The Best Day of Someone Else's Life by Kerry Reichs

The Best Day of Someone Else's Life by Kerry Reichs
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 6, 2008

Despite being cursed with a boy's name, Kevin "Vi" Connelly is seriously female and a committed romantic. The affliction hit at the tender age of six when she was handed a basket of flower petals and ensnared by the "marry-tale." The thrill, the attention, the big white dress—it's the Best Day of Your Life, and it's seriously addictive. But at twenty-seven, with a closetful of pricey bridesmaid dresses she'll never wear again, a trunkful of embarrassing memories, and an empty bank account from paying for it all, the illusion of matrimony as the Answer to Everything begins to fray. As her friends' choices don't provide answers, and her family confuses her more, Vi faces off against her eminently untrustworthy boyfriend and the veracity of the BDOYL.

Eleven weddings in eighteen months would send any sane woman either over the edge or scurrying for the altar. But as reality separates from illusion, Vi learns that letting go of someone else's story to write your own may be harder than buying the myth, but just might help her make the right choices for herself.

I'll start right off by saying that while The Best Day of Someone Else's Life was quite enjoyable, I would not go so far as to say that it was anything truly special. Because really, it wasn't. It was, however, a fun and cynical read that I did enjoy. It starts off with a story to make you understand it all - the dramas of the first wedding that Vi ever attended, that of her aunt. It really sets her off to be the cynical character that we see throughout this book.

And she's not the only cynical one to be seen - it seems that every one of the characters throughout BDOSEL has their own set of quirks and all appear to have suffered throughout their love lives to make them somewhat cynical. All of the women (and select me *wink wink*) are very sarcastic and tend to waiver towards man hating, but I found them to be a funny, lovable group.

But lemme get started on Vi's family, a ragtag, quirky bunch of raucous, overbearing, alcoholic Irish family. I found their family traditions to be a bit strange, but I enjoyed the idea of it all. They drank all day and made Christmas traditions of buying their own gifts and having a big party to wrap them together. It was quite endearing, in my mind.

Now for the true story - the weddings. While the idea seemed fun at first, it quickly became a repetitive story line that would be enough to make any one become a cynical old broad. So I really can't blame Vi at all for her aversion to weddings - heck, I might not even be interested in one after reading all about that hoopla. Not to mention the heartbreak that Vi endures throughout the book. I have no idea how I would handle that, but I imagine it wouldn't be good. You'll have to read it to figure out what I mean.

I find that Vi and I are alike in several ways, though. We tend to stack all of our hopes against one possible outcome, and it doesn't always work in our favor. There were other similarities between us, but that was the most notable one.

The representation of love that is found in this book was one that I quite liked - I believe that relationships are about work, rather than there just being a particular "one" that you're meant to fall in love with. I believe that there are multiple ones - it just depends on how much you put into the relationship. Because I have seen many "the one" relationships crumble and it's hard for me to believe that there's really only "one" person in the world for you.

But back to the book - I'm gonna tell you a little bit about my favorite character, Ben the tile salesman. I found it awesome that Vi and Ben formed an unlikely friendship through Vi's wedding attendance - and kept it up throughout the entire book. I even felt at some point as though Vi and Ben might become love interests. Because for a while, it seemed as though Ben was Vi's only friend. And it would have been sweet, but in the end it's not what happened.

What happened is through Vi's many mishaps and weddings, she met Niall Devlin, which made for an interesting love story. Vi's commitment issues caused relationship issues, and things got rocky for a while, but in the end everything worked out okay. I enjoyed the ending of this novel, everything tied up nicely and it left me with a full feeling. All in all, I'd say that it was a fair decent book.

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

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The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Series: Hamilton High #1
Source: Bought kindle
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publication Date: April 5th 2012
Age Genre: YA/NA crossover

Beauty really does lie in the eye of the beholder...
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is smart, cynical, loyal - and well aware that she's not the hot one in her group of friends. But when high-school jock and all round moron Wesley Rush tells her she's a DUFF - a Designated, Ugly Fat Friend - Bianca does not the see funny side. She may not be a beauty but she'd never stoop so low as to go anywhere near the likes of Wesley ... Or would she? Bianca is about to find out that attraction defies looks and that sometimes your sworn enemies can become your best friends ... With a wry and tell-it-like-it-is voice, The Duff is a witty and poignant story of a teenager struggling with the rules of high school attraction, along with the breaking down of her relationships with family and friends. It is a novel about what it means to be sexy, in a world where we feel we have to be perfect!

I am so glad I gave this book a shot! It's been on my "maybe" list ever since I heard of it, my hesitation steaming from a rumored jerk of a love interest and the whole enemies with benefits plot-line. But, the movie with Stephan Amell came out and it just looked so entertaining that I had to give the book a chance.

And honestly, it's just been so much fun! 

Let's start by saying that the book explores a lot of deep themes. First of all, it explores slut shaming. It explores the idea of beauty. It explores facades. It explores friendships and family. And all the underlying messages are so positive it's heartening.

And it's pretty much all done through our main character, Bianca. A sassy, sarcastic, kind of judgmental girl whom I honestly loved. She's our DUFF - Designated ugly fat friend. Or is she? She's definitely a fun character to explore, and while I didn't agree with all she did (especially toward the end with Toby...) I always loved her. 

