[Review: The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik]

"The Last Best Kiss"
Author: Claire LaZebnik
Series: None
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Retellings
Date Published: April 22nd, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

Anna Eliot is tired of worrying about what other people think. After all, that was how she lost the only guy she ever really liked, Finn Westbrook.

Now, three years after she broke his heart, the one who got away is back in her life.

All Anna wants is a chance to relive their last kiss again (and again and again). But Finn obviously hasn’t forgotten how she treated him, and he’s made it clear he has no interest in having anything to do with her.

Anna keeps trying to persuade herself that she doesn’t care about Finn either, but even though they’ve both changed since they first met, deep down she knows he’s the guy for her. Now if only she can get him to believe that, too....

With her signature wit and expertly authentic teen voice, Claire LaZebnik (the author of fan favorites Epic Fail and The Trouble with Flirting) once again breathes new life into a perennially popular love story. Fans of Polly Shulman, Maureen Johnson, and, of course, Jane Austen will love this irresistibly funny and romantic tale of first loves and second chances.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To The Last Best Kiss,

Well you were cute, weren't you?  At first you started off a little slow and a little strange for me.  I was worried that I wouldn't care for you at all, but then you threw in a music festival, a shout out to a place I practically grew up in and a fantastic gay boy named Oscar (who made me think that he was named after my spirit animal Oscar Wilde).  I enjoyed the love story immensely, but some of the friend and family antics that you presented got on my nerves.  Maybe it's my fault for never really connecting with Persuasion to begin with, but you just weren't my favorite.  That being said, you weren't my least favorite either.

-The White Unicorn

To be honest I've never connected with Persuasion.  I love Jane Austen's stories, but this is one that no matter how many times I watch the movie/read the book I can't remember the plot.  That could have created some of the disconnect that I had with this book.  I couldn't remember the original and so I went into the book reading it as it's own story.  I know that I'm going to be one of the few, but that's just the way it is this time around.  

I actually really enjoyed the love story between Anna and Finn.  It was my favorite part of the novel, which in this case is a very good thing.  They are pretty darn adorable.  I dig relationships that seem to start from complete indifference and head into "butterfly inducing" love.  In this case they liked each other a long time ago, but it went sour, then Finn shows back up and doesn't give Anna the time of day, but of course, because this is their story that all changes over the course of the book.  I knew where the story was going and yet LaZebnik still gives you that "will they or won't they" feeling with her writing.

I also thought that Anna's art was a really cool element in the story.  The way that LaZebnik writes Anna's feelings on her work and the work itself are fascinating.  I loved the sound of her paintings.  In all honesty if they looked like what I saw in my head I'd want them hanging on my walls.  I also liked how Anna really learned how to stick to her guts through her art.  It wasn't her strong suit at the beginning of the novel and it caused her all this grief over Finn, but her art gives her the confidence to stand up for herself and have her own opinions.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Eliot family.  Anna's dad drove me nuts and Lizzie wasn't any better.  Molly was pretty great though and I liked how her and Anna's sister relationship worked.  It seemed real and authentic.  On the other hand neither Mr. Eliot or Lizzie were authentic to begin with, which was how it was obviously supposed to be.

  

Anna's group of pals kind of drove me nuts.  Sometimes they were awesome and sometimes I didn't know why she would ever hang out with them.  But needless to say, LaZebnik knows how to write authentic teenage friendships.  It was really nice to see that no matter what, in the end they were all there for each other, even if I didn't enjoy all of their antics.  

In the end this book was a cute, fluffy read that also manages to touch on some pretty big social issues that a lot of high school kids deal with on the daily.  

Rating:

 3 Unicorns = I liked it but it had it's issues! 

[Review: Definitely, Maybe In Love by Ophelia London]

"Definitely, Maybe In Love"
Author: Ophelia London
Series: None
Pages: 260
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Retellings
Date Published: October 28th, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher for honest review

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Summary:

Spring Honeycutt wants two things: to ace her sustainable living thesis and to save the environment. Both seem hopelessly unobtainable until her college professor suggests that with a new angle, her paper could be published. Spring swears she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that happens.

“Whatever it takes,” however, means forming a partnership with the very hot, very privileged, very conceited Henry Knightly.

Henry is Spring's only hope at publication, but he's also the über-rich son of a land developer and cash-strapped Spring’s polar opposite. Too bad she can't help being attracted to the way he pushes her buttons, both politically and physically. As they work on her thesis, Spring finds there's more to Henry than his old money and argyle sweaters…but can she drop the loud-and-proud act long enough to let him in? Suddenly, choosing between what she wants and what she needs puts Spring at odds with everything she believes in.

Definitely, Maybe in Love is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice that proves true love is worth risking a little pride.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

I love a good Jane Austen retelling and "Definitely, Maybe In Love" was a  definitely a good one.  London takes the main themes of the classic "Pride and Prejudice" and makes them modern.  She gives the story fresh eyes and still remains faithful to the original!  I liked how the main characters transferred over, but at the same time I have to admit that I wasn't stoked on all of the secondary characters in London's modern day retelling.  That being said, it was still a cute, enjoyable read!

