The Program by Suzanne Young

Goodreads Summary:

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

My Thoughts:

I started this book without reading the description or any reviews. Yep, I judged it off the cover and title. I wanted something that was a series book and dystopian, I got what I wanted.

So get this, teenagers are offing themselves in record numbers. All of a sudden a kid can go from totally normal to "infected" and committing suicide. The descriptions in the book make it sound like the normal roller coaster of emotions that teens go through will randomly accelerate and derail. The book doesn't really give an explanation for this, just some theories. I like that the explanation isn't handed to me up front. I like that I will have to figure it out with the characters in the book.

So here are the good bits of the book: decent character development, decent plot, decent storytelling.

Here are the bad bits: it is of course predictable, the author doesn't give us enough reason to thing Sloane is "infected" she just seems like normal teen boohoo (maybe that is my mean girl judginess coming out), and the love triangle bit is tired (though it is extra fucked up in this one so I will give props for that).

I like Sloane, I don't really connect with her as much as other leading ladies in other books but then they can't all be Lena (Delirium... you haven't read it? WTF get on that immediately). Sloane feels like a normal kid in a fucked up society. Which is both a good thing and a bad thing. I wish she was a touch more rebellious, but then I wish that for all teen girls.

It is interesting and totally fucked up that the program deletes memories and therefore people from your life. I would be horrified to know that whole chunks of my experiences were gone in the blink of an eye. I think it is interesting that in the books they accomplish this with pills. As we are a society so bent on popping pills to make us better I think it is important to remember that those same pills can cause serious damage. Also, this book brought up a lot for me in terms of what it means to have your free will taken from you. I don't think it is right that a 17 year old can be thrown into this deep of treatment without anything beyond the word of a parent. I have felt for a long time that consent in treatment, even for minors, is a sketchy grey area and that needs to be addressed. I can't say that the author intended me to think about these things or not. You may not pick up on that vibe when you read it.

I think Sloane's relationship and connection with James is believable. I do wish it wasn't soooooo traditional. For once can the girl be the strong one in a relationship? Cause hello, real life.

The ending of the book felt inevitable but not in a bad way. I believe we repeat things until we learn from them and if you delete lessons learned, you will have to relearn them.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I have gotten my hands on the second book. I will post about it when I have finished it and thought about it a bit. I would recommend this book to dystopian series fans. I am not sure the writing is strong enough to woo someone who isn't a fan of the genre.

While writing this review I was listening to my stomach growl. Clearly, I need chocolate.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads Summary:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Goodreads Summary:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Goodreads Summary:

In this third book in Marissa Meyer's bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she's just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she'd ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

Goodreads Summary:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer's national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

My Thoughts On The Whole Series:

Instead of reviewing each book I am decided to review the whole series. Part of this is due to how long ago I read this series and part because I think on the whole the series is better than breaking it down book by book. I like the fairytwists that each book takes on four different fairy tales. First we have Cinder, an obvious twist on Cinderella. Scarlet is a take on Red Riding Hood. Cress is a new take on Rapunzel (I was least familiar with this story). And lastly Winter which is a take on Snow White. I have not read any of the novellas in this series. I don't generally read those supplementary stories in a series. Each female lead is her own person, which honestly can be difficult to maintain different and strong voices when dealing with so many story lines. The common story is about Cinder, the long lost princess from Luna. She was sent to Earth when her murdery Aunt wanted the kingdom to herself. She tried to kill Cinder but that failed. Cinder has to fight for her freedom from a spot of trouble on earth and the freedom of her people from the crazy Levana. Scarlet, Cress, and Winter all play a part in the story. 

I did find it a little annoying that a love story had to be involved with each character. I get that the original fairy tales all had love stories but it would be nice if that wasn't something that was still being pushed. Which leads me to my biggest complaint. Cinder, this strong independent woman at the end of the series makes a lame choice about her role for the future. I don't want to spoil it, so I will just say that it was disappointing. I was really liking the series until the very end. I wish wish wish it had a different ending.

