Lying Game

Lying Game

Sara Shepard

Harper Collins

$16.99

December 2010

FTC: I received this from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide an honest review for no compensation.

Characters 20/20

Plot 15/20

Setting 20/20

Cover 20/20

Ending 20/20

Total grade: 95% A

Sexual content: mild

Violence: heavy

Drugs: n/a

Underage drinking: heavy

Swearing: heavy

Total rating: 15+

Summary:

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.

My Thoughts:

My letter grade does not accurately portray my feelings for this novel. It was a very good book but basically the same deep down plot as Pretty Little Liars. They both contain murder, mysterious messages, a mysterious murderer. wealthy families, and SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERtwinsSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER! If you chose on serious or the other GREAT, but I feel that if you read both series you would be bored and feel as if they were repetitive. To be honest Pretty Little Liars was written WAY better.

Challenge?

Have you heard of the contemporary challenge? If not find out more here!

It looks pretty awesome!

http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-young-adult-contemporary-challenge.html

Book Blogging

I recently read a post by Kristi of thestorysiren.com fame. She was talking about reviewing and bloggers fighting for their right to review. It really had a huge influence on me.

I have been thinking about reviewing a lot recently. Why is it that the whole concept of reviewing seems to have evolved so greatly in the almost 3 years I have had this blog up and running? When I started reviewing on this blog I would never have expected to receive so many books to review. I did start knowing I would get books because I was asked to review for a book site that I was a member of. I didn't need a blog but I CHOSE to make one. I CHOSE to share my love of ALL books, not just free ones. I was expecting to get 2 books a month max. Suddenly it grew and I was ecstatic.

I had to work my way up there, but even if I had never made it I would still be here. I would still be sharing my book love with you all. Recently I have met some reviewers who EXPECT free books. I have also had a real life experience with someone who said they wanted to start a blog so they could "get just as many books as you, free". That really bothers me. Reviewing shouldn't be about that!

I love all the new reviewers and I welcome them with open arms. I just wish people would stop feeling so entitled. I feel bad for the newer reviewers. They are being given a bad name by a small group.

Sorry for this semi-pointless post. I just needed another chance to reiterate, REVIEWING IS A LOVE not A WAY TO GET FREE BOOKS.

Wednesday Wishlist

What?
As the popular darling of the junior class and heiress to the five-star Monrovi Inn empire, Kate has both everything and nothing. She's bored with school and life...until she locks eyes with Caleb at a school dance.

Caleb is new to Kate's exclusive prep school, and it's clear he doesn't fit in. In fact, he and his dad work in maintenance for Kate's father. And while Caleb knows better than to spend time with the boss's daughter, it seems that every time he tries to back away, something pulls him right back in.

When their parents demand that they are to stay away from each other, they learn of a fight between their families that occurred more than fifty years ago. It's a mystery Kate doesn't understand...but a legacy Caleb has endured his entire life.

With the world stacked against them, Caleb and Kate will have to walk by faith to find the path that God has planned for them.

Why?
Romeo and Juliet in the present day! <3

Exposed

Exposed

Kimberly Marcus

Random House

This month

FTC: I received this book from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide an honest review for no compensation.

Characters 15/20

Plot 15/20

Setting 20/20

Cover 20/20

Ending 15/20

Total grade: 85% B

Sexual content: moderate

Violence: heavy

Drugs: n/a

Underage drinking: moderate

Swearing: mild

Total rating: 15+

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Liz is Photogirl—sharp, focused and confident in what she sees through her camera lens. Confident that she and Kate will be best friends forever.But everything changes in one blurry night. Suddenly, Kate is avoiding her, and people are looking the other way when she passes in the halls. As the aftershocks from a startling accusation rip through Liz's world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself shifts out of focus. What happens when the picture you see no longer makes sense? What do you do when you may lose everything you love most?

My thoughts:

This was a fantastic book, it was just too short. I wish she would have made it longer and not covered such a long time period in a short book. The fact that it was so short took away from the plot and character development.

If you like books written in lyrical format you will enjoy this book. Just be prepared to have to fill in a lot of gaps. Also this book will appeal to reluctant readers!

Must Monday

In honor of Valentines day I made sure this was a romance/ love book!

What?
Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is--and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

Why?
It sounds like my kind of book. Sweet, dramatic and full of romance.

