Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines, drawing comics and feeling invisible. She’s desperate for soccer star Mark to notice her. And when her BFF texts Mark a photo of Blaze in sexy lingerie, it definitely gets his attention. After a hot date in the back of her minivan, Blaze is flying high, but suddenly Mark’s feelings seem to have been blasted by a freeze-ray gun, and he dumps her. Blaze gets her revenge by posting a comic strip featuring uber-villain Mark the Shark. Mark then retaliates by posting her “sext” photo, and, overnight, Blaze goes from Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut. That life on the sidelines is looking pretty good right about now…

Blaze has a crush on soccer superstar Mark and she’s finally decided to make him notice her. Blaze ignores continual warnings about Mark’s dating past and welcomes his attention. But when that attention starts to fade, Blaze’s friend jokingly sends Mark a picture of Blaze in nothing but lingerie. Not surprisingly, Mark is a huge fan, but after their next date, Mark is done with Blaze. Feeling betrayed, Blaze writes and publishes a comic starring Mark the Shark as the villain. Embarrassed and angry, Mark retaliates by going public with Blaze’s sexy picture. Now, everyone is judging Blaze, calling her names behind her back and to her face. And Blaze would give anything to travel back in time.

Blaze is not at all what I expected. I expected a more comic book-driven/hero vs villain style story. My favorite parts in the story are, without a doubt, the specific references to comics and the world of comic books that Blaze throws herself into. I appreciate her talent and creativity when it comes to writing her own comics. These are the strongest parts of the book, for me.

My problem with Blaze, though, is that I find most of it entirely unrealistic. The first few chapters are fun, promising, and engaging. The game of “Cows” is a cute quirk that I want to play myself. I’m on-board all the way up until Blaze dates Mark. But afterward…first, I can’t see a guy like Mark getting that upset and embarrassed over Blaze’s comic. He’s an asshole and he knows it, so I think he’d be willing to cut Blaze a little slack. Plus, the comic means he gets attention. I can’t imagine that a egotist like Mark doesn’t appreciate attention, even if it’s negative.

Second, there’s the whole issue of the “sext.” Racy pics like these constitute as child pornography. End of story. Our generation is well aware of this and I can’t see Mark justifying seriously breaking the law in order to exact a bit of revenge. But even if he did-consequences be damned!-Blaze (or, you know, anyone in the entire school) could immediately go to the police and have the picture taken down. Ok, fine, maybe she’s too afraid to bring it up to her mom and doesn’t want to involve the police. But the school finds out. Including the principal. At this point, this “sext” would be a major issue. And yet everyone’s fine with treating the incident as a minor case of bullying. No. Just, no.

Third, the way the student body suddenly turns on Blaze rings as completely unbelievable to me. Whispers behind backs, judgments, some catty behavior. All that, I’d believe. But the random students coming up to Blaze just to insult/threaten/shame her? Students that don’t know Blaze or Mark? I’m sorry, but I find that very hard to swallow. Perhaps I just got lucky in high school and this is the way students at every other high school in the world act. But at my school, a group of people would never so openly haze and bully a person they don’t know. And if something like this were to occur, someone would definitely get involved, be it another student, a teacher, or an administrative official.

Last, I had a problem with the secondary characters; they lack depth and development. Blaze’s best friends are catty, shallow, and disloyal. It’s hard to understand the intense attraction to Mark. What are his good qualities, again? Comic Book Guy is woefully, abysmally underdeveloped. As one of the only positive characters in the novel, I feel like he deserves way more attention and a solid conclusion. Blaze’s relationship with her father feels unfulfilled. The only well-developed secondary characters are Blaze’s little brother and his friends. They deliver laughs and a warm, fuzzy feeling.

I’m not a huge fan of the ending. Again, I find the logistics unrealistic. It is near-impossible to get into Comic-Con at the last minute. I mean, I love the idea of Blaze going to Comic-Con. I think it’s a great, fun setting to play around with. But I don’t believe that Blaze (or her brother and co.) could get in so easily. However, I do love Josh’s heroism. He steals the show and gives the ending a bit of a boost. The very end lacks resolution for Blaze and her life from here-on-out, unfortunately. I am left feeling dissatisfied with the book. That being said, it is a light, quick read with a lot of fun elements. The first half of the book is definitely enjoyable and the comic allusions aren’t hardcore enough to go over anyone’s head.

