Going Bovine by Libba Bay

Title: Going Bovine

Author: Libba Bay

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Rating: 4 stars


"You've been assigned an identity since birth. Then you spend the rest of your life walking around in it to see if it really fits. You try all these different selves and abandon just as many. But really, it's about dismantling all that false armor, getting down to what's real."

Mad, crazy and hilarious. That's Going Bovine for you, dear bloggers. This book tells about Cameron, an average teenage boy diagnosed with mad cow disease and gone to a journey to find a cure under the guidance of a punk angel and accompanied by a dwarf and yard gnome. Yes, yard gnome.

It starts off a bit slow by telling how Cameron lives his life. He's pretty much an ignorant who doesn't care about most anything; his school, his family, and even himself. Then he is diagnosed with mad cow disease and finds out that his life is soon to be over. Then a punk angel named Dulcie shows up and tells him there's a cure and Cameron must undergo a journey (by following random signs) to find Dr. X who has the cure. Oh, and he has to take the dwarf as his wingman.

Like I said, it starts off a bit slow and I didn't really enjoy the first quarter part however the story picks up the pace and gets more interesting along the way. Especially after Cameron and Gonzo hit the road. Their road trip is crazy and hilarious; they meet a lot of bizarre people: drag queen, a supposedly dead jazz artist, teen pop star, snow globe employees, and many more. I can't say much except thumbs up for Libba Bay for creating this, she surely has a very wide and lively imagination.

However, even though it's funny and wacky, it's also quite deep. Despite all the craziness, I - as a reader - am constantly reminded with Cameron dying situation and how he realizes the things that important for him during the trip. How he - toward the end - values life and enjoys living more than before. The only thing I don't really like is the present tense use in this book, I like past tense more. But it doesn't prevent me from liking and enjoying this hilarious story.

It's an awesome book, just be patient in the beginning and you'll be rewarded.

Lynossa

Going Bovine by Libba Bay

Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher

Title: Also Known as Rowan Pohi

Author: Ralph Fletcher

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Rating: 3 stars

Also Known as Rowan Pohi is a quite short, light and interesting reading about Bobby Steele, a boy who decides to trick his way into Whitestone, a prestigious school in Bobby’s town. It’s begun with a prank with his friends when they invented Rowan Pohi, a smart and talented boy who wanted to enter Whitestone. But when they received a letter telling them that Rowan is accepted, Bobby decided to take his place and be Rowan Pohi.

This is a light reading; it only took me about one and a half hour to finish it. The main character, Bobby Steele, hated his name due to its association with his father, Bobby Steele Senior, after a terrible event between his father and his mother. Thinking that his future is doomed due to the name and his low rank school, Bobby thinks Rowan Pohi is his getaway ticket to be what he always wanted to be.

I like Bobby, I can relate to him. For him Rowan Pohi is his mardi grass. He could be himself, or, not himself, depend on from which side you’re looking at. Being Rowan Pohi gives him a chance he couldn’t get as Bobby Steele, a chance for clean start and promising future. Other characters aren’t that interesting although I quite like his friends and their friendship.

Overall this is too short to make you feel deeply engaged but it’s still a nice reading, a book that fits for kids and those who like reading kids books like me.

Lynossa

Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Title: The Day Before.
Series: None
Author: Lisa Schroeder
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Expected publication: June 28th 2011
Pages: 320 Hardcover
Rating: 4 - Excellent!

Source: Simon and Schuster Galley Grab

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:

Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.
Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.
The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

Review:

I never expected anything from this book. EVER. I thought this would be another boy-meets-girl-in-the-campus-after-running-each-other-in-the-beach thing. But it seems that it proves me wrong. Anyhow I was surprised to know that the story is written in verse. At first I thought that maybe this is a compilation of poetry. Though I do like poem but I was just startled thinking that I might have picked up the wrong galley.

Moving on. I love YA contemporary books such as this one. But I never read any books written by Lisa Schroeder nor books written in verse. So I was reluctant to grab it. But oh well.. I found another good contemporary writer~~

The story is about Amber. Who wants to spent some time alone in the beach where she felt comfortable right before the day her life will change forever. Suddenly when she was strolling around she found Cade. The two suddenly made a connection and soon they spent the whole day together talking about anything but personal things and forgetting the past and thinking about their current situation together. Soon that bond turned to affection. (Honestly? I don’t want to drop anything about this book. It’s too good and I want you guys to read it instead.)

I love Amber and Cade.. Both wants to escape from their current situation at home. When they are together. The two made a deal that while they are together they shouldn’t ask about each others past nor the reason why they spent the whole day away from all the people they know and what they are hiding. But like Amber I also can’t help but wonder what is Cade’s secret that he desperately wants to hide. Cade is sweet and caring guy. And that is what I like about him. I love how close amber and her family is. I love how sweet and loving she is to her mom and sister. Yet she have to leave them.
The plot was fast. The romance between the two is actually fast if you check the timeline. But its perfect in the whole story. And like I said above the way this book was written is unique enough that at first will make you wonder if this book is a compilation of poetry or not. The book reminds me of ‘If I stay’ well in some way. This book gives you different emotions sadness, loneliness, longing, love and satisfaction.

