36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You—Vicki Grant

Title: 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You
Author:  Vicki Grant
Publisher: Running Press, 2017
Pages: 288 pages
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None
Read: January 2018

Hildy signs up for the local college’s psych study because she’s interested in things like that and she needs someone to talk to. Paul signs up because he needs the 40 bucks. All they have to do is ask each other 36 questions and answer them honestly. They couldn’t be more different—Hildy is the well spoken daughter of the high school principal and Paul *almost* graduated high school. Hildy is sensitive and cries easily, Paul is gruff. Can 36 questions really bring strangers closer together?

This was a quick cute read. Interspersed throughout the traditional narrative are messages between Hildy and Paul, and Paul’s drawings. There were no major surprises and the big reveal of their secrets was predictable, but it was an enjoyable read.

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Once and For All--Sarah Dessen

Title: Once and For All
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking, 2017
Pages: 356 p.
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None
Read: July 2017

Sarah Dessen’s Once and For All

Louna is spending the summer after high school graduation doing what she's done for years--helping her mom in the wedding planning business. Although she works in the business of "love" Louna is becoming more and more cynical about relationships and romance and true love. Despite her mom's unhappy divorce and jaded outlook, Louna wasn't always this way. She had one perfect night with the perfect guy and hope for the future until it was stolen from her during a school shooting. Ever since then Louna has refused to date anyone, refused to get close to anyone, thinking that she'll never have a chance to get another perfect night. Enter Ambrose, the son of one of her mom's clients. Louna is sent to track him down when he's late for his own mother's wedding and she's strangely drawn to him despite his annoying optimism. When her mom decides to give him a job to keep him from annoying her newest client (his sister), Louna thinks she's crazy. But Ambrose grows on her and she realizes that she can't cut herself off from life forever.

Have I ever read a Sarah Dessen book that I didn't like? Nope. I have not. I always care about the characters, I always sympathize with the situations, I always want to continue reading. I'll be honest, I don't remember plot points years later. I remember characters and when they pop up in later books I have to go back and read my past reviews to jog my memory as to who they are and what they did. But that's ok. Because when I'm reading a Sarah Dessen book I am fully immersed in that world. If you're a Sarah Dessen fan, you won't be disappointed with her latest offering.

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Always and Forever, Lara Jean—Jenny Han

Title: Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2017
Pages: 336 P.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s Always and Forever, Lara Jean

Jenny Han first introduced us to the quirky but adorable Lara Jean in To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. Lara Jean has survived the embarrassing reveal of her love letters, the awkward private romantic video that went viral, the jealousy and sabotage of ex-best friend Genevieve, and the transition from Peter as fake-boyfriend to Peter as real-boyfriend. Now in her senior year of high school, Lara is comfortable in her relationship with Peter and looking forward to attending the same college. Her widowed father has unexpectedly found happiness in a new relationship, her older sister Margot has a new boyfriend, and her younger sister Kitty is thrilled with their father's romance. Everything is going exactly as planned for Lara Jean, until it does not. When Lara Jean's plan is disrupted, she is torn between her heart and her head. 

Although the time period is very clear and there are frequent mentions to today's technology, Jenny Han's story is really timeless. First love, finding one's identity in school and at home, navigating the delicate transition from kid to adult, are all universal themes in teen literature and Han has done a good job of exploring them. She has written a sweet coming of age love story and fans of the first two books will be clamoring for this conclusion. 

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P.S. I Still Love You—Jenny Han

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2015
Pages: 337 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s P.S. I Still Love You

We were introduced to Lara Jean in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and her story continues in this sequel. The last thing Lara expected when she and Peter pretended to be dating was that she and Peter would actually wind up liking each other. But that’s exactly what happened. Everything’s going great until people from both of their pasts start to intervene. Is it possible for Lara to go from having no real boyfriends to being in love with TWO boys at once?

I enjoyed this one just as much as the first book. This was definitely more focused on Lara’s love life than her family life, but her family still played a large role in the story. I was SUPER glad I had the ARC of the third book in the series so I didn’t have to wait for it. Definite read for fans of the first book!