Overall, I would recommend this series to YA fans, those who like a little Sci-Fi with their YA, and fans of dystopian books. 

While writing this review I was listening to an episode of Gilmore Girls. Yes, I am marathoning it.

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Goodreads Summary:

A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is "heartbreaking and heartwarming."

An American Library Association "100 Best Books for Teens"
An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults"

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.

My Thoughts:

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting. I was looking for a fairytwist and I got this heartbreaking story that I think should be required reading when covering World War II. 

I don't want to spoil this book for anyone so I will just say that there are awful things told in this story. This being said I think they are told in a way that has more impact than just reading a list of things that happened during a war that was a long time ago. This story makes what happened real and what the long lasting legacy such atrocities leave not just on the history of one person but their whole family.

I recommend this book to anyone. I think it is well written and powerful. 

While writing this review I was listening to an episode of Gilmore Girls.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My Thoughts:

I should say upfront this isn't my normal genre. I don't generally care for fantasy books. They bug me. That being said this book is only borderline fantasy and I liked it, mostly.

I think this book falls into the same trap as a lot of YA books. We are told how awesome the main character is but we don't really get a chance to come to that point by ourselves through the actions of the character. I wish strong female characters were just that, strong without it having to be repeated (often and loudly). Strength can be shown without being shouted. This is the biggest complaint I have about this book. 

Overall the story is interesting and has some new ideas to it. I think it is worth the read but I wouldn't get your hopes up that this book will rock your world. I think there are probably "better" books out there but I am not the one to ask. I will say that this book kept me engaged and I found it a good way to pass the time. This book didn't require too much from me, which is often a good thing. 

I have decided to read the second book in this series. I am working through that book a bit more slowly than this one so it may be a while before I review anymore of the series. I would recommend this book to those looking for an okay read which has potential.

While writing this review I was listing to the intro song of another Gilmore Girls episode. Man I love that Paris, so snotty!

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Goodreads Summary:

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.

This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

My Thoughts:

This is the high school that I wish I had attended. From the drag-queen quarterback to the straight kids not being judgy assholes I would have actually liked high school if this had been my school. As it was, I went to high school in a Utah suburb which was not even close to accepting of diversity.

David Levithan captures a great "I wish it were true" reality. We walk in the shoes of Paul throughout the book. Paul is super secure in his sexuality and identity and it is nice to have a teen have his shit together. We have secondary characters who represent the rest of us, ya know, the hot mess folks. Those of us who aren't sure about our sexuality or who we are and what all of that even means are represented clearly and when it is cliched it doesn't work against the story.

I wish this story were true.

I would recommend this book to fans of David Levithan and the not so normal kids out there. I will say that sometimes the story is a bit over the top, but I like it. I know not everyone digs exaggeration in this style so I definitely don't think it is for everyone.

While writing this review I was listening to Justin Beiber. He is just awful. I really need to stop listening to pop music. If only it wasn't so catchy!

Requiem By Lauren Oliver

Goodreads Summary:
They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.
But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.
Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

My Thoughts:

When I heard this book would be told from two narratives, Hana and Lena, I was annoyed. The biggest complaint I had with Pandemonium was the switching between time frames. I am pleased to say that I was not annoyed when reading Requiem. It felt natural to switch between Hana and Lena"s worlds. It was nice to get the POV from a cured person, indicating that the cure doesn't really work.

****SPOILER ALERT****

Hana has the fuzziness and weirdness from having her brain missing scoops. She is still herself though, underneath it all, and she still cares about Lena. I was not shocked to learn that it had been Hana who betrayed Lena and Alex in Delirium. She causes the dominoes to fall far too quickly for the two lovers. I had always suspected that it was Hana. She was the only one who know the plans between Lena and Alex. I love where her story ends.

