Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom by Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin

Publisher: Walker Children’s
Pages: 257
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: Lucas and Tessa’s friendship is the stuff of legend in their small Midwestern town. So it’s no surprise when Lucas finally realizes his feelings for Tessa are more than friendship and he asks her to prom. What no one expected, especially Lucas, was for Tessa to come out as a lesbian instead of accepting his heartfelt invitation. Humiliated and confused, Lucas also feels betrayed that his best friend kept such an important secret from him.
What’s worse is Tessa’s decision to wear a tastefully tailored tuxedo to escort her female crush, sparking a firestorm of controversy. Lucas must decide if he should stand on the sidelines or if he should stand by his friend to make sure that Tessa Masterson will go to prom.
Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin tackle both sides of a ripped-from-the headlines story to show that true friendship will triumph after all.

Review:
I’ve heard bits and pieces about the Constance McMillen prom fiasco that occurred in the very recent past and wanted to check out a fictionalized story based on it. I found this one particularly intriguing because it flipped points of view between the girl at hand and her best male friend.
Lucas finally decides to let his best friend know that he’s in love with her and wants to take her to prom in a very public way--just in time for her to admit to him that she is gay and wants to take her secret girlfriend to prom. Lucas is enraged and embarrassed that his best friend wouldn’t confide something like that to him and accidentally sets off a media fiasco in the town. Lucas and Tessa must figure out how to fix their friendship in the midst of prejudice, boycotts, and other ridiculous behavior their small-minded town feels the need to act on in order to prove that they’re traditional or something.
Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom follows a storyline similar to the real life Constance McMillen case, only it’s directly from the girl’s point of view. We also get the point of view of Lucas, her best friend, who has some choices of his own to make in regards to Tessa’s situation.
I loved that Lucas and Tessa were very believable teenage characters. The problems and emotional reactions to things within the story made complete sense--Lucas was angry that his best friend kept a secret that resulted in his embarrassment. Tessa worked really hard to fade into the background to keep her secret, but once she was out she didn’t feel as if she needed to entirely fade out. She felt like she could finally be herself and enjoy life the same way everyone else did.
I found the story to be well-developed, but the characters aside from Tessa and Lucas were not so developed. The plot didn’t really require the other characters to be developed, but I thought it would flesh out the story just a little bit. I also wanted to see more of Tessa’s family--I knew that they supported their daughter and how the town’s behavior affected their business, but I would have liked to see how they dealt with it at home and away from the public eye.
While I would have liked to see more about some of the characters in Franklin and Halpin’s collaboration, I thought they did a great job with their subject matter. They told a fictionalized account of the story that everyone should know about. Franklin and Halpin work well together to create a seamless joint effort--I’ll definitely be checking out their other book, Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance.

Rating: 3.5 - good

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books

Pages: 307

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Summary: Colby's post-high school plans have long been that he and his best friend Bev would tour with her band, then spend a year in Europe. When Bev announces that she will start college just after the tour, Colby struggles to understand why she changed her mind and what losing her means for his future.

Review:

I heard buzz about LaCour’s second novel early on. This book combined two of my favorite things: bands and road trips. How could I not read it? I always wanted to go on tour with a friend’s band. Unfortunately, all my friends chose to go to college and become things like accountants and teachers. COME ON, GUYS! However, I’d like to note that I’m still young enough to do the whole tour thing, if any of my friends are getting any particularly musical ideas. Ahem.

Colby and Bev have had the same plan for several years: go on tour with Bev’s band the summer after high school graduation, then head over to Europe to chase the dragon or whatever particularly creative/musical people without fear do (by the way, “chase the dragon” to me and my friend Kt means go with the flow and do whatever life takes you, rather than burning drugs to inhale the fumes, which we found out was the actual definition a few months ago, WHATEVER). That is, until Bev breaks the news to Colby on tour: she’s going to college across country in the fall, leaving him without a travel companion and any chance at making alternative plans for fall. Colby has to figure out how to deal with his anger at Bev while being with her 24/7, and figure out what his immediate future holds to boot.

I was expecting a way lighter read, but I was pleasantly surprised by the emotional weight this story held. LaCour did a brilliant job when it came to writing Colby’s confusion and anger at Bev’s rather selfish actions. She created wonderful tension between them, both as best friends and potential love interests. The tumble of thoughts going through his mind trying to figure out his feelings was well done.

While we’re talking about it, I loved the relationship between the two of them. The two are solid best friends and each other’s confidantes--except when it comes to certain items of information. Colby is obviously, yet discretely, in love with Bev, whereas Bev’s feelings are a bit more difficult to figure out. Well executed, complicated relationship.

Nina LaCour’s The Disenchantments was everything I wanted it to be and more. Unexpectedly emotionally complex and a totally type of contemporary story with a believable male narrator in Colby. Recommended!

