Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Happy Halloween, Readers!  I thought I would post a creep-tastic book I read over the summer.  Enjoy and save some fun-size Snickers for me!

From the flap:

Will and Asheley - Brother and Sister - reveal the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control.  In the restless summer nights of an affluent California suburb, lines are blurred between love and fear, right and wrong, truth and lies, defense...and murder.

From me:
This book is super creepy, like Christopher Walken creepy.  That, however, did not stop me from devouring it.  It was seriously one of the weirdest books I've ever read (and I majored in English!) and it gave me the chills many, many times.  Again - I could not put it down.

The story is told by Will and Asheley through what seem to be interviews with the police.  You are presented with each sibling's perspective of the events that took place, namely the murders (yes, plural) and how they worked to cover them up.  Throughout the story, Will is shown to be unstable, maybe bi-polar, and definitely the "bad guy," while Asheley is shown to be the innocent bystander in Will's rage.  There are no parents - Mom's in rehab and step-dad/boyfriend comes to check on them once in a while (he can be creepy, too).  I feel like I can't say too much more about the plot because I really don't want to ruin it.  If you start the story (which all of you should), hang on until the end...especially the very last page.  I may have to re-read just because of the last line in the novel.

Sean Olin has done a wonderful job at weaving a story of lies and deceit.  The characters feel real - as though they are explaining their stories to you, personally.  That realistic feeling is probably what makes my skin crawl, but also what keeps me reading.  Fantastic book, can't wait to read everything Olin has written.

The Contemps Challenge #2 - The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

From the flap:

Seventeen year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot.  She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush.  In fact, Bianca hates him.  And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction.  She ends up kissing Wesley.  Worse, she likes it.  Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry.  It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too.  Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

From me:
I love this book.  I have loved it since I read the title - how could you not?  First, I have to give major cool points to Kody Keplinger for being in COLLEGE and having two books published (Shut Out comes out in September). I was just happy to have my laundry done when I was in college.  The writing is great - Bianca and friends sound like real high schoolers, which is always a huge selling point for me.

Not only did the characters sound real, they sounded hysterical.  This was really, really funny most of the time.  I wish that I could come up with lines that made readers break into laughter.  While it is super funny, Bianca is dealing with some really big (un-funny) issues, but feels that she shouldn't burden her friends with her problems.  So, she decides to use Wesley Rush to ease her pain, which is maybe not the best way to solve one's problems, but she seems to have a lot of fun, so...  Anyway, I'm happy that Wesley is a broken kid, as well - again, it shows readers that "cool" kids have problems, too. 

I think that this book, while being hysterical, teaches us a very important lesson - everyone is the duff.  It drives me nuts at school when I hear kids, girls especially, comparing themselves to other kids (girls).  But it's not just middle/high school girls!  Adults do it too!  I'm super guilty of this crime!  This book has helped me to realize that everyone sees flaws in themselves and that we should embrace those flaws because they are what make us, us.  And, if our friends or boyfriends/girlfriends can't get past our flaws, then we need to find better people to be around.  A very "teacher" thing to say, but I can't help it- blame Kody Keplinger.  And read The DUFF. 

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Hi All,

Have you seen this?

It's gorgeous, right?  And it sounds like a crazy good book - just look at the summary from Goodreads:

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Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she...moLast spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

Totally looking forward to reading this in January.  If you haven't checked out Brodi's blog, you must!  She's hysterical! www.brodiashton.com

On to today's review:

 From the flap:
My first impulse is not the grab her or kiss her or yell at her.  I simply want to touch her cheek, still flushed from the night's performance.  I want to cut through the space that separates us, measured in feet - not miles, not continents, not years - and to take a callused finger to her face...

It's been three years since Adam's lave saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it...
...and three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is L.A. tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend.  When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night.  As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

From Me:
I went into this book questioning its ability to measure up to If I Stay.  And the truth is, it really did. 

It was definitely different.  It wasn't as "big" emotionally - there is no tragic accident in this one - but seeing the rest of the story from Adam's heartbroken point of view was quite interesting.  His story is tragic in its own right and you still feel that pull in your heart as he's telling it.  He's certainly much gruffer in his language and, presumably, his lifestyle than Mia was, but you still get to see his sensitivity and definitely his vulnerability, which really makes you root for him. 

I didn't feel as emotionally traumatized by the story as a whole (If I Stay left me stunned and sobbing... in a good way), but that could be because I devoured it in a matter of hours...  It could also be because the choices the characters make in this book are much less... I can't even come up with a word to describe the choice Mia made in If I Stay.  The choices in Where She Went are more universal; everybody has to go through something similar (don't they?).  But that's not a bad thing - it just brings the book down to a level where we can imagine having to decide.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book.  It definitely satisfied my need to know what happened after Mia's choice.  Forman has a very simple, understated, yet totally powerful and beautiful way of telling Mia and Adam's story.  And I truly hope to read many more books by her.

Everneath cover art:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044-everneath

Forman, Gayle.  Where She Went. Dutton: NewYork, 2011.