The Fine Art of Pretending (Mini Book Review)

The Fine Art of Pretending
Rachel Harris

Paperback, 256 pages

Published September 30th 2014 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

Synopsis via Goodreads:
According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want


Mini Review:

Alyssa is friends with all the popular guys. And to them, she is considered a commitment, not someone a guy would date for fun. And this might be a compliment to some girls, but not Alyssa!
Alyssa wants to be the popular, good looking, guys girl friend. So what does she do? She decides to change her appearance completely.

Fluff. Like a pillow filled with feathers. Complete fluff.

Predictable. Nothing kept me wondering. I was honestly pretty bored.

I was hoping for a cute best friends romance. But I didn't get it. Brandon doesn't notice Alyssa at all until after she changes her appearance. WHAT??? No.

Then there is my big, huge, ginormous problem with Alyssa. She decides to change her appearance for a guy? I can understand where she is coming from, but as a friend I would say (okay I would yell) WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

This one just wasn't for me. I had huge issues with the main characters, the plot was predictable, and I was bored. I don't think I would recommend this one.

Waiting On Wednesday - Captive

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that I am eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)
Aimee Carter

Expected publication: November 25th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?




 

Update

I have recently had a lack of reviews on my blog......This is due to the fact that I haven't had enough to say about the recent books I have read. Which is not a particularly good thing. Most of the books I read were pretty mediocre, or I liked them/loved them but didn't have anything nice and long to say about them.
Plus, I have had quite a few recent DNF books.

So, the next few reviews posted will be mini reviews! (YAY!)


Expect mini reviews on the following books:

Book Blitz + GIVEAWAY - - - Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry

I am a huge fan of Katie McGarry, and taking part in this Book Blitz is a really exciting thing for me! Read more for an excerpt from Breaking the Rules, a continuation of Noah and Echo's story!

 

Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits #1.5)

by Katie McGarry 

Release Date: 12/08/14

Harlequin Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry.

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so... different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn... seriously epic.

Excerpt:

From Noah’s Point of View

Relaxing on the floor with their legs stretched out, Isaiah and Beth stare at me. Beth pops open
her mouth, and I hold up my hand. “Not in the mood.”
Beth shrugs and returns to folding a brochure on mountain climbing into a paper airplane, but my
best friend continues to study me. When a guy a year younger with more tattoos on his arms than
he has skin gives the pity look, it’s bad.



 

Available for Pre-Order:
     

Books in the series:
(covers linked to Goodreads)
    

About the Author

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

Author Links:
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GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

 

 

Rules:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you, and link back to their site.

2. Post the award’s logo onto your blog

3. Answer the 10 questions you’ve been asked

4. Nominate 10 bloggers

5. Set 10 new questions for your nominees.

 

Thank you Jess from A Book to Remember for nominating me!

 

1. What are some of your favorite books you read this year so far?

I have read 246 books so far this year, these are a few that I really enjoyed!

 

 

2. What is one 2015 book release that you are really looking forward to?

 One??? Uh oh.....One early 2015 release I am looking forward to is All Fall Down by Ally Carter, but there are tons more!

 

3. What is one book you wish you could read for the first time again?

Top of my head? This one!

 

4. Do you have any other hobbies besides blogging and reading?

Watching movies based on books......:-)

(The Fault In Our Stars, and Catching Fire are two of my favorites!)

 

5. Have you read all of the books from an author?

Katie McGarry is one of the ones that I have read all of her published books including novellas.....And I plan to read all future published books!

 

6. Roughly, how many books do you own that are TBR?

Anywhere between 50-100....I don't really keep track.

 

7. Is there anything you like to snack on or drink while reading?

Nope, I don't like to risk getting my books dirty.

 

8. What are some of your favorite book couples?

Noah & Echo (Pushing the Limits), Isaiah and Rachel (Crash Into You), Kat & Hale (Heist Society), Tris & Four (Divergent), Anna and Bennett (Time Between Us).....I could go on for a while!