Rating: 5 - shelf of favorites

Ditched by Robin Mellom

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 288
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her. Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom. And then ditched her.

Review:
I read this one for the concept, because I definitely not a fan of this cover. It was kind of like a throwback to the 80s/90s all-night adventure movies like Adventures in Babysitting and Can’t Hardly Wait. Unfortunately, it did not deliver as well as one would hope.
The story opens on Justina in a ditch, after being ditched (do you see what just happened with that just then?). All she remembers is that she was at the prom with her best friend/crush Ian and that he ditched her. She wanders into the local mini mart in the hopes of finding sustenance or a phone. Instead, she gets a sympathetic ear or two to listen to her tale as the details slowly come back to her.
Justina as a character annoyed me.  She jumped to wild conclusions about Ian and everyone else around her. For someone who was judged as a “kissing slut” she sure dismissed people as being sluts and morons for the way they dressed and who they hung out with. I found it difficult to sympathize with her.
My other issue with this one was the pacing. For the type of story it was, I found the pacing to be very slow. All-night adventures usually move pretty quickly, but this one had a tendency to drag.
The concept behind Ditched was great, but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. I’d still be curious to read upcoming Mellom works; she has good ideas and I’d be interested to see how she develops as a writer in the future.

Rating: 2 - meh. I wasn’t thrilled.

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Publisher: Graphia
Pages: 204
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.
It’s probably hopeless.
But he has to try.

Review:
I found this one on the debut author list and decided to read it based on the title. Let that be a lesson to me.
The concept sounds pretty interesting. Austin is a teenager dying from cancer. He decides that in the little time he has left on this Earth, he’s going to visit the important people in his life: a dead friend’s mother, a rape victim he fell out of touch with, his own parents, etc. He doles out bits of wisdom to them and invites them to share their feelings. At the same, he’s going to try to get Kaylee, his best friend and personal chauffer for this venture, to fall in love with him before it’s too late.
How do I put this delicately (actively pulling back the snark that is so desperately trying to get out)? This book and I did not see eye to eye. At all. I know that Austin is dying of cancer, but I found him insufferable. He was insanely judgmental and decided that since he was dying, he was the expert on life and could “fix” everyone’s problems for them.
The main problem I had (aside from my virulent dislike of Austin) was that this little two hundred page book tried to take on too much. For instance: adolescent-onset cancer, rape, drug problems, teen death, adultery, (almost) divorce, coming out to a friend, general life spinning out of control stuff were the issues touched on. There was certainly not enough room in this book to go into three of the issues listed here, let alone seven or eight. The fact that this book tried to take all of this on made it read like a pack of (judgmental) pamphlets.
What did I like? The fact that Austin took a little road trip during his final days. I liked when he and Kaylee went to a carnival (probably because they didn’t talk to anyone there and just enjoyed it). That part showed Austin trying to live his life to the fullest before he died. This book would definitely have benefited from more carpe diem-ing and less Dr. Phil-ing.
Mine is only one opinion, check it out for yourself if you’re interested.

Rating: 1 - bad.

Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Publisher: Walker Children's
Pages: 272
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett—teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her—at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment.


Review:
My search for great contemporary YA books brought me to Shooting Stars, a book about a teenage paparazza named Jo. This contemp seemed like it had a different concept. There are only so many books I can read about a friend falling in love with her best friend’s boyfriend (not that there’s anything wrong with those, the last one I read, Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt was fantastic and contemporary fans should definitely pick that one up) before I need to look for something new.
Shooting Stars follows Jo, a teenage paparazza that has just been given quite the lucrative assignment: she is being hired to pose as a “patient” (for lack of a better term) at a high-end retreat-type in order to follow hot celebrity Ned Hartnett. The catch? This is way messed-up, morally speaking, especially since Ned Hartnett is the one celebrity that was nice to her during her career. Jo has to decide whether or not the money is worth pushing the limits--and her developing relationship with Ned.
For some reason, I didn’t really go into this book with high hopes. I figured that the plot would be pretty predictable, using a variation of the She’s All That I-can’t-believe-you-would-use-me-like-that conflict, substituting winning a bet for $120,000, and dorkiest girl in school Laney Boggs for a hot singer with a name possibly inspired by Josh Hartnett. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised: Allison Rushby took a fresh contemporary concept that could have been predictable and made a few twists, leading to a great, surprising contemporary read with likable characters.
Before reading, I didn’t think I was going to like Jo very much. As a person whose job is to violate the privacy of others, I assumed that she was going to be nosy, pushy, and generally annoying. Once again, I was proven wrong. Rushby’s Jo is a likable, deep character. She doesn’t dig the profession as her father does, and aspires to be an art photographer, but needs the money in order to make these dreams happen. More importantly, she always had a functioning moral compass. I preferred that she ignored it, rather than developed it late in the game.
Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby is a great contemporary read with a not-so-predictable plot and characters that run deeper than they appear. It’s a light read that I’d recommend for anyone that’s looking for something different in the contemporary YA genre.

