Thursday Oldie: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

So as you guys know, I just moved here. And that means my old blog now lies abandoned... alongside all my old reviews. But because I feel like some of them don't deserve such an awful treatment, I'm going to slowly move my favorite reviews here, especially if my opinion differs than Megs. (though some editing may occur, as I'm a little OCD about my reviews, and the older they originally are, the more likely I am to have things I want to rephrase). 

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Series: Sweet #1
Source: Kindle version
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 1th 2012
Age Genre: Young Adult
Originally published: May 27, 2013

Embrace the Forbidden
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.
Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

DNF at 50%

So, the last couple of oldies were dedicated to the gushing reviews of Kelly Oram's books, and that means I now need to balance it with the worst of the worst - starting with Sweet Evil. I don't normally rate books I didn't finish, unless the reason I didn't finish the book is that I found it completely awful and intolerable. Which is the case here. Big time.

Now, clearly, this is going to be a bad review. It is, in fact, a major rant. So, if you like the book and might find that offensive - don't read the review. I'm entitled to my own opinions, and I do not begrudge you for liking it. I simply didn't. So please, offer me the same respect, and don't comment hatefully.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This book ought to teach me never to trust hype. I saw the cover, saw the high score, saw all my friends loved it, and started reading it. I never looked at the summary, which is something I do sometimes when a book is highly recommended so I can let it take me by surprise. 

Not a good surprise, this one. Nothing sweet about this evil.

Now, I admit, if I had read the synopsis I might have decided not to give it a shot at all, what with the whole "life depends on being a bad influence thing", but I didn't, so...

By the time I reached 27% of this book, I had a page filled with written complaints about it. And, unfortunately for you, you are going to get a full list of them. Sorry.

The Very Beginning

I actually liked the very first 10%, minus that one really stupid moment in Anna's head ("Kai, like Thai, only yummier"). I really do enjoy the writing of the book, it's very flowing and easy to read. I will also mention that some of the conversations were very enjoyable! Now, to the bad.

Anna talking about drugs

I had a WTF moment when Anna talked about drugs.

Anna is the goody-two-shoe, the one who doesn't lie, who doesn't do drugs or alcohol, who always listens to her mother, who does all the homework, etc, etc. But when she started to talk about drugs, in her head, she freaked me out, because she talked of such longing toward to substance.

 
Now, I am well aware of the fact that is due to her heritage. That's why I said I might've opted not to read this book at all if I knew about all this, because this is just wrong to me on so many levels. It creeps me out. 

And at that party, when she was drugged? Her reaction to that? Total What the Fuck am I reading?! moment.

However, I could've gotten past that, because at the end, even though it greatly disturbs me, this is an interesting idea and plot. It's very different than other books in that aspect.

But...

Anna - You Drive Me Bananas!

The girl has had supernatural powers her entire life, but when she finally finds out what she is, she says, and this is a quote: 

"Part of my brain, the realistic part, didn't want to believe a word...but the other half, the heartfelt spiritual part, knew without a doubt it was the truth".

YOU HAVE HAD POWERS ALL YOUR LIFE and, yet;
a) you have a side that is "realistic" and doesn't believe in those things?! How do you explain yourself??

b) the reason you do believe is 'cause you're spiritual? What, the superpowers aren't enough!?

Also, the girl has no phone, shares HUGE secrets with a guy she doesn't know, has a hard case of Insta Love I don't care for, and many more stuff I would mention in regards to other sections. Yeah, she will never be on my list of favorite heroines!

Kaiden...

The guy is our love interest. He's hot, a musician, filthy rich. What's not to like? Oh, he also happens to be half demon, the son of the Duke of Lust. It basically means this:

The guy is a man-slut. He is kind of forced into it by his creepy father who demands he 'work' (yes, they treat and call it as work. It is actually whoring. Another reason to be creeped out by this book). 

Which means, I am not swooning over Kaiden. He doesn't drive me crazy like Anna does, but I'm not swooning. I mean, he is a man-slut, by choice or not. And I guess I would've been more forgiving if I did feel he had no other choice, but he didn't appear to be fighting it all that hard. And he's kind of a jerk. I find it hard to fall for a character like that...

On a side note, I don't really get why he has to sleep with them if he's promoting lust, because people lust after him just fine without him sleeping around, but whatever.

Patti - Try at Consistency!

Patti is Anna's very overprotective adoptive mother. She is the kind of mom who only lets her daughter go to a party after she makes sure it's supervised, who calls every hour if her daughter goes out (but doesn't get her daughter a phone so she could directly contact her rather than through her friends'), who repeats the dangers of the world to her daughter all the time.

