The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf

The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: April 18, 2013

A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet debut full of wit, wisdom, heart, and a hilarious, unforgettable heroine.

When you’re a hypochondriac, there are a million different things that could be wrong with you, but for Izzy, focusing on what could be wrong might be keeping her from dealing with what’s really wrong.

I almost raised my hand, but what would I say? “Mr. Bayer, may I please be excused? I’m not totally positive, but I think I might have cancer.” No way. Then everyone at school would know, and they would treat me differently, and I would be known as “Izzy, that poor girl who diagnosed herself with breast cancer during biology.”

But Izzy’s sense of humor can only get her so far when suddenly her best friend appears to have undergone a personality transplant, her mother’s health takes a turn for the worse, and her beautiful maybe-boyfriend is going all hot and cold. Izzy thinks she’s preparing for the worst-case scenario, but when the worst-case scenario actually hits, it’s a different story altogether—and there’s no tidy list of symptoms to help her through the insanity.

I liked this book just a tad less than I expected, but I really can't say that it was bad at all. I enjoyed it as fluff, but not really as an extreme substance read or anything. I mean, what can I say? It was enjoyable, but not the best book I've ever read or anything.

I liked Izzy, she was fun in a quirky way - but I wasn't really looking for character development in The Symptoms of My Insanity - what I was really looking for was romance. I've really been in the mood for a romantic read lately, and while this had a cute romance, it wasn't really what I was looking for at the time.

I shipped Marcus and Izzy, rather than the other guy that she tried to be with - Marcus was just so much funnier and nicer! The other guy (who's name I can't even remember) was actually a total jerk, and throughout the book I got the feeling he was using Izzy. But Marcus... he was freaking adorable. He was sweet and awkward and made the perfect love interest for weird (yet fun) Izzy.

And I have to say, straight up - I liked the solidarity of the girls in Izzy's high school - they cleared the name of the girl in the scandal no problem. I wish girls acted like that in real life, but in reality we rarely see such... compassion from teenage girls. Maybe one day that will change.

All in all, The Symptoms of My Insanity really wasn't a bad read - it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting at the time.

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: December 6, 2012

An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns –and the heroines who use them all 

Set in turn of the century London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician's assistant. The three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder–and the crimes they believe may be connected to it–without calling too much attention to themselves.

Set in the past but with a modern irreverent flare, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike–well, relatively ladylike–heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.

If I'm honest with you, I'll tell you that I love books with girl power. There is not one girl in this world who "needs" a guy to save her, and I love it when that crosses over into YA lit. It sends a great message, because there are so many girls out there that think they "need" a guy to be something. And this is one of the best examples of a girl power kind of book - it's a totally badass steampunk version of Charlie's Angels, but without a "Charlie".

Before I go on, let me just tell you that I love Charlie's Angels. It's just such a fun movie, and, like I said - GIRL POWER! So I was bound to at least like this one. And I did, but not as much as I had originally hoped. I think the thing that killed it for me was the ending - you know how I have problems with those.

I'm not going to reveal spoilers, but let's just say that I wasn't too surprised in the end.... to say the least. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming, but the ending... it just takes the cake for predictable, unfortunately. But here I go, starting the review at the end again! Let's talk about something more interesting, like say... I don't know, maybe the characters?

Like I said before, there is a seriously awesome amount of girl power in this book. Like, a lot! And I love love loved that! I enjoyed all of our main characters, and it was fun to read from each of their different points of view. I never got confused about who was speaking (and there were no name titles), but I think, hands down, that Cora was my favorite.

She was super smart - like, inventor smart (funny, that... she is an inventor) and she's so awesome! I loved her spunk, and the way that she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. Or to help someone who was in need. She was funny, and she liked to kind of blend into the background - which was a nice change.

That doesn't mean that I didn't like Michiko and Nellie, though! I just liked them for different reasons. I liked Michiko's drive and discipline, and Nellie's flair for girliness. Cora was definitely my favorite, though!

In other news, I think this book has the most realistic "relationship" ever described - it was hilarious when it happened, but... in the end, I think it's nice to see a relationship that doesn't work out in the end. Also a good message.

All in all, I'd say that The Friday Society was a fun steampunk adventure, with plenty of action and interesting characters - but I feel like the ending could have been better.

Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler

Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: January 5, 2012

Just because Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day does not mean she's a romantic. In fact, after watching her father and then her stepfather leave, she's pretty sure she doesn't believe in love at all. Then her friends concoct a plan to find them all Valentine's dates, and somehow Piper finds herself with the most popular guy in school. But true love never follows a plan, and a string of heartfelt gifts from a secret admirer has Piper wondering if she might be with the wrong guy.

In this heartwarming romance, true love is more than a maybe - and it might be closer than you think.

Love? Maybe was the perfect embodiment of what I've come to expect from Heather Hepler: fluff. She writes some of the fluffiest and cutest books, but I just can't really connect with her characters or her storylines. It was predictable as all get out, but ultimately forgettable.

I wanted Piper and Charlie to be together. I thought that they would be absolutely adorable together, and I was just waiting for that romance to happen - but I feel like I really didn't get real romance with this one. It was sweet, that's for sure; but I felt no chemistry between them.

Piper was an okay sort of character, but like I said before... I just can't connect with these characters. I did, however, like Charlie. He was a sweet guy, and truly lit up every scene that he was in, but he just wasn't in the book enough. Truly, I wanted to see more of him.

This book was completely full of predictability - and not really the good kind. The predictable that made me just want to have a long serious talk with Piper. She... she's just super dense. All in all, Love? Maybe was an okay read - I even enjoyed it, but it was ultimately forgettable.