Rating: 3.5 - good.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 256
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Review:
This one has been on my radar since I got it at the Little, Brown booth at Book Expo. Of course, I fell hopelessly behind on reading the galleys from that event, so you'll be seeing more reviews of them in the future.
Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a contemporary love story deal, if you couldn't glean that from the title, which I'm sure you all could. Hadley missed her flight, so she is stuck at an airport waiting for the flight that will hopefully get her to England in time to get to her father's second wedding ceremony. She spends her time in the airport and on the plane getting to know Oliver, an English boy that happens to go to college in America. They make a strong connection. I don't think I really want to say more for fear of spoiling it, so review time!
I liked Hadley as a character. She actively attempts to punish her father for leaving her and her mother, merely by not making a greater effort towards him. I've heard people say that she was a bratty teenager for what she was doing, but I thought it was believable and understandable behavior for the circumstances they were in. The family drama is what added depth to this story--I was expecting a totally fluffy love story (not that there's anything wrong with that, I just like to know when I'm reading them) but Smith created a deep story. The anger that both Hadley and Oliver had for their fathers in their different situations made them real. It also made them realize that neither of them, despite developing feelings for one another, knew everything about the other one. They were characters before they met! Always important. I dislike when characters are defined by their feelings for another character.
I'm going to give this one some bonus points for being a travel story--I love me some adventures. I'm a bigger fan of the road trip than the plane ride, but obviously this story worked waaaay better with the plane ride. Short of a flying car, I don't think they'd really be getting anywhere in a car.
The drawbacks for me? I wish Oliver had been a bit more memorable. He was a cool British boy, but short of his family drama I can't really remember anything about his habits or his speech. Also, the lesson about love being unpredictable probably should not have been presented by someone other than Hadley's father, who cheated on her mother. That right there is less than ideal.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a good quick contemporary read, even if it was a mouthful. Check it out if you like travel, the idea of randomly meeting a cute British guy, or just straight up contemporary YA.


Rating: 3.5 - good.

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 320
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Ryan dumped her. Facing a summer of loneliness, Hannah turns to her best friend Ava for comfort. Ava does what BFFs do: she stays by Hannah's side...until it's time for Ava to head up to Maine for the summer. Also left behind is Ava's boyfriend, Noah, who's such a great guy he gets Hannah a job at the diner he waits tables at. Slowly, Hannah comes out of her funk thanks to Noah's good conversation and their fun times at the diner. But things get complicated when their friendship turns into attraction--and one night, into a passionate kiss. The novel opens on the first day of senior year; the day Hannah is going to see Ava, Ryan, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, everyone is paired up once again, but not the way you might think...


Review:

This one sounded like an interesting read. The protagonist falls for her best friend’s boyfriend, so I was wondering if the author made her someone to sympathize with or just delusional. Falls under the contemporary non-issue set, so I gave it a go.

Sometimes It Happens tells two stories: the first follows the slightly snarky (WIN!) Hannah around on her first day of her high school senior year. The other, in alternating chapters, tells the story of how Hannah and her boyfriend Sebastian broke up and how she and her best friend Ava’s boyfriend, Noah, fell for one another while Ava was away working.

For the most part, I adore books told in alternating chapters like this. I found that Barnholdt effectively created (non-dire) suspense within both stories with good pacing. The reader doesn’t know exactly what happened with Hannah and  Noah, only that something did.  She also effectively demonstrates how Hannah got over Sebastian and fell in love with Noah, using realistic pacing and witty dialogue.

All of the characters were well-developed and realistic. Hannah proves to be quite sympathetic, mostly due to the fact that she is aware that her feelings for Noah are wrong  right off the bat. There are things going on in her relationship with Ava, but never once does she use that as an excuse for the way she feels. Hannah, your self-aware attitude and snark made you my girl. I feared that Lacey, the hypochondriac, might fall into a cliched quirky character role, but she was well-rounded, becoming a good friend to Hannah with an unfortunate relationship history of her own.

Sometimes It Happens was a great realistic fiction novel that demonstrated a side of cheating not often explored. The witty writing, quick dialogue, and likable characters came together to create a highly entertaining story about friendship and relationships.

Rating: 4 - good.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 336
Series or Stand Alone: Once again I say, both?
Summary: The award-winning author of Finnikin of the Rock and Jellicoe Road pens a raw, compelling novel about a family's hard-won healing on the other side of trauma. 
Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca - but five years have passed, and now it's Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can't forget. Shooting for oblivion, he's hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom's in no shape to mend what's broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper's Son redefines what it means to go home again.