When?
April 5th, 2011

I am Number Four

http://www.facebook.com/IAmNumberFour

I just wanted to let you know you can now Like I am Number Four on facebook :)

Pretty Little Liars Interview

Emily Fields' life is picture-perfect. It should be. After all, her mom makes sure everything in their world is just so. So why does Emily dream of getting out of Rosewood? She's a star athlete with a popular boyfriend, but Emily feels like an outsider. Maybe that's why she's drawn to Maya, the new girl in town. They become fast friends, but Emily's feelings are a little more complicated than simple friendship. Question is how far will she dare take them? Or will she have to hide them, too? As "A" points out, it's not the only secret Emily is hiding.

Shay Mitchell stars as Emily Fields, an athletic girl who is struggling with her sexuality and the loss of her best friend.
Mitchell, born Shannon to a Filipino mother and Irish/Scottish father, is a native of Toronto, Canada. Even as a young child, she was interested in the performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of 5, and she and several of her classmates toured the city to compete with a variety of other dance schools.
At the age of 10, Mitchell's family moved west to Vancouver, British Columbia. Within a year of their arrival, an international modeling agency had an open casting call for teen and pre-teen girls who were vying for representation. Mitchell was one of the girls selected.
By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona. Wanting to focus on her true passion, Mitchell returned to Toronto and began to study acting with great focus and determination. Her hard work paid off and, after signing with her first theatrical agency, she appeared in the hit series "DeGrassi: The Next Generation" and booked several national commercials. She also landed a recurring role in the Disney series "Aaron Stone," is featured in the music video for international recording artist Sean Paul's hit song "Hold My Hand" and will appear in the upcoming ABC series "Rookie Blue."

---Thanks to ABC Family for this information

I had the chance to get in on a recent interview with her and wanted to share a few pieces.

Moderator How important are social networking sites to the promotion of shows like Pretty Little Liars, that's still kind of new?

S. Mitchell They are getting increasingly more important and more important. I mean with Twitter and with Facebook and MySpace, it plays a very big part of the whole marketing strategy. And I think the reason is because you can reach so many more people from across the world. Twitter, I don’t even know how many fan pages and everything we have, and it’s in Brazil and Australia and everywhere. I don’t know, it's bringing the world a little bit closer.

Moderator What draws people to keep tuning in to watch Pretty Little Liars?

S. Mitchell I think the fact that each character is so relatable, and if you don’t feel that you connect completely or totally understand one character, you kind of find yourself in each of them. And I think because a lot of the issues that we deal with quite possibly happen on a day-to-day basis, but you either have it happen to you or you know someone that it has happened to, it makes the show not so dreamy and farfetched.


Tune in to PLL at 8 pm on Mondays

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
Lola Douglas
Penguin
2007
FTC: This is my book. I a not being compensated in any manner for my review.

Characters 15/20
Plot 15/20
Setting 15/20
Cover 15/20
Ending 20/20
Total grade: 80% B

Sexual content: mild
Violence: mild
Drugs: moderate
Underage drinking: heavy
Swearing: moderate
Total rating: 15+

Summary:
Fresh out of rehab, teen star Morgan Carter is taking a step out of the spotlight. She just doesn't realize how big a step. Morgan's mom sends her to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to recover. Even with a makeunder, an assumed name, and a fake identity, Middle America is going to mean a serious lifestyle adjustment for this Hollywood starlet.

My Thoughts:
To be honest this was just a so-so book. I found it to be very common. All of the celeb books I have read seem to follow the same path. Celeb is a bad girl, celeb wants to leave the "crazy" world she is from, la de da. No it was not a bad book but I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn't love celeb books to begin with.

Wednesday Wishlist

What?

Sixteen-year-old Jess Parker survives by staying invisible. After nine schools in ten years, she's come to terms with life as a perpetual new girl, neither popular nor outcast. At Mt. Sterling High, Jess gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret club of the most popular girls in school, where makeovers are the first order of official business. But there's more to being a Cindy than just reinventing yourself from the outside, a concept lost on Jess as she dives tiara-first into creating a hot new look.

With a date with her popular crush and a chance to finally fit in, Jess's life seems to be a perfect fairy tale. That is until the Wickeds--led by Jess's archenemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers her new sisterhood is about much more than who rules Mt. Sterling High School. It's a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys need Jess on special assignment. But when the mission threatens to destroy her new dream life, Jess is forced to choose between this dream realized and honoring the Sisterhood. What's a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Why?
Sounds adorable and love the cover!!!!

Uh-oh

I was gone again guys! Sorry! I got an infection in my bladder and kidneys so I was out of commission for quite a while! I am setting a whole bunch of posts now though so don't you worry :)

Must Monday

What?
Book after Viola in Reel Life.

Why?
I loved the first book!

When?
April 2011