide it and evenually die. She then has to search out this other secret she spent half the book trying to find! I really don't get why this person didn't tell her sooner.

But Lia does the same thing--she doesn't tell her boyfriend what is going on, leaving him in the dark. Irritating! Nothing good ever comes of keeping secrets and it really bothered me that she wouldn't be honest with the boy she claimed to love. She had her reasons, but I thought they were kind of lame ones.

So besides all the secrets, I liked the book. This sets up the trilogy rather nicely.

Prophecy of the Sisters reminded me a lot of Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty.

Library(an) cameo: prophecy of the sisters

Library(an) cameo is something I started to share passages I read in books that have to deal with libraries or librarians. Just cause I think it's fun.

Today's library visit is from Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters, page 155. There are a lot of libraries in this book, but this is my favorite passage about one. It's rather a beautiful.

"Stepping into the cavernous main hall, I find the library is more than quiet, it is deserted. Indeed, I don't see a single person as we make our way across the scuffed marble floor. Its emptiness is more than the lack of living, breathing beings. It is the unread pages of the many books that reside on the shelves throughout the room. I should not have thought one could tell when books have gone unread, but after the company of Birchwood's well-loved library it is as if I can hear these books whispering, their pages grasping and reaching for an audience."

review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

pub date: January 11, 2011
publisher: Razerbill
pages: 398
source: librarything Early Reviewer
audience: upper teen
appeal: space, future, dystopian, romance, mystery
challenges: debut author challenge, 350 page challenge
content: a very few swear words, an incident of sexual assault, rather disturbing attitude towards sex that ties into the plot


goodreads blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

me:
I've had this book since November and waited this long to read it. Why?!?!? It was fantastic. The plot was not what I was expecting, but then when I think back to before I read the book, I'm not really sure what I was expecting. But whatever it was, it wasn't what I got.

There were so many surprises in the plot. A lot about how life on Godspeed had evolved into something rather disturbing. Then there were the lies and secrets and the mystery of the murders. I liked Elder and am curious who he will be in the next book. And Amy was a strong, likable character.

And that is it. I'm feeling rather lazy at the moment and so many other people have raved about this book, that I'm not going to write more. Which makes this not so much a review as it is a recommendation...it's a fantastic adventure, you should pick it up!

review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

pub date: February 15, 2011
publisher: HarperCollins
pages: 464
Source: NetGalley
challenges: debut author, 350 page, ebook
appeal: fallen angels, teen romance, supernatural, strong female narrator
content: scattered swearing, violence, some underage drinking

goodreads:
When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.
 
me:
Well, I'm rather sad to say I didn't enjoy this book much. Especially since I read all 464 pages of it. Honestly, I had no idea it was this long when I requested it from NetGalley.

Why didn't I enjoy it? Mostly I didn't buy into the premise. I am able to suspend disbelief for post apocalypse, dystopian, supernatural, and paranormal, but apparently not for fallen angels. Once a fictionalized God and religion get in there, I just don't buy it. It all seems rather ridiculous. So, that ruined the book since that was the whole point.

There were other things--Will reminded me of a faithful little puppy dog, the way he followed Ellie around everywhere. It was too long. I wanted Ellie to care less about her high school friends (like I did) and more about fighting grim (which was the fun part). And I wanted her to remember more about her past, and a lot quicker!

I think Angelfire will appeal to a lot of readers, especially those who like fallen angel books. It's exciting and has an interesting plot. Ellie is a strong heroine, she is a warrior and there are a lot of well written fight scenes. There is some forbidden romance, which is always fun. Will is a good (non-human sort of) guy, even if he did remind me of a puppy.

This just wasn't my kind of book. I think I need to stay away from fallen angels...

Follower Love Hop Winner

And the winner is...

LISA MCGEEN

Congratulations! And happy Valentines

library(an) cameo--Zen and the Art of Faking it

Library(an) Cameo is a little thing I started to blog about libraries and librarians I meet in books. I met some interesting librarians in Zen and the Art of Faking it by Jordan Sonnenblick.

In the book San moves to a new town and invents a new past. Which means he needs to do some research. So naturally he goes to the library! San has a few encounters with the librarians in his new town, but my favorite is his first with Mildred.

"I left my my book bag on the table and found a computer carrel nobody was using. Just as my mouse-arrow thingy was all lined up on the Explorer icon, a cold-and-bony hand descended on my shoulder. I heard a wheezing inhalation right next to my ear. I swear, it was like Instant Horror Movie.

