Waiting on Wednesday (28)

This week, I'm waiting on...

The Thing about the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt. Goodreads did not supply a synopsis, but hey, it's Lauren Barnholdt. What more could you need to know? It even excuses the less than attractive cover. (Seriously, though. Why the kissy faces?)

What are you waiting on this week?

Two Way Street: Review

Title: Two Way Street
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Release Date: June 2007
Published By: Simon & Schuester
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 288
Goodreads Rating: 3.89 stars

Review: Lauren Barnholdt is one of my favorite authors, and for good reason! While I love gritty, dark books, sometimes they can be so emotionally draining that it's nice to kick back and relax with an adorable romance. But even though I relax with those kinds of books, I still want ones with real characters that struggle with at least some issues that go beyond "does he or doesn't he like me". That's where Barnholdt comes in. I can always count on her books providing a cute and fun read that isn't totally mindless, and TWO WAY STREET was no exception.

Jordan and Courtney were the perfect couple. Some people thought they were an odd pairing, but there was no denying that they were in love, and since they were going to the same college, they planned a road trip together to go to orientation. Except before the trip, Jordan dumped her for some girl he met on the Internet. It's too late to dump the trip as well, so Courtney is forced to go with him. She decides to pretend not to care about any of it, but she does. And there are secrets Jordan's not telling her - secrets about why, exactly, they broke up.

This book was written in dual perspective, alternating between Jordan and Courtney. I'm uncertain how I stand when it comes to multiple POVs, but in this case, I thought it worked really well. Courtney was biased when it came to Jordan and vice versa, so having both perspectives made it easier to see what was really going on. There were also flashbacks to when they first started going out and the situation with Courtney's family, and while I worried they would make the book confusing, everything was clear.

Overall, this book was an easy, light read that could be finished in one or two sittings. I loved the cute romance and also the deeper issues that the author probed, and found it to be the perfect novel to relax with. TWO WAY STREET is a nice break from tougher books and while not very memorable, provides for a good hour or two of enjoyment. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and sweet read.

Aces Up: Review

Title: Aces Up
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Release Date: August 10th, 2010
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Rating: 3.43 stars
Amazon Rating: 4.2 stars

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.

When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.

Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition money or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?

This fun, sexy, recession-proof story is a bubbly summer read with surprising depth—great for fans of Sarah Mlynowski.

Review: I adored another book by the author, One Night that Changes Everything, so I had very high expectations for this. And I did enjoy it - the synopsis was correct in calling it "bubbly", because this was fun and light, and while it did have a little more to it, it's more of a relaxing read than anything else. 

Shannon is a likeable character, and one thing I loved about her was that she was very realistic. She wasn't the prettiest, skinniest girl in the world, just an average teenager, which was shown right away in the beginning of the book when she, a size eight, attempts to squeeze into a size two dress she's required to wear. Probably the best thing about her was her voice. There was humor on nearly every page, and it made her like Shannon all the more. Most of it, while not hilarious, was certainly enough to make me crack a smile.


The one thing I didn't like so much about her were the choices she made. A lot of them were rather stupid, including the decision to work as a cocktail waitress as a seventeen-year-old. I understand that she really wants to go to that college and she needs the money, but there are other ways than getting a fake ID, dressing up in super-tight dresses and painful high heels, and waitressing for rude gamblers, to get money. 


The other characters were, for the most part, great. Mackenzie, while air-headed, in the end proved herself to be a nice person and I liked her. If I knew her in real life, I doubt she and I would be friends, but you have to like a character who goes into screaming spasms when she sees Prada boots. Max was swoon-worthy, although Cole... not so much. From the moment he, you know, kidnapped her, I kind of saw that he wasn't going to win Nice Guy of the Year award, so I never understood Shannon's attraction to him. Typically guys, no matter how hot they may look, aren't the best choice of boyfriends if you meet them when they shove you into dark rooms and lock the door.


The plot, while sometimes unbelievable (mainly because of Shannon's choices), was definitely unique. It was a fascinating situation to read about, and I have to wonder where the author gets her ideas! This was a quick, light read and I would absolutely put this among the most entertaining books I've read this year. 


Grade: B-

One Night that Changes Everything: Review

Synopsis: Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one ni ...more Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide … 

Details: One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt, 288 pages, 3.97 stars on Goodreads

My Thoughts: You know how the first review you read of a book can affect how you think of it? And no matter how many reviews you read after that, you still can't forget that first one? Well, the first review I read for this book was fairly negative. It basically said that the book was okay and could have been better, but wasn't exactly bad. The other reviews I read were somewhere between this-book-is-amazing and this-book-is-pretty-darn-good, but I never forgot that first one and so I was hesitant to read One Night that Changes Everything.

But I read it all the same, and I am so glad I did. This is a wonderfully sweet, feel-good book that isn't without its share of depth. The main characters, Eliza and Cooper, are richly developed individuals, and while the plot may be a tad predictable, I spent the whole book rooting for them to end up together again. Eliza is more or less a typical teenage girl with the usual fears and secret wishes, but she has to face her fears in this book.

How many of you have ever wanted to ask the hottest guy in a club to dance when you were a teenager? (Or if you are now, whatever the case may be.) Or sing karaoke in front of everybody? They're great things to think about, but Eliza had to actually do them. Each situation she ended up in was hilarious and poignant, and I was laughing as I flipped through the pages.


The only thing I didn't like very much were Eliza's so-called friends. As soon as they saw some guy, they ditched her despite the fact that she was going through possibly the craziest night of her life. Friends should stick with you, especially in tough situations, and I didn't find them very well-developed, either.


Overall, this is a fantastic book that I would recommend to anyone looking for something funny and sweet but not shallow. I loved this book a lot more than I expected, and I hope more people pick this one up and read it!


Plot - 4.5/5
Writing - 3/5
Characters - 3/5
Impact - 2/5
Inability to put it down - 3.5/5

Overall - 64% = B