150 Word Mini-Reviews (1)

THE SECRET SISTERHOOD OF HEARTBREAKERS by LYNN WEINGARTEN (Goodreads)
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Bought on Kindle
Challenge: Reading Romances Challenge 2012

If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.

The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.

Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days.

While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?

Review

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers had an extremely promising premise, but it fell flat in its execution. I did finish the book, but it didn’t really strike a chord with me since the story and the characters are kind of bland. 

I’m all for girl power and banding together over something as traumatic as a broken heart, so the idea of the sisterhood appealed to me. I wasn’t enamored with the idea of breaking hearts (even if some of those people deserved it), but it was interesting to see the magic at work. I liked the huge closet though, as well as the makeover. 

The characters weren’t memorable, and I had problems with some of their actions and attitudes. This is probably the main reason I didn’t like this book. 

All in all, while it was interesting to read, The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers was not a stand out read.

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HOLDING ON TO ZOE by GEORGE ELLA LYON (Goodreads)
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)
Source: Netgalley, for review (Thanks FS&G and Netgalley!)
Challenge: 2012 Netgalley Reading Challenge

After sixteen-year-old Jules has her baby, Zoe, it doesn’t matter anymore that her mother thinks she’s a drama queen, or that her father left them years ago, or even that Zoe’s father is gone, too. She and her baby make a family now; she doesn’t need anyone else in the world except Zoe.Though it's tough being a new mom, balancing Zoe’s needs with working at the Toyota factory and thinking about how to finish school, Jules is sure she’ll figure it out. Still, she wonders, why can’t anyone be happy for her and Zoe? And why does her mom refuse to believe that Zoe's real?

Review

It’s been surprisingly common for me to read about characters that have deep-rooted issues (psychological, emotional, or physical) lately – and Holding On to Zoe is another book on the pile. I sped through this read, and I’m happy to say it pleasantly surprised me. 

This book follows Jules, who has just had baby Zoe. It chronicles her struggle to deal with Zoe and her real life, as well as with her mother, who refuses to acknowledge that Zoe exists. The book definitely takes an interesting turn about a third of way through, when you realize something’s off. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that it was that twist that kept me reading. 

This is definitely a quick read, but it packs quite a punch. I felt that the ending was slightly rushed, but it still was worth reading. George Ella Lyon has written quite an intriguing little novel.

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THE GIRL IS TROUBLE by KATHRYN MILLER HAINES (Goodreads)
Series: Girl is Murder #2
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Source: Netgalley, for review (Thanks!)
Challenge: 2012 Netgalley Reading Challenge

Iris Anderson and her father have finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide, suddenly Iris is thrown headfirst into her most intense and personal case yet.

Review

The Girl is Trouble reminded me of Nancy Drew, with a heroine who likes a good mystery and the shenanigans that follow.

What I like is the combination of mystery-solving with a historical setting (specifically, post-World War II). I thought the main mystery was handled well, though it was very simply solved (even though there are a bunch of dangerous and slightly unrealistic situations tossed in there!).

What I didn’t like was the fact that I never really connected to Iris. It might be because I didn’t read the first book, but I just didn’t really feel for her – though I admired her sleuthing skills and wanted to yell when she made dumb decisions. I didn’t like the romance either, since I kind of felt like it was randomly put in there.

It was a lot of fun to read The Girl is Trouble, but it isn’t necessarily a favorite.