"'Hello, young man,' the owner of the skeleton hand croaked."

and later, when he needs a few books:

"Mildred took me through various rights and lefts, while the stacks got dustier and the lightning got dimmer around me. Just when I was sure she was getting ready to murder me and file my body under YOUNGSTERS: DECEASED, she screeched to a halt."

I'm a fan of Mildred. She's quite the character.

Beat the Midwinter Blues Winners

Thanks everyone who participated in my Beat the Midwinter Blues giveaways. I really love sharing books. It makes me happy. 

So with random.org's help, here are the winners:

Swag bag: tanya904

The Chaos: Lexie@BookBug

Blood and Flowers: Jennifer Danford

Darkest Mercy: Machaela Carroll

Lover's Dictionary: Karen

Cryer's Cross: Debbie

Beauty Queens: Orchid

I'll get those mailed out by the end of the week. Enjoy! 

review: The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

pub date: January 4, 2011
publisher: Tor
pages: 384
audience: adult
source: free from goodreads First Reads
appeals: fantasy, magic,
content: sexual content for older teens and adults, some swearing,

goodreads blurb:
Dan North knows from early childhood that his family is different — and that the differences are secrets that can never be told. This contemporary Urban Fantasy introduces the North family, a clan of mages in exile in our world, and their enemies who will do anything to keep them locked here.

me:
The first 30 pages were interesting. The whole premise of Danny's family's history and what their 'talents' are, it was cool stuff. I liked it. 
 
However, sometimes Card goes a little overboard in describing how the magic (or science) in his fiction works--at least for me. And that is what happened here. WAY too much of Danny figuring out what he can and can't do and how he does it and why it works. That is so BORING to me. I want plot, action, growth. I don't need to know how it works, I just want to see it work.
 
I kept slogging through only because I got the book from Goodreads in exchange for a review and I felt like I should finish before reviewing it. I was not liking what plot there was, or even Danny for that matter, for most of the book. Which was very disappointing.
 
However, it did get better. On page 206. Before this page Danny goes through this phase of being a thief and it was SO BORING AND POINTLESS. Once he ditched Eric (a thief who was Danny's teacher in all things illegal) and grew some brain cells, the plot picked up and things finally happened.

But really the best part of the book was the story of Wad. After every few Danny chapters we got a chapter about Wad. He had nothing to do with Danny, he lived somewhere else and did his own thing. His chapters were short and super interesting and such a nice break from Danny. I liked Wad! One of the reasons I liked his chapters was that I didn't get long (boring) magic lessons. He just did what he did--the plot moved! It was his story that kept me engaged while Danny was being a 13-year-old idiot.

The ending was really fascinating. It made me rethink how I felt about the rest of the book because it was so cool. How things come together, the hint of what's to come. Though I was sad how Wad's story ended. It is a series, so maybe happy things will happen later. Though I wont find out for myself. As fascinating as the ending was, I wont be picking it up.
 
It is an interesting premise and cool magical world Card created, so if you don't mind 13 year old boys who aren't all that likeable and long described discoveries into magic, pick it up.

review: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

pub date: January 18, 2011
publisher: Mira
pages: 400
source: NetGalley
audience: adult
genre: contemporary

blurb from goodreads:
Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night...and failed. The consequence? Five years in prison. Now she's free. But secrets have a way of keeping you caged...When Allison is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces the whispered rumours every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn - shy, quiet Brynn - who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released, and is more determined than ever to speak with her sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

me:
Wow. This was definitely an emotional roller coaster. By the end of the novel I really felt for these four women and their struggle in facing and living with what happened on that one night that changed them all. I wanted to go back and stop the events of that night from happening. Lame, I know. But the desire was still there.

These Things Hidden was beautifully written. I wasn't expecting there to be a mystery, but there was. Though I figured out a few things, the end was still a shocker. My perceptions of the different women changed drastically from the beginning to the end.

This book is essentially about motherhood. But also about choices and what we are willing to do for love. I really liked this book.

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

Welcome!

If you'd like to win The Awesome Book Swag Bag, you're in the right place. It includes:
1) Little, Brown book bag
2) (slightly used) ARC of Shine by Lauren Myracle
3) (slightly used) ARC of Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard (my review is here)
4) 2 cool bookmarks
5) whatever else I think of before the 14th

It's really easy, you don't have to be a follower to enter. But you must have a US/CAN mailing address. Ends February 13th.

