Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

The One That I Want

by Jennifer Echols

pub date 12/6/2011

product description from goodreads.com

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

My Review:

The One That I Want is yet another winner from Jennifer Echols! It's fun, quirky, sexy, filled with great dialogue...need I go on? The difference with this one, however, is that it kind of breaks the mold with its characters.

Let's start with Gemma, who is not your typical high school teenager. We learn right away that Gemma just lost some weight. A lot of it. About 50 pounds to be exact (which is a lot if you've never struggled with your weight, believe me!). And throughout the book, we see how Gemma deals with her new image--both inside and out. That's definitely not something you see everyday in these fun romance novels. I love it! Gemma is an excellent character, very real and down-to-earth in a way that makes her very relatable. I found myself chugging right along with her, keeping my fingers crossed that things worked out the way she hoped!

Now on to Max, the male lead. He's your typical jock: hot, athletic, hot, popular, hot. Ahem. What's different about Max, what makes him stand out from the endless supply of YA male leads...is he's Asian. Now that is definitely not something you see often in this genre, and it's a breath of fresh air! On the surface, Max seems to have it all: outstanding talent in sports, steamy good looks, parents who love him. But what we learn is that just like Gemma, Max struggles with being different--and always has. This connects Gemma and Max in a way that nothing else can.

It also connects the reader with these two characters in that same way, that "I was different growing up, too, so I can relate!" way. As each of these characters came to life and their stories unfolded, I was right there with them, nodding my head and completely understanding the feelings they expressed. Well done, Ms. Echols!

My Rating:

As if you have to ask. I honestly don't think I could ever give one of Ms. Echols' books less than a 5 star rating, and The One That I Want is no exception. A great story told through relatable, believable characters, witty, spot-on dialogue, and of course romance, believe me when I tell you that this book is The One That You Want! :)

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins

pub date 9/29/2011

product description from goodreads.com

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Review:

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the companion novel to Stephanie Perkins' debut, Anna and the French Kiss. And I must say...I liked it even better than the first! Lola is a spitfire character, quirky and funny and very realistic and relatable. She lives with her two dads (her birth mother comes into the picture later in a big way), and dreams of working in the fashion world. She works at a movie theater in San Francisco (with a certain girl who lived in Paris for a year--yes!) and is madly in love with her older boyfriend, Max--a budding rock star. But someone from Lola's past reemerges and shakes up things Lola had thought were long buried.

That person? The devilishly charming Cricket.

Cricket is tall. Overly tall, according to Lola. He's gorgeous, and sweet, and says things in this book that will make your heart melt (the story he tells Lola toward the end? *swoon*). But Cricket comes with baggage--namely, his twin sister Calliope. Cal fears what's happening between Lola and Cricket (fears it again, since these two share a semi-romantic past), afraid of being left alone if her twin falls in love. So much so that she tries to keep it from happening. But Cal doesn't realize that Cricket is already in love. In fact, he never fell out of it when it comes to Lola (I know, right?!) And he tells Lola as much, sending Lola's seemingly perfect life into a tailspin. Does she still love Cricket? What about her boyfriend, Max? Where will she end up?

These questions and more all get answered in the best way, through Ms. Perkins' charming, witty, steamy love story. Seriously, these characters are so fun, you don't want the book to end!

My Rating:

Just like with Anna, I happily give 5 stars to Lola and the Boy Next Door, and can only say that if you love a book filled with fun, laughter, tears, romance, and great characters...this one's for you!

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss

by Stephanie Perkins

pub date 12/2/2010

product description from goodreads.com

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

My Review:

Anna and the French Kiss is such a fun, romantic read, whose pages are filled with quirky characters, steamy romance, just the right amount of humor and, of course, love. It tells the story of Anna, a teen forced by her father to move to a boarding school in Paris, France her senior year . Anna of course doesn't want to go, and can't wait until the year is over so she can move on toward her dream of becoming a film critic. But once she's there, fate takes over...and it shows Anna what her true path is.

That path? Etienne St. Clair.

Oh, St. Clair. He's dreamy. He's tall. He's hot. He has an accent. He showers Anna with attention. Basically, he's perfect. At least Anna thinks so, until she truly gets to know him. She quickly learns that he has his own personal demons to wrangle (mainly his dad), and that the overwhelming good looks he possesses are not the best thing about him. The two go on a journey of discovery in this book, taking the reader along for an enchanting ride. Set against the beautiful city of Paris (seriously, if Ms. Perkins has never been there, she is one heck of a great researcher!), Anna and the French Kiss is a love story at its finest.

My Rating:

I'm happy to give Anna and the French Kiss 5 stars, and urge you all to jump on this one and devour it like I did. Of course, seeing as how it's been out a whole year, I'm sure I'm one of the last few to do so! :)

TGIF over at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in!

This Friday's Question:

Book to Movie:

Which book-turned-movie
do you feel did the best adaptation?
What about the worst?

I must admit that I am a sucker for movies made from books. Especially if I love said book. And I also must admit that even though the movie may not have been as good (which is usually the case, right book lovers?), I still enjoy it.

With that said, I can easily choose my top and bottom in the Book-to-Movie genre (though there are several that I love).

Best Adaptation:

Has to be Silence of the Lambs. Has to be. The book? Awesomely creepy. The movie? Even better.

Seriously, Anthony Hopkins brought Hannibal Lecter to life in such a gruesome, cringe-worthy way that 20+ years later still has people talking about it. Every actor (Jodie Foster was made to play Clarice, that's all I'm saying) pulled Thomas Harris' words from the pages of the book and showed them to us in raw and gritty form. To me, one of the best Book-to-Movie turns out there!







Not So Best Adaptation:

Now this one was a bit tougher to decide, because like I said, I love movies. But, if I have to choose (which I do, because G will hurt me if I only answer half of her question), I'm gonna go with...



Let The Right One In
by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This book creeped me out in the best way. If you've never read it, you should. It's so powerfully good and disturbing and scary that I was off-the-wall excited for the movie. Well, it kinda let me down.

Again, I love movies made from books. And even though some are not good, I still like them. So even though this one is my choice for least best adaptation, I still liked it.






What about you guys? Any goodies or baddies out there I should (or shouldn't) see?

Review: Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Endless Summer
by Jennifer Echols
pub date 5/25/2010
product description from goodreads.com

Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?

My Review:

Jennifer Echols has done it again (no surprise, right?). She has written a quirky, sexy, romantic, funny little story that picks up right where The Boys Next Door left off and takes us even further into the lives of Lori, Adam, Sean and the rest of her stellar cast.

Endless Summer tells of Lori and Adam's lives after making a mistake in their super-new romance...a mistake that they fight tooth and nail to correct throughout the entire novel. Everyone believes they did something wrong, and the duo has to try and salvage what's left of their relationship--and their reputations.

Adam--hot-headed, head-over-heels-for-Lori, shmexy-as-heck Adam--stumbles and screws up and does the wrong things practically from page 1, and this only makes you love him even more. He wants to do what's right (or what he thinks is right), but just can't seem to get there. And Lori is no help, making her own mistakes in trying to get everyone to see that she and Adam belong together.

Complete with Echols' signature charm, wit, great characters and steam-inducing romance, Endless Summer is a great addition to The Boys Next Door, and further proof that this author knows her stuff!

My Rating

I happily hang 5 stars over Endless Summer, and urge you all to pick up this great book (but be sure to read The Boys Next Door first)!