King of the Screwups Review

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(More customer reviews)Liam Geller is the son of a successful former model and an uptight CEO. The pressure placed on him to succeed from a very young age, combined with the layers of emotional abuse suffered from the words of his father, results in causing him to believe that he's not good at anything except "screwing up". When a final mistake at home causes his father to kick him out he goes to live with his "Aunt" Pete, a man who's been estranged from his family for years due to his refusal to conform to what had been expected of him.
The story goes on to share Liam's struggle of coming to terms with the fact that his parents aren't perfect and he isn't broken, as they've lead him to believe he is. The humor in this story is all a mask of much deeper issues. It's a rewarding read because of the beautifully constructed main characters. But, there will also be points when you'd like to thorw it across the room because of the anger that the other, minor characters, instill in you as a reader.
K.L. Going does a fantastic job of making you feel like you could be a watcher in this smalltown of Pineville, experiencing the ups and downs of Liam and his uncle as a next-door neighbor really would.
The one thing I would state against this book (and the reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars) is that it's not for middle-schoolers. Sure, there may be some kids mature enough to handle the subject matter at that age, but I feel that the majority of 12-year-olds out there would not be able to grasp the dynamics of this story.
These are hard subjects to handle, even for a high-schooler. But I would definitely advise that the sexual innuendo, language and subtle detailing of emotional abuse would be much better received by a slightly older audience than what the cover of the book recommends.
Other than that, A+.

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Brand New Emily Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally! Teen fiction that's smart and funny. Beyond a great storyline, Brand New Emily offers a searingly honest take on the power of fitting in and finding yourself--and how those two very important parts of growing up are sometimes at odds with each other.
Emily is the character we recognize and admire--even when she's less than perfect, and possibly because she is.
You can tell the author has plenty of experience with the target market. Rue has produced a story that's authentic and compelling. Great gift for tweens because it addresses a lot of key behaviors without being preachy. I've read it a couple of times and I get something new every time.

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Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It Review

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(More customer reviews)I love hip-hop music and I love shopping, but as a woman gets older, she learns that it's just not cute to have "Bootylicious" on her butt or the name brand in 15 different spots on her shirt. This is why I like Baby Phat clothes, it's hip-hop, it's sporty, but it's classy. I have more Baby Phat jeans than necessary and a few shirts too! So when I heard about her book, I just knew I'd love it. But here's the problem...I feel the same way about Kimora Lee Simmons as I do about India Arie. When I went to see India Arie at the Taste of Chicago, she kept prancing around stage singing "I'm #1." In awards shows, India said things like "I always think I'm going to win..." As much as I'm a fan of her music, I'd never buy it because her ego is out of control. Reading this book made me feel the same way about Kimora. She kept on pointing out how she could do unprofessional things (wear stilettos to work, show up late, yell, talk over people, have modeling shows with people who are not wearing your clothes and front like it's Baby Phat) but coaxing her readers into doing the exact opposite. Every time she said something contradictory, she'd say "But I can do that, because I'm the boss" or "But look at me now!" After awhile, I was rolling my eyes and looking at my stove trying to figure out how to mail her a bucketload of humble pie. I respect women who are confident, but being vain is a complete turn-off. Halfway through the book, I gave up. Maybe it ended on a down-to-earth note, but I couldn't handle it anymore.
She didn't cover how she met Russel Simmons and how they helped each other in business; only stated that she likes to beat him economically. She didn't talk about how she went about picking her staff, only talked about how young they were. She didn't talk about how she chose her clothes, only dogged the clothes that Russell and Run chose. Her idea of showing feelings was talking about how she beat somebody up for knocking her Chanel purse out of her hands or not speaking to her when she was with her husband. It was really juvenile to me--I was waiting for her to tell me something deep. I felt like she was barking orders at me through the book and finally said "Forget it." I will continue to buy her clothes because I love them, but as for this book, nah, I just can't do it.