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before—Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2014
Pages: 368 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: April 2017

Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

VOYA has the tendency to send me the third book in a trilogy to review. I don’t know how other reviewers handle it, but I don’t feel right reviewing a conclusion when I haven’t read the first two books! So, when I was sent Always & Forever, Lara Jean last spring, I had some catching up to do.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a funny quick read about a 16 year old girl. Lara has written each of the boys she has “loved” a letter and kept it safely hidden for years. Until the day they get mailed to their recipients and much embarrassment and hilarity ensues. This is not a romance novel, even if it is about all the boys Lara has crushed on. It’s more about a girl finding her place in her family and finding herself. I loved Lara’s relationship with her older sister. I finished the book in one day and that is a rare feat for me in my old age. They’re making a movie of it which is sure to attract even more readers.
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Queens of Geek—Jen Wilde

Title: Queens of Geek
Author: Jen Wilde
Publisher: Swoon Reads, 2017
Pages: 288 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: March 2017

Jen Wilde's Queens of Geek

Taylor, Charlie, and Jamie have traveled all the way to the United States from Australia to attend the ultimate fandom convention, SupaCon. Charlie has a fan base of her own as a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie and was able to use her new celebrity status to get lifelong friends Taylor and Jamie into SupaCon as well. Charlie's co-star, the swoon-worthy Reese Ryan, is also her ex-boyfriend and his presence at SupaCon complicates things for the young actress. She strikes up a relationship with fellow vlogger and super cool-girl Alyssa Huntington and discovers that her crush on the internet star isn't in vain. While Charlie and Alyssa are exploring their new relationship, anxiety-prone Taylor and trusty sidekick Jamie are determined to make SupaCon the best experience ever by meeting their favorite author. Taylor must overcome her deepest fears in order to get what she wants. Jamie helps her to realize that what she really wants is him in this geeky romance. 

Queens of Geek is full of book and movie references and is a fun look at the fandom convention phenomena. Taylor's anxiety and experience with Asperger's is treated sensitively. The story is told in chapters alternating between Charlie's and Taylor's point of view, giving the reader a chance to see inside both of their minds. Queens of Geek is a fun quick read that will appeal to romance readers and self-proclaimed geeks. 

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Take the Key and Lock Her Up—Ally Carter

Title: Take the Key and Lock Her Up
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Scholastic, 2016
Pages: 336 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: March 2017

Ally Carter's Take the Key and Lock Her Up

Ally Carter’s Embassy Row series began with All Fall Down, continued with See How they Run, and now ends with this final installment. I read the first one two and a half years ago and I still vividly remember how it made me feel. I remember the tension and the stomach clenching and the suspense. Am I an Ally Carter fangirl? Maybe. Do I start out each of her books already knowing I’m going to like it? Maybe.

If you haven’t read the first two books, get that done before you attempt this one.

This is a solid conclusion to the series. Some of the tension is missing because the cards are on the table now—we know who the bad guys are and what they want. I know that at the time I read this (nearly a year ago) I gave it 4 stars, but I’m having trouble remembering specific details. Yet, I can clearly recall things that happened in the first book. I’m not saying this to mean that I didn’t enjoy Take the Key and Lock Her Up, because clearly I did, but it may not be as strong as the first two books. Things are wrapped up neatly and I would still recommend this entire trilogy.

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All the Bright Places—Jennifer Niven

Title: All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Knopf, 2015
Pages: 378 p.
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None
Read: Dec 2016

Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places

Violet Markey is mourning the death of her sister when she meets mysterious Theodore Finch. Theodore is obsessed with death, constantly coming up with different ways he could kill himself, but something always stops him from going through with it. Violet and Theodore embark on a school project to discover the unknown natural wonders of their state. As they discover each new place, they learn more and more about each other. Theodore brings Violet out her shell and gives her something to look forward to other than just counting the days. But even as Theodore helps Violet, he falls deeper and deeper into his own depression.

I picked up All the Bright Places because I really liked Holding Up the Universe, a book I was sent to review for VOYA. All the Bright Places was just as good and difficult to put down. Violet and Theodore are both likable characters that readers will naturally root for. The writing is poignant and meaningful; Theodore’s positive post-it notes are thoughtful & insightful. Although it’s difficult to put this book down, it’s not an easy book to finish. It’s heart-wrenching and emotionally exhausting. Have a box of tissues nearby.

******

Love and First Sight—Josh Sundquist

Title: Love and First Sight
Author: Josh Sundquist
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, 2017
Pages: 288 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: Dec 2017

Josh Sundquist’s Love and First Sight

Will starts his first day at a new high school groping a girl on the stairs, sitting on a kid in the cafeteria, and making a fellow classmate cry just by looking at her. All in all a successful day for a sixteen-year-old blind boy who had never been in a public school. Will manages to navigate high school with his cane, his iPhone, and his ability to memorize routes once he has taken them. Navigating high school friendships turns out to be a bit trickier. Will becomes friends with the boy from the cafeteria and the girl he made cry, but when an experimental surgery gives Will eyesight he discovers that they were not as forthcoming with him as he thought. Cecily, the crying girl Will is falling in love with, has a facial birthmark that does not meet traditional standards of beauty. Will insists that what Cecily looks like really does not matter, but he feels betrayed by her and their friends for keeping it from him when he could not see it. 

Sundquist writes about Will's blindness with sensitivity. Although Will is completely incapable of seeing anything in the beginning of the story--not even shadows--he is not helpless or powerless. He is flawed, not because he cannot see with his eyes, but rather because of how he responds when he can see with them. The lesson in Love and First Sight is clear and predictable, but readers will enjoy Will's journey anyway.

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Keep Her

Title: Keep Her
Author: Leora Krygier
Publisher: She Writes Press, 2016.
Pages: 264 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: November 2016

Leora Krygier’s Keep Her

Maddie is a seventeen-year-old recent graduate contemplating her future. Although she loves numbers and scientific rational thinking, she has been accepted into a university program for fine art. She creates collages from photographs and unwanted scraps of material. While waiting for her pictures to be developed, the camera store she is in is suddenly flooded from a water main break. Maddie starts to panic, but is quickly rescued by a young man. Aiden and Maddie instantly bond over their frightening experience and form an interesting friendship. Maddie is dealing with emotions from her adoption, as well as the consequences of her brother's criminal behavior. Aiden is dealing with his own demons, namely the guilt over his younger brother's accidental death and the life-changing decision he is faced with--whether or not to keep his infant daughter. When Maddie learns Aiden is considering putting his daughter up for adoption, she tries to convince him to keep her.

Keep Her is a quick interesting read that will engage fans of contemporary fiction. Maddie and Aiden's relationship blooms very quickly, but throughout the novel there are flashbacks to Aiden's mission to save endangered whales that suggest that maybe Aiden's been waiting for Maddie for a lot longer. Fans of meant-to-be romance stories will not be disappointed.

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Cursed--Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Cursed
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press, 2012
Pages: 304 p
Source: library ebook
Compensation: None
Read: September 2016

Jennifer L. Armentrout's Cursed

Ember and her younger sister have strange abilities ever since being in a car crash. Ember technically died in the crash, but she was brought back to life by her sister. In true yin-yang fashion, while her little sister can bring things back from the dead, Ember's touch is like poison and is fatal to anyone around her. Ember's Dad died in the crash (but was too dead-dead to be brought back) and her mom has been catatonic with grief, so Ember is left alone to take care of her little sister and try to keep their abilities a secret. Then she meets Hayden, a cute boy claiming he can help them both control their "gifts". Ember is intrigued by Hayden but suspicious of his adopted father who seems to be collecting kids with gifts. Is she helping her sister or leading them both into a trap?

I wanted to like this more than I did. I thought the plot was interesting, but it felt a bit incomplete. It was worth the read, but it could have been better. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied, like there was more that could have been explored.

******

Holding Up the Universe--Jennifer Niven

Title: Holding Up the Universe
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Random House Children's Books, 2016
Pages: 400 p
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: September 2016

Jennifer Niven's Holding Up the Universe

Three years after Libby Strout was named “America’s Fattest Teen” and was airlifted out of her house, she is ready to start her junior year of high school and put her infamous past behind her. She is determined to make up for lost time and to be the girl who can do anything—if only her classmates will see her for who she truly is instead of just seeing her size. Jack Masselin is one of the cool kids, the popular kids, who seem to have everything easy. But Jack is hiding a big secret that could jeopardize his entire school life. Jack has a disorder called prosopagnosia, an inability to recognize faces. Each morning he wakes up his family and friends are strangers to him. Relying on hair styles (that can change) and personality traits to identify his family and friends is getting harder to do as Jack gets older. When Libby is the victim of a cruel joke and Jack is the reluctant perpetrator, they are both sent to group counseling, where they learn that they are not as alone as they thought.

Told in chapters alternating Libby and Jack’s point of view, Holding Up the Universe is a thoughtful story of friendship and love. Both Libby and Jack are vulnerable flawed characters who find peace when they find each other and the strength to be honest with themselves and their loved ones. A worthy addition to any YA collection, this story is engaging and difficult to put down.

******

Haters, The--Jesse Andrews

Title: The Haters
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2016
Pages: 336 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: July 2016

Jesse Andrews' The Haters

Wes and Corey are all set for another boring summer at music band camp when they run into free-spirited singer Ash and have a totally inspired monster jam session. They decide that the three of them mesh so well together that rather than waste their time at camp, they should take their new act to the road. Because gigging across America is the only way to truly refine your musical chops. Their road trip is not without some hilarious drama.

I read this book while we were camping and I distinctly remember being in my sleeping bag with a flashlight because I couldn't put it down. I also remember trying not to giggle and wake my kids up. The Haters was an enjoyable coming-of-age book and is sure to delight music fans, as well as kids who just want a regular realistic funny non-dystopian read.

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Epidemic, The--Suzanne Young

Title: The Epidemic
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2016
Pages: 384 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: February 2016

Suzanne Young's The Epidemic

In a dystopian society, closers are hired by grieving families to impersonate a deceased child and give the family a chance at closure. Quinlan McKee is the best closer there is, but then she discovers that everything she has ever believed is a lie. Not sure who she can trust, Quinn flees her controlling employers and sets out to discover who she really is, uncovering far more than she could imagine.

Quinn is a sympathetic character and readers will want her and fellow closer on the run, Deacon, to succeed in their mission and their relationship. Suzanne Young's latest book perfectly illustrates how good intentions can lead to horrible results. An effort to save people from pain and grief actually causes much more damage than simply letting people feel hurt. The Epidemic is the sequel to The Remedy and both novels serve as companion books that lead to the events in Young's popular Program duology. Although this new duology can stand on its own, teens who have read The Program and The Treatment already will finish The Epidemic with a deeper understanding of how and why society could wind up like it did. Readers who have not read the Program duology yet will be interested enough to continue with Young's unique dystopian world.

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See How They Run--Ally Carter

Title: See How They Run
Author: Ally Carter 
Publisher: Scholastic, 2015
Pages: 336 p.
Source: Library e-book
Compensation: None
Read: February 2016

Ally Carter's See How They Run

There are a few authors that I consider must-reads. I will read absolutely any and all of their books--Sarah Dessen, Melina Marchetta, Garth Nix, Rainbow Rowell. Ally Carter is quickly climbing to the top of that list. I hope she doesn't start publishing her grocery lists because I have enough to read.

I've read all of the Gallagher Girls, the Heist Society books, the short stories tying them together, and now her latest Embassy Row series. I loved loved all of her books, but I think that maybe Embassy Row might be favorite. It's difficult to say, but I think it's true.

See How They Run picks up the story right where All Fall Down left off. If you haven't read All Fall Down yet, get on it. Now. Go the library, go to Amazon, go where ever you need to go and get it read. This is not a pick it up in the middle type of series. I'm not responsible for spoiling you on All Fall Down if you continue reading this review.

In All Fall Down, Grace learns that almost everything she has believed has been wrong. She was right in that her beloved mother did not perish in a fire and was indeed shot to death. She was wrong in blaming the "Scarred man" for pulling the trigger. The Scarred Man *was* sent to kill her but was actually trying to save her. The truth is so much worse than what she feared--Grace is the one who fired the fateful shot. See How They Run deals with the aftermath of Grace's discovery and reveals the mystery surrounding Grace's mother is even deeper than Grace believed. The more that Grace learns, the more secrets she must keep from her new friends and her protective older brother Jamie. But as Grace digs deeper, she quickly realizes her own life is in danger and that some people are willing to murder to keep secrets from becoming known.

Grace is such a complex character. She is stronger than she admits, but also vulnerable. There are so many secrets and lies that she doesn't even know if she can believe herself anymore. Is she completely crazy? Or is she the only one who can see the truth?

There is so much in this book--Grace's complicated relationship with her older brother Jamie who comes to check on his fragile sister; Grace's relationship with her brother's best friend & her romantic interest Alexei; the political ramifications when Jamie's West Point roommate is murdered and Alexei is blamed. It is nearly impossible to put down See How They Run--the pages practically drip with intrigue. The story is gripping, the characters are gripping, the only downside is having to wait for Carter to release the next one. The ending of See How They Run will have you gasping for more.

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Never Always Sometimes--Adi Alsaid

Title: Never Always Sometimes

Author: Adi Alsaid
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2015
Pages: 320 p.
Source: Library e-book (I think)
Compensation: None
Read: November 2015 (I think)

Adi Alsaid's Never Always Sometimes

I almost forgot to review this book. Not because it wasn't good. Not because I didn't like it. I just simply forgot to put it on my Goodreads... And when you go months with just reading and not reviewing, well, you need to rely on your Goodreads to help you remember what you've read! From the gap in my log I am guessing that I read this in November. I am also guessing that it was an e-book since I seem to be reading a lot of e-books lately. I'm pretty sure I forgot to list it because I read it so quickly.

Anyway, I enjoyed Adi Alsaid's first book, Let's Get Lost, when I reviewed it for VOYA. I enjoyed this one too. Told in alternating chapters, Never Sometimes Always tells the story of best friends Dave and Julia who have decided in their senior year to do all the cliche things they promised they wouldn't. The only problem is that Dave is already doing one of the biggest things--falling in secret love with his best friend. He's pined for her since he met her but was always safely in the friend zone. Crossing things off the cliche list is presenting him with new opportunities--but sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.

This was a really quick read for me. I liked Dave and I liked Julia (as oblivious as she was) and even though I have no official record of reading this, it has stayed with me. I remember staying up late into the night to finish. I'd recommend it to older YA readers (this is not a tween book) and look forward to Alsaid's future stories.

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Remedy (The)--Suzanne Young

Title: The Remedy
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2015
Pages: 401 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None
Read: February 2016

Suzanne Young's The Remedy

Quinlan McKee can be anyone. Just by changing her hair and eye color and studying the mannerisms of a particular person, she can reasonably pass for any white teenage girl. It's a good trait to have when you are a closer--someone hired by a grieving family to act as the deceased and give the family a chance to say goodbye. It's the ultimate therapy and can be very beneficial but it's not always understood or appreciated by everyone in the deceased's life. Quin must immerse herself in somebody else's life while remaining detached enough to remember who she is. When she is sent on a job immediately after returning from one and it turns out to be the longest one yet, she's at risk of completely losing herself.

