The Amanda Project by Stella Lennon

3/5 Stars

B&N:

Amanda Valentino changed everything.

Callie Leary has exactly one thing, and one thing only, in common with Nia Rivera and Hal Bennett: They were each chosen by Amanda to be her guide. When Amanda arrived at Endeavor High, she told Callie she moves around a lot and always picks one person to help her navigate the choppy waters of a new school. Why did Amanda lie?

Following a course that they suspect Amanda deliberately plotted, Callie, Nia, and Hal piece together some cryptic clues. But they find more questions than answers and quickly realize that before they can figure out what happened to Amanda—the girl who changed their lives—they'll need to solve the most important mystery of all: Who is Amanda Valentino?

My Review:

Just from reading what the book was about, I found myself thinking it sounded rather similar to Thirteen Reasons Why(AMAZING BOOK!). As I started reading it, I realized yes, it has some similarities, but it was a lot less edgy. The story was good. I liked how these three totally different teens end up coming together and realizing things about both each other and themselves.

It says it's going to be a series. I'll probably read the rest just to see what they add to it and if things that were left unanswered become answered.

Beastly by Alex Finn

4/5 Stars

B&N:

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she urn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

My Review:

This book interested me because I thought it would be neat to read the story of Beauty and the Beast, but told through the beast's point of view. This book took it to another level by placing it in modern day. The whole spin on the witch who turned Kyle into a beast was really interesting to read. The author took all different versions of Beauty and the Beast and combined some things to create this one. I did enjoy to look at the connections between this one and the Disney movie version. As I was reading, I found myself thinking, "Oh- that's where Belle and the Beast..."

What I thought was a cute idea, but I didn't really like was the Chat sessions. It was cute at first to see other "fairy tale" characters chatting with each other, but then it got kind of lame.

Overall, a good read.