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This book offers celebrity interest with behind the scenes from fashion shows in Milan to P. Diddy's yacht. It has been reviewed in women's magazines eg "Elle", "Marie Claire", and "Easy Living". It will appeal to Urban as well as mainstream readers. Barbie are creating a Kimora Lee Simmons doll. A lifestyle guide from one of pop culture's most inspirational, stylish, and refreshingly unconventional female power players. At thirty, beauty icon Kimora Lee Simmons is the mistress of her own empire of lifestyle brands, half of one of America's wealthiest couples, mother to two young daughters, and a glamorous staple of the social circuit. Now, in this uplifting and inspiring book, Simmons spills her secrets of how women can use their smarts to build a rich and satisfying life full of success, fun, and, yes, a bit of blinding bling, the "Fabulosity" that every woman deserves.Simmons explains how to balance feminine, stop-them-in-their-tracks glamour with sign-on-the-dotted-line business power; how to get past barriers that exist because of gender, race, or age; how to find a marriageable man who'll support your biggest dreams (while keeping other women at bay); and how to have the most fun of your life while doing it! She gives hundreds of insider tips on fashion, beauty, home decorating, and socializing and explains how she succeeded in business with little formal experience, building a $70 million business out of a T-shirt. Packed with anecdotes and first-person experiences from the catwalks of Paris to P. Diddy's parties, "Fabulosity" takes readers behind the scenes of this diva's diverse, action-packed life and offers insights on how any woman can channel her own "high-profile personality" and creative power, no matter what her own goals may be.

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Braless in Wonderland Review

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(More customer reviews)Did you know that models practice smiling with their tongue behind their teeth to hide the dreaded black space? It's something that Allee Rosen would never have thought of as she stuffed rolls of toilet paper into her backpack for her art project.
Allee's headed to Yale to be an English Literature major. Yale! Or so she thought. She finds out her rocket scientist dad failed to save enough money for the prestigious school. So, for now, she's finishing her senior year of high school, working at Wal-Mart, and trying to decide whether or not to give in to her dad and go the University of Florida to major in something sensible, like science or business. Yuck.
Her life changes the day she takes her sister, Sabrina, to the mall for a modeling agency's talent search. Instead of signing Sabrina, aka "The Fluff," they want Allee! The brainiac. The feminist. The total opposite of a girly-girl. Allee knows this is crazy. She doubts it's even legit. But it's an offer she can't refuse. It could mean earning the extra money to get to Yale.
Following a dream-like trip to Miami to meet the owner of what turns out to be a highly respectable and sought-after agency, Allee moves into an apartment for the models. Allee finds herself struggling to believe that she's actually pretty. Serious by nature, she fears she'll never be able to let loose and have fun with the camera. Will she ever get a booking? How can she compete with the beautiful, intimidating, and fiercely competitive girls she's rooming with? What the heck are chicken cutlets? And what if she makes it big? Will she choose to leave Wonderland behind and go to Yale in the fall?
BRALESS IN WONDERLAND thrusts the reader into the world of modeling. Debbie Reed Fischer zooms in to focus on the often cutthroat competition between models, the necessary obsession with weight and the risks some models will take to lose just a few more pounds, the glamour, the parties, and the clothes. Oh, the clothes! If you are even the tiniest bit interested in a modeling career, I'd suggest you pick up a copy of this book. And for those of you who think you'd never consider being a model? Just remember, neither did Allee.
Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

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Vintage Veronica Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first read the plot summary for VINTAGE VERONICA, I classified it as a cute and didn't really expect it to have any depth, but that first impression was entirely off! Erica Perl has written a novel full of quirky characters that captured my heart and has managed to tell a story that the Veronica in all of us can relate to.
The setting and characters of VV were colorful and utterly unforgettable. The only way that I can really describe the feel of the book as is off beat. The easiest way I can describe the novel is by referencing Ellen Page films, like JUNO and WHIP IT. The characters in those films are quirky and seem to stick in your mind as if held there by superglue. Veronica is the star of the novel, but I was most drawn to Len, the mysterious and awkward stock boy. He is so much more than what he seems when the reader is briefly introduced to him at the beginning of the novel. I loved discovering the magic of Len as Veronica spends more time with him. I really liked that he isn't the normal heartthrob character or the tortured bad boy; he's just Len - and that's all he needs to be.
Given that I adore Len, it is understandable that I'm a fan of the romance between him and Veronica. However, it wasn't simply my feelings about Len's character that pulled me into their love story, it was the truthfulness. Len and Veronica's relationship is not perfect, but it is awkward, painful, and so, so tender. There are some romances that take you by storm and you are so totally enraptured in one another that there really isn't very much awkwardness. This is not the case in VV, partly because Veronica tries so hard to keep a cool head about the whole situation and doesn't allow herself to be overwhelmed by her feelings, in the beginning at least. And when one overanalyzes as much as Veronica, there is always going to be some uncomfortable moments. I think that in real life, people generally fit into that second category, so I found this love story particularly touching.

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