So you can see why it is completely unbelievable and stupid that it's THIS mother who suggests said daughter go on a road-trip with a guy she had just met, whom she has warned her daughter from before, because she knows him to be half a demon - a creature meant to seduce humans to sin. 

What is this, Fuck Logic and Character Consistency Day?...

And THE worst part about all this? That dear Anna decides she'll "trust Kaiden once and for all" if her mother decides to let him take her on that trip. Seriously? You're leaving the decisions of trusting a guy you don't know once and for all to your MOTHER? 

Higgins tried to ease the effect of this later with Patti suddenly growing anxious and thinking she was stupid at suggesting all this (which she is), but the damage is done the moment she suggested it. She didn't just agree or something. 

Also, that woman cries so easily! It's annoying and kind of weird. 

The Romance... Kill Me, Kill Me!

Arrg, Insta Love alert.

Anna doesn't know Kaiden at all, but already the thing she wants 'most and least in the world' is to be stuck with him in a car for days, staying overnight. Seriously? Oh, and she trusts him with her biggest secrets after, like, two seconds. But Anna is not the only one faulted with this ridiculous response. Oh, no, Kaiden is, too. He knows her for a day or two when he tells her his favorite place to be is with her. But at least he has some form of logical explanation to it.

Oh, and do you know how long it takes Anna to think the L word about him? (and take off her clothes for him?) A freaking week, more or less.

If that's not enough, Kaiden doesn't really need to give excuses to his bad behavior (and there's abundance of that) or anything, because she's from those girls who gives meanings and excuses to the douches all for free! Just, because. They're actually not douches - they're kind. In their own brutish ways. Riiiight. 

Sex, Sex, Sex - Come Again? This is a Young Adult Book!?

One of the most disturbing things in this book? The emphasize on the sex, especially considering they're only 16 and 17. Now, true; teenagers today know and talk about sex. Some of them have it too. Ignoring it completely will be stupid. 

But must you make it so important and emphasized in the plot? Must every few conversations talk about sex in one way or another? Must you make your main characters sleep with everything that moves? Must you make every kiss much more erotic and sensual than YA really calls for? Must you make them take off their clothes and talk about virginity and stuff like that ALL THE TIME?

It drove me crazy! I wouldn't mind so much in New Adult and probably not at all in Adult, but this is marked Young Adult and the characters are minors, and the fixation with it is disturbing. I hope there is someone monitoring kids don't get their hands on this book and parents shouldn't let them! Seriously! I would never let a younger audience read this... and young adult carters to kids from 12 to 18!

Oh, and the real kick about this book?

Here I shall conclude the rant. I still had about a page more of things to say, but I decided I was drilling on your nerves enough as it is.

Again, please don't hate me for disliking and DNFing the book!

Nitzan★

Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess

Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 2, 2013

Fantastically funny, fresh and utterly relatable, Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess is the first novel in her brand new series about five twenty-something friends—Pia, Angie, Julia, Coco and Madeleine—sharing a brownstone in hip, downtown Brooklyn, and discovering the ups and downs and ins and outs of  their “semi-adult” lives. The first story belongs to sophisticated, spoiled, and stylish Pia, who finds herself completely unemployed, unemployable, and broke. So what is a recent grad with an art history degree and an unfortunate history of Facebook topless photos to do?

Start a food truck business of course! Pia takes on the surprisingly cutthroat Brooklyn world of hybrid lettuce growers, artisanal yogurt makers and homemade butter producers to start SkinnyWheels—all while dealing with hipster bees, one-night-stands, heartbreak, parental fury, wild parties, revenge, jail, loan sharks, playboys, karaoke, true love, and one adorable pink food truck. And that's without counting her roommates' problems, too. Gemma Burgess has captured the confusion, hilarity and excitement of the post-graduate years against a backdrop of the pressures and chaos of New York City life, with heartfelt empathy, fast humor and sharp honesty.

A charming debut series about five twenty-something girls and the humor, heartbreak, and drama that bring them together.

I was unsure about what to expect when I started Brooklyn Girls. I thought that maybe it might be a little like Gossip Girl, or maybe an older version of The Clique. What I didn't expect was what I got. To tell you the truth, this book actually reminded me of a movie... One For the Money, which I adored!

