Model: A Memoir by Cheryl Diamond

Mediocre at best.

Nothing extraordinary or unknown.

Diamond's memoir seems like a self ego stroke feast rather than story telling.

Her "traumatizing" event isn't quite a the big deal she makes. She could have turned it into a positive rather than running away from it.

Everything is quite vague other than her writing on her "beauty".

I can't recommend this book. It borders on annoying, lame and boring. You will scan pages just to get to the end of the book.

Synopsis (B&N) Every year, hundreds of the most beautiful people in the world come to New York to become models. At age fourteen, Cheryl Diamond was one of them. Living on her own in a run-down apartment, Cheryl spent her days on go-sees, runways, and shoots, surviving hand-to-mouth, while taking in everything she could about the tough and sleazy modeling industry. She watched other girls make mistakes, and swore she wouldn't be a victim...until a career-altering event changed her life and nearly ruined her shot at her dream.

The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh

The unauthorized guide is a bit of a disappointment. Gresh gives a rundown on "typical" vampires and werewolves, which is interesting but doesn't have a whole lot to do with Twilight itself. I would say that the majority of the book is about "other" vamps and ware's.

She also makes mistakes in terms of what actually happened in the twilight series. Her inaccuracies get tiresome and frustrating.

The guide is also full of quizzes that are a waste of time, energy and effort.

I personally would not waste my money on this, wait for the offical guide.


Grade: D (because the info on other vamps and wares is a bit interesting)

Synopsis (B&N)
Everyone's in love with vampires, and if his name happens to be Edward Cullen, then readers of the wildly popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer can't help but be crazy about him. For all those who adore Bella Swan, Edward, and the rest of the Cullen family and can't get enough, this companion guide is a must-read and a terrific gift. The series follows an unlikely couple: Bella, a teenager, and her boyfriend Edward, a vampire that has sworn off human blood. But their love is ill-fated--being a vampire, Edward must keep his passion in check, lest he is driven to suck Bella's blood.
With legends, lore, and myths about everything from vampires to werewolves to immortality, a bio of the author, and a ton of insight into the four-book series, this companion guide will give millions of readers the information that they've been waiting for since book one.

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer

Synopsis (B&N)

Genie's commitment-phobic boyfriend is finally proposing—on national television. To the woman he's been seeing on the side. It's a major wake-up call for a girl who's hit the snooze button on her life a few too many times.With no names mentioned on the broadcast, Genie finds herself flooded with presents and congratulations. It's up to her to explain the mistake, but sometimes waking up is hard to do.When her parents start planning the reception, she can't help enjoying herself. Why call off the so-called engagement just yet? It's fun to play princess. But unless a prince shows up—and soon—this dream could start getting weird.

Review:

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal is sweet but cheesy. A mild mix of Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes.

Super easy and fast to read. The main character is beyond likable. You will be entertained and find it nearly impossible to put down this novel. You just have to know what Genie is going to do next! She is outrageous and quirky.

The perfect beach read.

Grade: A

Fabulous Terrible The Adventures of You by Sophie Talbot

The book concept is rather great ( it is done in second hand narration) and takes time to get use to however the storyline reminded me of so many other books out there. Poor girl goes to boarding school on scholarship, odd things happen to her, blah, blah, blah.

The read is very simple but since the story isn't anything special you're left feeling as though somehow you got cheated out of a good read (possibly another book, on your nightstand?).

I don't anticipate reading the next book in the series because I already ready the storyline's in the Private Series by Kate Brian.

