Waiting On Wednesday (109)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of!

Better Off Friends

By Elizabeth Eulberg

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Summary: For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

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Does this book sound good or what? Books about guy and girl best friends are always fun, but it seems like this one really dives into the issue. And the cover is so cute! I can't wait until February so I can dig into this one and figure out what's going to happen between Macallan and Levi! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall TBR List

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

1. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks (9/24)

2. Just One Year by Gayle Forman (10/10)

3. Tandem by Anna Jarzab (10/8)

4. The Edge of Always by JA Redmerski (11/5)

5. Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair (9/3)

6. Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding (10/15)

7. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (10/15)

8. Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (11/26)

9. How to Love by Katie Cotugno (10/1)

10. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Dollar

Weekly Roundup [9/10-9/16]

Is it Monday already!? I got to go home this weekend for the first time in three weeks and it was so wonderful. I was able to pick up books that had been sent home while I was away, go shopping, play with my puppy, eat dinner on a farm, spend time with my family, buy a donut pan (finally), bake cookies, and buy some new yarn! But now it's back to classes and homework for me. Hopefully I can continue to stay on top of things while reading some fantastic books :)

Book Reviews

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Trumane Capote

Where Beauty Lies by Elle and Blair Fowler

Leading Man by Benjamin Svetkey

Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I would Love to See as a Movie/TV Show

Waiting On Wednesday (108)

Follow My Book Blog Friday (102)

Stacking the Shelves (66)

Book Review: Leading Man by Benjamin Svetkey

Leading Man

By Benjamin Svetkey

Release Date: September 3, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: In the tradition of David Nicholls and Nick Hornby comes a hilarious, bittersweet, heartwarming debut novel about love of all kinds: first, unrequited, delusional, obsessive, and, ultimately, the kind that lasts. A VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES ORIGINAL

At 26, Maxwell Lerner thinks he has his whole life figured out. He's got the girl-his high-school sweetheart Samantha. He's got the job-low-level reporter for a prestigious national magazine. He even lives with aforementioned girl in a walk-up studio apartment in the West Village. Life is sweet. Until his aspiring actress girlfriend leaves him for his childhood hero, Johnny Mars, who, as action adventurer "Jack Montana," features in some of Max's favorite movies. Getting dumped for one of his idols sets Max off on a dual mission: to get inside the glamorous world Samantha left him for, and to win her back. But when Samantha's perfect life takes an unexpected turn, Max gets more of an education, in life and in love, than he bargained for.

Review: I love pop culture and anything that has to do with movies. I love movies so much, I even have a film studies minor at school. Needless to say, when I read the synopsis for this one and saw that the author was a writer for Entertainment Weekly, I couldn't wait to read it. 

Max feels like nothing in his life can go wrong- he has his high school sweetheart by his side, a job reporting on the world's television celebrities, and a home he loves in New York. But when his girlfriend lands a part in a play acting besides Max's idol and televisions superhero, everything falls apart. Max finds himself losing his girlfriend to his hero and has no idea what to do. Burying himself in his work and obsessing over pop culture, Max tries to figure life out, which involves attempting to finally getting over his girlfriend whether he wants to or not. 

Normally I don't like books that have a lot of talk and not a lot of actual action, but I loved this one. Max's life is just so interesting and I loved how much he talks about pop culture and makes references to different movies. While his life may seem perfect and amazing, there are obviously bad parts and he learns a lot throughout the years that pass throughout this book. 

The other characters that make up this read were great too. From the other crazy celebrities he interviews to his best friend from the office, you couldn't get a cast of characters more perfect for this book. I even liked Samantha with her insomnia and need to still be friends with Max, even though she's the one who broke his heart after dating for years. 

Max changes and learns so much throughout the book. I think about 10 years passes from beginning to end, and the entire journey is definitely an interesting one. I even laughed out loud at some points (seriously, ask my sister) and it was a pretty quick read. If you're looking for an entertaining book about the entertainment world, you better pick up a copy of Leading Man. You're in for a fun look into a world of fame, celebrities, and a little bit heartbreak.

Stacking the Shelves (66)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what they got throughout the week!

From Publisher

I'm home this weekend, which means books for me! I had these three waiting for me that came over the past week, and they look awesome! I've heard great things about The Waking Dark and the S.E.C.R.E.T. books look like they've got some great romance in them. I can't wait for the chance to read these three!

That's it for me! What did you all add to your shelves this week? 

Follow My Book Blog Friday (102)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: It is up to you to do a kickstarter campaign for your favorite book! Who are you casting for your main characters? 

Answer: Oh my gosh, how do I begin to pick just one book I'd like to see as a movie? And then attempt to choose people who can create a story even remotely close to as amazing as it was in the book? 

I seriously thought about my answer to this question for three days now and still can't think of an answer. I've just been sitting here, staring at my computer...

So I'm going to opt out on this one. It's just too hard and I can never think of someone that could completely embody my favorite characters. But you can check out my Top Ten Tuesday List from this week where I listed books that I would love to see be made into movies! 

What about you guys? Did you come up with a dream cast? I'd love to hear!

Book Review: Where Beauty Lies by Elle Fowler and Blair Fowler

Where Beauty Lies

By Elle and Blair Fowler

Release Date: August 13, 2013

Source: Publisher

Summary: The London sisters return in this charming new novel about love, friendship, and the perils of fame. Despite their very public arrest, Ava and Sophia London are about to discover that in L.A. there's no such thing as bad press. Suddenly, they are the hottest "It" girls in town and are one step closer to making their brand, London Calling, a household name. Their newfound celebrity status takes them jet setting to New York City to expand their brand into fashion and home goods. Their first stop is fashion week, where they're about to put on their inaugural fashion show...but not if their rivals have anything to say about it. The same unseen enemies responsible for framing them in L.A. are back - and determined to ruin the sisters for good this time. Can Ava and Sophia find out who's trying to destroy them before it's too late?

Review: I haven't read the first book in this series, Beneath the Glitter, but the premise of this story seemed right up my alley. A YA book about girls dealing with love, fame, and friendship? And it has over a 4 star rating on Goodreads, so I decided to give it a shot. 

After the whole fiasco with their animal fundraiser, Ava and Sophia London just can't seem to stay out of the spotlight. So when the offer to design a line for the New York Fashion Week, the girls can't believe their luck. The girls put their hearts and soul into their line, but they soon learn that fame isn't as amazing as it's cracked up to be. Everywhere they go, it seems like someone is trying to sabotage them. But who? Can they make it through fashion week before they're ruined for good? 

Like I said, I thought I would really enjoy this book. It sounded like Lauren Conrad's books or Zoey Dean's A-List series. But I ended up being really disappointed with how this one turned out. The London sisters just seemed too perfect and their super nice personalities got a tad bit annoying. Who's that nice to everyone, all the time? Especially when it comes to famous people? 

Not only were the girls' personalities not realistic, but the things they go through are too over the top. Pet-napping? Literally running into the person you're just thinking about, not once, but multiple times? Having multiple men madly fall in love with you just because you're you? Come on. I just wish this one was more realistic and less dramatic. 

So overall, I feel like we got the sugared up version of a story about the "it" girls. Things seemed too juvenile, unrealistic, and often times not explained enough. I just couldn't wait to get through the story so I could move onto a different book. While it was a fast read that had some interesting parts, it wasn't for me.