The Me I Meant To Be by Sophie Jordan

* * * * 1/2

Girl Code: Never date a friend’s ex.

Willa Evans has no intention of breaking the code. So what if she’s always secretly loved her next-door neighbor Zach? As her best friend’s boyfriend, he was always off-limits and it needs to stay that way, even though they just broke up. Even though every time she turns around he’s there, tempting her…
 
No keeping secrets from your bestie.

Flor Hidalgo has a lot on her plate: her breakup with Zach, her dad’s new dating life, and her struggling grades. So why can’t she stop thinking about her hot, know-it-all tutor? At least she’s got Willa, her constant in the chaos.
 
Breaking the code breaks friendships.
 
Two friends find themselves tempted by love that defies the rules in this steamy romance perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Simone Elkeles.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


I absolutely enjoyed Sophie Jordan's latest YA offering because this one focused on a theme that I can relate to and am witnessing right now through my two teens: the changing nature of friendships.

Willa and Flor have been besties for a long time and have seen each other through ups and downs. While Willa likes to be in the background, Flor is the more popular friend at the forefront. But things are slowly changing. Flor recently broke up with Zach who happens to be Willa's nextdoor neighbor so it kind of puts her in an awkward situation. While Flor is fixated on why Zach broke things off with her and how she can win him back, Willa's just trying to work out how she can remain friends with both of them and also loyal to Flor. And because of her loyalty and their friendship, Willa has made a silent vow to herself to never allow her long held secret crush on Zach to go any further than that. Flor's way of coping is to create the Girl Code, a set of rules that girlfriends should adhere to in order to support each other and lift each other up. Poor Willa feeling treacherous inside, although Flor isn't faring any better because she's developing strange feelings for her math tutor, Grayson who is the exact opposite of Zach and who shouldn't even be occupying space in her head when she's trying to get back together with him.

Each chapter is headed by a Girl Code entry that has a tie-in to that chapter. It's quite cute. With the POV switching between Willa and Flor there's an abundance of emotion, confusion, angst and flirting flying about. I love how well Jordan handles both their stories, giving them equal time. She treats their friendship delicately - which it is at the moment - while also showing how Willa and Flor are gradually diverging on their own paths. The matter of loyalty is constantly brought up, as is the idea of family and what that should mean. Willa and Flor are each experiencing changes within their families and I can say that what's going on with Flor's astounded me. 

There is a third friend in the mix, Jenna whose story isn't delved into. I wish there could've been a way to flesh out her storyline as well but I can also see why Jordan just kept it to the two main girls. Jenna's brief appearances do initiate the topic of self-acceptance, and the painful reality of how how hard it can be to be honest with your family about something you've come to know about yourself. 

I fell in love with this book and its honesty about the inevitable changes that come with simply growing older. Even though boys are in the picture for Willa and Flor, The Me I Meant to Be is truly about the girls' friendship, growth and acceptance. Girl Code is important but it's also just a guide. Any friendship will face its test but it rests on the individuals involved to see that their friendship survives. 

~ Bel

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

* * * 

Available May 8, 2012

"Libby Kelting had always felt born out of time.  No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-round history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum.

But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset.  Her cat-loving coworker hates her, the geeky local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, the sailor she’s dating is more shipwreck than dreamboat, and Camden Harbor might be haunted.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem."

It's been a while since I’ve read something that’s pure silliness and Pilgrims fits into this category very nicely. 

Libby is your typical high school student from Minnesota who’s heading off to her dream internship on the East Coast at a small town history museum.  The book is quick with some apparent stereotypes – she’s blonde, she’s popular and she has a gay best friend, Dev who’s absolutely flummoxed about why she won’t be joining him at his fabulous internship at a magazine in New York.  I admit, the book didn't quite grab me at first and I think the initial stereotypes bothered me a little.  

It was Libby who thankfully reminded me not to be too quick to judge.  When she arrives at Camden Harbour, she’s fully aware that people perceive her as a blonde airhead incapable of grasping the importance and purpose of the history museum.  She finds herself on the receiving end of some serious animosity from her nightmare of a roommate, Ashling.  Libby may be guilty of having shoes for every occasion and not being able to live without blush but she knows her historical facts and she's serious about her work.  She proves herself to be smart though slightly awkward when thrown into the spotlight.

She meets two guys who couldn’t be more different from each other.  Naturally, she finds herself drawn to the hot guy, Cam the sailor with the killer smile.  I had to shake my head when she couldn’t even see what an obvious chump he was.  Then there’s Garrett, the geeky reporter who’s into all things sci-fi and researching a story about ghost sightings on one of the museum's prized ships, Lettie Mae.  By a stroke of luck (sort of), Libby and Garrett are thrown together as roommates on the ship and these two polar opposites have to learn to tolerate each other. 

Pilgrims is for the most part predictable though admittedly it didn’t end where I thought it would.  My only problem with it was the Libby/Ashling dynamic.  There was just no reasonable explanation for why Ashling was so hostile towards her.  Though Ashling on her own provided a few "roll your eyes" moments of humor.


What I did like were all the random historical facts and trivia that Libby would throw out because I myself love history. She displays her history geek flag proudly and that aspect of her personality nicely balanced Garrett's tendency to rattle of random things like Lord of the Rings trivia.  The two of them together were a treat.  And as much as she loves her modern comforts, she's not a whiner and shows how much a team player she can be.  


Overall this is a fun book.  It's perfect when you want an escape or just something that's quick and easy. There’s plenty to giggle about and in the end it’s just what you need when you want something to smile about.

~ Bel

We received Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink as an ARC from NetGalley.  It will be released May 8, 2012. 
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt    Imprint: Graphia

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek

* * *

Description for the book:

“Being trapped in a book can be a nightmare – just ask Idea Deity.  He’s convinced that he exists only in the pages of a novel written by a malevolent author … and that he will dies in chapter 64.  Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage, lead singer of the secret rock band Youforia, can’t figure out who’s posting information about him and his band online that only he should know.  It seems to both teens that someone is pulling the strings of their lives… and they’re not too happy about it.  With a national magazine preparing to expose Youforia and chapter 64 bearing down like a speeding freight train, time is running out.  Will Idea and Reacher be able to join forces and take control of their own destinies before it’s too late?

School of Rock meets Alice In Wonderland in this fast-paced, completely unpredictable novel of alternate realities, time travel, and rock ‘n’ roll.  If you band does not exist… do you?"

The description doesn’t lie.  It is a fast-paced, action-packed story that volleys back and forth between the two characters, Idea and Reacher.  There’s also another book within the story called Fireskull’s Revenant that both the characters are reading.  A few chapters in it does occur to you that there’s a parallel between the book you’re reading and the book they’re reading. And eventually Idea and Reacher realize that too.

Jeschonek has come up with a brilliant idea here (no pun intended).  I’d like to add that elements of the story also reminded me of a certain Brad Pitt movie that shall remain nameless lest it give away too much about the book.  It’s definitely one of the more creative stories I’ve read, and to be perfectly honest it was kind of nice to take a break from reading about angels, dragons or elves.  Instead I was introduced to this guy over here, Fireskull, a guy with a perpetually flaming head as you can see, who loves war and torturing his army.   Despite that gruesome bit of detail, he was rather entertaining.

Reading this reminded me of authors like Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman* and their propensity for creating bizarre worlds, outlandish characters and ridiculous names. In my opinion, that's high praise.  So if you’re in the mood for something different, definitely try this.  Though be aware that it may take some concentration to keep up with who’s who and what’s what as the author does scramble realities frequently.  Have fun!

~ Bel

* Good Omens being one of my favorite books  :-)