Grade: C

Synopsis
Last month you shipped off from Hatterly, your old home town, and changed lives: from foster kid to fulltime student at Trumbull Woodhouse, the most elite all-girls boarding school in the country. Wise move? You hope. Big change? Defnitely.From the minute you arrive on campus, the deans and faculty emphasize how special Trumbull Woodhouse girls are, how lucky you all are to be here. Sulum Puella Est Donum "Every Girl Is Gifted" goes the school motto. Since the frst class graduated in 1882, TW grads have gone on to lead the most distinguished and glamorous lives possible from Wall Street CEOs (14) to Oscar-winning flm stars (3) to Nobel prize winners (1). But a mystery lurks on the grounds of this revered institution. A society sworn to uphold the founder's deepest secrets has become divided. A war for power burbles just under the campus's placid calm. Is the legend true, did Founder Emma Woodhouse see the future and write down her predictions? Or is the rumored Apocryphon just some old book, the musings of a dying woman trying to control her creation from beyond the grave? Who would steal the book? And why?In your frst month at TW, as a mysterious enemy tries to undermine your every efforts to belong, you come to suspect your new alma mater has a past as strange and troubled as you do. Both you and Trumbull Woodhouse are bent on keeping your secrets from the public eye, but as we all know, the public eye is most interested in the girl who's on top.

Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret is entertaining and fast paced. I read it in under just 2.5 hrs.

The characters are vivid and practically jump off the page. You are kept guessing and are on the edge of your seat.

This novel is a fantastic paranormal thriller with a romantic twist. The action never dies down, you will not be disappointed. It is a great start to what I hope will be a fantastic series.


Grade: A

Synopsis

Some secrets shouldn't be kept... Until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades, an okay relationship with her parents, and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when a mysterious boy named Ben starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, she's inexplicably drawn to Ben.and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock

Sleepwalking in Daylight is told by two characters. A mother in a loveless marriage and a daughter who is emotionally lost. Both character's lives are spiraling out of control. The main characters are well developed and each likable in their own ways. The story is mesmerizing and plausible. Expect to find yourself sympathizing with both characters. The ending leaves you unsatisfied it seems almost forced. Flock will keep you intrigued. 

Grade: A

Synopsis Once defined by her career and independence, stay-at-home mom Samantha Friedman finds that her days have been reduced to errands, car pools and suburban gossip. What was an easy decision for Sam years ago has become a nagging awareness that this life was her choice. Now she deals with a husband who shows up for dinner but is too preoccupied for conversation, and a daughter swathed in black clothing and Goth makeup who won't talk at all. Believing she's an adopted mistake, seventeen-year-old Cammy has fallen into sex and drugs and pours herself into a journal filled with poetry and pain. On parallel paths, mother and daughter indulge in desperate, furtive escapism—for Sam, a heady affair with her supposed soul mate, fueled by clandestine coffee dates and the desire to feel something; for Cammy, a secretive search for her birth mother punctuated by pills, pot and the need to feel absolutely nothing.

Vampire Kisses (Vampire Kisses Series #1) by Ellen Schreiber

Vampire Kisses is enchanting. A perfect combination of romance, suspense, mystery.

The stereotypes are a bit over the top but nothing we are use to reading from many YA writer's.
It isn't exceptionally creative but something about it keeps you very interested.

Cute and well written. Looking forward to the rest of the series.


Grade: B+

Synopsis
The mansion on top of Benson Hill has been empty and boarded up for years. But a new family has moved in. A family that never ventures out during the day. Who are these creepy people –– especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town gossip actually be true? Are they vampires?
Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

Perfect Fifths: A Novel (Jessica Darling) by Megan McCafferty

Perfect Fifths is by far the worst novel in this series and it has nothing to do with the predicable ending. The writing seems contrived and is quite boring. The endless and random dialogue seemed lazy and careless. The wit, charm and realistic banter are gone and replaced with lameness. This book does a disservice the characters we've come to love. It is safe to say that I for one, am glad that this is the last book in this series. Do not spend your hard earned cash, check it out of the library. 

