Girlfriend Material

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Mrs.N

Girlfriend Material by Melissa Cantor

Kate’s parents are having problems and in order to think things over, her mother has decided to pack up and head to Cape Cod for the summer, dragging Kate with her.  Initially irritated to be torn from her best friend and summer plans in Utah, Kate begins to think that an East Coast vacation might just be perfect. Things never go quite as you’d expect and Kate soon finds herself with friend trouble and boy trouble of her own, to say nothing of trying to figure out what’s going on with her parents.

Girlfriend Material isn’t a particularly special book, it’s a pretty standard summer beach read with likeable if slightly one-dimensional characters.  But it was cute, it was pretty clean (things don’t heat up beyond some kissing) and it featured a smart girl who doesn’t have to play dumb to get a guy.  Also, Kate has some good old-fashioned teenage temper tantrums where she says really mean things to people, including her parents.  Despite this, there are times when she confides in her mother when she has no one else to talk to.  I appreciated the realistic take on how a teen-parent relationship can shift from tense to supportive.

Great for: While the writing isn’t high quality enough to lure most bookworms, they certainly won’t object to a main female character that is both extremely well read and not a loser in need of a makeover.  Kate is just herself throughout and liked for it.  Go Kate.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – There’s “fooling around” but it’s clear from the context that usually this means something pretty innocent.  There is one male character who has supposedly slept with a lot of people, but jokes are made at his expense because of it.  Our main characters do not make it beyond kissing that makes them see fireworks, there aren’t any groins pressing together or anything that makes the kissing any steamier than it needs to be.  A trip to Provincetown reveals how naive Kate is; she needs to be told that is a town with a large gay population and doesn’t notice the transvestites they pass there.
Profanity –”ass,” “bitch,” “damn,” “Thank God,” “hell,” “screw you,” “pissed off” “sucks,” “slut,” “Christ,” “bitch,” “asshole,”  “gay” is used one time as an insult.  “retarded” is used twice to mean stupid.  The book obviously would be better without the inclusion of those terms.
Death, Violence and Gore – Kate’s mother slaps her across the face once when Kate is being incredibly rude.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There is a liquor store in town. Adults drink wine. In one scene Kate’s mom is tipsy.  Sarah (a teenager) admits to having had too much champagne once.  Kate compares a boy to a drug.
Frightening or Intense Things – Since Kate’s parents are having a hard time, they argue a lot and Kate feels like she’s in the middle of things.

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When The Stars Go Blue

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Mrs.N

When the Stars Go Blue: A Novel

Soledad falls hard and fast for Jonathan.  He opens her horizons by inviting her to join his drum and bugle corps as a featured dancer.  For Soledad the decision shouldn’t be easy.  She wants to be a ballerina, which requires formal training and practice and not the type she’ll be getting with the drum and bugle corps.  There’s also a surprising offer on the table that could help her career.  But her feelings for Jonathan make the decision for her.  The summer begins full of promise, but is love that blazes so bright destined to burn out, or become something out of control and dangerous?

I knew this would be a retelling of Carmen, but this is where I have to admit my lack of cultural literacy led me to google the story of Carmen. While I could hum Habanera for you without difficulty, I didn’t actually know the plot.  Whether or not you choose to do this vastly affects your reading of the book.  If you know the story, you are watching the inevitable unfold; if not, the story’s twists and turns may shock you.

Despite the racy story lines, I didn’t find the book all that compelling.  In fact, I found myself sort of skimming parts.  The slang use seemed to be a bit off, maybe it was dated? And of course, while a gay character does appear (and in a positive manner), one of the main indicators of his sexuality is his slightly ridiculous overuse of the word “girl.”

