2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

The goal for the Standalone Reading Challenge is to read 15 Standalone YA books that are released between December 27, 2011 and December 31, 2012. If you want to find out more about the Standalone Reading Challenge, you can do so here. As of right now, I plan to read:

1. Fracture by Megan Miranda
2. Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
3. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
4. Above by Leah Bobet
5. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
6. Dark Companion by Marta Acosta
7. Forbidden by Syrie James
8. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

..And that's all I'm going to plan for now! I'll probably figure out the rest of this list as the new year starts.

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Rating:  ☆☆☆☆ [4]
Release date: Sept. 7, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
Format: hardback
Source: library
Pages: 280
Series: --
Challenge: --
Summary: 

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I'm sure most of us can say that at one point in time we've felt like we were the DUFF - designated ugly fat friend - of our group of friends. I know I have, and that's probably why I was so attracted to this book in the first place. It sounded like something I could really relate to.

At times, I wasn't sure if I hated Bianca or if I loved her. Honestly, it was really great to see such an aggressive and cynical character, but at the same time it kind of appalled me. Some of the things she did were really outrageous, but I come from a pretty straight and narrow upbringing, so that might have just been me. In the end, though, I really liked her. I loved how she wasn't afraid to do anything or say what was on her mind.

I also really liked the chemistry between Wesley and Bianca. The way they interacted with each other was just so entertaining. It wasn't all just about mushy feelings, in fact, a lot of it was them insulting each other and having a good time.

If you're of the younger audience, then I'd advise that you probably steer clear of this. There's quite a bit of sex in it, and while it's not too graphic, it turned even me off. This book really tackles some mature themes, and Keplinger hits them head on.

TBR Pile Reading Challenge 2012

The 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge is hosted by Evie at Bookish. The goal is to basically read as many TBR-pile books as you can through the whole of next year.

Levels:
1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

I'll be going for a Friendly Hug right now, just because I don't want to aim too high. Anyway, here's a list of what I plan on reading:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
World War Z by Max Brooks
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

And that's all I really have for now, but I know I'll end up getting a lot more, so this list will be changing often.

In My Mailbox #8

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers are able to show off what books they received. If you want to learn more, you can read about it here.



Received:
You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Library:
Hades by Alexandra Adornetto
Abandon by Meg Cabot

I'm really excited to read Abandon. I've seen both negative and positive reviews about it, but it's still something I've been wanting to read for awhile now. Hopefully, it's good. I wasn't a big fan of Halo, so I'm also hoping that Hades is a little bit better. And I love the idea of You Have Seven Messages! It really reminds me of the book Thirteen Reasons Why.

What did you guys get in your mailbox this week? Answer in the comments or leave a link to your post, so I can check it out. :D

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Rating: ☆☆☆ [3]
Release date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Format: hardback
Source: library
Pages: 402
Series: --
Challenge: --
Summary: 

Who is the real McLean?

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

I thought this book was pretty good; maybe not Sarah Dessen's best, but it was still enjoyable. At times it moved kind of slowly, there's not really any big conflict, but maybe that's just because I'm a big fan of action. If you really love fast-paced books, then I can tell you that this probably isn't for you.

Mclean herself seemed a little bit bland, but that could be because she was having struggles with her own identity. I could definitely relate to some of the issues she was going through, though, and I understood why she would have made the choices she did. Dave was pretty interesting, but he wasn't my favorite Dessen character. Overall, I wish that we had seen more of their relationship and how Mclean and Dave interacted with each other. Sometimes I felt that there wasn't quite enough substance between them.

Also, something about the ending bothered me. Maybe it's because some things were left open and weren't given a final answer. I think I was hoping to know exactly how things worked out, but instead some parts left me wondering. Overall, though, it was still a cute read.