The book is quick read. I finished reading this maybe 2 hour laps. You’ll be also hooked up with the style of writing and a cute plot.

After reading this. I’m will make sure to read Lisa Schroeder books. I recommend this to those people who love Contemporary YA. Maybe to those who love Invincible Summer and If I stay.

Kay-c

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went
Series: If I Stay #2
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: Hardcover, 264 pages
Rating: 3 Okay

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Summary:

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

REVIEW
The story started off in “If I stay” (review) when Mia and her family had a car accident. And she was left alone deciding whether she should follow them or stay.

“Where she went” is the most anticipated sequel of the most heart breaking story “If I stay”.
The story is told in Adam’s POV.

This time it’s already three and half years since the horrible accident. And three and half years since Mia woke up from her coma. And three years since she left Adam alone without a proper goodbye. Making Adam wondering what had gone wrong and what happened. And because of his depression he wrote quite a lot of songs and made his band famous and became a Rock star and had a famous celebrity girlfriend. Despite it all. He is still searching for the answers of his unanswered questions. That only Mia can answer.

The story is as always heart breaking and yet heartwarming. The story is told in the same way the first novel was. Although like I said above the difference is that it’s Adam’s opinion this time.

Honestly? I don’t know where to start. I don’t know what to write. And I don’t know what to say in this book. It’s just perfect. The story is emotionally contained. It’s well written. The emotions are always there to the point that you’ll be always drawn in to the story.

It’s the same as the first book. Mia and Adam met. Then they take a tour and Adam brought us back 3 years ago from where he started another life without Mia in his side. What he’s done and all the emotions he felt for Mia as he is telling his story.

Adam is a perfect boyfriend I have to say. Not perfect “Perfect”. But maybe should I say a right example of a boyfriend? Anyways Adam is supportive and understanding boyfriend. After the accident he made sure that he is there for Mia. Supporting her in her every bits of move and taking care of her. And you wouldn’t hear any complain from him. It’s like his world is Mia. No..His world is indeed Mia. That is why I understand that he is mad at her at Mia when she suddenly left him and cut all her connections with him.
It was understandable. He did everything for her and she suddenly left him with no word.

But I also find it a bit tiring to read. All I could read about is Adam's bitterness and anger. Blaming all this to Mia. It’s three years right ? I know I so sound insensitive. But unlike the first book I think this book is full of bitterness rather than romantic. But I guess that’s what this book is all about. Since it’s about letting go and trying to move on. But it’s just tiring to read a thought where all it said or at least that’s what I interpreted is “It’s all because of her”. I know it’s hard to lose someone you love the most. Especially if you didn’t get a proper closure.

Ugh. I’m contradicting myself I know. But believe me. I don’t know whether I should appreciate the book or not. There is this side that I liked but there is also a side where I don’t like and it’s fighting that leads me what to decide. This book didn’t give me that heart warming feeling that I got from its prequel “If I stay”. It’s lacking.

Kay-c

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Invincible Summer

Author Hannah Moskowitz

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Rating: 4 stars

---May contain some spoilers!---

Chase and the rest of McGill family (his parent, his older brother Noah, his younger sister Claudia, and his younger deaf brother Gideon) always spend summer at the beach together with the Hathaway family. Noah always had a summer fling with Hathaway's oldest daughter, Melinda, and Chase always be the one who act like oldest brother. But things doesn't always stay the same and as they grew older, more problems starting to show up: ranging hormones, puberty, school, and parents. Trying to keep his brother Noah stayed with their family, helping his parent took care Gideon, keeping eye on the more-mature younger sister, Claudia, while pressing his sexual interest toward Melinda, Chase took the changes in one huge gulp and felt devastated by it. This is not a book about romance, this is about a boy who grew up in somewhat dysfunctional family, forced to be mature before his age, and finally learned that no matter what happened, family always comes first.

The cover and the blurb were misleading. I thought it was a summer romance story, but I was mistaken. I was completely blown away by the ending and ended up giving this book 5 stars at Goodreads, however after I remember all the details and my reading progress, I have to drop one stars. That doesn't mean the book sucks though, quite the contrary, this book is awesome. The characters are interesting; the connection between them were real although the bromance between Noah and Chase made me lift my eyebrow a bit. I felt in love with Gideon, Chase's deaf brother, half-amused half-cringed by Claudia's attitude, and curious about what would happened between Chase, Noah, and Melinda.

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Review: Jane by April Lindner

Title: Jane
Author: April Lindner
Series: None
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
(Goodreads)

Published by: Poppy
Release Date: October 11th 2010
Challenge: 2011 A-Z Reading Challenge 

Summary:

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.

Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers

Review:

When Jane’s parents died, her already dysfunctional family has fallen even more apart. Her vain sister moved in with her fiancé, while her no-good brother disappeared right after selling their house. When the money that Jane’s parents left for her appeared to be worthless, Jane had to drop from school to take the job as the nanny of an infamous rock star’s daughter.

One of the reasons why I read Jane is because the summary says that it’s a ‘forbidden romance’. And if you’ve read some of my reviews, you’ll know that I’m a sucker for forbidden romance. Having an affair with your rock star boss who’s more than 10 years older than you seemed like a forbidden romance to me, so I was really excited to get started on this book.

Jane Moore is a very honest character. I liked that she’s very practical and knows where she stands. She’s not the most confident character, but she’s not insecure either. She thinks she’s not pretty - and it could be true. She’s not exactly proud of her appearance, but she has learned to accept how she looks like. Jane is also a very mature character. It bothered me quite a bit how she’s so matured compared to Nico. Actually, I was bothered by how their age gap wasn’t given emphasis. I was waiting for somebody to point that out, so I was slightly disappointed when nobody did. Like I said, I’m a total sucker for forbidden romance; but how the other characters reacted or did not react (for that matter) on their relationship didn’t scream forbidden to me. They were rather ‘free’ to love each other without being judged by their friends. Nico’s fans did not approve of their relationship. However, this disapproval was short-lived, and did not even become an issue to them. Also, one of the biggest disappointments in this book is that; the Jane and Nico love team did not click. To me, that is. What good is a romance when the couple does not suit each other?

Jane is a very smart girl, so it totally beat me how fast she accepted Nico’s marriage proposal. That was the other thing that totally ruined this book for me. I became so close to banging my head on the wall when she accepted it without second thoughts. The events that transpired after that were even less enthralling. I didn’t buy the mystery that surrounded Nico Rathburn. I think the book would’ve been better if it focused on their relationship and omitted the mystery instead.

I haven’t read Jane Eyre yet, and it would rude to base my opinion on this book to the original one. I’d love to read Jane Eyre some other time, and hopefully, the expectations I had for Jane would be filled by Jane Eyre.

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Review: Jane by April Lindner

Review: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky Is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Series: None
Pages: 272 (Hardcover)
(Goodreads)

Release Date: June 17th 2010
Published by: Walker Books

SUMMARY:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.


This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Review:

I consider this book a cloud of contemporary fluff. The summary promises drama and love triangle, but really, there is no love triangle here; only minor drama that is scattered all throughout the book. I can say I’m grateful that the summary didn’t give justice to the story’s plot. I’m tired of major dramas in contemporary YA, so reading The Sky Is Everywhere was like a breath of fresh air. It didn’t make me bawl my eyes out, but it still moved me close to tears. There’s also this big, big, big possibility that this book will make you swoon and laugh your heart out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lennie’s voice. She was full of humor even at the beginning of the story that at first, I found it hard to believe that this was that book about the girl who was supposed to be mourning for the death of her older sister. There were traces of sadness, but still, the idea seemed a little off because her voice sounded all happy, fun and witty. And then there comes Joe Fontaine – excuse me while I swoon. : ))) The parts where he was in was all so blissful, you’d feel like swooning over him (or become ‘Joelirious’, according to Lennie). Even two weeks after reading the book, I still feel like melting when I think about him. Oh, gosh. Anyway. There’s also Toby Shaw – the supposed-to-be third corner of the triangle. The parts where he was in was all so full of sadness, you’d feel like chucking a handful of sunshine at him. Every time. What he did to Lennie annoyed me a lot – it wasn’t something anyone would approve of, but I think anybody would be able to see where he's coming from as the story progresses..

And then there’s Joe Unfreakingbelievable Fontaine again. Gosh. I’m sorry if this isn’t one of my intellectual reviews (if I actually have one), but I really like that guy. I am so JOELIRIOUS for JOE FONTAINE!! He’s sooo cute, funny, and sweet and he has a 10,000-megawatt smile! He makes me want to scream: ZOMG! JOE FONTAINE IS UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLY HOTNEZZ!! JOELICIOUSLY HOT!! I AM JOELIRIOUS FOR JOE FONTAINE!! *swoons all over again* I’m so cheesy I'm so embarrassed with myself now… *dies*

Moving on. The other characters were extremely fun and likable too: Gram, Big and Sarah. They are a bunch of odd people, but they only added up to how cute and awesome this book is. And by the way, it was Sarah who used the word Unfreakingbelievable when referring to Joe. She also says “Holy yellow horses” and a bunch of other colorful animals as expression. Weird girl.

I totally recommend The Sky Is Everywhere to all young adults. This quick read of a book will leave you feeling fluffy and craving for more Joe Fontaine.

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

The Sky Is Everywhere Trailer:

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About the Author:

Jandy Nelson received a BA from Cornell, an MFA from Brown in poetry, and another MFA from Vermont College in writing for children and young adults. A literary agent for many years, she is also a published poet. The Sky Is Everywhere is her first novel. Jandy lives in San Francisco.





Stalk the Author: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

~Mithee

Review: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson