The Duff Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Duff

AUTHOR: Kody Keplinger

PUBLISHER: Poppy

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/7/2010

FORMAT: ebook

PAGES: 270

SOURCE: Bought

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): 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 the 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.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I kept seeing the previews for the Duff movie on tv, so I wanted to read the book before watching the movie. The book is completely different than what I thought it would be. The movie previews make it seem like a light and fluffy comedy kind of movie (I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know if that's actually how they made it or not), but the book is actually quite a bit deeper than that. The book deals with some intense issues (body image, divorce, sex). The main theme of this book is body image and how we see ourselves and I feel like that theme was really hit head on in this book.

CHARACTERS: I would have liked a little more character development. I felt like the characters were on the right track, but I wanted a little it more about them. That being said, I really liked Bianca's best friends, Casey and Jessica. They were both really great, genuine friends to Bianca.

COVER: I don't really like the cover. I'm not really sure who the girl on the cover is supposed to be.

Afterworlds Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Afterworlds

AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/23/2014

FORMAT: Hardcover

PAGES: 499

SOURCE: Bought

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings...

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen to slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Basically, this book is about a girl named Darcy who is writing a novel. We get to see what is happening with her life and her writing career. Every other chapter lets us read a chapter of the book that Darcy is writing.

I've never read any other books like this. You're basically reading two books at the same time. I really enjoyed the story that Darcy was writing. It was really exciting and gripping. But at the same time, I was really interested in Darcy's journey. I liked getting a glimpse into a writer's side of life. When I got into each part, I didn't want to leave it to go back to the other, but I'd soon be sucked into that part and not want to leave.

I loved all of the BEA references. After hearing so much about BEA from fellow book bloggers, so it was neat to see it from the perspective of an author.

I also really enjoyed the ending of both the novel and Darcy's book. 

CHARACTERS: Darcy was a great main character. Yes, she is an author, but she's also just a teenager herself and she acts like a teenager. She does make some unwise decisions, but nothing that she can't come back from and I feel like her decisions are those that a typical teenager would make.

COVER: The cover is pretty neat. I feel like they could have done more to tie it into the story, but I do like it.

One Can Only Quote

Book Spine Poetry

These are pretty ridiculous, but here's the best I could come up with.

I wish the brokenhearted

bliss

The third twin

going over

dark places

Miles to go

if you find me exposed

The Questionnaire

What's your name?

Stacey

Where in the world are you blogging from?

Just East of Atlanta, Georgia

How did you get into blogging in the first place?

I saw other people writing blogs and making Youtube videos about books and I was really interested in watching and reading them. Then I decided I wanted a place where I could put my book reviews and thoughts to make a record of what I read.

How did you come up with your blog name?

Squiggles is the name I use for everything. If I have to make a screen name of any kind is always has the word Squiggles in it. It started back when I was in high school and is just my go to.

What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?

I kind of just read whatever I feel in the mood for, but most of the things I pick up are either young adult dystopian and contemporary novels.

What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews?

Reviews are the main focus of my blog. Occasionally I will post a book haul or a book tour and very rarely I'll post something crafty that I've made (scrapbook layouts or greeting cards).

Best blogging experience so far?

Being able to request advance readers copies from Netgalley.

Favorite thing about the blogging community?

The support of everyone. We're all in the same boat and we all know how much work it takes to keep a blog running. I've seen a lot of bloggers banding together and supporting each other.

Name the 5 books you're most excited for this 2015!

1. Red Queen - I've already read this one and it was absolutely amazing!

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses

3. The Darkest Part of the Forest

4. My Heart and Other Black Holes

5. Shutter

What's an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?

Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?

Scrapbooking, card making, jewelry making. I really like swapping handmade items in the mail (http://swapbot.com). I also have 3 cats and love animals!

Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?

Crafting supplies, clothes, Japanese snacks.

At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song -- and it's your song. What song would be playing?

Probably Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. I'm kind of obsessed with that song and album right now.

Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I just finished reading it and it was so amazing. It reads like you're watching a movie. It would be so great!