The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Here's a quick blurb from goodreads: All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself and igniting Ella's rage. As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge, creating an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter. Adele Griffin's riveting novel explores the issues of generation Facebook: the desire to be someone else, real versus online friends, and the pitfalls and fallouts of posting your personal life online for all the world to judge.
My Take

First of all I would like to thank goodreads who I won this book from.  Go check them out at goodreads.com if you aren't familiar with them.
Wow, Ella is one mean biotch!  This book felt authentic to me.  With a son who's about to head to high school, it felt frighteningly authentic.  Being a teenager is rough enough, but trying to escape the clutches of the cruel Ella (get it, like Cruella - okay nevermind) is downright scary. 

I'm not sure what I want to say addressing the fact that Ella has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Her compulsive habits were mentioned throughout the book, but not as being anything unusal.  I have no idea if Ella or anyone else realized she has OCD. 

I enjoyed the story and really liked Raye's friend Natalya, whose family pulled Raye in as one of their own.  Natalya is super smart and self respecting.  She knows the score isn't to let some guy use you, no matter how hot he is.  Definitely a good read about the true value of friendship and the importance of self esteem.  I'm giving this read 4 berry-licious kisses!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from goodreads as part of their first reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Here’s a brief snippet about the book Fat Cat that I shamelessly pulled from a Amazon page: Cat smart, sassy, and funny—but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment—on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living—and eating—like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have their benefits.

As the pounds drop off, the guys pile on. All this newfound male attention is enough to drive a girl crazy! If only she weren’t too busy hating Matt McKinney to notice. . . .

This funny and thoughtful novel explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can best take care of their most precious resource: themselves.

I liked this book a lot. Cat is smart and realizes by the end that the changes she has made were for herself. I think that’s a valuable lesson for teen girls. All too often this is where the framework is laid for women to become pleasers, side-lining our own desires and needs. She re-discovers some of her interests that she had given up long ago. Her parents were involved, present and had a healthy outlook. (It seems as soon I started to remark on the lack of presence of parents in YA books, I bombarded with books of parents very involved. Lol) She approaches her diet changes in a healthy manner also. She consults a dietician and monitors all aspects of her experiment. The only thing that frustrated me at times were Cat’s ability to hold a grudge. I’m not the grudge bearing type of person, so I was shocked by her tenacity in that manner. Her devotion to her family and friends was exemplary. The cover was unique and beautiful (you had to know I’d love that purple). I would say this is a read for 15 and up. I gave this a 3 out of 4 flower rating.