3 Reviews : The Secret Year, Sixteenth Summer and Girl Parts

Posted by kay on May 20, 2011 4:40 am in 2 stars reads, 2.5 stars reads, 3 stars reads | 4 comments

Sometimes there are books that, without being bad reads, I don’t have much to say about. So mini-reviews are the way to go!

* * *

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Pages : 192
Genre : YA, Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : 

For a year, Colt and Julia had a secret relationship. When Julia dies in a car crash, Colt doesn’t know how to deal with this secret grief. Then Colt receives a notebook written by Julia, for him. Reading it, Colt hopes he can find answers to his questions and finally move on.

My Thoughts : 

I know this has been a popular among readers of contemporary YA fiction, but it just didn’t work for me. The story line reminded me a little of Looking for Alaska, without John Green’s wittiness or his likable characters. I didn’t like Colt, or Julia, or anyone in their friends and family. It’s a short read that felt long since I didn’t care for any of them, especially since Colt didn’t seem to give much thought about anything else but his own grief – which I never felt. So the idea was interesting but all in all, it left me cold and close to bored, constantly waiting for something to happen.

Also, this is something some readers might want to know beforehand, but the book has a lot of teens having casual sex, drinking, slashing tires and fighting. The author mostly doesn’t go into details, but this type of events occur again and again along the story.

* * *

Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton
Pages : 283
Genre : YA, Fiction, Romance
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : 

For Anna, a summer at the beach is simple routine. Having lived on the island all of her life, the summer only means more beach, tourists, and days spent working at her parents’ ice cream shop. But then she meets Will, and for the first time, she hopes this sixteenth summer might be a special one…

My Thoughts :

Sixteenth Summer was a nice and quick read. It’s a simple romance under the sun, filled with cute moments, ice cream, beach and the sea. I think it could have used some more tension : everything goes so perfectly all along, it’s really cute but there’s no wondering what will happen next. They get together really early in the story, and there’s a hiccup or two, but it’s pretty much all rainbows and sunshine (and ice cream: I’ll give credit to the author for making me hungry all along!) It would certainly please readers who want a predictable, cute and happy love story. 🙂

* * *

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
Pages : 218
Genre : YA, Fiction, a bit Futuristic
Stand Alone
My Rating :

What it’s about : 

After David witnesses a girl killing herself live on the internet, his parents provide him a Companion, a robot who looks like a young teenage girl, but who will shock him (literally) if he tries to touch her too early in their relationship. Then Rose, David’s Companion, crosses paths with Charlie, an outsider with a good heart, and all their three lives become tangled together.

My Thoughts : 

Girl Parts was a short and funny story, which despite some advanced technologies pretty much took place right now. There’s character development, an interesting idea, and a bit of humor that presents itself like a satire of the present times – while still being realistic enough. Ironically, I found Rose, the Companion, to be the most likable and human character, but I still had fun following the guys around. The writing was good, I was intrigued by the technology, but sadly the story wasn’t as memorable as I would have liked it to.