13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson

I just read a FANTASTIC book. It took me less than a day to read it from cover to cover, and I just couldn't put it down.

It's called 13 Little Blue Envelopes and it's by Maureen Johnson. I've never read any of Johnson's books before, though I've certainly seen them around. I was drawn in by the cover - I know, I know, I'm bad - but in this case, it was a good decision on my part!

The story is about Ginny, a girl who just lives life day by day and doesn't take any risks. She receives a letter from her dead Aunt Peg who, years ago, ran away to Europe and only kept in touch through a series of postcards and letters. In the letter, there are 13 smaller, blue envelopes. Peg gives Ginny a challenge, of sorts: open each letter one by one. The first can be opened on the plane, but the rest can only be opened upon successful completion of the previous letter. They must be done in order. There are some rules Ginny has to follow:

* Rule #1:
You may bring only what fits in your backpack. Don't try to fake it with a purse or a carry-on.
* Rule #2:
You may not bring guidebooks, phrase books, or any kind of foreign language aid. And no journals.
* Rule #3:
You cannot bring extra money or credit/debit cards, traveler's checks, etc. I'll take care of all that.
* Rule #4:
No electronic crutches. This means no laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera. You can't call home or communicate with people in the U.S. by Internet or telephone. Postcards and letters are acceptable and encouraged.

And so, Ginny gets on a plane and begins the single most exciting journey of her life. As she travels from country to country, completing the letters, she meets new people and finally starts coming out of her shell.

Now, I'm not going to tell you guys exactly where she goes, or what she does there. That defeats the purpose of the book - you find out, with Ginny, the locations and tasks and have to piece together the mystery surrounding Aunt Peg, and the people she came across in her journeys.

This book is a must-read. It's not paranormal, the kind of book I most like to read, but I found myself getting more into it than most books I've read in a while. One of the best parts of this book (in my opinion) is Keith, a boy she meets early on in London and gets a bit of a crush on. Keith is funny, smart, but also a bit messed up in his own way. Johnson nailed the accent on him, too - as I read, I heard his voice talking with an accent in my head! I've read some criticisms about Keith, with people saying that they didn't like the way he acted, and thought he could have been better written. I don't think so - yes, he has flaws, but doesn't everyone? I was actually a fan of him; he wasn't perfect, and he didn't treat Ginny perfectly all the time, but guys aren't perfect. I actually think that Johnson did a good job making him feel like a real person.

The only downside to this book, really, was the inclusion of a group of Australians later on in the book. I found that they didn't really do much to push the story along, were added in very quickly, and weren't that interesting. Had Johnson spent more time developing these characters I might have liked them, but I felt like they were kind of one-dimensional (filler, in a way).

If you can get past the fact that the story is about a girl who, at 17, is allowed to go off to Europe on her own (it happens all the time here, but we finish high school while we're 17) then I highly suggest you read this one.

I'm so excited that there's going to be a sequel - it comes out April 26th! Be sure to pick this one up now and read it before the next one comes out! :)

SCORE: 9/10
IF YOU LIKE: Paper Towns (John Green), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Rachel Cohn)

Prey - Lurlene McDaniel

Lurlene McDaniel is mostly known for her teen books about tragedy and recovery. I'm not talking Romeo and Juliet, but rather sick teenagers, tragic accidents, and the healing that follows these sort of events. I've read a few of Lurlene's books in the past, mostly when I was younger, but eventually outgrew them. She's good at what she does, but never really seems to deviate from the inspirational teen genre.

That's why I was so shocked to see Prey on the shelf at the bookstore. This story is one completely ripped from today's headlines; the taboo relationship between a student and a teacher. You hear more and more about situations like this one on the news these days, and the news always paints the teacher as the seducer, or the predator.

McDaniel's novel takes this to a whole other level by speaking entirely in first person throughout the story, with chapters alternating between the three main characters: Lori, the teacher; Ryan, the student; Honey, Ryan's friend who harbors a crush on him. Lori, from the start of the book, pinpoints Ryan and says that she knows he will be the One. Ryan, on the other hand, thinks that his new teacher is gorgeous and wants to get to know her better.

As their relationship progresses, it gets harder to tell who seducing who. Both Lori and Ryan try desperately to impress one another, and while the blame should be put on Lori, as she is the adult, it is just as much Ryan's fault that they are doing what they are doing. The sex scenes are handled well, with activities being implied, but never explicitly described. Most readers should be able to know exactly what's happening during these parts, but for those of you who don't: they have sex. Multiple times. And it's consensual (even though Ryan is 15 at the beginning of the book).

