Where I Belong

Corinne thought that she had the perfect life, everything going according to plan. She loves her lifestyle of endless shopping with her parents credit cards without worrying about prices, and she is getting ready to start her new prep school with the popular boy there who has already expressed an interest in her. Then her parents drop the last minute bombshell that her dad has been laid off and one of the changes is that she and her little brother will have to move to her grandparents' house in rural Texas. Making it even worse, she barely knows her grandparents.

I love the front cover of the book and was excited about the premise, but I ended up having luke warm feelings for Gwendloyn Heasley's Where I Belong; however, in order to explain why, I might be giving away more than some would like to know, so only read on if you don't mind having some aspects spoiled a bit.

First, Corinne was aggravating - a stereotypical ungrateful rich girl, oblivious of how many people live and without any concept of the value of hard work and money. In the beginning I was okay with this knowing that it was probably all part of the drastic conversion that she would make as I assumed that she would eventually get used to her lifestyle in Texas and reevaluate the type of person she was as the information about the book had insinuated, "she begins to wonder if her life B.R.--before the recession--was as perfect as it seemed." Only, I never really got a clear sense that she got it. Sure, there was some indications that she realized that some aspects of her attitude were not ideal, she still frequently looked down on her life in Texas and expressed a strong desire to be back in her old lifestyle.

There were some interesting layers involving her mother's past and switch to her city girl life that is all that Corinne knew before the big move to Texas, but many of the aspects were not fully developed. The ending of the book left me hanging, wondering what Corinne was going to want in her life and just how much living in Texas was going to have an impact on her life long-term. Much of the message hinted at her having a new appreciation for different aspects of her heritage and an ability to balance, but I was not convinced that it would really have a lasting affect based on her thoughts and actions. I was surprised about some of what she did not do, which would have better indicated the impact of Texas.

Despite the areas that I did not love about the book, I still enjoyed it overall and was eagerly clicking away on my Kindle to see what would happen next. I would have liked to have known more about Corinne and the other characters in the book and had a better sense of resolution, but it was also fun to consider the possibilities of what was left unsaid.

*2011 Debut Author Challenge Book 4/12

Prom and Prejudice

Since I love Austen novels, I was excited when I heard about Elizabeth Eulberg's latest novel, Prom and Prejudice. Last year I read Mandy Hubbard's update, but I don't think I could ever get enough of updates of classics. 

There's so much to love about the book. Since I have already read Pride and Prejudice I enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences, but I think that teens who have not read Austen's original would still enjoy this fun book. 

Eulberg decided to open with the first words of Austen's well known original line, which I loved. She also named the characters the same; although, she made some creative changes to some of their relationships. It was fun to see the general plot in tact while making it work in the context of contemporary teens to see how some of the events would play out today. In both the original and this book, I loved the scenes with Lizzie and Collin the clueless who just does not get rejection when he sees it!

One of my favorite characters that does not come across with the same dynamics as the first was Mr. Bennett. He is barely in this version and his sense of humor never shines through. Though Lizzie's mom is in the book a little bit more, her personality is completely different as well, but I did not miss her hysterics as much as I missed Mr. Bennett. 

Nonetheless, Eulberg's version was a nice blend of similarities while also adding in her own creativity. In her acknowledgements, Eulberg wrote, "And of course there's Jane, the lovely Miss Austen. No one could ever touch what you have created. Prom and Prejudice is simply my attempt to pay homage to your brilliant work and to celebrate you as what you will forever be known as - one of the greatest authors of all time." I love the view of rewriting as a way to celebrate original works. I thoroughly enjoyed Prom and Prejudice. I still have another Austen remake, Scones and Sensibility on my TBR shelf as well, so I might be posting about more Austen themed books soon. 

Timeless

Since February had me barely reading my goal one/month debut author challenge read, I decided to start March off with Timeless by Alexandra Monir. Finishing it up this morning was a special birthday treat.

I originally added the book to my Amazon Debut Authors Wishlist because of the time travel aspect. Though I don't read too many books involving time travel, every once in a while one catches my attention, like Prada & Prejudice last year.

In this book Michele moves from the life she has always known with her mom in California to living with the grandparents she has never known in New York City. A family with a prestigious background and history in the city, it takes some adjusting for Michele to get used to her new life. Complicating matters is that she ends up traveling through time - not really understanding how or why and not really having a close friend to confide in at first.

Some aspects that I loved about the book was how Michele traveled back and forth between different periods in the city's history, trying to solve a mystery and do what was best long-term versus what she wanted the most. While much of Michele's thoughts revolved around a young man, we also catch glimpses of different teenage girls in her family's history, which ended up being another fun layer to the book. For those who have read Hubbard's Prada & Prejudice, this might give away too much, but I was thrilled to see that the books had something in common, something I was hoping for while reading the book.

The ending was somewhat abrupt, yet enough to have a satisfying conclusion. It also had a To Be Continued message, and I am thrilled that there will be more to the story. As a fun added bonus, toward the bottom of the Amazon link I have above, there is a playlist of songs mentioned in the book, including two original songs by Monir that have a special significance in the book. I love this added twist to have the book be a multi-modal experience and to bring the historical aspects of the book alive even more. For additional information about Alexandra and her projects, you can visit her website.

*2011 Debut Author Challenge Book 3/12