Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Perfect You

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Rating: 4.5 stars

Ages recommended to: 13 and up!


When I first started this book, I didn't think it would be very good, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

It's about Kate Brown. Her father has recently quit his job to go sell Perfect You vitamins in the middle of the mall. Things are going terribly and he doesn't make any money. Kate's mom is working two jobs and they still can't keep up with anything.
Meanwhile, Kate has been seeing super popular, gorgeous Will- a guy totally out of her league. They're not dating.... So what are they doing?
And Kate's best friend Anna has ditched her after losing a ton of weight and dying her hair blonde, now part of the popular crowd.

Everything seems to be going wrong for Kate. She just needs to realize that everything can be okay again.... as long as she lets it.


Praise from Perfect You:

"I absolutely loved this book! It's funny, sad and wise, and will make your heart ache in the best way."
~ Melissa De La Cruz

"Warm and engaging, Perfect You holds on to your heart and won't let go."
~ Susane Colasanti

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Author: Louise Rennison

Rating: 5 stars

Ages recommended to: 13 and up!


I decided to read this book after seeing the movie "Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging", which is based on this series.
The book is the hilarious journal of Georgia Nicolson. I'm not sure what to say about it without giving the whole plot away. If you've seen the movie, the two are actually very similar, which I was pleased with.
Recommended for a quick, funny summer read!!

Praise for "Angus Thongs":

"A spectacular debut." ~ Publishers Weekly

"Hysterically funny. You might want to refrain from reading this one in public!" ~ Seventeen

Secrets of my Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights by Jen Calonita

Title: Secrets of my Hollywood Life: Broadway Lights

Author: Jen Calonita

Rating: 5 stars

Ages recommended to: 13 and up!

This is part of the amazing series, Secrets of My Hollywood Life.
Hollywood starlet Kaitlyn Burke hits Broadway in the 5th installment of the series.
Again, with it being at the end of a series, I won't give too much away if you've just started from the beginning.
As usual, the book was fabulous, kept me on the edge of my seat, had the perfect conflict and kept me excited at all times.
I love the characters- each one is expressed so perfectly.

This series is definitely recommended.

My 2010 Summer Reading List!!!!!!!!

Rachel's 2010 Summer Reading List (So far)


1. My Little Phony by Lisi Harrison

2. Wanted (Pretty Little Liars, #8) by

3. Kiss and Blog by Alyson Noel

4. Temped (House of Night by #6) P.C. Cast

5. Passing Strange (Generation Dead, #3) by Daniel Waters

6. Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

7. The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

8. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation (How to Ruin, #1) by Simone Elkeles

9. Dead is Just a Rumor (Dead is, #4) by Marlene Perez

10. Reality Check by Jen Calonita

11. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

12. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

13. On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison

14. My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day

15. The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and me, Ruby Olivery by E. Lockhart

16. Jason and Kyra by Dana Davidson

17. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

18. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

19. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

20. Tips on having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend by Carrie Jones

21. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

22. Something Like Fate by Susane Colisanti

23. Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

24. Five More Minutes by Darlene Ryan

25. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

26. Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison

27. Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

28. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Rating: 2 stars

Ages recommended for: 13 and up


I was really looking forward to this book after reading so many good reviews and seeing what it was about, but I truly did NOT like it, at all!!
It was really really boring and it took me nearly 2 weeks to get through the whole thing. Very boring.

It's about Mia, who was in a car accident with her family and is in a coma. The book is written telling about this one day she's in a coma, and gives flashbacks about her life and reasons why she should stay and wake up or not.
It was just SO boring, though!
I don't really recommend it at all.

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Title: Wait Till Helen Comes

Author: Mary Downing Hahn

Rating: 4 stars

Ages recommended to: 10 and up!


This book was a really quick and easy read for me because it was mostly for younger kids. I found it in my 10 year old cousin's bedroom and borrowed it and read it in about an hour and a half.
But that doesn't mean it wasn't necessarily good!
It's about a new family: Molly and Michael's mom has just married Heather's dad. Heather is a monster of a child, always causing a commotion or blaming Molly or Michael on something they didn't do to cause friction between the parents. The bad part is that Heather's dad and Molly's mom always believe what Heather is telling them because she witnessed her mother's death a few years back.
When they move out in the country into an old church house with a freaky graveyard in the back, Heather discovers a new ghostly friend....

It's a really good book, so pick it up if you need a slightly scary book that'll keep you on the edge of your seat :)


Praise for Wait Till Helen Comes:

"Genuinely scary, complete with dark secrets from the past, unsettled graves, and a very real ghost." ---- The Bullitin of the Center for Children's books

"An unusually scary, well-crafted ghost fantasy." ---- Kirkus Reviews

"A first-rate thriller." ---- ALA Booklist, starred review

Love Bites by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Love Bites

Author: Ellen Schreiber

Rating: 5 stars

Ages recommended to: 13 and up!!

This is the 7th installment of the Vampire Kisses series, one of my favorites. I can't say much, because I don't want to give away everything if you're reading the series and haven't gotten this far.
But, the series is FANTASTIC. They're very quick reads and they keep you wanting more. I really really recommend them!!


Praise for Vampire Kisses series:

"All in all, a good read for those who want a vampire love story without the gore." School Library Journal

"Readers will love this funny novel with a bite!" Wow Magazine

"A fun, fast read for vampire fans." School Library Journal

"A good choise for Goth lovers and fans of romantic vampire stores." School Library Journal

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

Title: Far From You

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 5 stars

Ages Recommended for: 13 and up!


This book was another fantastic one by Lisa Schroeder, written in verse.
It's about Alice, who's mother passed away from cancer. Her dad is re-married and him and her stepmother, Victoria have just had a new baby girl named Ivy.

