Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels by Helene Boudreau + 3 Book Giveaway!!

Title: Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels
Author: Helene Boudreau
Series: Real Mermaids, #3
Source: Publisher for Blog tour
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date: February 1, 2013
Goodreads||The Book Depository

The only thing that terrifies Jade more than the ocean is dancing at the Fall Formal. Because Jade has two left feet—er, flippers. Who knew being a high school freshman is even more awkward than being a plus-size aqua-phobic mer-girl? At least her only drama is of the human variety...

Or not.

The Mermish Council has just declared that all land-dwelling mers but return to the ocean. Pronto. But there's no way Jade is going to let her mom, or Luke, her...boyfriend? mer-guy-friend?, disappear into the deep, dark ocean. Again. After all, a girl's got to have a date to her first dance.

If Jade can stop mer-mageddon, finding a plus-size dress that doesn't look like a shower curtain should be a piece of cake.

I think that this is the book where I've found my happy place for this series-- I just need to accept that this is MG, a genre that I don't usually read, so there are going to be some things that will just kill me. Like the lack of down-time between adventures. But the more that I think about that, the more that I realize that MG is known for it's over-the-top adventures that just keep happening, so I think I've finally made peace with that. Finally.

And that's all that needed to be done for me to just sit back and start really enjoying this series. I already liked Jade, so now that I've made peace with the adventures, I can say that I love Jade. She's really level-headed most of the time, and she totally makes me laugh with her snarky humor! She also manages to be spunky a lot, even when she's in grave danger, and yes, she still makes me laugh. And nod while saying, "Amen, sister! Preach about being plus-sized!!"

I also like the way that her relationship with Luke has progressed throughout the books-- meaning it's basically gone nowhere, but I think that it's pretty realistic, considering the young age of Luke and Jade. I love how confused they are! It's the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I hope that they actually get somewhere in the next book. Getting over the confusion is part of growing up! And it's just really cute. =]

Speaking of cute, this entire series really is adorable. I'm really starting to appreciate that it isn't filled with mature subjects. It's a kick-back-and-relax kind of read. I'm loving that! I'm also loving that the ending was sweet and happy, and that the characters all had their own little happy endings. So much love for happiness, y'all!

In the end,  Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels was a satisfying read that left me happy with where the characters were, and hopeful about the next book in the series.

Giveaway:

The wonderful people at Sourcebooks are sponsoring a giveaway for my fabulous readers! Yay! Just fill out the rafflecopter below so that you have a chance at winning the first three books in this series!

USA/CAN ONLY

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Waiting on Wednesday #10

Title: The Symptoms of My Insanity
Author: Mindy Raf
Series: N/A
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication Date: April 18, 2013
Goodreads||The Book Depository

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.

LOOK AT THAT COVER. And that synopsis? Brilliant. It tells me that not only is this book going to be unique, it's also going to be funny. And I ADORE books with humor-- they'll get me every time.

Me, Him, Them and It by Caela Carter

Title: Me, Him, Them and It
Author: Caela Carter
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher for Blog Tour
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Goodreads||The Book Depository

ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who's been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents. HIM is Todd, Evelyn's secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex - until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT. IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant - and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?

I've been absolutely salivitating for Me, Him, Them and It ever since I first heard about it. I contacted reps, I checked out netgalley, I tracked the release date. I knew, I just knew that this was going to be one of those life-changing books that rip a piece of you out and keep it. And it was! But it was also one of the most true to life pregnancy books that I've ever read-- maybe even the only pregnancy book I've ever read, but who knows!

All that matters is that I really liked it. I truly did. I loved all of the character relationships-- they were very well done, and even though Evelyn could be a little silent, I liked her too. Evelyn and her parents, Evelyn and Lizzie and Maryellie? I think that they all reacted and interacted perfectly for the situations that they were in. That was honestly my favorite part-- it seemed really realistic, and even though there was a million things going on at any given time, it all just worked.

Being a pregnant teenager is hectic, I'm sure! Especially if you don't want anyone to know, but you're unsure what you really want to do. Crazy, honestly! I can't even imagine that...actually, I can. And it looks a lot like Evelyn's story, except I'm positive that some of my decisions would have been different. Evelyn is the only thing about Me, Him, Them and It that truly upset me. Most of the time I liked her, but towards the end she just started freaking out, and she did some things that really made me upset. And it gave us a quasi-sad ending....sigh.

But other than that, this really was a terrific book! I feel like all the confusion that the reader feels for Evelyn is completely true to life, and that the portrayal of pregnancy is realistic. It's more like Juno, LOL! Caela Carter does a really good job of running us through all of the emotions of a pregnant teenager without going all gross on us. PLUS, she gives us a little bit of humor throughout.

All in all, I really liked Me, Him, Them and It. I think that it'll be one of my favorite issue books for a long time, because of the accurate portrayal of teen pregnancy and the feelings that come with it.