This is best saved for readers who are old enough to be reading about sex and manipulation in relationships.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – There is a lot of sexual tension in this book, along with nudity and some actual, on screen sex. Soledad undresses in front of Jonathan, he looks at her boobs.  She claims she’s not that naked because she’s in tights and pasties.  Her grandmother dates a much younger man.  She jokes about porn.  The story of Moulin Rouge involves prostitution.  A member of the corps states that in coed corps there is a lot of hooking up, Soledad asks if the same thing doesn’t happen in the all-male corps too and the members admit there is.  Hard-ons both literal and metaphorical are referenced. It’s quite graphic throughout, there’s kissing, necking, plenty of it.  “wanting to jump each other’s bones”  Hands caressing, bodies pressed hard together, descriptions of tongue use. Sex is left off sort of where the parts go, but hazy for the during part.  Condoms are sort of implied (boxes tossed on the bed, but no specific talk of protection).  Soledad thinks girls might throw their panties at the soccer players.  Raj tells Soledad she doesn’t have to “give the guy a hummer”  A song is described as a “sex on the floor song”, sensual, arousing, seductive. A girl is called a whore.  Two women on a television talk show are described as big-boobed.

Profanity – “ass/kick-ass/tight-ass/hardass/kissass/jackass”, “damn/ed,” “crap,” “hell/hella,” “bitch/y,” “Jesus Christ,” “shit,” “piss/ed off,” “suck/suckage”, “dick,” “balls,” “darn” “oh God/ Dios mio” “goddamned”,”fuck/ing”, “apeshit, bullshit”, “bastard”, “cabron”, “pendejo” all swears are used multiple times and I can’t promise I caught every swear in Spanish.
Death, Violence and Gore – There’s some fighting.  In the past there was tragic early death, a very bad accident possibly but suicide is intimated.  A talk show host on television gets death threats (this is not part of the story, just a random piece of information offered about a show they’re watching).  Without trying to give away the story, there’s some violence that changes the course of the plot.  It is reasonably graphically described.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Soledad points out that some dancers smoke to help stay small.  Soledad’s mother may have done drugs or drank while pregnant.  Plenty of medical drugs (used properly) following a serious injury.
Frightening or Intense Things – Soledad mentions that dancers make themselves throw up or skip eating in order to be thin.  Her dance teacher talks about anorexia and bulimia and how it cost her the ability to have children.  Soledad was abandoned by her mother and never knew her father.

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Second Helpings

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Mrs.N

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

Before reading this book, you should probably clear your schedule.  I can’t tell you exactly how long to clear if for, that depends entirely on how fast you read.  You see, when McCafferty leaves you with a cliffhanger (the ending of Sloppy Firsts), she is going to make you wait.  You will have to make it through the first section of the book where Marcus only appears Voldemort style, referred to as “He Who Shall Remain Nameless.”  Then you’ll have to suffer through the games and missed opportunities.  In my case, this just makes me read faster, because I am simply not one for patience or anticipation.

As in Sloppy Firsts, I will strongly caution anyone who has issues with books about sex or drugs to stay away.  My enumeration of potentially offensive events dropped off severely in the later chapters because I started to think that anything that possibly could be done had been done and any swear that could have been uttered was, so I stopped trying to write in tinier and tinier letters to squeeze it all in my notebook. In case you need the blow-by-blow and not just my personal X rating…