I found Pia to be such a fun, light-hearted character. She was able to stand up for herself, and she had such passion and drive! She was a bit flighty, though. Pia... tended to be a bit on the crazy side, to tell you the truth. She was a partier, and even after she started her business, I felt like she needed to learn some more responsibility. Thankfully, she grew as a character throughout the book, so that didn't turn out to be a problem.

What I enjoyed the most about this book was the overall ambiance of it. I enjoyed the light feel, and how even if things were going wrong, it was a happy type book. Pia's business story was so fun, and even if I wanted to smack her sometimes for jumping in headfirst with no thought to what she was doing.

Mostly, this book was just lightness incarnate, so I don't feel like there's very many things that I can say about this.

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Series: N/A
Source: Traded for
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they're missing out on the full high school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge—and they will totally rock it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes—until now.

These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want—but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . .

Smart Girls Get What They Want is a book I read purely because of the fluff factor-- I was wanting a book that was simple and sweet and took my mind off of everything going on in my life. And while this one definitely had that factor, it also had a hint of non-fluff. Or as I like to call it, hard-core trying to be your very best. I definitely felt like Gigi was trying her very best to be the best she could be, and I really admired that about her.

Don't get me wrong, I am a tad upset that Gigi didn't have romance until the end, but I feel like the story itself was enough to keep me going in this case-- the romance was just a sub-plot instead of the full focus of the story. Which is fine... though I really wanted that romance to happen sooner-- I'm all for the waiting makes the heart fonder thing... but COME ON. I wanted to see the sweet little puppy love!

But back to Gigi. I felt like Gigi was a really driven character-- and while she was driven to something kind of dumb (popularity), I totally respect her for trying. I loved that all of her feelings were so real-- I definitely think that we could be a lot alike. She seems to be really sweet, and I love love love her interactions with her friends; which brings me to the next point.

I think that her friends (Neerja, Bea, etc.) could have been more developed. They were okay, but they could have been on the same level as Gigi. And they fell just a bit short of that, in my opinion. All in all, this was a pretty good read... I'll definitely be reading the author's next book. (:

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Bluefields
Publication Date: May 4, 2013

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

When I started The Avery Shaw Experiment, I really had no idea what to expect. A few of my favorite bloggers had read it and liked it, so I decided to give it a shot, because it looked seriously cute. Turns out that it was adorable in every way imaginable! Grayson and Avery ended up being so cute together-- you don't even know yet. Pretty soon into the book I was laughing and seriously cheering them on. They were very likable as a couple, so I just couldn't help but swoon over almost every one of their interactions.

Grayson was so, so, so...hott. I loved him, I truly did. I always found myself racing to the next chapter through his point of view, then thoroughly devouring it so that I could move onto the next and the next. The Avery Shaw Experiment would be crazy comfort reading, let me tell you! Anywho, back to my favorite boy, Grayson. Everything that he did just managed to dig me into a hole deeper and deeper with my crush...fictionally, of course... he was just sweet and kind and protective! Seriously. Let me share an oh-so-smexy quotes.

*SPOILERY* I always looked at her as sort of a pesky little sister, but all that changed the day my brother dumped her. Why, you ask? Let me put it this way: When a girl lets you be the one to hold her as her entire world falls apart, even though you're ass naked, it changes the way you see her.*SPOILERISH QUOTE END*

The scene that he kind of describes, well, it made me guffaw out loud. I found myself laughing a lot during this book, which was really nice. Some of the crude jokes were a little much, but they totally had me smiling throughout the book.

On to Avery, who is, of course, the main character. I really enjoyed her chapters too, but I think that Grayson shall remain my favorite. BUT. Avery was still a fun character to read about, and I liked her insights on everything. She seemed to be completely honest with herself, and just so down to earth and sweet. I'm so sad that she had to fall for Aiden (duh, we're curing a broken heart here, y'all) who really was a jerk. I think I kind of hate him, to tell you the truth.

But I love all of the secondary characters. Libby was so quirky and weird and hilarious, and all of the other science geeks were great too. I also enjoyed Grayson's friends. All in all, The Avery Shaw Experiment really is an awesome book. I totally recommend it!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Series: N/A
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

I really expected to love Fangirl. I liked it, but I feel like it didn't resonate with me as deeply as it could have.

I really liked Cath as a character, but I just couldn't relate to the fandom. I did relate to almost everything else about her, though. Nerdy, socially retarded, and not leaving her room ever...that's me completely. She was so weird that it was endearing. I really liked that about her-- I liked her hesitance towards new situations, and just really enjoyed her as a character.

