"Every Boy's Got One" by Meg Cabot

My favorite part of this book was the afterword by Meg that lists all of the aspects of the novel that she based on her own elopement in Italy (and the few things that she made up). This book felt very authentic and upon reading that I understood why- Meg couldn't have made this stuff up!

In Every Boy's Got One, Jane Harris is over the moon to go on her first overseas trip to help her best friend, Holly elope with Mark. Too bad Cal (the best man) doesn't believe in marriage, and that he is incredibly hot if incredibly annoying and it seems like everything may fall apart. Add on top of that, Italy's strict laws for marriage, the three hour lunch breaks where everything is closed therefore messing up Jane's plans and a teenage boy that is obsessed with Wondercat, Jane's cartoon (and therefore he's obsessed with her) and you are in for an interesting novel. Told through journal and PDA entries and emails, this story is hilarious and over the top, but I wouldn't expect (or want) anything else from Meg.

I am really picky about the romance novels that I like. I hate when the characters instantly fall in love without knowing anything about each other. I hate when the entire novel is made up of unrealistic passion and "love." I hate it when there is no character development just two idiots that think they were made for each other. Thankfully, this book does none of those things. Jane and Cal are very real and have issues like actual people. Though you can probably guess the general ending of this book, the journey to get there is so much fun. I see this book appealing to fans of Sophie Kinsella (and vice versa) and those who are just in need of a good laugh.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus" by Sonya Sones

I love Sones' work for teens so I was pretty excited to give this book a read.  It reminded me quite a bit of Ellen Hopkins' Triangles, both in content and writing style (Makes sense, both write in verse and both of these novel center around woman entering middle age- and learning how to deal with it, and both have characters named Holly...).  Holly is about to turn fifty, has a daughter about to go off to college, isn't sure where her relationship with her husband is going and is worried about her mom's health.  On top of that, her publisher is constantly reminding me that the deadline for her new book is coming up fast.  How can she possible handle everything in her life?

Okay, so I am a twenty-something and can't really relate to Holly.  But that doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate this novel.  I thought Sones did an excellent job of capturing the characters in The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus and the emotions they would be going through.  I felt like I could really see through Holly's eyes and though her experiences are not ones I have necessarily encountered, I could imagine how it would feel to go through these scenarios.  I certainly would like to see more with these characters. This is the kind of novel that I think would work to see a sequel written from the point of view of one of the other characters (I think it could be the most interesting to see a novel from Holly's mother's viewpoint- though that would likely be the most challenging perspective to write from).  I hope that Sones follows this novel up with another book soon!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Triangles" By Ellen Hopkins

*Note, I will be attempting my first NaNoWriMo this month.  I may not be posting much during November.  I will do my best to keep up though!

Ellen Hopkins has written yet another wonderful book!  As usual, I danced around happily when I got a copy and had a very difficult time putting it down.  It was interesting to read a book by Hopkins that was not narrated by teenagers.  As you may know, Triangles is the story of three middle-aged women, each one entering a very trying time in her life.  All are struggling with their current relationship (or lack thereof) as well as the ups and down of motherhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I am interested to know what other readers thought.  Did you pick up Triangles because you too are an Ellen Hopkins fan?  Or is this your first by her?  What led you to read it and what did you think?

I have come across most of my favorite authors once they have published multiple titles and don't really get to see how their writing progresses.  It has been fascinating to read each of Hopkins' novels and see how her writing evolves and how her characters just keep becoming stronger and more impactful.  Now I begin the painfully slow process of waiting for the next book by Hopkins (sequel to Triangles in 2012!).

Triangles marks the end of books I am anxiously waiting for this year (there are still books I want to read, but none that I am obsessing over).  Hopefully this means I can start to make a dent in the pile of other books I want to read!

Check out Ellen on LiveJournal, Twitter, and Facebook!

Happy Reading (and Happy Halloween)!
-Melly