Sex, Nudity, Dating – People have sex, lots of it, sometimes we are privy to the details.  People spend a lot of time wanting to have sex or otherwise being “horny” when they are not having sex.  One girl tries the whole “born again virgin” thing.  The issue of Jess’s virginity is raised quite frequently.  Because of her virginity, people sometimes call her a lesbian.  At one point Jess has a roommate whom she refers to as a porn queen.  This girl engages in various sexual acts.  Sexual acts mentioned throughout include, sex/screwing/banging, hand jobs, blow jobs, “slurping”, frottage, people’s hands roaming under various undergarments and masturbation.  Birth control is at least covered, there’s a whole sex ed class, with accompanying information (like the female condom).  STDs are regularly mentioned.  Jess worries that she was an accident, a hole in the condom, a missed pill, a misplaced diaphragm.  Jess finds a teacher at camp attractive.  The book has homosexual characters.  Necrophilia, porn, the Kama Sutra, pedophiliac priests, cockblocking and erotica are mentioned.  Someone is called a “choad.” Girls who are highly sexual active are referred to as hobags or skanks (or variations thereof).  Lesbianism is mentioned: in reference to Sappho; in looking like a “bull dyke” and as being a “muff bumper”.  A character has a lot of douche products.  Breasts, breast size, fake titties are all mentioned.  An adult, married character is pregnant and various pregnancy related things are mentioned; a breast pump is given to her at a baby shower.  A girl worked as an underage escort.
Profanity – “screw” used and conjugated, ” jackass,” “prick,” “hell,” “goddamn, damn/dammit,” “fuck” conjugated and in the form “clusterfuck,” “ass/asshole,” “suck,” “bitch,” “bullshit/shit,” “Jesus Christ,” “God,” “pussy” used in various forms, “bastard,” “whiggaz,” “crackas,” “towel head” used in reference to Middle Easterners.  The bird is flipped.
Death, Violence and Gore – Again, we’re reminded of Hope’s brother’s death from drug use and Jessica’s family’s loss of a baby due to SIDS.  There is the death of an elderly character (funeral included).  The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center occurs during this book.  A character’s father died of a heart attack (prior to this book).  Jess reads the obituaries and reads about death by lightning strike, lung cancer and drunk driver.  Suicide is mentioned in that teenage overdramatized way, but not in a serious way, although the method of suicide is twice listed: carbon monoxide poisoning, or jumping into a gorge.  There are a few fights between characters, with slapping or “bitch slapping” if you will.  A character is kicked in the balls.  Students call in bomb threats to school out of boredom.  A character says he’ll “get a gat” if people bother another character.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There is absolutely underage drinking and drug use in this book.  G13 THC, which is extremely potent marijuana is mentioned.  Hope’s brother died from an overdose, but evidently he “shot up” and Marcus never did drugs like that, he just got high.  Several characters smoke or smoked.  At least one character used crack.  Jess’s mother pops Valium to deal with grief.  A character went to rehab.  Jess and another character take Ecstasy. Jess says if she needed an athletic scholarship she’d use performance enhancing drugs.
Frightening or Intense Things – Mostly what’s written above, although eating disorders do make an appearance.

 

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Lola and the Boy Next Door

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Mrs.N

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

It’s a terrible thing to have to follow a book like Anna and the French Kiss.  And maybe because it is such a hard thing, Perkins trots Anna and Etienne out as minor characters in Lola and the Boy Next Door. It’s a risk, since for as many people as will find it charming there will be as many that are annoyed to see their favorites reduced to caricatures of their former selves.  I didn’t think it did Lola any favors; this tie-in almost forced it into Anna’s shadow.

So can Perkins’ much anticipated follow-up live up to the hype?  In my opinion, it couldn’t, but honestly, it shouldn’t have to.  As its own book, separate from Perkins’ other work, Lola and the Boy Next Door is pretty charming.  Lola is pretty happy in her life.  She’s dating a much older musician and her parents are tolerating him; she’s got a wild sense of style and an awesome and supportive best friend.  But when her former neighbors move back into their old house, it means the boy she’s always loved is now just a heartbeat away.  Which shouldn’t really matter, because Lola has a boyfriend that she’s in love with.  Except it does matter.  It really, really does.  Lola finds herself having to decide who matters most, her oh so cool rocker boyfriend or sweet, slightly awkward Cricket.

Perkins continues to excel at creating male leads that girls will fall for, and that is absolutely a strength in this book.  If you’re looking for a guy who melts your heart, he’s certainly here. Lola, on the other hand, is a less universal character.  She gets the Etienne role from the other book, the character caught in a love triangle, and for girls who associate more with Anna she may be hard to like.  But for those who have been caught between two guys, her actions may make a lot more sense.

