Charlotte's Library

I have a large backlog of reviews that need to be written, so I'm knocking out a bunch by featuring a specific author today. :) Nancy Werlin! Are You Alone on Purpose? This was Nancy Werlin's first book, which is glaringly obvious in some ways, as her writing has drastically improved since this book's publication. Instead of the supernatural books she's recently been putting out, this squarely fits into the realistic YA box. The book itself pushes the envelope, even looking at the title, with more provocative language than you'd see in many books. It all serves an important purpose (no pointless swearing or anything like that), and in the end, emphasizes the importance of certain scenes with that content, making it far more realistic than many YA books on the market. I spent a great deal of time while reading this book thinking about how drama-starved we are as readers. Werlin's book moves along at a slow pace, I will say that, but it depicts the average ...

Matched written by Ally Condie Seriously, if I read one more YA dystopian novel where a significant plot rotates around a love triangle... This felt like reading The Hunger Games all over again, except where Suzanne Collins made the vital distinction of making it a survival story first, romance second, Condie did not. This book certainly focuses on a fascinating premise--what would living in a utopian society where each citizen's life was meticulously planned out be like, and what would its eventual downfall be? The book capitalizes on the "matching" phenomenon of the society intensely, this idea that a government would determine an individual's perfect romantic match. Most other aspects unfortunately fall to the wayside. There are hints of a brewing revolution, cracks in the system, but nothing comes to fruition until the last few chapters. Matched would have been a much more interesting book if the main story focused on the societal flaws and brewing revolut...

The Last Little Blue Envelope written by Maureen Johnson I always thought the prequel was awkward and over-romanticized. I felt like I was reading a travel guide rather than a YA novel. Even from the start of this book, though, I could tell that Maureen has had time to develop her voice as a writer, and I found the sequel to be much more enjoyable than its predecessor. I loved the little added twist known as Oliver who was added to the story of the 13 th envelope. He was a great addition to the quirky little cast of characters Maureen had previously set up. This book managed to pick up plot details that were left unsolved in the previous book, which made for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. I ended up completely loving the sequel, and I’m incredibly glad Maureen decided to give it another shot. Totally worth it. Rating: 5/5 I got this book from...: Amazon

Cryer's Cross Written by Lisa McMann I went into reading this not having read a plot summary. Lisa McMann had mentioned the book in a Pittsburgh event she did, and I’ve had it on my to-read list since then. I read it in the middle of the night alone on a train, which, in retrospect, not the greatest setting to be reading a horror story. McMann is great at crafting straightforward, simplistic in a sense, plots. Her cards are laid on the table early on, and the reader knows what they’re getting into, for the most part. She does keep some secrets which make for great reveals later on in the story, but there’s no getting lost in too many plot threads or unnecessary verbage. It’s short, sweet, and to the point. I’m not sure what McMann’s plans are for this story, but I do hope it remains a standalone. It functions well as a one-read story, and was great for reading on the train. Rating: 5/5 (Random note: Did any of you read that one Goosebumps book with the Haunted...

Insatiable written by Meg Cabot Since every other YA author has made their opinion heard on the trend in YA vampire novels...Meg Cabot decided to join the trend, responding not with a line or two on the subject, but with a whole new book series. I don't want to bore you all with the never ending T-word comparisons, but yes , they exist, and no, Meg, the ending of the book doesn't really make up for it. This is a really difficult review to write, to be honest. I would rather have written it after reading Overbite, but that hasn't come out yet. I'm really not sure what the set-up in this book is going to be leading up to, so it's hard to make any sort of judgments. Half of this book seemed to be passive aggressive jabs at Twilight , though, with the other half emulating the very novel it appeared to mock. Although, I haven't read Dracula, so I'm not as educated as I should be about the background behind this book. It does appear to fall into many of the...

So Much Closer written by Susane Colasanti I love Susane Colasanti's books, as I've mentioned in previous reviews. It is so evident through her writing that she has worked with teens and really understands them. The characters she creates are realistic and complex, rather than shallow caricatures. Having read her blog, this book reads as the epitome of all that she is. Set against a New York backdrop, filled with cute teen romance and more references to The Office than you've ever seen in a book before, So Much Closer is sure to satisfy your need for fluffy romance accompanied by a journey of self-discovery. Colasanti's books are mature and subtly complex. You can read them as simple love stories if that's what you're in the mood for, but there's so much more hidden under the surface. Though on the surface, it might seem like this is a book about a girl moving to New York City chasing the boy of her dreams, beneath that, it's about a girl learnin...

Shine written by Lauren Myracle Lauren Myracle is back with a dark mystery, revolving around a hate crime in a small, Southern town. It's really amazing to see the tremendous scope of writing Myracle is capable of--from lighthearted teen girl drama in the Internet Girls series, to the horror story in Bliss , to this new mystery. Personally, I think she should stick with the latter two, as there are so few writers out there capable of pulling off such captivating, deep writing so well. I've owned this book for a while, but it wasn't until the recent kerfuffle with the Wall Street Journal article that I decided to read the book. The article singled out Myracle's novel for its content, claiming that it is too dark for teen readers. While there are more drug references than you'll find in most other YA novels, I actually learned that meth use/abuse is pretty rampant in small Southern towns, which I never knew before. It becomes a key factor in the events of the st...