Book Review : New Girl by Paige Harbison

 

New Girl by Paige Harbison 

Paperback, 320 pages

Published January 31st 2012 by HarlequinTeen (first published January 1st 2012) 

Available on Barnes And Noble:

Paperback $9.49

ISBN 0373210426 (ISBN13: 9780373210428)

Synopsis 

 The Queen Bee is missing. Will you be next?

 

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back...

Review  

First of all, I apologized for the posting this review after quite some time. I have to say that when I got this book one month ago, I was extremely excited, as it was described as "Gossip Girl meets Mallory Towers with a dash of gothic chill thrown in for good measure!"  

However, to my disappointment, it was nothing like gossip girl, but Mallory Towers, yes. Despite all that, I still think that this is a good book to read.  

"The New Girl" whose name is only mentioned at the end of the book, comes to Manderly Academy for her senior year. It has always been her dream to go to a boarding school. And when her parents finally got her in, she was struck to the fact of leaving everything she used to have behind, especially the things she love. Space is limited at Manderly Academy, so she have to take a spot that recently opened up due to the mysterious disappearance of a student named Becca. 

Rebecca or Becca Normandy had been the “it girl” of the school. She dated the hottest guy, was beautiful, rich and could be friend anyone. This reminds me of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, probably why it is described as Gossip Girl meets Mallory Towers. Unfortunately, like all Queen Bees, Becca was not a very nice person. She was manipulative, cruel, and sough the spotlight at any cost.

The thing that stood out the most about this book was the mystery that surrounded the storyline. If Becca is so popular, why did she go missing? How did she go missing? Could someone have forced Becca to disappear? This definitely kept me hooked while reading the book, wanting to know what happened to the mysterious Becca.

The New Girl has nothing to do with Becca, but she has been under Becca's shadow ever since she reached Manderly Academy. She can't help falling for Becca’s ex-boyfriend, Max and Max's best friend, Johnny seemed to be interested in her.  Max was hot and cold towards her that she was confused about the way he acted.

Switching between Callie and Becca’s points of view makes the story much more interesting and allows the reader a look into Becca’s mind, explaining her motivation for the things she did. This book is a good mystery and would be perfect for an audience of teen girls.

If you're a fan of Mystery and Suspense, I would recommend this book to you. To me, New Girl was one of those books that you'd either love it or hate it. I take no sides and rate it 3/5.
 

Rating:    

About The Author

Paige Harbison grew up on the outskirts of Washington D.C. and is the daughter of New York Times Bestselling author Beth Harbison. Paige is currently working toward her Bachelor's Degree at Towson University in Baltimore, MD. 

Find Her :
twitter: twitter.com/paigeharbison
facebook: facebook.com/paige.harbison
website: www.paigeharbison.com

Book Review : When I Was Joe by Keren David

When I Was Joe by Keren David

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books; First Trade Paper Edition edition (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847801005
• ISBN-13: 978-1847801005

Available at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

When Ty witnesses a stabbing, his own life is in danger from the criminals he's named, and he and his mum have to go into police protection. Ty has a new name, a new look and a cool new image -- life as Joe is good, especially when he gets talent spotted as a potential athletics star, special training from an attractive local celebrity and a lot of female attention. But his mum can't cope with her new life, and the gangsters will stop at nothing to flush them from hiding. Joe's cracking under extreme pressure, and then he meets a girl with dark secrets of her own.

I started reading this book without high hopes. It is not as popular as some other young adult novels. However, this book managed to give me a surprise. I never thought it would be so good. It shows us how crimes can change the lives of people, and how alarming the crime rates in specific parts of London are.

Ty, an average 14-year-old teenager, witnessed a terrifying murder, and he made a statement to the police. When his house underwent a petrol-bomb attack, he was put under the witness protection program. He was given a new identity, new birthday, new school and a new place to stay. Now, he is known as Joe. Life as Joe is unexpectedly good, and he wishes to remain that way. But with the gangsters tracking his whereabouts and preparing to silence him before the trial, can he stay as Joe forever?

Ty / Joe is a realistic character. He easily brings me into his mind, immersing me in his thoughts and feeling his fear. I can feel his guilty and pain of leaving his loved ones behind, unprotected. I can fathom his awkwardness of being in a new place, knowing not a soul and feeling lonely as ever. He cares about his mother, Nicki, but he's sometimes aggravated by her inert behaviour. Nicki seems to be having difficulties of acknowledging her new life. She is forlorn and miserable. Sometimes she feels like a teenager rather than a mother of one.

Joe's best friend is a girl named Claire. Mousey, shy, timid Claire. She is often overlooked, because she easily blends with the background. She wants to stay invisible, if possible. She, too, has a terrible secret. When Joe discovers her dark little secret, she warns him to keep it safe from others. Joe promises her, and tells her his secret in exchange.

Keren David has convinced me of her abilities and talent with her debut, When I Was Joe. This book is thrilling, action-packed and harrowing, finished with a suitable dose of humour. You will absolutely love it!

Rating:

Note: This book has some kissing scenes - nothing serious. Recommended to teenagers and adults alike.

I'd like to thank Becky from The Bookette for sending me a paperback copy of When I was Joe! I won this book on her blog.

Growing up in a small town just outside London, Keren David had two ambitions: to write a book and to live in the big city. Several decades on, she has finally achieved both. She was distracted by journalism, starting out at 18 as a messenger girl, then working as a reporter, news editor, features editor and feature writer for national newspapers and magazines. Along the way she lived in Glasgow and Amsterdam, where in eight years she learned enough Dutch to order coffee and buy fruit and vegetables.