Lena is still in the wilds with Raven and Tack. Julian has come along even though Alex has resurfaced. Love triangles tend to bother me but this one didn't bother me. I felt Lena had gone through a natural grief process with thinking Alex was dead. I felt her feelings for Julian were also natural. I would say the best thing about the way this story unfolded was that it all felt natural and not pushed or forced.

I like that Lauren Oliver didn't sum up the story in a nice pretty package. We know that Alex and Lena still love each other but we don't know for sure what will happen to them. We know that the Resistance has staged a massive protest in Portland but we don't know if it will last or work the way they wanted. I really think this was the best way to end my favorite series. I really enjoyed this book. I will say that it was hard at times to get through a chapter without getting a little choked up. 

I would recommend this book and the whole series to any one wanting a good read. Lauren Oliver is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

While writing this review I was listening to an episode of Downton Abby.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Goodreads Summary:

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there. Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

My Thoughts:

I read this book a while ago and wrote a review but never posted it. I wanted to think about it for a while before posting. This book, like Impulse before it, is written in poetry story telling. I loved reading a story written in this way. It brings be back to the way that I personally tell stories. This book has overlap with the first book in the series but not in the normal way. We are dealing with all new characters during the same time frame as the first book. Conner from Impulse gives us time markers through two of the new characters, Kendra and Cara. 

I had a really hard time with Kendra. She reminded me of girls I dealt with at a job I once had. I worked in a  treatment center for troubled girls. Some of these girls had eating disorders. I remember having to watch them chew and swallow each bite of every meal. I had to stand next to the bathroom while they used it to listen for purging and other behavior that could harm them. It broke my heart to see so many young girls destroying themselves in the goal to be the perfect weight, to attain the perfect look. I didn't work in the treatment center for very long. Those girls really did break my heart and eventually I had to admit I wasn't strong enough to deal with it every day. Throughout the course of the book Kendra's eating issues increase and soon she is so thin she looks emaciated.Needless to say the eating disorder sections of this book hit home for me and I cried more than once. I heard more than one girl have the same thoughts as Kendra. I hate what we as a society have done to women to make them think they have to starve themselves and constantly move all for fear of having a belly, curves, and any softness to their frame.

Over all I liked this book, it was not a light read (neither was Impulse) and I wouldn't say it had any moments that really inspired me. The only criticism I have is that it didn't ever lift me back up after it dropped me really low. I fully understand that was kind of the point, but at the same time, when you have so many people in pain it would be nice to be able to at least hope for these people. I was left with no hope and that is, again, really hard to read and handle. Ellen Hopkins ended her book with some facts about eating disorders and such, but had she left any hope at all for her characters it would have had more impact to read the stats and how to help prevent these things from happening to other people. Don't get me wrong, I have a high tolerance for doom and gloom, I just need a pinch of light to balance it all.

I recommend this book to fans of Ellen Hopkins. I would not suggest this read if you are at all in a grim place yourself.

While writing this review I was listening to Sara Bareilles.

Everyday by David Levithan

**Disclaimer: I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy for free from the publisher. The fact that I did not pay for this book will in no way influence my thoughts on the book.**

Goodreads Summary:

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

My Thoughts:

This book hooked me from the first page, which is rare for me to not have to warm to a book at least a little. The concept of this book is awesome. I have never thought about what it would be like to wake up in a different body every day. This book challenges what we think about gender identification and sexuality. The character A is neither male nor female as A has lived as both and felt equally comfortable and uncomfortable in both.

In my gender classes in college we talk about what it means to be a man or a woman and what if you don't fit into those molds. A does not fit into either mold, A loves Rhiannon the same no matter what sex A wakes up as. Rhiannon finds a way to try and look past the physical with A and love A for the person. I really liked the message of this book and I love that it is geared for the YA audience. I think too often people get stuck in "doing gender" they forget they can just be for a while.

The concept of someone taking over my life, for even a day is both interesting and terrifying. Could this explain those days where I just seemed kind of out of it and didn't have much memory of the day? Most likely not, but it is fun to think about. That is the thing I liked most about this book, it made me think. I also really liked that A never felt too sorry for him/herself. This book I am pleased to say did not fall into the whiny teen book category.

