Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Here's a quick blurb from Ms. Hubbard's gorgeous website: It’s hard to find beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming. Fourteen-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it’s not her mother’s pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances and pickup trucks adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild girl Mandarin Ramey: seventeen, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.


When the misfits are united for a project, they embark on an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town’s animal-head trophies, and constantly searching for someplace magic. Grace even plays along when Mandarin suggests they make a pact to run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds that plague their badlands town.

But all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin’s unique beauty hides a girl who’s troubled, broken and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, even the best friendships can’t withstand betrayal.

My Take

This book dripped with imagery.  I loved the author's ability to place me right in the setting with the characters.  I also liked the descriptions she used.  One in particular I remember was she described the fenders on an old truck as being 'chubby'.  I could absolutely picture it in that very moment. 

The storyline between Grace and Mandarin drew you in.  I wanted to know where their friendship was going.  Would Grace be pulled down the same paths that Mandarin was travelling?  Is it really the wildwinds that make you release all sense of reason?  I really enjoyed this book.  I'm giving it 5 blown away kisses!

This is also one of the books on the Contemporary Challenge.  Definitely a great read.  Things will slow down here on the blog, as tomorrow I'm having my weight loss surgery.  I'm sure before long, I'll be seeing you around the blogosphere before you know it.  Here's those kisses for LIKE MANDARIN!

 

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Here's a review from the author's website: *"Surprising everyone at their private school, a sardonic loner befriends the new girl in this unusual story of an intense platonic relationship between two misfits. Dubbed a robot by her emotionally unstable mother after she fails to manifest sufficient heartbreak over the death of their gerbil, Bea meets pale, withdrawn Jonah, maliciously called “Ghost Boy” by their peers. Almost immediately, she realizes that she has more in common with Jonah than with the catty, insular girls that surround her and begins to rely increasingly heavily on him even as she discovers more about his tragically strange past. Standiford has crafted a darkly whimsical tale filled with details that will be recognizable to teens truly existing on the fringe, complete with references to John Waters films and outsider musician Daniel Johnston. Bea’s original first-person voice will draw readers in, and the unexpected plot will keep them engaged. A decidedly purposeful not-love story, this has all the makings of a cult hit with a flavor similar to Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)."

--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

My Take

Bea is a cool, quirky little character and Jonah is heavier on the quirk.  Both great characters.  I loved the fact that Jonah never saw his brother Matthew as broken, only different from himself.  I really liked this book.  It speaks of love and how deep it runs.  It challenges your thoughts on family and just who ones family can be comprised of. 

I had heard great things about this book before reading it.  It lived up to the words of praise bestowed on it.  I liked all the Nite Lights and their funny little personalities interplaying with one another.  I could see a sequel to this one eventually, but have no idea if one is planned or not.  The overall message I took away from this was that no matter how disabled or tenuous their grip on reality may be, you don't give up on them.  I'm giving this one 4 1/2 robotic smaks!

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Here's a blurb from Ms. Zago Rosenthal's website: Ari Mitchell feels invisible at her Brooklyn high school. Her hair is too flat, her style too preppy, and her personality too quiet. And outside school, Ari feels outshined by her beautiful, confident best friend, Summer. Their friendship is as complex and confusing as Ari’s relationship with her troubled older sister, Evelyn, a former teenage mom whose handsome firefighter husband fills Ari’s head with guilty fantasies.


When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York—and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari’s family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. Meanwhile, Summer warns her that what she feels for Blake is just an infatuation. Not real love. But Ari’s world is awash with new colors, filled with a freshness and an excitement she hasn’t felt in years.

When misfortune befalls Blake’s family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?
 
My Take
 
It's 1985; the year I graduated.  Ari is struggling to find her niche.  She transfers to an elite prep school and that niche seems even further away.  Then she meets Leigh.  She begins gaining more independence and more confidence.
 
Then Ari meets Leigh's cousins.  She and Blake tumble head-long into a relationship.  Ari is beginning to think she has found where she belongs.  But things begin to change as the outside world affects them.  Along the way Ari learns what true love is and what it isn't.  She grows so much and is so strong.  This book was a little jewel.  I'm giving it 5 kisses!
 

