Waiting On Wednesday: Babe In Boyland

This week's WoW book is Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman! It will be released on February 17, 2011.

SUMMARY: When high school junior Natalie--or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper--is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected--especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

Definitely cannot wait for this one! The summary reminds me of one of my favorite movies, She's the Man. Also, this quirky and cute cover grabbed my attention and fits in with the description of the book well. PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2011!

Wicked by Sara Shepard

Title: Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5)
Author: Sara Shepard
Published: June 2009 by HarperTeen

My Rating: 3 stars
Tags: YA | Girls | Romance | Mystery | Series (Book Five)
Includes: Profanity, Sexual Content

First Lines: Emily Fields leaned back on the chestnut brown leather couch, picking at the chlorine-dried skin around her thumb. Her old best friends, Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, and Hanna Marin, sat next to her, sipping Godiva hot chocolate from striped ceramic mugs.

*This review contains spoilers for those of you that haven't read the first, second, third, and fourth books in the Pretty Little Liars series.*

This next book in the adored Pretty Little Liars series follows up right where the fourth one ended. The identity of A has been revealed and Ali's killer is going to prison. Now the girls can continue their lives and disguise their secrets in peace right? Wrong. Suddenly, there's another A out there - sending even more frightening emails and texts to the girls all over again. Oh, and Ali's killer disappeared right before his hearing. Emily is struggling with which team to play for; she still has buried feelings for Maya, so why is she suddenly so interested in a new boy? Spencer is busy trying to put the pieces together about a secret that's been running in her family without her knowing. Hanna is determined to be the most popular girl at school again, even if that means hanging with the wrong crowd. And finally, Aria is crushing on a man...her mom's new boyfriend that is.

For some reason, this book disappointed me which was a shock because I've loved the previous four books. I felt like there wasn't enough plot substance in this one and it definitely lacked the normal suspense that I look forward to. There was no huge climax near the end either, which was a let-down. This series was supposed to end at book four, so I just felt like this one was a bit awkward and forced. It's strange - just in my last review for the fourth book, Unbelievable, I explained how "I began seeing the four girls in a new perspective. They didn't seem as stuck up and conceited than before, and I'm growing to really understand them." However, after this book, I take that back. Hanna was like an entirely new person and I wouldn't ever dare to befriend her because of just how heartless and selfish she can be at times! It seems each time I finally start to like the girls, something always pulls me away. It's hard to enjoy a book when you turn your nose up at the main characters.

From page 264
Kate gave Hanna a wide, smirking smile, Hanna's binging secret probably on the tip of her tongue. Hanna felt like she was on a roller coaster that was slowly climbing to the top of a hill. Any minute now, it would spill down the other side, and she'd lose her stomach...and her reputation.

This book was calmer than the others. I read it at a much slower pace than I did with the previous novels, not as interested I guess. I'm not sure where the series is leading to, now that I'm completely confused about the whole A situation. The new A seems to be an exact replica of the old A...but Mona is dead so how is that possible? My brain is just a twisted mess after this novel. There was also a repeated memory of Ali that was mentioned in practically every chapter. Obviously it's important to the story, but after a while it got really frustrating reading about the same exact memory from each girl's perspective.

Personally, Aria has always been my favorite character to read about, seems the most mature, and is the nicest of the bunch. I can't wait to see how her story is going to progress and how she'll fix the mess she's gotten into. I don't mean to be highlighting just the negative aspects of this certain novel, because as a whole this is still an amazing series that I've grown to love. It's a guilty pleasure of mine and I'll definitely be starting the next installment as soon as possible. Though this was my least favorite so far, hopefully the rest will be much more exciting! I have hope in Sara Shepard.

Cover Thoughts: Love it! The whole series has an ongoing theme with their covers; each one represents one of the girls as a barbie doll. On the back, it shows them as a human, but they look exactly the same. I think this is such an original idea! Plus, the next four books have changed a little bit - and I like them even more. The zoom-in and text placement is really eye-catching.

Book Supplied by: Bought at Borders.

Random Acts of Senseless Kindness

Graham Parke is the author of the book No Hope For Gomez! (Which I will be reading/reviewing next month, so keep your eyes open for that). He has written a spin-off novella and is offering my readers the free e-book of it for a limited time!

A Gomessy New Year: Random Acts of Senseless Kindness

Gomez' life continues to crumble towards insanity after the events chronicled in No Hope for Gomez! Clinical studies have shown that reading this novelette is likely to make you more attractive to the opposite sex and elevate your random luck by about 9.5%**

(** These statements have not been evaluated by any person of consequence!)

The events in this novella take place 5 months after those described in the novel No Hope for Gomez! As such it may contain spoilers.

View the free e-book main page here or go directly to the .pdf here! Enjoy, and thanks Graham!

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

CONTEST CLOSED




See the entire linky list here to enter all of the other great giveaways!

I'm participating in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf. For my giveaway, one person will win a signed copy of the book Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin!

The Simple Rules:
-You must be a blog follower (new or old) to enter. If you aren't, your entry will be deleted.
-Runs from 12:01 AM January 14th until 11:59 PM January 17th.
-Open to USA only.
-You can get extra entries by tweeting/blogging about my giveaway.
-The winner, picked randomly and emailed, will have 5 days to reply before a new winner is chosen.

Fill out the form to enter!

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SUMMARY: Stan Smith has the world's dullest name, and the world's dullest life to go with it. At 17, the former junior chess champion turned "Town's Laziest Register Monkey at the Town's Only Video Store" has no car, no college, and, of course, no girl. If that weren't pathetic enough, he's got an organic-food-freak vegan mother, an eccentric inventor father, a dead-end job, a dog with a flatulence problem, and a former classmate threatening to kill him. With a 165 IQ, Stan was expected to Be Something and Go Somewhere. But when all he has is a beat-up old bike that keeps getting vandalized, he's going nowhere, faster.