Review:

I picked The Piper's Son out because of the cover and Melina Marchetta's brilliant reputation in the young adult community. When I received it from the library and saw that it featured the characters from Saving Francesca, I quickly reread that. Upon noting its brilliance, I became very excited to read The Piper's Son. LOOK AT THAT COVER.

The Piper's Son alternates between Tom Mackee, one of Francesca's friends in the first book, and his young aunt Georgie, both of whom are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after Tom's uncle and Georgie's brother died. After a drug and alcohol-induced accident lands Tom in the company of Francesca and his high school friends, all of whom he's worked pretty hard to push away, Tom must face everything wrong in his life. This includes Tara Finke, the girl that he ended up loving and did wrong after his uncle's death. Georgie must try to find a way to forgive her ex-boyfriend that cheated on her a while ago and is now the father of her unborn child.

So, you know, they've got some stuff to deal with.

Melina Marchetta's writing was beautiful AGAIN. I don't think I can say "well written" twenty times and have it count for a review. But just know that I'd like to.

Marchetta kept the core characteristics of the people in the books the same, but demonstrates that they have gained levels of maturity since we last saw them five years ago. Tom's character is the same sarcastic musician, but demonstrates great character growth. He has problems being close to people (i.e., mostly Tara Finke, but also Frankie) but grows to recognize it in this book and attempts to rectify it. The third person point of view is a change from the first person in Saving Francesca, but entirely works for the switch in principal character.

This book was totally different than Saving Francesca, but just as good. This one could be read as a young adult OR an adult book. Thomas and company are actually "young adults" at 22 and 23 years old, so I feel like this one could have a lot of crossover appeal. Plus, once again, you can read it as a stand alone.

Another stunner from Melina Marchetta! In The Piper's Son, she takes once again takes on friendship, but adds in grief to create a heartbreaking story about loss and finding the way back home.

As they say in Back to the Beach, one of my favorite movies:

"Whoever said you can't go home again?"

"Wasn't me."

I think Marchetta would agree.

Rating: 5 - fantastic, shelf of favorites status.

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Pages: 352
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Summary: A thought-provoking and courageous new novel by National Book Award winner Han Nolan.

Nobody gets away with telling Eleanor Crowe what to do. But as a pregnant sixteenyear-old, her options are limited: move to Kenya with her missionary parents or marry the baby’s father and work at his family’s summer camp for overweight kids. Despite her initial reluctance to help out, Elly is surprised that she actually enjoys working with the campers. But a tragedy on the very day her baby is born starts a series of events that overwhelms Elly with unexpected emotions and difficult choices. Somehow, she must turn her usual obstinance in a direction that can ensure a future for herself—and for the new life she has created.

Review:
I've read almost all of Han Nolan's book, but I didn't keep up with them throughout college. When I saw that she had written a new one about a stubborn pregnant teenage girl, I picked it up. Nolan's books remain on the darker, depressing side, but this one seemed slightly lighter than its predecessor.
Han Nolan's Pregnant Pause is about Elly, a stubborn, pregnant sixteen year old that needs to decide what to do with her life. Married to the useless stoner father of her unborn child, the odds aren't looking good for their new family. Her parents want her to give the baby to her sister, while her in-laws want to keep the baby themselves, in order to replace their baby girl that died in infancy. Elly must make a decision for her baby, while working at her in-laws' weight camp. Working with the kids teaches her about who she can be and what she wants for her baby--along with what she definitely doesn't want.
I loved the portrayal of the relationships between Elly and her campers. After lying about her dance/craft experience, Elly assumed that she would be useless with the camp, but she turns out to connect with many of the girls. Nolan demonstrates how Elly draws on her own past experiences and own stubborn attitude to make these connections.
One of the most realistic points in the novel is how disappointing the people in Elly's life turn out to be. Elly doesn't think too much of herself--she ends up marrying Lam and deciding to have the baby out of pure stubbornness. Eventually she realizes that she does have worth, and that the people attempting to convince her of her incompetence are the ones severely lacking. Nolan very realistically shows this realization process. One of Elly's best characteristics is her willingness to admit that she is wrong--to herself, to the reader, even to those around her. She is a flawed character that recognizes her flaws and attempts to make good on them. 
I was thrilled that Ziggy, one of Elly's camp friends, does not end up being her knight in shining armor. It made Elly an even stronger character, forcing her to use determination and independence to try to start the life she wants for herself. YA needs more strong female leads. I wasn't expecting Elly to stand out as such, but she certainly did.
Pregnant Pause provided for the realistic portrayal of a pregnant teenage girl and the pressure she is put under from just about everyone in her life. Highly recommended, powerful book.


Rating: 4.5 - very good.