The content in this book is a bit racier than Anna and the French Kiss, so please read the “sex” listing below carefully before deciding if this is right for your teen.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Right up front, let’s get it out of the way, Lola has two dads.  This means that her life quite obviously involves the gay community.  In addition to her parents relationship, there is mention of a trans character.  If this is not something you’re comfortable with, just skip the book.  For everyone else, expect to find an adorable romance book that neither ignores or makes a huge deal of a non-traditional family structure.  Lola’s primary relationship is with a 22 year old.  She’s 17.  In fact, she sleeps with him on her 17th birthday, so there is some statutory rape going on.  There continues to be sex throughout the book, although it’s not graphic.  There is kissing, groping and otherwise sexual behavior though that is written about in a racy manner.  There are sexual jokes made.  A roommate worries that Cricket is gay and looking at his “junk”.  A neighbor collects molds of vaginas.  A manicure place is called “Hand Job”.  Lola thinks her dads worry that if they forbade her relationship she’d get into more trouble like stripping.  While it’s not heavily done, there is some consideration of what sex means to those involved.
Profanity – “dillhole,” “damn,” “arse/ass,” “bitchy,” “shit,” “hell,” “bloody,” “shove it,” “fucking,”
Death, Violence and Gore – There is a small kitchen accident with a knife.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Max smokes, drinks, gets high.  Lola expects Cricket would be off chugging beer and a kegger but he says he’s not much for drinking.  Lola’s birth parents have addiction and use issues (both drugs and alcohol).  Lola thinks that her dads worry that if they stopped her from seeing Max she’d do something wild like deal drugs.
Frightening or Intense Things – The fact of Lola’s adoption is a fairly major part of this story.  There are issues throughout with her relationship with her birth mother, and her birth mothers own problems with addiction, trouble with the law and homelessness.  It does not make light of the fact of Lola’s adoption, nor of the disparity between her life with her fathers and her mother’s lifestyle.

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A Match Made in High School

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Mrs.N

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Fiona’s high school life is officially over.  A school marriage education project has paired her with the biggest meathead jerk in the whole school, which would be bad enough if he hadn’t decided to make her a target of bullying and harassment. But it’s a book that is trying hard to be Shakespearean so you know there are going to misunderstandings and misdirections and that characters you’re set up to hate will become likeable and characters you’re supposed to like will turn out to be not great people.

Unfortunately this book made my head hurt and not in a fantastic Shakespearean sort of way.  More in a I-can’t-believe-I’m reading-this-drivel sort of way.  I got what the author was trying to show us about not judging someone until you really knowing them (don’t worry, she kept referencing Pride and Prejudice just in case you weren’t picking up on it).  I just didn’t like it.  People who seem to be jerks often are.  Best friends should not do things behind your back and have it all forgiven because friendship includes forgiveness.  Chemistry does play a role in relationships, and it’s pretty rare to find yourself attracted to someone you really don’t find cute just because they like you.  There has to be something there.  Also, I am a minimum of 20 years too old for the level of crudeness and bathroom humor presented here.  I’m no prude, but if you’re going to be off-color, please be good at it.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – Several characters are known to be having sex, but nothing worse than a kiss occurs in real time.  Fiona’s parents are rather demonstrative, and are mentioned as kissing, playing tonsil hockey, etc.  Fiona’s father reaches over and “honks” her mother’s boob at the table.  The principal’s husband has run off with a woman who is called both “boobalicious” and a “sexed-up tramp”.  The principal dirty dances with another staff member at a dance and has his face in her cleavage.  Gym uniforms look like they’re out of a porn movie.  A girl and her friend are frequently called lesbians or asked if they’re lesbians because they don’t have boyfriends.  An adult character comes out as gay.  There are references to tits and feeling up a girl, hand jobs.  Blow jobs are implied but not explicitly mentioned.  A blow-up sex doll makes an appearance.  One girl is on birth control.  Herpes is mentioned several times, generally in a joking experience.  There’s a whole bit about how it’s more gay to play football and have your hands up another guys butt than it is to be a male cheerleader and be touching girls thighs, etc. A guy jokes about wanting his wife to be barefoot and pregnant but instead she’s frigid and infertile.  A couple breaks up because the girl wasn’t putting out and the guy was angry and pressuring her.  Hot dogs are compared to penises.  There are jokes about spending money on hookers.  A guy is imagined with a whip in one hand his wang in the other.  We learn that a guy “wants to bang” a girl.  Someone is described as being as nervous as a cheerleader in the last minute of a pregnancy test.  My notes include that castration, douche and tampons are all brought up.  I feel certain I must have left something out, so for that I apologize, but there’s no way  I’m going back to check.
Profanity – “shit” in an unimaginable number of forms, “jackhole,” “damn/ed,” “crap,” “hell,” “ass,” “bitch,” “screw” which is conjugated fully I’m sure, ” goddamn,” “bastard,” “piss off/pisser,” “sonofabitch,” “prick,” “dickhead,” “fucking,” “coochie,” “pussy,” “tight-ass”.  The finger is given repeatedly, and one girl is referred to as “choice synonyms for female genitalia” which I suppose we should be grateful to the author for not repeating.
Death, Violence and Gore – A girl threatens to cut a guys nut off.  A boy is punched in the face.  There are a few cheerleading accidents.  Someone is “bitch” slapped.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Upon saying something at the same time, a couple tells each other “you owe me a beer.”  A character shows up drunk to a dance.  A girl says she’s done more apologizing than a politician with a sex addiction and a crack pipe.  The parents drink and the father gets drunk.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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Starcrossed

