Title: Geek Charming
Author: Robin Palmer
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 2.5/5
Why I Read It: It released in 2009, and I was in the mood for something new.

Summary: Film geek Josh agrees to rescue the most popular girl Dylan’s purse from a fountain in exchange for her cooperation in the documentary he wants to make about the popular kids at their high school.

Review: This was okay. Truthfully, I probably would have stopped reading it if my 1-year-old daughter hadn’t been asleep in my arms and I didn’t have another book handy to read instead.

It wasn’t bad writing, but I didn’t really care about the characters. Especially Dylan, the popular girl. She was such a caricature of a rich spoiled girl that I was laughing at her, not with her. And that doesn’t make for a good connection right off the bat.

Also, Josh’s voice wasn’t quite distinct enough from Dylan’s as they traded off narrating every other chapter, so sometimes that pulled me out of the story trying to remember who was talking to me.

It was a sweet story. But after a string of doozies, I’m ready for another great read. Submit your ideas in the Pick My Next Book at the right!

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Title: Dead Is the New Black
Author: Marlene Perez
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 2.5/5
Summary: High school junior Daisy Giordano goes undercover on the cheerleading squad to solve the mystery of who’s attacking teenage girls all around town.

Review: This is a quote from the back cover:

“Dead Is the New Black equals Veronica Mars plus Buffy the Vampire Slayer…” —Nancy Holder, author of Pretty Little Devils

Trust me, this book was nothing like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sure, there were vampires involved, but this book is missing pretty much everything else Buffy had—the depth of character development, the brilliant plotting, the laugh-out-loud humor.

I know this book was supposed to be funny, but I guess it just wasn’t my style of humor. I also didn’t believe the hot-and-cold about the main love interest. It seemed arbitrary and manufactured to add tension.

In the end, this was an okay read. Not horrible, but also not great.

So that means my search for BtVS in YA form continues…

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