Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Will Work for Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris


T​itle: Will Work for Prom Dress

Author: Aimee Ferris

Publisher: Egmont USA

Summary:

Quigley Johnson has, reluctantly, given up the rest of her last year of high school to take part in her best friend Ann's Betterment Plan, which will turn them into the best-dressed, most sought-after, most admired girls at their senior formal. Because - hey - who doesn't want the perfect prom, complete with a dream dress and a devastatingly handsome date?

But the prom costs money - lots of money - and even though the girls could easily have Ann's mom design their dresses (she's only Victoria Parisi, one of the most famous designers in the world), Ann insists that they pay their own way. And that's how Quigley gets stuck making artistic topping masterpieces on frozen pizzas canvases, before becoming a live model for Ms. Parisi's fashion design class, where she meets Zander.

He's cute, and cool, and funny, with a killer design sensibility (even if he can't sketch). But is he too good to be true? And what about David, the hot, talented artist at school, who's also kind of a jerk, but won't leave Quigley alone? And Ann - she started the Betterment Plan to improve Quigley and herself, but it seems like it's ripping their friendship to shreds.

This road to the prom dream may just end in disaster.

My Thoughts: I will admit to being pleasantly surprised by Will Work for Prom Dress. I was expecting some light, fluffy prom-themed novel and while Will Work for Prom Dress is fun, there is so much more to it than that.

Now, I don't want to give too many of the subplots away here but I thought they all worked perfectly and quite honestly, I was shocked by some of them. Particularly the one involving Zander. I love how there was fun subplots, like Dave's, but also more serious ones, like Zander's and Ann's relationship. It all balanced out to create a book that was fun but still had depth.

Character-wise...Well, I love Zander. He was sweet and flawed. Dave was also an interesting character, as was Ann's boyfriend, T-shirt. Each of them had their own quirks and flaws. Ann and Quigley both had distinct personalities and contrasted each other nicely. ​The situations they got themselves into were usually rather amusing.
In fact, a lot of the novel was amusing - I found myself cracking up more than once.

The ending was unexpected but cute, which I liked.

Overall, Will Work for Prom Dress is more than a typical fluff novel but is still perfect for that Valentine's Day or pre-prom read. It's entertaining and will most likely bring a smile to your face. Highly recommended.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

3rd Blogoversary!

Wow. Yesterday was my 3rd blogoversary and I nearly forgot about it in the middle of midterm madness.

I cannot believe it's been THREE years.

That, to me, is amazing.

So much has changed since I started blogging...everything is different now and I'm glad I began when I did.

Usually, I go all out to celebrate my blogoversary but this year, it's just not possible. I did want to take the time to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone that reads this blogger, to every author or publicist who has ever sent me a book, and to all of the friends I've made since blogging. It's been a great experience.

Next year, I promise, I'll go all out!

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Title: Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings

Author: Helene Boudreau

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Summary:

Freak of nature takes on a whole new meaning...

If she hadn't been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarrassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. So how does a plus-size, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend, Cori, and to her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting...

My Thoughts: Oh, how I love this book! It's most definitely something I would have ate up in a heartbeat as a tween. It's cute, spunky, and original and there's mermaids...what more could a girl ask for?

From the first page, I was hooked. Jade's narrative was captivating from the beginning. She tells things as it is and the situations she gets herself into, like getting her first period in a dressing room, will make readers laugh and sympathize with her. One thing I loved about Jade is that she wasn't depicted as being the perfect skinny girl - she has some issues with her weight and while it's not made into a huge part of the novel, I know it will allow some younger readers to see more of themselves in her.

One of the things I love about middle grade is that because middle graders are more...flexible...then YA readers, things don't need to be quite as developed. If this had been a YA, it would have been expected that the romance and friendships and the whole mermaid thing was more developed and realistic. But, it's MG and because of that, it works. The romance is kept light, the friendships are realistic, and the mermaid thing is done in a way that it's realistic enough.

I also love how deeper issues, such as her mom's drowning, were mixed in to balance out the fluff. Everything worked out nicely, making this a perfect quick reader.

Overall, I highly recommend Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings. It's a great MG book and will appeal to some YA readers as well. ​