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Mrs.N

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

This is the first book in the Starcrossed trilogy.
Book 1: Starcrossed
Book 2: Dreamless
Book 3: Goddess

It’s been a rather lukewarm month for reviews, I’ve read a lot of books that I just couldn’t rave about, but for Valentine’s Day I did not want to leave you hanging. Starcrossed I enjoyed to a nearly embarrassing degree.

Helen has always lived on Nantucket with her father. And this year is just another school year; it doesn’t matter that there’s new family moving to the island. Everyone else is excited, but Helen can’t see how that will that really change high school.  But she learns just how wrong she is the moment that she sets eyes on Lucas Delos.  Not only is he the best looking boy she’s ever seen, she has an uncontrollable urge to kill him.  The arrival of the Delos family means the end of life as Helen has known it, but the beginning of something new and exciting.  Woven through with plenty of greek mythology, Starcrossed was was engaging, exciting and fraught with sexual tension.

This book also totally broke my resolution to not read another series book until the author is done writing the series. I’m going to have to wait until at least MAY to find out what happens next and then who knows how long for the third book. All I can do is hope upon hope that Angelini has an actual story arc planned out and that this will be a well-written, tight series. I cannot temper my loathing of any series that drags on and on (I’m looking at you L.A. Mayer – if you don’t wrap up Bloody Jack soon, I’m jumping ship). This first one was too good for her to spoil it by not having the future planned out and planned well.

Also, because Angelini is kind enough to name drop the Greek works that influenced her own, it’s a super opportunity to get teens into classics like The Oresteia, The Iliad, and The Odyssey.  They can check out any of those while they wait (impatiently) for the release of the next in the series.

Great for – Anyone who felt The Lightning Thief series was lacking in romance.  It would also be a good read after Goddess of Yesterday (which heartbreakingly does not have a sequel). I really think this will be a hit for a lot of teens, especially since the recent resurgence of interest in mythology.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – The main characters have a good deal of sexual tension throughout.  It’s discussed that they shouldn’t start anything because they won’t be able to stop. There’s kissing.  There are rumors that certain characters slept together.  We know that one male character is promiscuous but we aren’t privy to any of his assignations.  Bras, underwear and see through clothing are mentioned.  A boy and a girl sleep together in the platonic literal sense.  A reminder to use protection is issued and we learn that demigods impregnate women more easily than mere mortals.  There’s a child molester mentioned.  One character must remain a virgin always.
Profanity – “hell,” “jackass,” “dick/head,” “suck/er,” “bitch,” “badass,” “slut,” damn,” “shit,” “piss off,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Much like The Lightning Thief or anything else with a firm base in Greek tradition, this one is high on the violence.  Helen has scary visions of the furies.  There are a few murders, one is particularly graphic where a head is sliced nearly off and blood pours out.  There’s a ton of fighting, ranging from intentional sparring to fighting between cousins which is violent but doesn’t have any real intent to harm, to intentional fighting with hope of injuring.  In the course of fighting, there’s a good deal of blood, electrical shocks, drugging, attempted stabbings, actual stabbings.  Additional violence includes a flying accident that nearly kills two characters, a car accident that seriously injures a few characters, tearing of hair and near drownings.  And then there’s the section where Angelini relates the basic plot outline of The Oresteia which includes: a father sacrificing his daughter, a woman killing her husband, a son killing his mother. But don’t blame Angelini for that, blame the Greeks.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None (am I crazy? Did I just forget to record this? I never have in the past, so I’m going to hope that I didn’t miss anything.)
Frightening or Intense Things – Helen has a lot of anxiety and they talk about getting her help from a doctor and possibly medication for this. Also, there’s this really icky part where Helen is all bruised from some encounter or another and she jokes that she’ll tell people that Lucas is hitting her and he jokes back that he’ll say she likes it. NOT OKAY.