But as much as I liked Cath, I feel like the secondary characters lacked a bit. I enjoyed Levi and Reagan, but I don't feel like I really got to know them throughout the book. I mean, I can't even tell you where Reagan worked, and she does work somewhere. We get to see Levi a lot more, but I can tell you very little about him too-- it's like we got a quick school on them, and it didn't ever go any deeper than that. I can't very well tell you some of the most basic things about them.

Going past that though, I did enjoy Cath and Levi's relationship. They were very cute together, and they balanced each other out pretty well. I loved the scenes between them-- I don't think they could have been any cuter. It actually reminds me of a John Green quote, which is crazy.

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly at first, then all at once."

I liked that the situations seemed very realistic-- I could imagine them all happening, which was great. But back to the fandom-- I loved how it was like this alternate of Harry Potter-- it made it so much easier to believe, because you could compare it to the HP fandom, and it all made sense.

The only thing that really disappointed me to speak up was the ending-- I feel like not everything was resolved. We kind of end up with an open type ending, which isn't really my thing, you know?

All in all, Fangirl was a good read, and I'm not disappointed, but I feel like it could have been better. I don't know why.

Flat Out Love by Jessica Park

Flat Out Love by Jessica Park
Series: Flat Out Love, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: April 11, 2011

He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy.

So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagle likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves.

Complicated? Awkward? Completely.

But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother's? This was all supposed to be temporary. Julie wasn't supposed to be important to the Watkins family, or to fall in love with one of the brothers. Especially the one she's never quite met. But what does that really matter? Finn gets her, like no one ever has before. They have connection.


But here's the thing about love, in all its twisty, bumpy permutations—it always throws you a few curves. And no one ever escapes unscathed.

Flat Out Love was a good read for me, but I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. I just couldn't get over the fact that Julie could be so...I don't know, judging I guess would be the word? That's not really right, but I'm sure you get the idea. She put me off just a little bit. Now, honestly, I read both this and the novella from Matt's POV, and I actually liked Matt more than I liked Julie. But when you read both, well, you realize how little Julie actually thinks about Matt. Whereas Matt thinks about her constantly. She's a really big part of his story, but he is almost nothing in hers. I think that may have been what put me off her, to tell the truth.

I mean, she was hilarious and she seemed like she'd be a lot of fun to hang out with, but she wasn't much more than that to me. She was constantly trying to fix the Watkins (especially Celeste) and she seems to have such a clear idea of what's "normal" and what's "not normal". Coming from a weird family myself, I really don't think that there is normal and not normal. Celeste was such a unique, bright kid. I really liked her, and I did want her to have more friends and everything, but she really wasn't that bad. Granted, yes, the "Flat Finn" thing really freaked me out, but I got over it.

But let's move on-- even though Matt really isn't a big part of Julie's story, I thought that they were adorable together whenever she gave him a chance. Matt was a funny, weird guy, but his nerdiness really was endearing. But...there was also another side of him, that, well, not gonna lie or anything-- kind of freaked me out. Daddy always said you don't bring crazy to the house, and he did a bunch of screwed up things. In his novella, though, you really get to see that what he was doing was for his family, not just to be weird. o.O

All in all, Flat Out Love was a good read, with awesome plotting and an interesting story, but the romance didn't grab me like I'd hoped it would. It didn't even really show up til the last bit of the book, honestly.

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 4, 2012

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

Nothing creates a buzz like an Executive Deluxe day planner.

I knew exactly what to expect when I started this: I was expecting cute, romantic fluff that's basically there as a filler. What I got was so much more. There was romance, and yes it was adorable. But there was also self-discovery and pain, as well as just general life.

I liked Payton, she was a good main character. I feel like I can relate to her; even if I don't know what it's like to have a sick parent. She handled it okay, though, I think. She was really funny and sarcastic, and I liked that she had actual feelings, as opposed to some flat character from other books that I could mention.

I liked that she found a focus object through such a ridiculous thing-- it was great. Now I will take a moment to say something about her focus object, Sean Griswold's head. SEAN. He was such a sweetheart-- just one of those boys that you want to hug the life out of, you know? (Well, I want him to live but you get the picture, right?) He was the perfect guy to kind of balance Payton out.

Their romance was adorable. So unsure and cute and I never wanted the adorbs to end! My only real issue with this book was that it follows the formula for a romantic comedy down to the T. You know what I mean. But I did like that every character had a purpose, and a unique personality.

All in all, Sean Griswold's Head is the perfect beach read-- except it doesn't involve any beach. Otherwise, it meets all the other requirements-- sweet and cute, with a dash of romance.