The Ashford Affair

The Ashford Affair
by Lauren Willig

As a lawyer in a large Manhattan firm, just shy of making partner, Clementine Evans has finally achieved almost everything she’s been working towards—but now she’s not sure it’s enough. Her long hours have led to a broken engagement and, suddenly single at thirty-four, she feels her messy life crumbling around her. But when the family gathers for her grandmother Addie’s ninety-ninth birthday, a relative lets slip hints about a long-buried family secret, leading Clemmie on a journey into the past that could change everything. . . . (Description  from Goodreads.com) 

This standalone from Willig is just as well done as her Pink Carnation series.  Once again the characters felt real and interesting, the romance was tested and then believable when it finally came together, and the settings were gorgeous and palpable.  

In fact, setting-wise this is officially one of my new favorites of Willig's.  I honestly had not known to this point that many of the British Aristocracy traveled to Africa in the 1920's.  I loved learning about their culture in Kenya and found the juxtaposition between the farming and their glamorous parties so amazing. I personally am a little too chicken to go to Africa (I'm sure I'd be some hyena's snack in no time) but I love stories where other people thrive in a place that I wish I could travel.  

I also really enjoyed the way that Clemmie and Addie's stories ended up intertwining as the story progressed.  Both tales individually were great, but I loved how Willig showed Clemmie's outlook on life and love changing because of her view of her grandmother. I was definitely cheering for both Clemmie and John as their relationship changed as he helped Clemmie learn more about her family's past.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library 

Me, Him, Them, and It

Me, Him, Them, and It

by Caela Carter

 

When Evelyn decided to piss off her parents with a bad reputation, she wasn't planning to ruin her valedictorian status. She also wasn't planning to fall for Todd-the guy she was just using for sex. And she definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant. When Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn's not sure where to go. Can a distant mother, a cheating father, an angry best friend, and a (thankfully) loving aunt with adopted daughters of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow? (decsription from Amazon.com)

 

This book was just what I needed to get me out of my mini reading funk.  I think I'd read too many fantasy based book recently, so I knew I needed some good realistic fiction.  Me, Him, Them, and It fit the bill perfectly!

 

Carter depicts a teenage girl who makes a mistake and then must pay the consequences for it.  I really liked how Evelyn was not just some "bad" girl who accidentally winds up pregnant...she is a future valedictorian rebelling against her parents in the worst possible way.  She felt like a hugely well-rounded character to me.  In fact, I loved most of the characters.  They were flawed and realistic and even if some might not have been fully developed, they at least represented a really varied cast of characters.

 

Seeing the confused and scared way that Evie reacts over the nine months felt "real." I couldn't imagine what I would have done in that situation and I thought Carter did an excellent job conveying all the emotional turmoil that erupted in Evie's life.  This is a book that pulls no punches emotionally.  I cried my way through the ending.  Heartbroken, awed, and then optimistically, yet cautiously joyous. 

 

I found myself comparing this book to Holly Cupala's Tell Me a Secret. They both cover an unexpected teen pregnancy in a very realistic and emotionally evocative way. If you liked that one, check this one out...and if you like this one, check out that one next!

 

Full disclosure: eARC received from Netgalley for review

Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal

by Chris Colfer

 

Publication date: November 20, 2012

 

Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.

At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school. (description from Amazon.com)

Funny. Snarky. Oh, and did I mention that if you get the audio book version Chris Colfer narrates? Yes! You heard me right...four hours of Chris reading a hilarious book to YOU. *sigh* It was great.  I loved this book. It felt very authentic, even in its over-the-top moments.   Even as I was snarfing and trying not to laugh out loud, you had to acknowledge the dark moments...

I would definitely recommend this book for high school students and adults just because of the language, but oh, who are we kidding?  With Chris Colfer's name on it and the movie version coming out in regular theaters in January, soon even middle schoolers will be asking for it, LOL. 

A little gem of a book. :)

Oh, and for fun...here's the movie trailer!

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile Magazine

What Happened to Goodbye

What Happened to Goodbye

by Sarah Dessen

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out. (description from Amazon.com) 



Sarah Dessen's books alway make me cry at least a little. They are great summer reads and they are great for any time that you want something that will make you both smile and tear up. They deal with family and relationship issues in such a great way, too.

For example, in What Happened to Goodbye, McLean is dealing with her "issues" following her parents divorce. Rather than move in with her mom and her mom's new husband and twin toddlers, McLean chooses to live with her father...and that means moving from place to place for his job. McLean loves the fact that they move, though, because it gives her the chance to reinvent herself in each place.

When she finds a guy who really seems to get her, though, she finds that she suddenly wants to be "herself" again. Can McLean rediscover who she was or wants to be today?

This book dealt with the fallout of McLean's parents divorce really, really well. What I loved most was that they were a family that finally pulled together in the end...around McLean... when she needed it the most. I loved the restaurant setting and I loved the secondary characters that worked at Luna Blu.

Another great book from Sarah Dessen.

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
(based on idea originally by Siobhan Dowd)

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. (description from Amazon.com)

I really loved this book. Not only was the story great... it's a boy dealing with his grief in an unusual way... but the illustrations were a *perfect* match for the author's tale. This book was dark and haunting, sad and thrilling, dangerous and loving. It was exceeding well done and the fact that it is based from an idea that the late Siobhan Dowd came up with just adds another layer of special to the book.

Well worth checking out! *And have a box of tissues nearby...just in case*