On the trip home from visiting Victoria's parents, the car gets stuck in a freezing cold, blocked in by snow ditch, preventing Victoria, Ivy and Alice from getting home for five whole days. No food or water and no warmth will put these three up to the test- some of them maybe not surviving.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Title: Leaving Paradise

Author: Simone Elkeles

Rating: 5 stars

Ages recommended to: 14 and up!


I'm a HUGE fan of this author, so I pushed myself to read this book, knowing I'd probably love it.
And of course, I did really enjoy it. It wasn't as good as the Perfect Chemistry books, but still really good. The only thing I wasn't happy with was the ending.

Caleb Becker left a party drunk, hitting his sister's best friend, Maggie Armstrong with his car. After months of physical therapy for Maggie and months of juvenile jail for Caleb, the two are finally getting back to their 'normal' schedules.

I can't say too much more or else I'll give way too much away.
The book was a bit slow in the beginning, but after I got started, I couldn't even put it down. I recommend this book a lot. The sequel to this is coming out in September, which I'm super excited to read!!

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Title: Chasing Brooklyn

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 5 stars

Ages Recommended for: 13 and up!


Much like the other Lisa Schroeder novel I recently read, "Chasing Brooklyn" is about a girl who's boyfriend has just died. But also added in, is the Point of View of the boy's older brother. This book is also written in verse.

Lucca, Brooklyn's dead boyfriend and Nico's dead brother died a year ago. Followed along by his best friend, Gabe, who commits suicide.
Gabe has been haunting Brooklyn, and Lucca has been haunting Nico. Lucca tries to get through to Nico to show him that Brooklyn needs help, while Gabe tries to remind Brooklyn of the promise she made to him shortly after Lucca's death- that she would keep going with life.

The book was REALLY hard to put down and I loved it :)
Very very good!! Probably going to buy this one when I meet Lisa next Saturday.


Praise for CHASING BROOKLYN:

"Sexy, sweet, suspenseful- I couldn't put it down!" -- Lisa McMann, New York Times bestselling author of WAKE

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Title: Hold Still

Author: Nina LaCour

Rating: 5 stars

Ages Recommended for: 14 and up!


This book is about Caitlyn, who's best friend, Ingrid has just committed suicide.

The book is about Caitlyn's healing, and how she goes from being completely depressed to being able to open up again and find new friends, even though she though Ingrid was the only true friend she could ever have.

The book was a bit slow at times, but I still really enjoyed it and found it really hard to put down.
Very very fantastic ending- completely loved it!!



Praise for Hold Still:


"Beautiful, Poetic, and honest, Hold Still breaks your heart and puts it back together again." -- Elizabeth Scott, author of LIVING DEAD GIRL and SOMETHING, MAYBE

"A beautifully written, gently moving account of a long good-bye that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to let go before they were ready." -- Sara Zarr, author of ONCE WAS LOST

"HOLD STILL may be the truest depiction of the aching, gaping hole left in the wake of a suicide that I've ever read. But it's anything but depressing and gloomy- it's also about the tender shoots of new relationships that grow unexpectedly out of tragedy. A haunting and hopeful book about loss, love, and redemption." -- Gayle Forman, author of IF I STAY

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Rating: 5 stars

Ages Recommended to: 13 and up!


This book was written a bit differently then most I've read, but I really enjoyed it. It made it a fast read, but still enjoyable.
This book also wasn't the genre I usually go to pick, but I still really enjoyed it.

All over, this book has made a huge difference to everyone who has read it. Personally, I didn't see that as much as I thought I was going to... Though it was good, and something I would recommend, it wasn't THAT good.

Speak is about a girl named Melinda, who at a party during the summer called the cops after she had been raped. Returning to school to join the 9th grade, absolutely EVERYONE hates her. She has no friends whatsoever, except for the new girl, who soon ditches her because of her bad reputation.

Melinda turns mute, hardly uttering two words a day. The book goes on to have her talk about how hard each day is and how everything is so different.


Praise for "Speak":

"An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, SPEAK will hold readers from first word to last." The Horn Book

"Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers." Booklist

"This extremely well-written book portrays a large suburban high school with a fresh and authentic eye- all the cliques are there, from the jocks, to the Goths, to the 'Marthas' (Martha Steward Wannabes).... This powerful story has an important lesson: never be afraid to speak up for yourself." VOYA

"A story told with acute insight, acid wit and affecting prose." Library Journal

"Gripping... hard for readers to forget." Kirus

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Rules of Attraction

Author: Simone Elkeles

Rating: 5 HUGE stars!!

Ages recommended for: 14 and up!


This is the second book in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy. The first book was Perfect Chemistry (which I also LOVED) and I was equally happy with the second book!!
In Perfect Chemistry, Ms. Elkeles tells the story of Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis, who fall in love. The second book, Rules of Attraction tells the story of Alex's little brother, Carlos and Kiara Westford.

When Carlos gets sent to Colorado to stay with his older brother, leaving his mama and little brother, Luis back in Mexico, he is anything but happy.
After getting busted for having drugs in school, Alex arranges for Carlos to stay with Kiara's family as part of an arrangement so he isn't expelled from school.
While trying to prove that the drugs weren't actually his, Carlos gets mixed into a ton of unwanted trouble, but also grows closer with Kiara.
The two begin to 'fake date' each other, but the truth is, their both madly in love, each afraid to admit their feelings to one another.

This book was AMAZING, and if you haven't started the Perfect Chemistry trilogy, I HIGHLY recommend them!!! The third Perfect Chemistry book has yet to be released, but when it finally comes out, I will definitely be buying it!