Pages: 320
Publication Date: April 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: NetGalley
Rating :

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile…

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

 

As many of you know by now, I run away from contemporary novels. It is no secret that I prefer werewolves and vampires over the reality of the world. I find it difficult to sink myself into a good contemporary book. Is it from fear or disinterest? Who knows. But I have made it my mission of 2013 to read more contemporary pieces. Last year, I fell in love with Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols and Tilt by Ellen Hopkins. After reading those, I knew that contemporary might just be my new obsession.

Hooked is a romantic story about a Native American girl named Fred who has off the charts amazing golf skills. The coach of her high school’s boy’s golf team notices her skills and immediately kicks the weakest link, Seth, off of his golf team and replaces him with Fred. Being torn between loving golf and fearing the hostility that she may experience from the rest of the guys on the team, Fred really doesn’t know how to view this new opportunity. What she does know is that this could be her opportunity to actually get into college. The first Oday that would ever happen to. So she sets her mind to try and ignore the rest of her team and try and have a good time. If only it were that simple.

Ryan is a white, rich kid who just happens to be on the golf team with Fred. He also happens to be Seth’s best friend. And what does Ryan do when he discovers that a girl took his best friends spot on the all boys golf team? He seeks revenge. Unfortunately, Seth has bigger plans for Fred.

Soon enough, Fred and Ryan start to form a bond that neither truly understand. They have these feelings for one another, but they also know that neither would ever be accepted by their friends and families. Join Fred and Ryan on their adventures through golf, betrayal, racism, love and acceptance.

 

I found Hooked to be such a sweet romance story. There were times that I found it difficult to tear my eyes off the page. I simply wanted to read more about these two characters who were finally learning to let judgment go and to follow their hearts. I instantly fell in love with Fred’s character. She was spunky and went after what she want, but, at the same time, she was quiet and fearful of the people who considered themselves to be better than her. I loved her from the instant that she was introduced, and I found myself wanting to defend her so many times. She was such an inspiring character to read about. I simply loved her.

It took me a little longer to like Ryan’s character, because I found him to be an arrogant asshole. It is just common sense not to bully or pick on people because they celebrate a different culture or have a different skin color. Being white or white and rich does not make you a better person. It really doesn’t. So what if you’re white? Good for you. I am too. Someone could be blue, purple, pink or orange, and I would still consider them an equal unless they gave me reason not to. It didn’t matter that Ryan wasn’t 100% bullying Fred himself. What mattered was that he wasn’t stopping his friends from doing so. Sitting back and watching the bullying take place is just the same as doing the bullying.

I loved that this book was about sports! I love sports. I’m the crazy person you will see on football Sunday, screaming bloody murder at my television. I get so worked up that I STILL can rant over the Steelers cheating their way through that damn superbowl. The Seahawks deserved that game. You obviously know who my team is. I’ve never really followed golf. It’s more of a boring sport for me, but I really enjoyed reading about it. I didn’t really understand all the golf terms, but that was ok! Liz Fichera let me know who won each time and that was all that really mattered. I really loved the sports theme, and I hope to see more of that in the future.

On a negative note, I do wish that there would have been more romance throughout the story. It was adorable to watch their romantic hesitation throughout the story, but I wanted more. I wanted to witness that moment where sparks flew and the romance glued itself together. That didn’t really happen for me, but I did really enjoy the story. I also didn’t like how Fred went into a sort of depression when things between her and Ryan went sour. Not being able to eat and sleep over a guy really bothers me. Don’t get me wrong, I like guys to, but I’m not going to harm my mind or my body over them. I’m way more important than that, and I wished Fred would have also realized that.

Now let’s talk about Seth and Gwen, my two least favorite characters. It was hard for me reading about these two characters. Not only did I hate them with an extreme passion, but I wanted to see them acknowledge how horrible and racist they were being toward Fred and Native American’s in general. I had to keep telling myself, though, that that was not realistic. Once a racist, always a racist. It would have been unrealistic for Seth and Gwen to become buddy buddy with Fred and admit all their wrong doings, so I am glad that that didn’t happen. But I hated them.

