Review: The S-Word

Slut.

Grabs your attention, right? It certainly grabbed Lizzie's when she read it on her school locker after getting caught in bed with Angie's boyfriend. If I had been the one to catch my best friend and my sweetheart in bed on prom night, this story would've had a different ending. See, I'm glad Angie caught them. Rather than angry and savage -- she was disappointed. And so Lizzie killed herself. Jumped off the roof of the school. Of course, no one kills themselves after one week of bullying. There had to be bigger reasons for such a drastic action. What was Lizzie hiding?

This is a debut novel, and although I see a lot of talent between the lines, several things made this story difficult to follow. No one wants to be reminded they are reading a book: 

"I know what you are thinking. Kids? Liquor? No Way! Relax. I'm not saying I was an adolescent boozehound." 

Not only was Angie judgmental of everyone in the story, but us too? Her constant insinuations that everyone bullied Lizzie for her sake, so it was her fault, made no sense. As she was neither a popular kid in school, nor did she participate with the others. 

And although it is true that certain people change their minds a lot, switching from "I like you, I like you not," several times in one book, this coming from both characters in the relationship, is quite confusing. Bisexuality is not a new topic, and sadly, Chelsea struggled when it came to pull it through. 

All in all, the story would've been more much interesting with a stronger main lead.

Top Ten Tuesday: Praise the Author

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

AUTHORS WHO DESERVE MORE RECOGNITION

 1. Sara Varon 
Robot Dreams conveys so much emotion regardless that it has zero words. It teaches a lasting message about friendship and how some people are meant to come and go from our lives.









2. Sara Kocek
I was lucky to read an ARC of Promise me Something, meant to debut in September, and loved it. It's nice to see such talent from a new author.

3. Ashley Elston 
Another debut author deserving some praise. Her book The Rules for Disappearing is a thriller/love story that left me wanting more. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

4. Alexander Gordon Smith 
His Escape from Furnace series kept me up for several nights. It is downright scary, thrilling and worth every nightmare. I strongly recommend to horror/dystopia fans.

5. Gavin Extence
I'm not done reading The Universe Versus Alex Woods yet. But have been impressed with all the knowledge this book has filled my head with. Yup, I now know the difference between a meteor, meteoroid and meteorite.

 
6. Jill Baguchinsky
A modern Nancy Drew who can communicate with ghosts, except for her late mother. I loved how Spookygirl also tackled the issue of bullying. The more we talk about it the better.








7. Mélanie Watt
Although Mélanie gets a lot of attention with her Scaredy Squirrel series, Chester is always forgotten. A book in which the main character takes control over the author, is just plain funny and deserves a read.

Review: Shine

More authors are tackling the subject of bulling these days, but rarely do we see someone take on several difficult topics at once, as Lauren Myracle did with Shine. She turned the spotlight on rape, homophobia, drug addiction, family issues -- and didn't think twice if readers were ready for it. 

Cat is not perfect. She pushed Patrick and her friends aside after a terrible incident, and standing up for herself doesn't come easy. Still, she tries to amend her errors by investigating the hate crime. Even though it means investigating her friends. 

I was glad we weren't provided with a love story hero. That one guy that would show up and solve Cat's puzzle. Solving this meant coming to terms with her turmoil past. It was a must for her to do this alone. 

The writing was authentically southern and contained some swear words. Also the hate crime is pretty detailed. But the twist at the end makes all the hard scenes worth reading. 

Feature and Follow Friday: Peek-a-Boo

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: Activity: PHOTOBOMB!!!  Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. Share it of course.

Here I am au naturel with a copy of The Hunger Games. Don't you just hate when your hair frizzes from all the humidity. 

Writing with a Friend -- Road to Heaven or Destruction?

I welcomed a new writing buddy today. His name is Latte and he squeaks of delight when I get a good idea, or maybe when he is playful, I don't know yet.

Our arrangement soon got me thinking about collaborative writing in general. Can two authors pour their souls into one work or is it the best way to ruin a friendship?

David Levithan has written many collaborative fiction. His secret is alternating chapters, and making sure than each author has their own character voice. In an interview with Publishers Weekly Andrea Cremer, co-author of Invisibility, said that, "Levithan advised her to think of him as her intended audience and that they both kept their own personal projects on the side." Maybe collaborative fiction isn't so bad. What do you think?