“Ari Mitchell feels invisible at her Brooklyn high school. Her hair is too flat, her style too preppy, and her personality too quiet. And outside school, Ari feels outshined by her beautiful, confident best friend, Summer. Their friendship is as complex and confusing as Ari’s relationship with her troubled older sister, Evelyn, a former teenage mom whose handsome firefighter husband fills Ari’s head with guilty fantasies.

When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York – and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn’t think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship.

Ari’s  family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. Meanwhile, Summer warns her that what she feels for Blake is just an infatuation. No real love. But Ari’s world is awash with new colors, filled with a freshness and an excitement she hasn’t felt in years.”

———–

For this review, we’re doing things a little differently. Never has a debut novel been so sought after by almost every member of the yaReads team and had us all in a flutter, so it seems fitting that we bring you a joint review of Lorraine Zago Rosenthal’s Other Words For Love.

Ivy: Holy Guacamole!  Two days after, I’m still thinking about Other Words for Love.  It was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  For an urban fantasy lover like me, it’s a breath of fresh air to have read something as real and believable as this book.  It could be your sister, friend, or neighbor’s story.

This is an easy 5 stars.  Outstanding debut Ms. Rosenthal!

Rating: :

Kiona: Other Words for Love is an emotional roller-coaster. Throughout the book, my opinion of Ariadne was ever-changing. In the beginning, I like her. She’s the relatable underdog: a pretty girl often overlooked due to the beauty of her best friend. She’s a hard worker, gets good grades, and is passionate about art. She also pretty much takes care of her out-of-control older sister’s son, which is very altruistic of her considering her sister, Evelyn, treats her like crap. I admire Ari’s inner-strength and ability to look past others’ flaws.

But then she meets Blake and he essentially eclipses the sun of Ari’s world. To me, Blake is a decent enough guy, but I was annoyed by his constant use of the word, “ nice” Anytime she considers doing something he doesn’t like, he makes her feel guilty by saying, “That wouldn’t be nice”. And while Ari is blinded by love, it’s easy to see how much control Blake’s father has over Blake’s life, which just shows how weak Blake is. I understand that that’s the point Rosenthal is trying to convey – that Blake isn’t actually the picture-perfect guy Ari thinks he is. Love interests don’t have to be likable for a story to be likable. But I was disappointed in Ari – who is such a smart girl – for not being able to recognize the signs of Blake’s imperfection and weakness. So halfway through the book, I began liking her less and less.

The middle is also when the story stops being relatable. I lost all respect for Ari when she dropped her friends and focused her entire world around Blake. I know first loves can be all-consuming, but Ari doesn’t have a particularly thriving social life. Yet she still drops Summer, a friend since childhood, and Leigh, a girl who could really use a friend, and she never really repairs these friendships. When Blake dumps her, Ari stops caring about school, her appearance, her nephews, SATs, and even considers suicide. While I’ll admit this happens to some girls, I definitely don’t feel like that it’s the norm. I had to put this book down several times so I could collect my emotions. While I admire that the author can illicit such emotions, I think she did so at the cost of alienating the reader from the protagonist. The ending makes me feel slightly better, but it’s not enough to redeem Ariadne in my eyes.

That being said, I think the writing is superb and Rosenthal clearly knows New York City very well. The descriptions of the city sound genuine and really ground Other Words for Love in the specific time period Rosenthal chose (1980s). I really enjoyed the detailed glimpse in the city and Rosenthal’s exploration of a dysfunctional family is very intriguing. I definitely enjoyed the psychological aspects of this novel, but while I think this is an interesting take on first love, I don’t think it’s a story many girls will be able to relate to.

Rating: :

Christina:  There are so many different ways to promote books these days. The one way that I completely trust is when everyone (with nothing to gain for doing so) is buzzing about a book as enthusiastically as they were for Other Words For Love. So I’m with Ivy on this one – I completely loved it.

The characters in this book were incredible. Each character was unique, so well fleshed out and had these realistic personalities with both virtues and flaws. Some characters you’ll completely hate and others you’ll grow to understand. Some of them were even quite cruel at times like Evelyn and Summer, who would say certain things that would make me go – GAAAAAASPPPPPPPPPPP! OHHHHH, she did not just say that!  I wanted to dive into the pages, step beside Ari and serve them a swift kick to head for how they acted. This just goes to show how invested you become in these characters and Ari’s story.

