So Over You by Gwen Hayes

3/5 Stars

B&N:


Layney Logan, girl reporter.

That's all she's ever wanted to be. This year, her senior year, not only does she have to share the coveted Senior Editor position with her arch nemesis, Jimmy Foster, she also has to figure out how to keep the school paper alive. With the local paper closing and the school cutting Journalism from the budget, it's a long shot. Working side-by-side with Foster, the guy she likes to call Lucifer,makes it even worse.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is Jimmy Foster think he got the best of her, so she takes
his ridiculous newspaper assignment--to go on twelve blind dates--to prove his powers of darkness won't work on her. The trouble is, the more she learns about herself on her journey of bad blind dates, the more she wonders if maybe Foster has known her better than she knows herself all this time.

And maybe she should have trusted him with the secret she’s kept for four years—the secret that broke them up to begin with.


My Review:

This was a cute book. It was under a hundred pages, but I think the author could have expanded the story. There were a few opportunities to add more, and I wish she took it. There was a part where we learn something intense about the main female character. The book would have been stronger if it had gone a little deeper.

Overall, a good read for young adults.

The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Series #2) by James Dashner

4/5 Stars

B&N:

Thomas and the gladers thought they were safe. They thought they were glad to leave the danger of the maze far behind them. They were wrong. In one night, all their new-found security is ripped away, replaced by a new set of dangers: the Scorch, an area of land decimated by solar flares, brutal weather, and populated by the Cranks, people who are infected with a disease called the flare. Teresa is gone, in her place a boy who speaks of having survived another maze. Then a man appears telling them they have two weeks to travel one hundred miles of the Scorch to reach a safe haven, which will make escaping the maze look like child's play. The Scorch Trials is the second book in the trilogy that began with the best seller The Maze Runner (Random House, 2009/VOYA December 2009), picking up right where it left off. Dashner writes at a suspenseful pace, weaving twists and turns into chapters that flow seamlessly together, culminating in a stunning cliff-hanger ending. Themes of moral dilemmas and survival amidst a deadly landscape make the danger even more chilling and heart-stopping. Readers will be on the edge of their seats with this thrilling story, and it is also makes a great match for fans of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press). Reviewer: Susan Hampe

My Review:

Ok, so when I first read The Maze Runner I only thought it was "OK." But, as I went back to think about it, I liked it more and more. I finally got around to reading the second one, The Scorch Trials, and I must say, I really liked it. The author did a great job picking up where he left off and really made it so I couldn't stop reading it. There were some decent twists to this book, and I for one could not predict what was going to happen (which is big- because I can usually predict almost every detail).

I'll definitely be reading the last in the series that came out this month!

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

4/5 Stars

B&N:

Being one of the guys isn't all it's cracked up to be...
So when journalist Chastity O'Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it's time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1--she's five feet eleven inches of rock-solid girl power, and #2--she's cursed with four alpha male older brothers.
While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor and things start to look up. Now there's only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she's never quite gotten over--although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.
Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can't seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys....


My Review:

So, I guess I read this one before. Didn't remember what happened at the end though, so I read it again. :) I really liked it. The characters were very well written. I liked how Chastity was a strong female character who could tough it out with her brothers. Also, the character of Trevor was just.... *swoon*.

The Chase by Erin McCarthy (Fast Track #4)

4/5 Stars

B&N:

Kendall Holbrook is determined to make it to the top, even with the challenge of being a woman on the male-dominated racing circuit. She doesn't have time for romance-especially not with racing rival Evan Monroe, the man who nearly crushed her dream years ago. Tricked into meeting him, Kendall is experiencing all those old feelings again-and she can't deny that they still have enough chemistry to set fire to the track

My Review:

4th book in the series. I really like seeing new characters, but also seeing older characters from the previous books. This story was just as good as the rest.

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

4/5 Stars

B&N:

Lucy Lang isn't looking for fireworks.
She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbecue, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important: someone who won't inspire the slightest stirring in her heart…or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can't risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate "friend with privileges" and hello to a man she can marry.
Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere. As far as he's concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

My Review:

I'll admit it: I did shed some tears. Not a ton though! I wouldn't consider this a "sad" book (I don't read sad books), but every now and then, just like Grey's Anatomy, something will get me.

The quirky relatives were just great. The author did a great job creating the scenes and characters that you could really picture them. Yes, the lead female character was frustrating at times, but she was supposed to be, so it fit well.

If you want a nice, fun, clean (no big sex scenes) read, this author is a good one to look into.

Epic Fail by Claire Lazebnik

4/5 Stars

B&N:

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?
At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:
As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.
When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

My Review:

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute light read for teens. It was refreshing seeing an author that didn't need to center the story around sex or drugs. Truth-be-told, I didn't make the connection to P&P until I was 3/4 of the way done the book.

The characters were great. You had all different personality traits, and I think teens could relate to the doubts and such the teens in this book were feeling.

I'll keep my eye out for this author's other books.