THE FORM IS HERE

Thanks for stopping by! Now hop along...

library(an) cameo--Where She Went

I started working in the library just over five years ago. Before this time I'd never noticed when librarians/libraries were mentioned in books. But since then, I do. And it's a lot. Have you ever noticed?

Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cringe, most the time I just find it interesting how they're presented.

So I've decided to blog about it.

My first cameo isn't really a cameo of a library or librarian. Instead it's just a mention. But I thought it was really funny. And cute.

Here we are, from and ARC of Where She Went by Gayle Forman. (meaning this might change in the published copy--but I hope not).


This is Adam talking to Mia:

"Okay, first off, you're sixteen. You're not a librarian. So you're not allowed to say 'appropriate.' And second of all, why the hell isn't it?"

There you have it, if you're sixteen and not a librarian, please take 'appropriate' out of your vocabulary.

BMB Giveaway #6: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

My last book to Beat the Midwinter Blues is Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I think it sounds really fun, but it's at the bottom of my reading pile so I thought I'd pass it along. US mailing addresses only. Ends February 9th. Good luck!

ENTER HERE

from goodreads:
From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count

review: like mandarin by kirsten hubbard

pub date: March 8, 2011
publisher: Random House
pages: 320
source: ALA Midwinter
challenges: debut author, Contemps
appeals: contemporary, friendship, mother daughter relationships,
content: swearing (including many F-bombs), talk about sex, some underage drinking, an incident of sexual assault,


goodreads:
It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.


When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their badlands town.


Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.


me:
This isn't the kind of book I normally read. It doesn't romance or humor or high school drama or a supernatural element. But the blurb on the back intrigued me and I've read the author's blog a few times, so I decided to give it a try.


This book was real, and gritty, and sad, and reflected life in a way that was honest for the characters. The ending is hopeful, if not particularly happy, which I appreciated. I was a little worried it wouldn't be so as I got closer to finishing.


This is the story of two lost young women, Grace and Mandarin, told through the eyes of Grace. It was interesting how her perceptions of Mandarin changed as she knew her better, and how Grace herself changed through the association. In the beginning, Grace was more a groupie than a friend, but that changed and when Grace becomes a true friend that is when she's able to help Mandarin.

It's really an amazing book. The langauge Hubbard uses, the descriptions, are beautiful. She is a skilled author. I was amazed at the way she painted Washokey. I knew it, though I've never been there before. Great themes, great characters.
 Like Mandarin reminded me a lot of Sara Zarr's books. That kind of realistic look at life without pretty bows tying up the ending. Just people doing the best they can with what they have. Learning by their mistakes and moving on.

BMB Giveaway #5: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Welcome back! Today its an ARC of Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann. I picked it up at ALA and then the last day got a hardcover copy of the book. Which means its up for grabs. Want a chance to win? Enter by clicking the link below. US mailing addresses only. Ends February 9.

ENTER HERE

blurb from goodreads:

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried

review: Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

pub date: March 1, 2011
publisher: Bloomsbury USA
pages: 288
source: ALA Midwinter
appeals: contemporary, romance, family, illness, friendship, sports, cycling,
content: clean

blurb from goodreads:
According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.


me:
Way. Cute. Book.

Really, I mean it.

Payton is a fun character and it was a joy to be inside her head for (almost) 300 pages. Her emotions and reactions to life's disappointments were real and deep. I never actually cried (though I might've been close), but I definitely laughed out loud. At different parts, obviously.

And Sean is so cute! Personality mostly, though he does have a nice head (even if it is blonde). And he's so sweet! The way he tells Payton he likes her...priceless. And I appreciate that he's just a normal high school kid, not the Hottest Guy Ever. I'm half in love with him myself.  

Payton's friend, Jac, was a great best friend and really tried to help Payton. Though she kind of irritated me. I'm more like Payton myself and hate to make a scene, so when Jac makes a scene, I got upset right along with Payton. I have to agree with Jac though, Payton's family is super cool. Especially her dad.

Obviously its the characters in this book that stick out the most to me. Because they are just so great. Original and real. Loved them.

I really enjoyed reading this book. So cute.

So now I've added Princess for Higher to my TBR list on goodreads. This is the kind of author I want to read again.