The topic of racism was a little difficult for me to read about, because I already get so aggressive over people who admit to having racist feelings. I simply do not put up with it. Skin color does not a person make, and I have no patience for people who think they are better than everyone else due to their skin color. I thought it was very brave of Liz Fichera for introducing this to the YA genre, and I really hope everyone goes out and picks up this book.

I believe that the next book is about Riley and Sam which makes me SO EXCITED! I loved both of them in Hooked, and I cannot wait to read more about them. SO EXCITED! Make sure you guys read this one! Really good!

Pages: 368

Publication Date: January 31st, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote:“I looked back at Ryan, a dozen new questions filling my brain, then down at our hands, then back into his eyes. Confusion. Frustration. Pure agony. Ryan’s gaze met mine. He didn’t release our hands. My breathing stopped. I needed water but didn’t - couldn’t - slip my hand away from Ryan’s, even though I knew with every brain cell that I should.”

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

Chelsea has always been told that her mom died when she was very young. One night she finds a letter from her mother telling her otherwise, so Chelsea sets out on a mission to discover the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. This is how she ends up in New York at the club that her mother grew up in along with the mysterious Hence. Turns out, Hence is Chelsea’s mom’s old boyfriend and one true love. Together, they must find out what happened to Chelsea’s mom.

Catherine has grown up in the music scene for as long as she can remember. Her dad’s the owner of a famous club, and she’s on the right track to Harvard. But things start to change when Catherine meets Hence, the boy without money or a place to stay. Convincing her father to let Hence stay in their basement, they slowly begin to develop feelings for one another. But their relationship gets rocky and their love gets put to the test. Will their pride tear them apart or will they make it last?

 

I instantly fell madly in love with Catherine by April Lindner. The words, plot, character….everything…they were all so gorgeous. I devoured the book in a little over a day, and I was depressed towards the beginning that it was going to end soon. I especially loved Catherine and Hence. What a gorgeous couple! I wish that the book would have eliminated Chelsea’s section and just focused on the romance between Catherine and Hence, because their relationship was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced.

It was interesting to read about Chelsea’s POV. For awhile, I really didn’t know what happened to Catherine, and it was cool reading about Chelsea play detective. Again, though, I wish that she hadn’t existed. I wanted to read about Catherine and Hence, and I found myself wanting to fast forward through Chelsea’s sections.

I want to point out that I have not read Wuthering Heights before, so I have no idea what happens at the end of it. I’ve heard positive and negative things about it. One thing I’ve heard is that the main male character plays a very domineering male, which is something that I am not interested in reading about. But let me tell you, if the ending of Wuthering Heights is ANYTHING like the ending of Catherine, I will never ever ever ever EVER read it!

The ending of Catherine upset me so much that it dropped from a 5 star to a 2 star in less than five minutes. I finished the book the night before I’m writing this review and my emotions are all over the place. I’m angry, sad, and devastated. I had guessed what had happened to Catherine and everything that surrounded her mysterious disappearance long before the ending, but I thought it was some sick joke when Lindner put it to action. I wanted to see romance between Catherine and Hence, I didn’t want to see her completely ruin her story and her character.

As I’m writing this, I’m trying to give as little away as possible because the ending was so intense and upset me so much. I do want to say that I will never read this book again. Not only that, but I didn’t even finish the book. After what she did at the end, I didn’t even care about the last few chapters. I skimmed them and turned off my laptop. I was not impressed.

I honestly felt a little violated, actually. I invested so much time and energy into that book. I fell in love with it and considered it one of my favorite books of the year. I cannot recommend this book, because I know that the ending will devastate other readers. Some might say that the ending was romantic, but I would disagree. It wasn’t romantic…it was sick! No. I am really disappointed with Catherine, and I will not be reading it again in the future.

People who loved Wuthering Heights might enjoy this book..I really don’t know. But as someone who has not read Wuthering Heights, I was really crushed by what was done to the book. I want my contemporary to have a romance that will last. And when the romance is so beautiful, I don’t want it to be messed with. So, I wouldn’t really know how to recommend this book even if I wanted to. I guess if you loved Wuthering Heights, give it a shot. But if you didn’t read Wuthering Heights, stay far, far away.

Pages: 320

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 2nd, 2013

Rating: :