Don't You Wish by Roxanne St.Claire

When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.  
In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen. But on the inside, Ayla is still Annie.
So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life and head home to Pittsburgh, will she take it? The choice isn't as simple as you think.

Thoughts: It's simple:  Money does not equal happiness. Or as Biggie Smalls would put it "mo money, mo problems". This story is like Freaky Friday meets Mean Girls. Annie Nutter is such an innocent, sweet character that gets caught in the what ifs of her mother, who is dissatisfied with her life and wonders what could've been if she married Jim Monroe. After her mother storms off in anger at another one of father's inventions, Annie finds herself without a computer that works, since he took some parts for his invention.  In a spark of genius she somehow plugs her phone into it but a freak lightning storm finds Annie in another life and in the "picture perfect" body of Ayla Monroe. Thinking she is in some bizarre dream, she decides to make the most of it yet as the day goes on things start feeling too real. Now, at the top of the food chain, no longer nobody Nutter, she at first embraces her new lifestyle and persona. However, no matter how hard she tries to be this girl, her true nature comes through and she comes to detest Ayla Monroe and the rules of the social hierarchy of Crap Academy. Ayla has the life that Annie always wanted, the body, hot boyfriend and the worship or is it really fear from her peers. Annie must decide if its truly worth it to conform for popularity or rebel for herself. This story is about her struggle with her desire to be popular and her heart. How can she be Ayla without compromising what makes her Annie? 


For me the best part is when she meets Charlie, they have to partner up for an English quiz and that's when he gets a glimpse that Ayla is more than he realizes. Then one night he becomes her savior after she is left to her own devices to get home, after a tryst gone bad with her boyfriend Ryder. It is emotionally, written beautifully and I found myself cheering for Annie to break the mold and go with what she feels for Charlie, regardless of how unpopular that choice may be. Charlie is smart, cute, caring and the right boy for her. He likes who she is on the inside and he may be her only hope to getting back home....that is if she still wants to go back. There so much going on this story as it has much more depth than what it seems at first. It's not just about how the other side lives but who they are in their hearts and how they choose to treat people. It is about not being afraid to be an individual in world of sharks. That said, I recommend this book to anyone that's looking for a reminder that the key to happiness in not what exists in the material world but what exists inside. Love.

Author: Roxanne St.Claire
Title: Don't You Wish
Publication: July 10,2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
Audience:Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4 out 5
Source:Publisher via Netgalley
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Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown
Title:Lies Beneath
Publication: June 12,2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Audience:Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out 5
Source:Publisher via Netgalley
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"Human beings were the happy, shiny lures that caught our attention. They had what we craved: Optimism. Excitement. Joy. Any positive emotion could whip us into a frenzy, compel us to charge, to grab, to absorb the joy from their hearts into our own."

My Thoughts: This is so not the little mermaid but it is sweet and deadly. Jealous merpeople with killer instincts that feed off human emotions is fantastic. Though, I still like the nice mermaid stories,this a refreshing twist to the lore. Calder White is swoon worthy and although he is a killer, just couldn't help connecting with him and wanting him to be able to gain his freedom. He is different from his sisters as he was made rather than born a mermaid like his sisters. I was disturbed by one sister's unnatural attachment to Calder, even though they are not blood related, still gross. Now, the plot begins with his family seeking revenge for the death of their mother after Tom Hancock refused to keep his promise. His unsuspecting son Jason is responsible for paying that debt. The sisters come up with a plan to have Calder woo one of Hancock's daughters in an effort to lure their father to the water, but they never expected Calder to fall for Lily Hancock. He begins to question everything and realizes that the path to justice is not as clear as it seems. What starts out as deception to kill may be the one thing that can save Calder from the life he detests.The pace of this story moved at a steady pace and it was good to see the chemistry between Lily and Calder unfold gradually. The characters are fleshed out pretty well. The ending wasn't what I was expecting at all and I anxiously await the next book to see how things will turn out. So, good read about about family, love, sacrifice and truth. 

Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate

Author: Lauren Kate
Title: Rapture
Publication: June 12,2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages:464 pp
Audience:Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out 5
Source:Publisher via Netgalley
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Synopsis:
The sky is dark with wings . . . . Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn't know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they've borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters. In the fight for Luce, who will win? 


Quotes:

" She will die...She will never pass out of adolescence-she will die again and again and again at precisely the moment that she remembers your choice. You will never truly be together."

" There is no darkness as dark as a great light corrupted" 

My thoughts: I really liked this one, might even say it's my favorite in the series because I finally get to know why Luce and Daniel have been cursed. The truth is so not what I expected, well at least some of it isn't and it is interesting indeed. I like the way the author weaved in the biblical aspects into the story plot as it works successfully with the entire series. In the previous book Luce went through the announcers to find a way to break the curse and she also learns about her past lives with Daniel and how each death was not necessarily triggered by whether they kissed or had physical contact or not. In this book, the true cause of her previous death's is revealed and quite enlightening. The plot is set around Luce, Daniel and the other Fallen angels racing to stop the Fall from happening again and locating the site within nine days before the clock is reset. In order for them to find the Fall site they must search for three relics that will guide them to their destination. So, many people are after Luce and are trying to stop her from succeeding at her task. The pace was steady as Luce begins to understand the role she plays in the curse and why she is the key to stop it. I have read each book in this series and though I'm sad to see it end, the ending was satisfying.