How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

Guess who’s jetting off to the Holy Land this summer!

Yes, it’s me—Amy Nelson-Barak. I’ve volunteered for ten days of military training in Israel with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a “fun” summer experience. Okay, so I didn’t sign up to prove I’m not a princess…I did it to surprise my hot Israeli boyfriend stationed at the same base.

Too bad nobody told me:

- It’s hot in the Negev desert…like, so hot your makeup melts off and you get under-boob sweat spots.

- You can’t sleep in until 11 a.m.

- You shouldn’t kill bees with your flatiron—don’t ask.

- Peeing in a hole isn’t easy (when you’re a girl)—double don’t ask.

When I find out our team leader is my boyfriend Avi, I’m totally psyched…until I learn he has to treat me like all the other recruits. Can you say OY VEY!

Pages: 264

This book was laugh-out loud funny! So many adventures are taken and risks. Amy just wants to know whats going on and control the situation, but in the end she seems to get everything in perfect place again. She is true to herself and what she wants, but while on her runs, falls, and shootings, she also becomes "warrior woman". Simone did an excellent job in writing and playing out the plot.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize there were two other books before this one until after I read it. Even so, I didn't notice. I was able to know what was happening, who everyone was, and understood everything easily. It was very entertaining, and sadly short. I would love to read more of Amy's story or one of her friends. They are all different characters altogether.

Amy makes her boyfriend seem like a Greek god. But the Greek gods can be deceiving. It's a story about trying to in fact ruin your boyfriend's reputation, and get him back. x.

Happy New Years!!

Just wishing everyone a great New Years and don't drink too much! Awh What the heck! Go crazy! Have fun! x.

On The Cover!! (6)

RULES OF ATTRACTION by SIMONE ELKELES

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

Release Date: April 13, 2010
Pages: 336

What do you think? I fell in love with the first book and am very happy and excited for this sequel book to come out! See, now I'm all giddy! :P

On The Cover (5)

THE RECKONING by KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Chloe Saunders is fifteen and would love to be normal. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. First of all, she happens to be a genetically engineered necromancer who can raise the dead without even trying. She and her equally gifted (or should that be 'cursed'?) friends are on the run from the evil corporation who created them. To top it all, Chloe is struggling with her feelings for Simon, a sweet-tempered sorcerer, and his brother Derek, a not so sweet-tempered werewolf. And she has a horrible feeling she's leaning towards the werewolf. Definitely not normal...

Release Date: April 27, 2010
Pages: 256

What do you think? I love this series and the cover! Beautiful.

On The Cover (4)

NEVERMORE by KELLY CREAGH

In NEVERMORE, cheerleader Isobel falls for Poe-fan Varen–but will she be able to save him from the madness taking hold of his mind?

Release Date: August 31, 2010
Pages: 528

What do you think? I can't wait for this novel!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Katniss' sister is chosen by lottery, she steps up to go in her place.

There is only one word to describe this book: wow.

I keep beating myself up because i kept pushing this book away saying I would never read it, and was I being stupid. This is one of these books where you will read it, and your expectations for other books go up. It was an amazing plot and beautifully written and executed. You'll go crazy after reading it; wanting to read the next. Luckily, it's a trilogy so there is more to come.

All the characters feel real, like they have real emotions and things are more real, like it's happening right now. You are not bored with reading it because the detail is brief enough to tell you what is going on but not over-bearing where you say; all-right I get it, they are in trouble, or it's a very bad dark place. I loved this book inside and out. The events were very creative and no matter what happened, something else came up and a new problem aroused that they had to solve. In the end, not all questions are answered, you are choosing sides between whom she should love and be with, and you have the sudden urge to get the next book, and read it over and over again. I love the cover for this book, it portrays it so well. So simple yet so complex. x.

The Den of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

FOUR COMPLETE NOVELS—ONE CAPTIVATING WORLD
In the Forests of the Night
Three hundred years ago Risika had a family—a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.
Demon in My View
Jessica isn’t your average high school student—she’s an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination—right?
Shattered Mirror
Christopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he’s actually a vampire who’s sworn off human blood and she’s an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren’t enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.
Midnight Predator
Once a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she’ll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .

First thing I have to say; Amelia is an amazing writer and I love all her books. I read one of them last year and then once this came out I was so excited. All the stories are totally different, but seem to co-mingle with each other. They all seem to flow together and just thinking that she wrote some of these in high school!? She's pretty amazing.

There are books like this where you seem to favor one certain story; not here. I wouldn't be able to choose which I liked better. They all had great plots, took their time explaining everything but not too slow, and had real characters. Characters in this were well thought out and expressed. Once I finished reading the book, it was sad because you want to know what will happen to everyone. For now, it's just open for your own interpretation of things.

Adding to that, how could someone NOT love this cover and just by looking at it not want to get it or read it. It goes with all the stories great and seems to make sense to me why that is the cover. I would have to say you need to read something written by her. x.