The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

It. Was. Amazing. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book, except that I wish it could have gone on forever.

I loved the characters, Bianca, Wesley, Casey. They were all amazing. Well rounded with real teen problems, everything you want in your characters. The plot? Well that was amazing too. I loved the idea of a girl using a guy she absolutely hates to escape her problems, sure it's shallow but it's totally fun, with some real emotions brought up through-out
I found this book really enjoyable, some people might not like the way Bianca was so negative or how Wesley was just a player. But i thought that made them more real, neither of them was perfect like some authors like to make their characters out to be.
READ IT!

Plot: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Character: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

the Oracle of Dating by Allison Van Diepen

For five bucks, the Oracle of Dating will tell you:
* How to flirt
* If that cute guy you're crushing on likes you, too
* Whether your new romance will last through lunch period
* And much more
What she won't tell you? Who she is.
No one at Kayla's school knows she's the famous Oracle of Dating— the anonymous queen of dating advice. She doesn't even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make Kayla focus on everyone else's love life.
But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating—and she knows just where to find one….

Oh how I enjoyed this book. I was sad, happy, laughing, even waving my hands in the air at one point. What can I say? I'm a sucker for teen romance novels.

Kayla and Jared. I loved them. Their relationship was totally one you would find in high school. I liked that their relationship didn't just come together, they both had to actually work a little bit, it made for a fun read.
I loved Kayla's friends. I wish we could have seen more of them, they were very fun. The kind of friends that every girl would want to have. Just like Kayla's sister, who wouldn't want a sister/ best friend just like that? I know I would.

Let's just say I can't wait to read the next book!

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Ending: 4/5

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme where you share a couple of sentences from the book your reading. My teaser this week is from The Duff by Kody Keplinger.

" He was wearing a tight black T-shirt that, while not really appropriate for the frigid temperatures of early February, showed off his perfect muscular arms. Arms that had twined around me... arms that had helped erase my stress..."

Hope you enjoyed it! Have a great Tuesday :)

Belle: a retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Cameron Dokey

Belle is convinced she has the wrong name, as she lacks her sisters' awe-inspiring beauty. So she withdraws from society, devoting her time to wood carving. Secretly, Belle longs to find the fabled Heartwood Tree. If carved by the right hands, the Heartwood will reveal the face of one's true love.
During a fierce storm, Belle's father stumbles upon the mysterious Heartwood -- and encounters a terrifying and lonely Beast. Now Belle must carve the Heartwood to save her father, and learn to see not with the eyes of her mind, but with the eyes of her heart.

This book is part of the Once Upon a Time series, which consists of retellings of different fairy tales. I have to say, I'm a fan.

I loved this book. I loved it. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, so I was very excited to read this book. I wasn't disappointed.

Belle was a great character. She was both smart and self-deprecating. The way she accepted that she wasn't as beautiful as her sisters was heart-breaking and refreshing at the same time. You always read about the girls who hate themselves because they're to plain, but Belle wasn't like that.

I loved all of the other characters too. April and Celeste were the perfect mix of slightly snobby and kind, and the beast, oh how I loved him! Although the actual section of the book that contained the beast was rather short it was still fantastic. The only complaint that I would have would be to make that part longer, so we can really see Belle and the Beast fall in love.

Definitely a book you'll want to read if you like fantasy's, strong heroines, or just want a new take on an old tale.

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Ending: 3/5

How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro

At 17, Kate Delvecchio has one goal in life: to become a millionaire before the age of 20. And as far as she’s concerned, college will only slow her down. Unfortunately for Kate, the one thing her parents do agree on is that they totally disagree with her strategy. And so the deal is born. If Kate can raise five thousand big ones by graduation day, her parents will hand over the balance of her college account to invest as she pleases. No college, no degree, and no way she’ll ever be able to pull it off. But when Kate accidentally agrees to go to the sports banquet with the hottest guy at school, she stumbles upon a possible cash cow. The rest of the junior class is amazed that no-nonsense Kate could hook such a hottie, and one by one they approach her for help hooking their own. She doesn’t know anything about getting guys, but for $100 a pop, she’s more than willing to invent a six-step plan for How to Hook a Hottie. And how could that possibly backfire?

I liked this book, but i didn't love it. It had a good main character and a decent plot but I just didn't really get into it.

I really liked Kate as a main character. She was sassy and fun but seemed really driven, and I never found myself getting annoyed with her, as I sometimes do with other characters. However I sometimes found her drive two-dimensional. I wish we could have gotten more of a history behind her mother leaving and her friendship with Dal, that would have really added a lot to the story for me.

I also felt like the business was just far - fetched. It seemed like one minute she was helping a friend and the next everyone wanted help. I wish there would have been a more steady lead up to Kate getting customers.

An easy read, with a decent romance and some good lessons about family and self.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 2/5
Ending: 3/5

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

 
Ai Ling can see into other people's minds and reach into their spirits. But she doesn't know why this power has awakened inside her. She only knows that it is growing. It leads her on an epic journey—one that brings her to the edge of the deepest evil.
Chen Yong has a quest of his own, but then his path crosses Ai Ling's. And there's a connection so strong that neither can ignore it.
Now they must face terrifying demons determined to kill them, and battle through treacherous lands. It is their destiny. But can destiny keep them together?

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the characters and the plot, but I'm not sure if I liked the pacing of it.

Ai Ling was a great character to read about, she was really easy to relate to, at least for me, and I loved her "I can do anything a man can do" girl power attitude. I just wish there had been more chemistry between her and Chen Yong, at times I felt like they were only meant to be friends, so I hope that we get more romantic feelings between them in the next book.

The thing that really bothered me about this book was how fast it seemed to go. It was like one minute Ai Ling and Chen Yong met and then the next they had been friends forever, and I felt like we never really got time to see Ai Lings point of view on things because she was already in the next situation. Needless to say this book had plenty of action.

But even though it had its flaws I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the Asian culture was incorporated into the novel. Not necessarily a historical fiction novel but more of a fantasy with a historical fiction twist added in.

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Ending: 3/5

Vanished by Kate Brian

Lost and found...
Against all odds, Reed Brennan re-established Billings as an underground literary society. She and the new initiates created a glamorous secret headquarters and were ready to show Easton Academy that even though Billings House is gone, the Billings Girls are stronger than ever. But before Reed had a chance to revel in her success, something horrible happened:
Noelle disappeared.
Now Reed has no idea who wants to hurt Noelle or why, but it's up to Reed to save her. As the clues build up, the clock ticks down, and Reed fears that unless she finds Noelle soon, she'll lose her friend forever....

Vanished is book number 12 in the private series, and i have to say that i haven't lost interest since the first book, which is surprising since sometimes books like this tend to get old after awhile.

One thing I love about these books is the constant twists. However I'm not sure if I really liked the twist at the end of this book, it seems....... kind of out there, especially since I always thought that this was more of a contemporary fiction series, not a fantasy. But I have to say that I am really looking forward to the private prequel and the next private book that's coming out, I think it's going to be one of the last ones. Then I'll have to find another boarding school series to read *sob*.

Ending: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3/5