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The Fault in Our Stars

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This is not my kind of book.  I’m reviewing because it is without a doubt one of the most anticipated books of the year and certainly there are many people out there who really, really want to read it.  I’ve just never been one for books that center around inevitable tragedy.  Nonetheless, The Fault in Our Stars is incredibly well-written (would you expect anything less from John Green) and compelling (I finished it in less than a day). If you’re only going to read one book about teens dying from cancer, I’m betting this would be it.

Hazel is fighting lung cancer, and losing.  She is terminal, but in a sort of drug-induced limbo.  Her cancer is getting no worse, but it will never get better.  Her desperate fear of hurting people simply by dying has led her to isolate herself even more than the cancer forced her to.  Everything she feels about her situation is challenged when she meets Augustus Waters.  A cancer survivor with a better prognosis than Hazel’s, Augustus is determined to draw her out and make her live the life she has.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – A character had cancer “in his balls” and his ball-lessness is mentioned.  A group therapy session is referred to as a “circle jerk”.  A guy is “hot”.  There’s kissing and bodies pressed against each other and boob fondling.  Herpes is mentioned, but not caught.  Hooking is quickly mentioned.  A movie they watch involves shirtless men.  A poem Hazel reads involves sodomy. Virginity is discussed.  There is sex, but it is not graphic.
Profanity – “blew,” “goddamn,” “hell,” “badass,” “shit,” “douche,” “piss,” “Jesus Christ,” “bullshit,” “assclown,”  I don’t remember reading the f-word anywhere in the book, but it is unlike Green not to drop it at some point, so if I missed it, please consider yourself warned.
Death, Violence and Gore – The basic plot is about cancer, as a result, there’s a lot of discussion of dying and certainly some actual dying.  A book a character reads involves the main character killing over 100 people, and there’s a really violent video game that figures in the plot, but that’s not really a big deal with all the actual death and dying, is it?
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Hazel freshly asks her mother for a fake ID so that she can go to clubs, drink and take pot.  Two underage characters drink champagne.  An adult character is an alcoholic and drinks heavily during the book.
Frightening or Intense Things – The toll that cancer takes on various patients as well as the various treatments are not easy topics to read about.  Reading about terminal young people can be upsetting, as can the grief others feel at their deaths.

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The Big Crunch

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

This is not your typical romance novel, a fact well advertised by the dust jacket. I should mention that the dust jacket on my copy (courtesy of the public library of course) had one of the main characters’ names wrong, which is a bit disheartening. I bet Hautman felt worse about it than I did.

Rather than walk you through the sweetness of getting to know you, along the path of falling in like, to the climax of reciprocated feelings, Hautman covers the everyday grind of high school life. How someone can manage to cross your path without incident until one day they become important. The insane surge of hormone charged energy that fuels certain interactions. The frustration and expensive phone bills of a long distance connection and of course, the fear of losing what you once had once the initial need/want calms down a bit.

I found it well written and interesting, but not what I wanted to read when I’m in the mood for a romance.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – While no onscreen sex occurs, the characters certainly think about it, discuss it and want it.  There is kissing and groping.  There’s talk of hooking up, boobs, a guy wears an Alien Sex Fiend shirt and one boy has read Penthouse.
Profanity– “crapped,” “bitch,” “sucks,” “screw,” “shut up,” “hell,” “jerk,” “moron,” “asshole,” “shit”
Death, Violence and Gore – A kid jokes about hearing voices that tell him to kill. June hates having to slap, kick or yell at her dates to keep them from going to far. Wes gets so angry and frustrated that he wishes he could strap an atomic bomb to himself. Wes frequently wants to hit or slap people when he gets angry. On one occasion he does and causes an injury. June’s aunt dies of cancer.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There’s a big party that includes underage drinking, drunken behavior and smoking. Marijuana is mentioned. One guy likes to spike drinks with alcohol.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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The Luxe

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Mrs.N

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Elizabeth Holland was meant to be married, but instead her empty coffin is being carried in to her funeral.  What follows is the story of the time leading up to Elizabeth’s disappearance into the river only days before her wedding.  In Victorian New York things are not always as they seem. Elizabeth’s fiance may not be mourning quite the way he should.  Her best friend Penelope Hayes may not be as devoted as she seemed.  The Holland family may be hiding things which would change their standing in New York society.  Even the maid and the coachman have their secrets.  The Luxe is a fluffy romantic read.  The intrigue kept the book moving along, which is good, because the characters themselves didn’t hold me.  I had a very hard time finding them likable.  I expect many readers will not mind this though, because it’s exciting! And slightly racy!  And there are beautiful clothes!

Sex, Nudity, Dating – We are not present for any actual sex, but you sure know it’s going on, with women and men sneaking and slipping in and out of each other’s bedrooms, the help being sent away while a woman shows off progressively more of her decolletage, women waking up in men’s rooms. There’s also some nudity with women in see through gowns, or only wearing stockings or being undressed. Kissing occurs as well as some fondling. Mr. Astor was once seen kissing a kitchen boy and whores are present in one scene.
Profanity – “damned,” “godawful,”
Death, Violence and Gore – There’s some death, although nothing terribly violent. Suicide is mentioned. We’re told one man liked to harm small animals. There’s a mention of tenement fires which trap men and babies like kindling.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Plenty of drinking, ranging from champagne to beer and done by almost all characters. There’s plenty of cigarette smoking as well.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.

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What Happened to Goodbye

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Mrs.N

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

I’m a pretty big fan of Sarah Dessen when it comes to teen romance. This one wasn’t really about romance though. Sure there’s a girl and boy and they like each other, but it’s a lot more about how McLean manages her life after her parents divorce. McLean is mad at her mother, and there are good reasons for that. As a result, she chooses to live with her father, a choice that means adapting to her dad’s lifestyle. As a restaurant consultant, he’s never in one place very long. This means McLean’s been moved from place to place and school to school. She’s become an expert on packing her clothes, keeping household “stuff” to a bare minimum and oh yeah, keeping people at a safe distance. Everywhere McLean goes she gives a different name (all variants of her middle name, Elizabeth) and adopts a different persona. Since she’s not really herself, it doesn’t hurt quite so much when they have to pick up and leave. But everything goes to pieces when she and her father get to Lakeview. McLean somehow ends up giving her real name and accidentally makes some real friends. With everything going so differently, McLean isn’t ready for the next move.

Sarah Dessen’s books range from fairly chaste like this one, to dealing with teen pregnancy and bad relationship choices (Someone Like You). If you are sensitive to issues of teen sex and drinking, check each book out carefully before proceeding.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – There’s pretty much no sex in this one, so pretty clean.  We know that an adult cheated on another adult.  There’s a kiss.  People are “making out” at a party.  A girl is told to change an inappropriate outfit.  A girl calls a guy a perv for staring at her boobs.  Something is described as “an administrator’s wet dream.”
Profanity – “damn/ed,” “bitch,” “sucked,” “screwed,” “ass,” bull/shit,” “hell,” “Oh my God,” “bejesus,” “crap,”
Death, Violence and Gore –  Two slight injuries, in one case rumor is spread that it was caused by a fight, but it was not.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Parents drink occasionally.  There is some smoking.  There’s limited amount of teen drinking.  It happens at a party (kegs are present), and one kid is arrested for underage drinking even though it pretty much the only time he ever drank.  There are “stoners” at school.  A girl got kicked out of school for drugs (this is just mentioned, it isn’t a character or anything).
Frightening or Intense Things –  Nothing really frightening or intense but the theme of divorce and remarriage is an important one in this book.

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