The Remedy is a prequel to Suzanne Young's popular duology The Program and The Treatment. I have not read those books but I just got the sequel to The Remedy to review for VOYA so I figured I'd better at least read this one. Despite my lack of familiarity with this dystopian world, I enjoyed this novel. It is an interesting premise--how often have we wanted the chance to say goodbye to a loved one? You can see the appeal to therapy like this and also the horrible risks to everyone involved. The very end of the book is a bit mind blowing. Although I had no trouble reading this and it definitely has its own story, I'm sure that if I had been able to read the other books I would have gotten even more satisfaction out of it. An "a-ha, so that's how it all started" moment. I am looking forward to reading the next one and seeing how it all plays out.

Lifeboat Clique--Kathy Parks

Title: Lifeboat Clique
Author: Kathy Parks
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2016
Pages: 336 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: December 2015

Kathy Parks's Lifeboat Clique

Denver has been ostracized at school for years thanks to her ex-BFF Abigail, but things are finally looking up when a good-looking nice boy asks her to go to a party with him. Despite her reservations about going to one of Abigail's parties (and lack of parental approval), Denver decides to take the risk and accept Croix's invitation. Not even Abigail and her ditzy flunkies Sienna and Hayley can ruin her good night with Croix but just as their lips are about to touch, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the coast of California. Croix and Denver manage to crawl to a rooftop but Croix is knocked off by a palm tree. Denver, the outcast, is left alone on the now floating rooftop with Abigail, Sienna, Hayley and Trevor, the popular kids. Luckily for them Denver has watched a lot of Discovery Channel while they were all having fun without her, but even she cannot save them all.

Although the plot is pretty grim--Denver and her companions battle dehydration, hunger, hallucinations, and death--Kathy Parks has created such a witty, sardonic main character that the book itself is not grim. It is easy and fun to read. Readers get the backstory of why Abigail and Denver are ex-BFFs as Parks deftly weaves it through the main plot. Readers looking for a bit of humor and a side of sarcasm with their tragedy will gravitate towards Lifeboat Clique.

Peas & Carrots--Tanita S. Davis

Title: Peas & Carrots
Author: Tanita S. Davis
Publisher: Knopf, 2016
Pages: 288 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None
Read: November 2015

Tanita S. Davis's Peas & Carrots

Dess has never had a normal family life. She’s moved from place to place with her drug addict mother, living in fear of her criminal drug dealing father. When her mother has a child with another man, Dess knows she needs to intervene or her dangerous father will hurt them all. Four years later, Dess has settled into a predictable life in a group home while she waits for her mother to get out of prison and testify against her father, but then the unpredictable happens and Dess is placed in a foster home—the same one her little brother has grown up in. Dess is completely out of her element and immediately clashes with her brother’s loving African American family, especially his fifteen year old foster sister, Hope. When Dess’s life is thrown another curve ball, she realizes what family really means.

Written in chapters alternating Dess’s and Hope’s views, Davis manages to address racial stereotypes without being heavy-handed. Although Dess and Hope are very different on the outside, they both face the same insecurities. Peas and Carrots is a quick interesting read. There are some unanswered questions about Dess’s parents--will her mother actually testify against her father and will Dess ever be safe from him again--but ultimately this story is about Dess’s new family and new beginnings.

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Fangirl--Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2013
Pages: 445 p
Source: Library e-book
Compensation: None
Read: October 2015

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl

Rainbow Rowell is quickly becoming one of my "read anything by her" authors. Fangirl tells the story of a college freshman away from home for the first time. Cath is attending the same college as her twin sister, but Wren has decided it would be better for both of them if they don't room together and if they try to make new friends. Cath is not too keen on this idea and just continues doing what she's always done--writing Simon Snow fan fiction and ignoring the real world. Her plan goes awry when the real world keeps interrupting and demanding she pay attention.

I loved this book: Cath's relationship with her roommate; her budding friendship with her roommate's quasi-boyfriend; her writing partnership with a fellow student; her conflicted relationship with her twin sister. Interspersed throughout the book is Cath's fan fiction story Carry On. The book is written much like I imagine Cath's mind is set up-- constantly traveling between the Simon Snow universe and the real world.

Fans of Rowell will not be disappointed.
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