What really hit me was just how authentic I felt the emotions expressed in the book were. Everything Ari felt, from her elation at being with Blake, to her eventual heartbreak just felt so so real. Her feelings in the end might seem dramatic but if you’ve ever been heartbroken that’s exactly what it’s like – the colors fade to gray, food seems pointless and you’re stuck in a rut you don’t bother to get out of. I loved how the way Ari felt meant that she perceived the statue of Saint Anne differently – it was very clever and so true.

The part that particular struck me the most me while Ari’s world was falling apart, she felt like all the hard work she’d done up to that point, not just in school but in life, had counted for nothing because of a slip up right at the finish line. For me that was the part where I raised my hand and said “Oh I have been there” Which I think a lot of girls will feel the same about quite a few sections of the book.

If there was a flaw in this book I can only say it was the blurb – it gives too much away. I’ve omitted the last paragraph of the blurb in this review because it basically gives half the story away and I was able to have a good guess about what would happen in the rest. BUT! Despite that, the story’s execution was superb and even though I’d already been told what would happen it didn’t make it any less interesting or heartbreaking or amazing, which proves just how great this book is.

Ari’s life in New York in the 1980s was completely fascinating to read about, in particular to note what has changed and what is still the same. Even after finishing it I couldn’t stop thinking about this story for days after. I was so proud of Ari and what she managed to accomplish in the end, her experiences made her so much stronger. Sign me up for every thing Lorraine Zago Rosenthal writes next. Highly, highly, highly, recommend it.

Rating: :

Two out of the three of us loved it, the other, not quite feeling it. Which side of the fence are you on?

Pages: 354
Publication Date: January 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Challenge: Historical Fiction/Debut Author
Average Rating: :

Teaser Quote: “I was looking out the window, checking for neighbors and hoping to give them something to see, when I felt Blake’s hand on my chin. I looked at him, at his straight nose and his perfectly carved lips, and felt his finger move back and forth on my skin. Don’t ask me, I thought. Just do it.”

“Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful Étienne has it all…including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long awaited French kiss?”

For ages all I ever heard was about this book was mostly OMG SO GOOD, LOVED IT!!! or BEST BOOK EVER. And always in caps lock. After the 100^th tweet of that nature, I thought, alright time to bump it up on my TBR pile, this one’s next.

When Anna’s fake tanned, bleached teeth, Nicholas Sparks-esque father ships her off to the School of America in Paris, a French boarding school, she is less than impressed. With no more than oui and crepe in her French vocabulary it’s safe to say she was in over her head.

Fortunately, right after her arrival she meets Meredith and is taken under her wing along with her group of friends – Josh, Rashmi and…Étienne St. Clair. We learn from the blurb all of Étienne’s merits – smart, charming, beautiful, as well as his downfall – Ellie, his girlfriend. Though there’s a spark from the first moment Anna and Étienne meet, he, and any feelings other than friendship, are strictly off limits…or are they?

I guess looking at the story objectively there isn’t anything new being conveyed here -it’s a boy meets girl kind of story, but what Stephanie Perkins does so amazingly well is the story’s execution.  The writing is COMPLETELY absorbing and realistic, but cute, with characters that are endearing and display real emotion that you can’t help but invest your whole heart into their story.

Living vicariously has always been a favorite hobby of mine. After being introduced to a character like Étienne St. Clair, it didn’t take me long before I firmly planted myself in Anna Oliphant’s place. He has an English accent and can speak perfect French; he’s intelligent, witty, loves history and has stacks of books in his room. I die. Oh, and he’s gorgeous.

Sometimes I found it a bit irritating being constantly reminded how beautiful Anna thinks he is but it’s a flaw that’s easily forgiven. Especially since, when you’re that infatuated with someone it is sometimes all you can think about.

Étienne isn’t all perfection though, he has faults and issues that he deals with – some are more serious, like his issues with his dad, others are kind of cute, like his fear of heights.

Anna is a very endearing character; her looks aren’t classically beautiful but reminded me of Georgia May Jagger. She’s smart, funny and a total movie buff with a few neurotic tendencies. She’s strong but has her moments of weakness; she’s brave but sometimes gets scared – scared of confronting the truth, scared of being alone, even scared of feeling things that she knows to be wrong. Though these qualities might be flaws, they are what make her real.

I really loved that Anna and Étienne’s relationship was based on friendship, running slowly and naturally and took time to develop over the course of the year, as opposed to some books that take place in a time span of two weeks and both characters had to work hard for the desired outcome.