The story plays out pretty much the way you would assume it does: Lori does get caught, and goes to jail for a small amount of time before her and Ryan get back together. The true draw to this book lies in the psychology behind the actions, the way the characters think and reason. I very much disliked the character of Lori; I'm not sure anyone would like her. However, I thought she was well written, and I enjoyed reading her view on what was happening. Ryan, on the other hand, did not sound like a 15/16 year old to me. My youngest sister is that age, and she would never think the way that he did. His voice seems like that of an older teen, 17-18, or possibly even a young adult. I know it must be hard to write as a 15 year old boy, but his character didn't seem realistic to me.

Honey, on the other hand, is a whole other story. While her voice is fine - she speaks and thinks exactly like a girl her age should - I felt that her parts were added in only to progress the story later on in the book. While she was indeed the catalyst that brought on the climax of the book, her earlier scenes didn't seem that important; I felt like they were only there so that her inclusion later on in the novel wouldn't be as random. There wasn't much depth to her character, or the character of Ryan.

While this was not an amazing book, I think Lurlene did a good job with the subject. It's hard to write about something like this, and I commend her for leaving her comfort zone and writing about something unfamiliar to her. While I wouldn't read this one again, I certainly read through it fast, and found myself wondering about what would happen to the characters.

SCORE: 6/10
IF YOU LIKE: Go Ask Alice (Anonymous), The Face on the Milk Carton (Caroline B. Cooney)

Tighter - Adele Griffin

From the first page, we are introduced to Jamie, a girl who is being sent off to work as an au pair on a small, secluded New England island. The island is mostly off the map to everyone except the locals, and a handful of 'lifers' who come every year to vacation in their summer homes. Jamie is put in charge of Isa, an 11 year old girl with a wild imagination and an unconventional family. Isa lives alone with Connie, her housekeeper, while her father is away in Hong Kong.

Soon after Jamie settles in, Milo, Isa's trouble making brother (who, at 14 years old, is gorgeous and totally off-limits) arrives after being kicked out of summer camp. While Isa loves Miles, the town and Connie all seem to be very against him being on the island.

Jamie quickly learns about the previous au pair and her boyfriend, and the tragedy that happened on the island last year. Jessie, Isa's old babysitter, was killed in an accident with her boyfriend, Peter. The town is very reluctant to talk about what happened, making Jamie more curious as to what happened. Jamie becomes more and more consumed by the deaths and the mystery surrounding them as she begins to see the dead couple around the island. This is not new to Jamie - she has been seeing her dead relatives, Hank and Uncle Jim, for a while now. While she is not sure why they are coming to her, or what they want, she has resorted to stealing pills from her family's medicine cabinet to make them go away.

Part ghost story and part psychological thriller, this book was fantastic from beginning to end. The whole thing played out very much like a movie, and reminded me quite a bit (in terms of tone, not story) of the movie The Others. The story kept you guessing right until the very end, and was loaded with twists and turns that caught you off-guard.

I especially liked the character of Jamie. She is not your typical cookie-cutter heroine - she has problems, like everyone else. She struggles with events from her past and the reality of her future throughout the book, and speaks in a very real voice. It is hard to tell what is real and what isn't for Jamie, as the pills she takes skew her vision of the world and the events that are happening. The fact that the main character is unsure of what is actually real throughout the book makes it all the more disturbing and unsettling for the reader. How can we draw conclusions about the outcome of the book if the heroine herself can't fully tell us what is happening? I thought this was a fantastic way to write the book; I was creating theories and making guesses right until the very end.

One thing I particularly liked was the ending. Looking back on the book now, there are so many little hints about what is coming at the end that just went right over my head when I read them. This book definitely merits a reread - I feel like I'll discover more clues and foreshadowing as I go through it. The twist at the end of this is definitely on par with the ending of The Sixth Sense and The Others in my mind, which is great!

This book is not out for the general public yet (it only comes out in May) but I do hope it gets the recognition it deserves. It was a fantastic YA novel, and I will definitely be singing praises about this one for a long time!

One thing to note: this book is partially based on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, a novella from 1898. While I have not read the original (I certainly will if I can get my hands on it, though!) I've skimmed over the summary. It's not exactly the same - the story is similar at the start, but then Griffin takes the story to a whole new level and makes it her own. Since this is a modern retelling, with a different story at its core, the reader will get the same experience whether they've read the original or not.

SCORE: 8.8/10
IF YOU LIKE: The Turn of the Screw (Henry James), Ruined (Paula Morris)

A Shore Thing - Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

I borrowed this book from work (when you work at my store, you're allowed taking books home for 2 weeks. How cool is that?) a while back. I picked it up for one obvious reason: it's written by Snooki! I've never actually seen Jersey Shore, except for the first half of the first episode, which I had to shut off. I've followed Snooki in the tabloids, though, so I'm pretty familiar with her escapades. I decided to read this book for a laugh, thinking it would be the absolute biggest piece of trash I've ever set eyes on.

