Flipped is a story that takes an unusual journey through the usual story of childhood love. This book is written in a he-said-she-said manner, with alternating chapters from the perspective of our two protagonists presenting their thoughts on the shared set of events. Personally, I found the book a bit gloomy. For me, it lacked that "sunshine" that books like those of authors like Meg Cabot, Louise Rennison or Jennifer Rardin possess. Although it is a well written story with a sweet "first crush", I do not find it as entertaining as I had thought it to be. It is slow and some parts seem to be dragged forever. I did complete it which means it's a good enough book, but sadly I can't rate it higher than 2.5 hearts.

The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

I finally read Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. I don’t know – maybe it was the hype that built up after I went through the “Kaavya Vishwanathan Plagiarism Scandal” or that it really didn’t suit my taste – I didn’t like it as much as I expected I would. I thought that maybe Jessica’s attitude took time and that in a few more chapters it would grow on me – it didn’t. Her bad attitude (she is sarcastic, cynical, pessimistic, fatalistic, and could sometimes be a bitch) just cranked my mood further (I wasn’t feeling very jolly and so I turned to this book for solace), to be honest. I only read through to the end so that I could find what other readers could, what made this book famous. In my eyes, the only reason you hear its name often would forever be due to Ms. Vishwanathan’s hideous attempt to pass other author’s work as her own, including Ms. McCafferty’s. It has been a thorough disappointment, whether due to its lack of the real spirit of a YA novel or maybe due to my sour mood which got worse as I finished this book. All I have to say is, it might take months for someone to convince me to actually read the following parts of this series.
Unhappily (for the very first time),
Kira

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment–from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

At 3 a.m. today i finished reading this book - yes, i was up all night reading it! It was quite an enthralling read from page 1. The story is from the point of view of Opal, an NRI living in USA. She has always planned on going to Harvard and has built her life around it. She practically breathes, eats, sleeps Harvard. But when her early admissions interview goes horribly wrong (on account of being all academic, ONLY), she plans to reform her life so that when she applies for the reglar action, nothing can get in her way. Although it gets a bit slow in the near-end when - *spoiler alert* - her plan fails, it's still amusing. I love Kali's character although it's rarely mentioned and how eccentric opal's parents are and how they are plan everything out and stuff. And i'd have given it a 4-star if it weren't for the fact that most of it is chiseled off from other prominent authors' books (check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaavya_Viswanathan for the controversy), it hurts but it did me one good - thanks to Ms. Vishwanathan, I now know what books to read next ;)
so till nxt tym,
ciao mon amis,
kira

When Opal Mehta was six years old her parents moved from India to New Jersey so that they could get their child a place at the finest learning institution in the world: Harvard University. To achieve this goal, the Mehtas carefully and thoroughly constructed HOWGIH (How Opal Will Get Into Harvard). Opal's life so far has strictly adhered to this plan - cello lessons at age 6, foreign languages at 7, mechanical engineering classes, horticulture and mosaic art classes after that. Now, armed with a sterling set of academic and extra-curricular credentials, Opal has applied to Harvard. Failure is not an option. But the first question the admissions officer asks her is 'What do you like to do for fun?' She is stumped. Studying and hard work are all she's ever known. Boys hold no appeal (well, perhaps Sean Whalen, but he thinks she's a nerd.) But when she tells her parents, they simply take it all in their stride. 'There is no problem too big for us Mehtas,' declares her father. And so HOWGAL - How Opal Will Get A Life - springs into action, with hilarious results.