The chemistry between these two was electric and yet so sweet. There were moments that were so perfect it made me squirm with excitement making the book a total guilty pleasure, because only in a work of fiction can you create such perfection. This is the stuff daydreams are made of – I’m looking at you chapter twenty.

Sure some parts felt like a fantasy, but they’ve been masterfully brought to life with a dose of realism that let you believe in the story that’s being played out.

When I spotted a quote by Pablo Neruda (uttered by the charming Étienne), this book stole my heart for good. Quotes by Neruda? I die. I totally Rachel-Zoe-seeing-something-amazing die.

No doubt, Anna and the French Kiss will be the kind of book that friendships are formed over.
“Do you like Glee?”
“No….do you like Italian food?”
“No…”
“….”
“Do you like Anna and the French Kiss?”
“YES”
“ETIENNE???”
“OUI!”

Usually, hype makes me nervous; it can set a book up to be a major disappointment. So while I tried not to have high hopes, any fears I had were for naught. I’m sure next time you look up awesome in the dictionary, the cover of this book will be there.  In the end all I can say is – J’adore ce livre!

Pages: 372
Publication Date: December 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Challenge: n/a
Rating: :

Teaser Quote: “I mean really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It’s so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn’t have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.”

Did you love Anna and the French Kiss as much as I did? Come share your favorite part in the discussion thread! Click here.

At the start of her senior year in high school, Sara wants two things: to get into a top college and to find true love.Tobey also wants two things for his senior year: to win Battle of the Bands and to make Sara fall in love with him. However, a popular jock named Dave moves in on Sara first. But Tobey’s quirky wit and big blue eyes are hard for Sara to ignore. Plus, he gets the little things that matter to her. Can a slacker rock-star wannabe win the heart of a pretty class brain like Sara?

Hilariously and movingly told through Tobey and Sara’s authentic voices, Susane Colasanti’s debut novel sizzles in its portrayal of two young people searching for The One.

Sara has two goals this year: get into her college of choice and score herself a very hot boyfriend. The first one should be pretty easy, since she’s super smart and has been working her booty off. When it comes to the second goal, though, Sara isn’t totally sure she can pull it off.

Enter Dave – new kid at school and totally hot property. When he starts casting his eye Sara’s way, she can’t believe her luck.

Tobey, also can’t believe his – his bad luck, that is. His two goals this year are to take his band to the next professional level, and score Sara as his girl. So when Dave beats him to the punch, Tobey enters serious boy moping mode. Tobey doesn’t understand why such a cool chick like Sara would be interested in a douche like Dave, but he doesn’t have the guts to ask her. He doesn’t have the guts to really even talk to her, which is probably why he missed out on dating her in the first place.

But then something changes. He watches Sara and Dave incessantly, and Tobey knows that Sara isn’t really happy dating Dave. He enlists the help of Sara’s friend, and before you know it, Tobey has Sara falling all over the place for him.

Being with Dave really isn’t all Sara thought it would be anyway. He’s boring, and really, she just doesn’t feel that spark. All of a sudden, Tobey is everywhere she is, and he’s all she can think about. Everything about Tobey feels right and everything about Dave feels wrong.

Tobey and Sara both feel the same way: they just can’t pass up the chance to feel something real, something honest. But is being with each other worth it? When you think you’ve found your soul mate, shouldn’t it be easy?

As Tobey and Sara learn, nothing about love is easy. Especially the real, honest-to-God kind.

I’ve read a couple of Susan Colosanti books before and absolutely adored them, and while Tobey and Sara’s story is indeed high up there on the cute meter, When It Happens wasn’t a real page turner for me. I just wasn’t feeling their love in the way I wanted to. I do, however, thing the younger YA readers will really dig this one. Sara’s innocence and drive to be a good person is inspiring, and she’s really a great role model for young girls. Tobey’s honesty and silly teenage lust is adorable, and the girls will really dig him.

If you’re looking for heart breaking romance, then this isn’t the book for you, but if you’re looking for something light and entertaining, then it sure might be. I’ll let you decide…

Pages: 310

Publication date: 2006

Rating::

Teaser quote: “Then Sara looks right at me, catching me off guard. I am instantaneously transformed into this sweating, heart-pounding freak. I am no longer Tobey Beller. It’s weird that I am still able to speak in this condition.”