Forget You by Jennifer Echols

 
To tell you the truth, I read this book a couple of times already. It was good, but there are some things that until now, I can't still figure out or understand.
The main character, Zoey, is the daughter of two well-known individuals in their town. But her parents is divorced and her father got his 24-year-old girlfriend pregnant. Zoey's mom had a nervous breakdown and her dad was furious. He sent her to the local asylum and Zoey was kind of embarrassed by that so she hid her mom's condition from her friends and from her co-swimming team members.
(That was the part that I did not understood much. Because probably when something happened to me or to my loved ones, I will immediately go to my friends and seek for comfort.)
Doug is the team's best swimmer and Zoey hate him. Not because he's good but because of an incident that happened years ago between them. But an event has led them to be together again.
That was another part that I don't get (haha). I do not understand how Doug and Zoey got together after a party when Zoey was always saying that there's nothing between them. How did Doug convinced Zoey to come with him and not with Brandon (Zoey's boyfriend)?
Well maybe you need to find out for yourself.
All in all, I do love Doug and his chemistry with Zoey. On the other hand, I do not like Zoey and can not understand the way she thinks and decides (huu).
This is a very YA-ish and Chick Lit-ish book (which has many fans mind you) so I'm very certain that if you're a fan of both (or not), you will like this all the same.


Rating:
B+

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens

In some way, I did liked this book because of the story, but the one that did not appealed to me was the way the author conveyed it. It felt like the author just used synonyms of certain words in order to make the book not sound too redundant.
I love books with stories like this (haha the chick lit side of me) and as a matter of fact, when I read the description of the book I automatically liked it and expected a funny and romantic read. It did meet my expectations on some occasions but not most of the time.
Charles, the father of Ashlyn (the protagonist), is one of the things that I dislike. I think the way he restricts Ashlyn to do things her peers can do is kind of... annoying. How can a father be so obsessed with his daughter's safety? A sixteen year old can already keep herself safe right?
Anyhoo, the romantic side of the story is the one keeping me from grading this book too low. Good thing that Colin is charming and his chemistry with Ashlyn is expressed well.
For fans of rich-kid-falls-in-love-with-bodyguard or First Daughter-ish (Katie Holmes movie)  kind of stories, you might like this one.


Rating:
 C

The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern #1) by Shannon Hale

Wow. I'm not really a fan of Fantasy books and I tend to get bored easily when I read them, but this one is just plain awesome. I'm telling you right here right now that this is not your usual fairytale-princess-prince charming-happy endings-kind-of-book! I was totally surprised by the turn of events of the story.
In the first part, you'll read about how Ani's so different from her mother, the queen. Instead of being regal and superior, Ani is reserved, shy and well... weak. But when you keep reading you'll see how she transformed into something that her countrymen didn't believed or didn't trust her to be.
The second part of the book is where you'll see Ani's new adventures in Bayern as Isi. How she met her new friends and Geric. How she finally understood what her aunt was telling her when she was just a child.
The reason why it's not your ordinary fairytale book is because it's full of action and suspense that will keep you on your toes and will want to read more. Instead of seeing a princess-turned-goose-girl as weak and needy of a knight-in-shining-armor that will come to her defense, you'll see that Ani is doing her best to be brave and to fight for herself.
I know that this is also for kids so I'm not really expecting a lot of lovey-dovey scenes between Geric and Ani although at the back of my mind I am wishing for more (harhar). Geric's presence was a little lacking but since this (once again I'm telling you) is not your usual fairytale, the story revolves around Ani 90% of the time.
And of course, the third part is where you'll get to see Ani finally standing up and claiming what by right is hers. The battle between the Kildenreans and Bayerns (or Ani's animal keeper friends) is great and the ending as well.
So for kids (and adults as well) who're looking for a fantastic read, grab a copy of The Goose Girl and read one now! Kudos to Shannon Hale! :-bd


Rating:

A+