(ARC) YA Book Review: Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

Release Date: 15 May 2012

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

Get a copy! B&N | Amazon

Goodreads description:

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy.

My Thoughts...

Saturday Shorts (1)

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
© 25 October 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 

 Perry's not exactly excited when his parents decide that he has to take the foreign exchange student to the prom.  She's more than a little strange and hasn't made many attempts to really fit in.  However, prom is the least of Perry's concerns as the night progresses.  What starts as a short trip into the city becomes a wild adventure of epic proportions as Gobi jets around the city taking out her intended targets.  Oh, yeah, she's some kind of assassin.

Au Revoir is a fun, quick-paced read.  Perry and Gobi become quite the dynamic-duo in the course of the evening, and if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself enjoying them quite a bit.  The writing is fantastic and Schreiber has crafted this short novel perfectly.  The chapter titles are college admission questions and they're quite appropriate.

Between Sea & Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

© 25 October 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books 

Esmerine and her sister, Dosinia, have always had a bit of curiously about the world above the sea, but Esmerine would never dream of abandoning her family and her calling as a siren.  When Dosinia disappears after talking about human acquaintances, Esmerine takes it upon herself to find out what's become of her.  Enlisting the help of her long-ago friend Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people, Esermine journeys on to the land in search of her sister and finds more than she bargained for.

Between the Sea and Sky was a fun, short read that really entrances the imagination.  The characters are easy to love (who doesn't love a pair as in love with books as many of us are?) and their journey is rocky.  There's no insta-love or love triangles to be found here but a rocky new beginning for long ago friends. The plotline and its message are lovely and will easily entice many a reader.