I would recommend this book to everyone, but particularly those in Gender Studies classes. I really liked this read. Excellent character development and over all great writing.

While writing this review I was listening to Annie Lennox.

Fever By Lauren DeStefano

Goodreads Summary:
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

My thoughts: KINDA SPOILER ALERT
I had a hard time getting into this book. I think I was just not grooving the way that the book started. Once I got into it I couldn't put it down. Overall I would say that I liked this book. I was frustrated along with the characters at the pace of things. Rhine and Gabriel can't seem to catch a break after they leave the comfort of the mansion. We learn that there is something different about Rhine and her brother Rowan but we already suspected that because of their eyes being two different colors.
I liked the new character Maddie they introduce but it isn't totally clear why they introduce her. I felt like there was something missing from the explanation of how everything happened in the beginning of the book. I don't feel like I was lost by the writing but I do feel like it was rushed and some story development fell to the wayside.
I am looking forward to the next book to see what has become of Rowan and if Rhine can finally find her way back to him.

While writing this review I was listening to the mucus in my lungs rattle. Being sick is awesome.

XVI by Julia Karr

Goodreads summary:
Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal everything will be okay.

Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help--and he just may hold the key to her past.

But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure..For Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

My thoughts:
This time last year I was reading my first dystopian YA novel. Something about Christmas break makes me want to read about the end of civilation as we know it. :) Just kidding. I liked this book. It didn't blow my hair back but there were several parts of this book that appealed to my political science heart. I definitely could feel how the author felt about the sexualization of young girls, health insurance companies, and over bearing governments as a whole. The interesting thing about this book that other dystopian books lacked what how real the main character is. Nina is the average girl who is put into some serious and shitty circumstances. She handles what she can and fails when she can't handle them. I am looking forward to the follow up to this book which is due out in a few weeks.

I would also say that I liked that Nina was not only loyal to her family like all or most dystopian books, but Nina also valued her friends as family. I liked that Nina had strong female friendships with two very distinctly different girls. I can relate to that. Even now my two closest female friends couldn't be more different.


I would recommend this book to people who dig the dystopian trend in YA books.

Drink Slay Love By Sarah Beth Durst

Goodreads summary:
Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

My Thoughts:
She had me at Acknowledgments. I will say that this book made me laugh at least three times from how ridiculous it is. I think it was a fun read. This book had a sense of humor about itself and by extension I don't feel the author takes herself overly serious. I will say that she almost lost me though with some of the unicorn stuff. Without spoiling anything I will say that while making fun of Twilight she unintentionally had some of the same annoying aspects to her book as Twilight. For instance I would for once like a book to show that love doesn't just happen over night but takes time to build and develop. Silly teenagers and rushing to use the love word!

That being said I would recommend this to anyone looking for an eye rolling good time. I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for a serious and or deep read.

While writing this review I was listening to the blissful silence that is my apartment on a quiet afternoon.

Bitter is The New Black By Jennifer Lancaster

Goodreads Summary:
This is the story of how a haughty former sorority girl went from having a household income of almost a quarter-million dollars to being evicted from a ghetto apartment...

My thoughts:
I am pretty sure that Jen Lancaster is my new best friend. Okay, not really, but I think she is pretty awesome. I loved this book. I dug her insight and lack there of. While reading this book I felt like I was hanging out with a richer less emotionally intelligent version of myself. I love me some designer clothes and the SHOES oh the shoes how I love thee.
I have read some seriously negative reviews of this book. I will say that Jen's narrative is definitely not for everyone. I think she appeals to a specific type of personality. I would not recommend this book to just anyone. She has the snotty bitchy attitude that a lot of women in my generation have. We feel entitled to a lot and when our expectations inevitably fall short we don't always handle it the best way but in the end we figure it out.

While writing this review I was listening to the snow melt from the first storm of the season.