[Review: Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes]

"Girl Against the Universe"
Author: Paula Stokes
Series: None
Pages: 382
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Date Published: May 17th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

From the author of The Art of Lainey and Liars, Inc. comes a fresh, contemporary story about one girl’s tragic past and a boy who convinces her that maybe her luck is about to change. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen or Jenny Han.

Maguire knows she’s bad luck. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch. But then on her way out of her therapist’s office, she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star, who wants to help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away, but staying away may be harder than she thought.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

This book is straight up huggable. It's cute, but it's also daring. Add in the fact that there is a dark streak that runs through it, and you have a very dynamic book. On top of all of that it's a story about mental illness, sports, and finding a way to help yourself.

I found myself instantly taken in by Maguire's struggles. She believes that she's cursed, because she's lucky. She manages to live and walk away from things that leave the people around her either hurt or dead, and she carries that around in a way that only makes sense to her. She's also a real tough cookie, and she's learned how to live her life in a way that makes sure no one has to know what she's dealing with. It's wonderful to see her walls come down, and to see her realize that her life doesn't have to be what she's been making it into. She's a likeable character, and it's easy to find yourself rooting for her as she deals with her heavy dose of survivors guilt, as well as other mental health issues. 

Stokes handles Maguire's struggles in a real, tangible way, and creates a story that everyone can connect to. And she adds so many light moments into the novel that it never feels too heavy.

I adore that Maguire and Jordy meet at their therapist's office. It makes the book so much more than just a book about tennis. It makes it about the struggles that people have as they try to uncover who they really are, and how they want to live their lives. 

Speaking of which, Jordy is an adorable love interest. He's got so much going on in his life, and yet he still takes time out of his busy, overly controlled, schedule to help Maguire learn how to help herself. He also gets a lot out of it himself. It's the cutest, and I'm so glad that this element is part of the book as well.

Add in the fact that Stokes throws in a bunch of secondary characters that are just as fleshed out as her main characters, and you've got a whole cast of awesome people, usually being awesome.

If you adore feel good books that deal with some tough issues, and hot tennis players, give this book a go!

Rating:

  4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!

[Review: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes]

"The Art of Lainey"
Author: Paula Stokes
Series: None
Pages: 384
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Date Published: May 20th, 2014 (TODAY!)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.

What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To The Art of Lainey,

Yay, I can officially say that you are one of my favorite "break-up books" ever. You're over the top, but also really relatable. Maybe a tad too relatable. Reading you made me think that Stokes hid in my closet and spied on me for awhile, but it's oddly charming. And who doesn't like reading a book that makes you feel like you're not the only one in the world who is trying to figure out break-ups and make-ups and date-ups. All the ups really. Thanks for being so much fun and for giving me all the swoons and even more laughs!

-The White Unicorn

The Art of Lainey is one of those perfect contemporary novels. The thing I like about it is that it doesn't try to hard. So many break-up books try to be so many things and the actual point gets lost in all the drama. Stokes managed to write a break-up book that has very little drama covering up it's main plot. I mean, of course there is drama, but it's realistic and you understand it. It makes reading this book a total joy after reading so many that haven't hit the nail on the head.

Lainey is a perfectly flawed character. Nothing about her is perfect. She thinks she's got herself and her life figured out, but when her a-hole of a boyfriend dumps her at work, her life starts to unravel. I loved how she didn't wallow. Lainey jumped into action, formulated a plan to get a-hole back and goes for it. Instead of what she wants she gets what she needs (cue the Rolling Stones music). She starts learning about herself with the help of her best friend Bianca and mohawked Micah. I loved that this book is just as much about Lainey's self discovery as it is about all the swoons and shipping!

Speaking of shipping, it's been awhile since I've shipped a couple as hard as I shipped Lainey and Micah. They have this witty banter that is amazingly honest and the sexual tension is perfection. As a reader you know where this is going all along and you just want to shake Lainey so that they can be together and get on to the kissing. Micah is one of the coolest dudes out there in contemporary lit. He's real. He's got issues, but he's not crippled by them. In fact he uses them to be a better person. I can't get over how awesome he is. I might have a bit of a new book boyfriend crush on Micah and his tats and mohawked head.

Stokes weaves a story that's got a ton of layers and lots of really cool details. The places that Micah takes Lainey on their "fake" dates are places that I would love to go to. Also she focuses on much more then the romance. She give her characters real problems, real reactions and tons of snark. And even though they didn't play a huge role in the book she gave us glimpses of the characters home lives and families. I loved these little bits and found Lainey's mom to be pretty fantastic.

This is one of those books that I would recommend to anyone. Yep, pretty much anyone. If you like books, you should read this. 

Rating:

4 Unicorns = Close to perfect!