The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman

Here's a blurb from the book's website: In eight days, Coke and Pepsi McDonald are going to turn thirteen.

Before then, they'll jump off a cliff, get trapped in the locked basement of their burning school, chased cross-country by murderous lunatics, left for dead in the pit of a sand dune, forced to decipher mysterious coded messages, thrown into a giant vat of SPAM, and visit the world's largest . . . ball of twine!

There's more, but if we told you here, we'd have to kill you.

Megapopular author Dan Gutman brings on the excitement with an action-packed new series that's nothing short of dynamite. Join Coke and Pep on their quest to uncover just what it means to be part of The Genius Files . . . if you dare!

My Take

I don't read tons of middle-grade books.  I should definitely read more of them, especially if they are as good as this one.  This book was packed with action and all sorts of secret agent antics.

Coke and Pepsi were great characters.  This book is seriously funny.  I found myself laughing quite often.  I enjoyed seeing what would happen next as the twins made their way across the country in the rented Winnebago with their clueless parents.  I'm planning on reading the next in the series to see what happens to these two.  I'm giving this one 5 secret super agent kisses!

Note: Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Librarything as part of their early book review bloggers 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."



When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer

Here's an synop from Ms. Ferrer's website:   A dancer driven to succeed.

A musical prodigy attempting to escape his past.

The summer they share.

And the moment it all goes wrong.

Dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. About to graduate from Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, she plans on spending her last summer at home teaching in a dance studio, saving money, and eventually auditioning for dance companies. That is, until fate intervenes in the form of fellow student Jonathan Crandall who has what sounds like an outrageous proposition: Forget teaching. Why not spend the summer performing in the intense environment of the competitive drum and bugle corps? The corps is going to be performing Carmen, and the opportunity to portray the character of the sultry gypsy proves too tempting for Soledad to pass up, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with Jonathan, who intrigues her in a way no boy ever has before.

But in an uncanny echo of the story they perform every evening, an unexpected competitor for Soledad’s affections appears: Taz, a member of an all-star Spanish soccer team. One explosive encounter later Soledad finds not only her relationship with Jonathan threatened, but her entire future as a professional dancer.

My Take

I really loved this book.  I liked Soledad's spice, her independence, and her willingness to make herself vulnerable to love someone.  I also loved the fact that she understood there is great strength in making yourself vulnerable. 

I loved her grandmother "Mamacita" who raised her.  She was such a warm, interesting character.  Her love for Soledad so evident.  But her willingness to let her go for her own growth commendable. 

The 'moment it all went wrong', I never saw coming.  I was completely blown away.  It was easy to get engrossed in the world of dance and corps while reading this book.  You felt as though you were living it with the characters sometimes.  This was a lovely book that I would recommend.  I'm giving it 5 precise kisses!

Note:  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Goodreads as part of their early book review bloggers 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."

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

Here's a blurb from Ms. Wealer's website: Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.


Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?
 
My Take
 
This is one of the books in the Contemps Challenge.  All wonderful books.  I loved this book and I can totally see how girls get caught up in the drama of competition.  I think most never fully intend for things to go very far but it's easy for it to get out of hand.  I loved the fact that the ending wasn't quite as predictable as I would have thought it might be.  Definitely pick this one up and see what you think.  I'm giving it 4 1/2 lovely kisses!

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

A short synop from Ms. Despain's website:  *Spoiler Alert* - If you have not read The Dark Divine, this synopsis may contain spoilers.


Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

My Take

I really enjoyed The Dark Divine (the first book in this series).  I always hope that the sequel and subsequent books will be as good and I kind of hold my breath when I first start reading.   This one definitely was!  I liked this book  so much.  I particularly liked the fact that Grace was stronger and more independent in this book. 

I would absolutely recommend this book.  If you haven't read the first book, I would do that first.  The cover is simply gorgeous!  I can't wait to see what's next for Grace and Daniel.  I'm giving this one 5 smooches!