Her love interest and the coined douche above is Wesley. Now, I'm going to apologize in advance for the upcoming section- because I absolutely adored Wesley to pieces. I'm sorry, but anyone who finds this guy to be a jerk is wrong. He acted like a douche, sure. But he was not actually a douche.

In fact, out of all the characters in the book, he never once disrespected or shamed anyone. Especially not slut shaming. Even the making of the DUFF is something he doesn't do to be insulting, and later on really regrets.

He treats all the girl with him (Bianca especially) so well it was weird. He makes them feel beautiful and never once tries to make them feel dirty, unlike many of his counterparts in other books. And you can see this by how many times he asks Bianca "are you okay?". All jokes aside, it's always the first question on his mind. He always worries over her, even after the sex is over. He's careful to ask her if it helped and trying to figure out what makes her come to him in the first place so he could help.

And underneath all his "come get a piece of this" attitude, he's just a lonely person looking for human contact, too afraid to be abandoned to create any lasting relationships. His entire "jerkness" is just a persona. A facade. Is he still going to be a cocky, sure of himself bastard without it? Probably. But he's a very likable, considerate bastard lol

And together? I really liked them. I loved how she made Wesley think and break out of his pattern. I loved that he got her to think better of herself at the end, that he showed her she doesn't have to do it all on her own. And I wanted them together so bad it hurt!

Then there is the concept of friendships - I loved the friendships in this book. I loved seeing beautiful, popular girls who do not abuse and use anyone. Who don't act all cocky and superior and are the main antagonists of the story. Who valued friendship above all else and were always there for one another--even when one of them was shutting down on them and hurt them by doing so.

Then there is the concept of family. The book deals with alcoholism, with separation, with the effects it has on the children. This is the moving force behind all of Bianca's decisions, more or less, and it was so interesting. It kept me at the edge of my seat, wondering when the bad was going to hit full force.

And finally, I love the idea of the DUFF. Is it awful, that there is an "ugly fat friend"? sure. But in the title itself, Keplinger teases the real meaning of the DUFF. We are all the DUFF. It's a designated title, much like a designated driver. One evening it's going to be you, the next it's going to be your friend. One night you're going to look the best out of the group and another one you're... not. And it's okay, and it's real, and we all feel like the DUFF next to some of our friends and they do next to theirs. #TRUTH

   Nitzan★

DNF: Chosen for Power by Kathleen Brooks

Chosen for Power by Kathleen Brooks
Series: Woman of Power #1
Source: Free kindle copy
Publisher: Laurens Publishing
Publication Date: April 21st 2014
Age Genre: Adult

Somebody is out to destroy Elle Simpson and everything she’s worked hard to build. As the CEO of a corporate conglomerate, Elle is used to fighting off challengers. However, this new threat comes at a time when she finally lets her guard down to meet Prince Charming. And it’s unlike anything she’s been up against before.

Drake Charles’s work on mobile technology has made him a wealthy, powerful man.
But he quickly sheds the fame and publicity for a more private life, which earns him the label as a man of mystery. Drake adds to that mystery every year when he hosts a masquerade ball for charity. It’s also his best chance to find the one thing he really wants . . . true love.

Having met behind masks of anonymity, Elle and Drake enjoy a whirlwind night of romance that leaves them both wanting more. But Elle must question everything and everyone as she battles to save her life and career. Can Elle trust Drake to help get her life back or will she lose everything?

A le sigh. Another DNF review, mere week apart. I don't seem to be having too much luck with books this month. At least I got this one for free...

And yes, I'm rating this one. Just so you know, I rate about 50% of the books I don't finish. The ones I don't rate are those I acknowledge are good, for other people. Those I do rate are those I just couldn't stand. I'll you to figure out which one is this.

The premise for Chosen for Power sounds good enough - a female CEO fighting for her company, finding love along the way. It even started good - the book is readable. Fact is, I reached 27% even though the sheer ridiculousness of this book started at about 10%. So, it was good enough to make me give it another try... until I really, really couldn't.

Because this book is INSTA LOVE. All capital letters insta-love, which is doubly ridiculous considering both of them are hot-shot young billionaires who've been burned countless times before. They know each other five hours, give or take, before both of them are confessing love.

Yes, that's right - love. And they don't even know each other's names. All they know is that his boy part and her girl part fit nicely together... That's ridiculous enough, but the fact that after being separated he finds her, and she jumps into his arms happily... I don't know about you, but I'll be slightly wary if a guy I met yesterday managed to find where I live and meets my family. Which is, indecently, where I learn who he is. And I only learn that because my mother knows him.

Am I the only one seeing how stupid this entire scenario is? This is where I called quits.

Not to mention the actual fighting for my company plot has still not shown itself.

And this book tries very hard to say "these are not your normal CEOs! They're not ruthless, heartless human beings! They volunteer! they have tragic pasts! people are always trying to use them! they're just looking for someone to be themselves with! and I don't mind that, it's just that it tries too hard.

I mean, they should be a bit ruthless and tenacious to hold on to their companies at such a young age. Why is that wrong? Why must you show them in such a positive, sickeningly bright light? Maybe we'll see that farther into the story, but the way the book was being handled made me think not so much (just because a magazine says they're ruthless does not mean the book shows it...)

Nitzan★