Abbreviations #0.1

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: December 27, 2011
Source: Bought || Kindle e-book

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.

Holding on to Zoe by George Ella Lyon
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Source: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley
[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the opinions expressed in my 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.

The Girl is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines
Series: Girl is Murder #2
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: July 3, 2012
Source: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley
[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the opinions expressed in my 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.