I was right, for a while. The first page introduces the main character, Gia, who pretty much looks exactly like Snooki. Gia is in the process of getting her signature poof up for a night out. Gia and her cousin, Bella, are spending time at the Jersey shore this summer. They're ready to spend the summer partying and meeting boys. Gia wants to meet a nice gorilla juicehead (read: large Italian man on steroids), and Bella is looking to get over her last boyfriend.

They hit Seaside Heights like a hurricane, causing destruction and chaos wherever they go. They get into completely ridiculous situations, from "rescuing" a shark on the beach and setting a building on fire, to getting involved with a boy who's up to no good and his equally slimy best friend. They also run into some of Gia's old jealous classmates, who are out to ruin her summer (and her life). Honestly, it seemed like there was never a dull moment for Bella and Gia.

Of course, each girl ends up finding a guy during the course of the book - Gia with Frank, a fireman, and Bella with her employer, the manager of a gym. Each couple runs into many problems during their relationship, breaking up or fighting in almost every chapter.

Each chapter plays out like an episode of Jersey Shore, making the whole book like watching a whole season. This made for very interesting reading. It's not a fantastic piece of literature, or anything, but I found it difficult to put the book down at times.

I did find this book slow to read, though. Normally I'm a very fast reader, and I'm able to knock back a book (or two or three) in a day. I took over a week to finish this book. It's not because the language is too complicated (ha!) or even that the story dragged. My guess is since there's SO MUCH information in this book, and so much drama, my brain just took longer to process it.

Snooki definitely put a lot of herself in this book, and I could picture her saying everything as I read it. She did write this with the help of a ghostwriter, but based on the writing itself I think they only helped her to get her ideas onto paper. This book is all Snooki. It's no Jane Eyre, but it's funny, and I was definitely rooting for Gia and Bella, as annoying as they were at points.

Not bad for a first time author, at all. I was pleasantly surprised with this one! Wait for the paperback this summer or borrow it from the library, but don't avoid this just because it's Snooki! Perfect for a trashy beach read this summer - it's like being in Seaside Heights without actually having to go there and deal with the guidos/guidettes :)

SCORE: 7/10
IF YOU LIKE: L.A. Candy (Lauren Conrad), The Rules According to JWoww (Jenni Farley)

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

I received this book at work months and months ago, before it came out. That's one of the perks of working at a bookstore - you get Advance Reader Copies (ARCs, as they'll be known on here!). They're always uncorrected proofs, so there are occasionally typos or mistakes, and the cover is not always the final one (as it was in this case). However, it's a free book, an EARLY book, and I would never turn down something like that!

So, let's get cracking. The premise of this book was certainly an interesting one - not one I'm sure I'd ever seen done before. I would consider it to be teen science fiction; it's not paranormal, but it is certainly not your average story. Without giving too much away, here's the basic plot:

Lena lives in a world where love is a disease, and has a cure. When someone nears their 18th birthday, they have to have an interview to help them find a potential mate for the future. After this is done, as soon as their birthday happens, they go in for surgery to 'correct' the disease. People then either go to college, if they're smart enough, or go directly to their new life with their new spouse. 'Cured' people all bear a similar scar from the surgery, and go through life without ever experiencing love. Life is considerably boring for these people, but once the surgery's been done, they see their lives as happy and fulfilling.

Those who are not fixed by the surgery either die, or live in "The Wilds". The Wilds are barren, destroyed, and - according to the government - nonexistent. They are kept out of the rest of the USA by electric fences, meant to keep out both their disease and their ideas.

Lena, however, does the unthinkable right before her birthday... she falls in love with a boy from the Wilds. Hiding their romance is hard as they are constantly surveillanced, and as Lena gets to know the boy, Alex, she begins to question the surgery, her ideas, and her government.

I won't lie - it was a bit slow at the beginning. I knew from the back of the book that Lena would meet a boy, and I spent the first bit of the book waiting for it. Once it finally introduced him, the book took its time creating the romance between Lena and Alex. Once it got started, however, it was SO worth it. The book picked up and I found myself so caught up in it that I didn't sleep one night! The characters were well written, though I wish the character of Hana would have been in it a bit more; she was a main character at the beginning, but then disappeared and didn't come back until the end of the book. I guess this is what the sequels will be for, though! Alex had a fantastic personality, and I was glad to see that he had a back story and real motives, unlike many male characters.

I'm looking forward to reading the following two books in this series. I wish they were out now... I'm not sure I can wait for them! In the meantime, I think I'll pick up Oliver's previous work, Before I Fall.

SCORE: 9/10
IF YOU LIKE: Matched (Ally Condie), Gone (Michael Grant), Uglies (Scott Westerfeld)