Grade: D-

Synopsis Old flames are reignited in the fifth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series.Captivated readers have followed Jessica through every step and misstep: from her life as a tormented, tart-tongued teenager to her years as a college grad stumbling toward adulthood. Now a young professional in her mid-twenties, Jess is off to a Caribbean wedding. As she rushes to her gate at the airport, she literally runs into her former boyfriend, Marcus Flutie. It’s the first time she's seen him since she reluctantly turned down his marriage proposal three years earlier–and emotions run high. Marcus and Jessica have both changed dramatically, yet their connection feels as familiar as ever. Is their reunion just a fluke or has fate orchestrated this collision of their lives once again?Told partly from Marcus’s point of view, Perfect Fifths finally lets readers inside the mind of the one person who’s both troubled and titillated Jessica Darling for years. Expect nothing less than the satisfying conclusion fans have been waiting for, one perfect in its imperfection. . . .

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

The Cinderella Pact was super sweet and fun to read.

A typical chick-lit book. A perfect summer read. The predictability is high but it doesn't take away from the enjoyability of this novel.

The characters (most) are lovable and well developed. If you have read and loved Jemima J by Jane Green, you will most definitely like this book.



Grade: A

Synopsis
In this funny and big-hearted story by the author of The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives, three best friends make a pact to transform themselves into the glamorous women they've always wanted to be. Nola Devlin has a secret identity. By day she is an overweight, frumpy, and overlooked editor at Sass! (the "celebrity magazine with an edge!"), but by night she slips behind her keyboard and into her alter-ego: Belinda Apple. Belinda is thin, gorgeous, British and the author of a trendy advice column- she is, in effect, the latest Carrie Bradshaw. Not even Nola's two best friends or her self-absorbed sister (who worships Belinda as the "sister she never had") know her secret.
When "Belinda" jots off a column about how easy it is to lose weight, Nola is shocked when her best friends take her own lies to heart and urge her to follow Belinda's weight loss program. Since Nola can't reveal herself as the real Belinda Apple, she bites the bullet and joins her friends in making the "Cinderella Pact"- a last ditch attempt to lose weight (again!) and transform their lives for good.
But as the pounds come off, things don't turn out the way the three friends expect. Their journey of self-discovery leads to the return of an old love and the unmasking of new problems. Meanwhile, Nola finds herself torn between two different men as she stomps out fires caused by her deception as Belinda Apple and falls in love with the man who just might be her prince - or the rat in coachman's clothing.

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending,Egoman. Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase by Jen Lancaster

Lancaster does it again! She makes you laugh aloud with her captivating words.

This memoir covers a great portion of her childhood, teen years and college life. She appears to have always been a spunky character. There are several 80 references that will crack you up! This novel isn't nearly as funny as her previous ones but don't let that sway you because you'll still get your moneys worth. She is deliciously hilarious. Set some time aside because you will read this in one sitting.

Grade: A- 

  Synopsis The hardcover debut from the New York Times bestselling author— the prequel to Bitter is the New Black.In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life—and wardrobe—before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).

Gone by Michael Grant

Gone is an absolute waste of time. It started off good but then it became a complete a total bore.

About halfway, Grant must have lost stamina or passion in his writing because it becomes nearly impossible to finish. As a matter of fact, I ended up skimming the last 250 pages of the book (a rare, rare thing for me to do).

You are never really "pulled" into the authors fictional world or develop empathy for any of the characters. The climax does not deliver and and there is very little closure.

Some have gone as far as to compare this to Lord of the Flies, they are wrong, wrong, wrong or read a really different version than me.

I will not be reading the sequel, I have already spent too many lost hours on this book.


Grade: D

Stop in the name of Pants by Louise Rennison

This series seems to be slowly falling apart. It is becoming repetitious. With the exception of a few things, I felt as though I had already read this book.

The ending is basically crap and just another way for Rennison to continue with this series. I hope the next book she churns out will be much better.


Grade: C-

Love Is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) by Louise Rennison

Love is a Many Trousered Thing is the weakest book in the series. Nothing gets resolved and Georgia and her mates just chatter on.

The ending is lame and disappointing. I found myself getting rather bored when reading some of the passages.