 

9. Are there any fairly popular books that you didn't like?

Anna and the French Kiss is the most popular one that everyone seems to love.
But I didn't like it at all :-(

 

10. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Getting to talk about books! Whether I am talking to myself or other bloggers/readers!

 

 

I Nominate:

 

1. Emz @ Icy Cold Reads

 

2. Isabel @ Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews

 

3. Montana @ The Book Belles

 

4. Alexandra @ Sleeps on Tables

5. Connie @ The YA Book Thief

6. Ginger @ Ginger Reader 22

7. Kaitlin @ Reading Is My Treasure

8. Crystal @ Crystal in Bookland

9. Emma @ Awkwordly Emma

10. Danielle @ Love at First Page
 

 

My Questions:

 

 

1. If you were deserted on a desert island, what 3 authors would you want with you?

 

2. If you had to go back in time and live in a different time period, which time period would you choose?

 

3. Last book you had a love/hate relationship with?

 

4. Favorite book that is outside your usual realm of reading?

 

5. Book that you loved that you think should get more attention?

 

6. What is your favorite book to movie adaptation?

 

7. What is your least favorite book cover?

 

8. Which author do you own the most books from?

 

9. Is there a debut 2015 authors book that you are looking forward to?

 

10. If you read mostly YA, favorite adult book? (if not vice-versa)

 Please leave me links to your posts in the comments below!
New to my blog? I would love to visit your blog! Leave me a link, and I will visit as soon as possible!

Top Ten Characters I Wish Would Get Their OWN Book

Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

 

Top Ten  Five Characters I Wish Would Get Their OWN Book

 

 

1. Abby from Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series

(I believe she was first introduced in Crash Into You, this series is due for a re-read!)

Abby NEEDS her own story.

 

 

2. Isaac from The Fault In Our Stars

A sequel all about Isaac would be AMAZING to read!

 

3. All secondary characters from Heist Society (mainly Gabrielle)

The secondary characters are just as amazing as the main characters in the Heist Society series!

 

4. George from My Life Next Door

The best lines in the book were from George. Imagine an entire book about him! NEED RIGHT NOW!!!

 

“Did you know that in space it's very, very cold? And there's no oxygen? And if an astronaut fell out of a shuttle without his suit he'd die right away?"

I'm a fast learner. "But that would never happen. Because astronauts are really, really careful."

George gives me a smile, the same dazzling sweet smile as his big brother, although at this point, with green teeth. "I might marry you," he allows. "Do you want a big family?” 

 

 

5. Georgia from the Revenants series by Amy Plum

Mostly I would just like to return to this world, would be interesting to read more about Georgia (Kate's sister)

 

 

6. Bex/Macey/Liz from The Gallagher Girls series.

I miss these girls!

 

 

 

Get Even (Book Review)

Get Even (Don't Get Mad #1)
Gretchen McNeil
Published September 16th 2014 by Balzer & Bray

Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.



First of all, I was expecting to not like this one AT ALL. In the synopsis, Get Even is compared to Pretty Little Liars which I happened to dislike immensely. So, this comparison initially turned me away from reading Get Even.

Even so, I picked it up timidly to find out for myself if it was worth a read....And I am SO GLAD I picked this one up.

The novels mystery is complex, and I don't mean a little complex, I mean that there are so many factors in this novel that I had a hard time sometimes keeping up! High Five to Gretchen McNeil for keeping this all straight....That in itself is quite an achievement!

One thing I did not like. There are four main characters in this book. And they are all supposed to pretend that they don't know each other. So you are following four different girls, with four different lives, which also means four different groups of friends. It took me the first 1/3 of the book or so just to start keeping all of the characters straight (and even after that, I was still confused till the end.)

But again, Gretchen McNeil performed amazingly and made all of these characters totally unique and individualistic.

Yes there were other things that seemed unrealistic and I wish that there was more background on Don't Get Mad.
But Get Even kept me interested till the very end. It was interesting, complex, and had diverse characters. I never felt bored, and I need Get Dirty now. Like, RIGHT NOW.
June cannot come soon enough.