Hot, holy, sexual tension.  London knows how to write it.  But she also knew when to hold back.  That's right folks, this one was a clean New Adult novel that still brought the swoony moments!  I couldn't be more pleased with this fact.  The love story, just like original, relied on the chemistry between the leads and not sexytimes.  Yes there are still moments and adult themes, but London chose to stick to the secretive innocents of Pride and Prejudice and she pulls it off perfectly!

Spring is the girl who forces herself into a box of unconventionality.  Which let's face it, doesn't make her all that unconventional, at least not from the bottom of her core.  It was cool to see her come to terms with the fact that who she was presenting herself as and who she really was, were close to, but not actually the same person.  London really understood marching to the beat of your own drum and learning who you are at the same time.  It made Spring interesting.

And Henry was the perfect male lead.  It was kind of funny that his last name was Knightly, which we all know was actually the last name of Emma's love in Emma.  It was cool twist on things, even though we know without a doubt that Knightly is Darcy.  And like I said.  The chemistry was amazing!

But then when it came to the secondary characters, I didn't love what I was reading.  I understood why London wrote them the way she did.  It made sense, but at the same time it turned some of the funnier moments really heavy ones.  Julia was so deeply depressed that it was a bit off putting and Dart was just kind of there.  I wish that their plot line would have been more pronounced. Alex came off as super creepy and the way that whole thing went down didn't settle well with me.  (I'm trying to be none spoilery here)

Overall I felt like this book was just a lot of fun!  You have a hippie chick with braids and guy who goes from argyle to cowboy hats, what more do you need?  I would suggest this to fans of Jane Austen or people who just want a delightful little New Adult title to bite into!    

Actual Rating: 3.5

Close to perfect, but it had it's issues! 

[Review: The Trouble With Flirting by Claire LaZebnik]

"The Trouble With Flirting"
Author: Claire LaZebnik
Pages: 336
Genre: YA Contemporary, Retellings
Date Published: February 26th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: Received from ARCycling 

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Summary:

Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

I have to admit that Mansfield Park is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, but I haven't read or watched it in forever.  That being said, I was as excited as a small child sitting on Santa's lap when I got my hands on a copy of this book.  I definitely lets you know that it is based on Austen's classic novel, but also takes some different turns.  I mean, there aren't things like marriage proposals or war or affairs that ruin marriages.  I mean it is set in High School for goodness sakes.  But Mansfield itself makes an appearance.  It's like "hey I'm a college called Mansfield, wonder where that name came from..."

LaZebnik gives us all the things that you love about the story, but tweaks it in ways that makes it available and relatable to teens!  Plus, it's just so darn cute that if the book had a face, you would want to pinch its rosy cheeks.  

I loved that acting and the kind of drama that goes with it played a large role in this book.  A whole load of teens from all over audition to participate in Mansfield College's acting program and our main girl Franny ends up going, not as an actor, but for her summer job helping her Aunt make costumes.  Of course Franny and her Aunt don't get along the best, even though they can still tolerate each other.  But Franny doesn't mind much, because she gets to eat with and interact with the other kids in the program, when she's not sewing what they are all going to be wearing on stage, that is. 

She quickly realizes that her old pal Julia and Julia's sexy brother Alex are in the program, which gives her an in to the "it" crowd.  Of course there are a slew of other cool kids that mesh into their group.  Lawrence, Isabella, Vanessa, Marie and our other fellow of the novel Harry.  The friendships and awkwardness that happen during the book were depicted well.  Sure it was a little over the top, but I enjoyed the craziness of all of these guys lives.  The drama world can be vicious and it was a great plot tool.  Plus you got to learn about some really interesting versions and settings for Shakespeare plays.  That's always a plus!

Of course there was a triangle.  Yeah, the love kind.  But, there was even one back in the Austen novel, so it worked really well.  I liked how LaZebnik was able to take a triangle with really adult themes and give it the high school once over without loosing much.  I think it got a little over dramatic at times, but you just had to let it go and then go with it.  Plus, Alex and Harry weren't always what they seemed to be either.  The way the romance was weaved kept you interested in what was going on.  It had the epic summer camp feel to it.  The kind of romance that would be over too soon, but was still worth reading about.

And Franny, well Franny was pretty great, even if she was sometimes really frustrating.  I happen to like when a character frustrates you a bit and then gets all their ducks in a row by the end and you think that they're pretty great by that point.  What's that called?  Character development?  Yeah, that's it and Franny had a lot of that going on with her character!  She made you cringe and then made you want to give her a high five.  All in all I dug it.

So, would I suggest this to Austen fans?  Yes, yes I would.  But even if you've never touched anything of Austen's in your life, it's still a darling book.  It's full of figuring out who you are and what you want.  It's a delightful summer camp story that will make you want to go hang out with a whole bunch of actors and it's just a load of good old fun!

Rating:

         4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!