Georgia is still funny and you will have a laugh but don't expect this one to measure up to Rennison's other books.


Grade: C

Synopsis
Woe is Georgia! Georgia Nicolson thought life was hard when her only worry was whether Masimo would choose her over Wet Lindsay. But then Dave the Laugh started acting strange --and everything was turned upside down when Robbie the Sex God suddenly returned!
In this eighth entry of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, every reader will be wishing they had Georgia's problems.

Mommywood by Tori Spelling

Surprisingly well written and candid. A quick, honest and entertaining read. There is something about Spelling's honesty that makes you aware of just how "normal" she is. You will laugh aloud at Tori's child rearing tales and her own compulsive, unrealistic fears of things. This sneak peek into her very public life makes you aware of just how much the media can hype things up and how we, as a society are quick to judge others without all knowledge. This novel lets you see her insecurities and self doubt, making you realize that privilege isn't everything we make it out to be.

Grade: A-

Synopsis If you thought Tinseltown was tough... Tori Spelling might have grown up with everything a girl could wish for, but these days she's just another suburban working mom...whose toddler regularly recognizes her in the pages of Us Weekly. Welcome to Mommywood, where the stars are two feet tall and your neighbors know who you are before you move in. Like most parents, Tori wants her children to have the one thing she didn't have as a kid — a normal family. On their hit Oxygen reality show, Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, the starlet and her husband Dean McDermott regularly wrestle dirty diapers, host the neighborhood block party, and tackle temper tantrums on the red carpet. But when the cameras aren't rolling, Tori's still having awkward run-ins with a former 90210 costar at a laser tag birthday party, scooping rogue poo out of the kiddie pool on a resort vacation, and racing to win back her pre-baby body before the media starts calling her fat. For all her suburban fantasies, Tori Spelling is no June Cleaver. With the same down-to-earth wit that made her entertaining memoir sTORI telling a #1 New York Times bestseller, Tori tells the hilarious and humbling stories of life as a mom in the limelight. From learning to be the kind of parent her own mother never was to revealing what it's like to raise a family while everyone is watching, Mommywood is an irresistible snapshot of celebrity parenthood that you won't get from the paparazzi.

Startled by His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) by Louise Rennison

This book is nearly as charming as the previous books in this series. It also says true to the storyline and previous novels. Rennison does get a bit carried away with the silliness of Georgia's life, giving the impression that she tried a bit too hard with this book. There is a surprise ending that I did not see coming! 

Grade: B

Synopsis On the rack of romance. And also in the oven of luuurve. Woe is Georgia: Dave the Laugh has declared his love for her (at least she thinks he was talking about her), and she has finally given Masimo an ultimatum to be her one and only and he has to think about it. And will she ever be able to stop thinking about the Sex God plucking his guitar strings of loveosity?

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers: More Mad, Marvy Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison

Georgia Nicolson, her crazy family and her best pal Jas are in America (briefly). Georgia and her pals will make you laugh aloud and make you remember what it's like to be 16, boy crazy and primping every second of the day.

Rennison has this main character down. You will laugh aloud and read it all in one sitting.



Grade: A-

Synopsis
We are going to Hamburger-a-gogo land! We are going there so that I can follow the Luuurve God, Masimo. He has gone to visit his olds, leaving me, his new (and lurker-free) nearly girlfriend, in Billy Shakespeare land. So he thinks! Imagine how thrilled he will be when I pop up where he is and say “Howdy!” Or whatever it is they say over there.
Let the overseas snog fest begin!!!
Georgia can't wait to visit Hamburger-a-gogo land with Jas in tow so she can finally track down Masimo, the Italian-American dreamboat. But after a long week in America, Georgia only succeeds in learning importantish things — like how to ride a bucking bronco — before she's dragged back to England by Mutti and Vati. Will Georgia be able to reel in the Italian dreamboat, or is she destined to live forever all aloney on her owney?