The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Jane Turner has a theory. She believes that a person's coffee can tell you a lot about them therefore making it easier to find someone's perfect match. Jane can't believe that it actually works when she brings her best friends together. Her talent does not go unnoticed, soon her boss wants to use it to help promote the coffee shop. Espressology, what Jane calls matchmaking through coffee, is a bigger hit than she ever imagined. Soon, it starts to take up most of her time. With work and interviews, this seventeen-year-old cannot shake off a weird feeling in her stomach. She can find the perfect match for everyone around her yet she can't find the love of her life. Can Jane find love herself?
The concept of Espressology is the most interesting part of this novel. To me this book had a slight Emma feel to it with the matchmaking. But the two books are very different as well. The story was short and sweet. Each individual love story, whether it was a small one or the main one, was seemingly perfect. The climax was somewhat difficult to point out but eventually you could tell that it was more of a personal struggle for Jane. Of course, a more action-packed climax would build more suspense or had more of a  personal struggle. She had to make a pretty tough decision that most people wouldn't have been able to make under the same circumstances. Overall, it was a cute and simple book to read.
Jane is relatable and innovative. She is a clever girl with an idea and receives fame for it. Her ending is the kind that most people would dream of. Jane Turner is one of those characters that shows tremendous amounts of growth by the end of the book. Her best friends Em and Cam are also great but the story revolves around Jane so the supporting characters are given the same emphasize.

Kiss & Blog by Alyson Noel

Winter and Sloane want to change. As freshman, they were nerds but as sophomores, they think they can bury their past and become popular. They make a pact to join the cool group and help the other one get in. Sloane is Winter's best friend, but then why is she ditching her for the popular kids? Without her best friend, Winter decides that Sloane deserves revenge. She then creates a blog that relieves all of Sloane's secrets. Who knew her blog would become so popular? When she gets the chance, will she choose popularity or save her ex-best friend?

I loved Alyson Noel's Evermore Series* so I had to read this book. Overall, the plot was pretty good. And it shows how stereotypical popularity can be. The one thing that I would have liked to see different would have been the ending. It wasn't as resolved as I would have liked it. The beginning was great though. It proved the perfect amount of background information and perfect pace. Great story and I would love to read it again.

Winter is a great main character. She was creative and confident. And even from the beginning Sloane seemed kind of evil. She made the prefect "villain" in the story. After thinking about the book, Sloane had a weak personality and Winter was definitely the stronger character. Winter was the perfect role model towards the end of the book. Those were the two most important characters but there lots of other great ones too.

Here is a link to my review of Alyson Noel's Evermore.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Not many exciting things happen in Gatlin. But Ravenwood's niece coming to town has got everyone's attention. Especially Ethan Wate's. The girl who shows up every night in his extremely real dreams has shown up, but why doesn't she remember him? The closer Ethan becomes to Lena, the more tangled up he finds himself in her twisted family. Caught in the world of light and dark Casters, Ethan and Lena start to learn where she comes from but when you spent your entire life thinking everything is unknown, it's hard to imagine that someone somewhere actually knows the truth.

The book started out slowly but picked up pace rapidly after Ethan and Lena actually meet for the first time. I would have liked to seen more of a conclusion. It felt slightly rushed to me and I didn't really understand what happened. But maybe it left off like that and will be better explained in the second book. Overall, it was wonderful and hard to put down. Gatlin is the perfect location for this story and the history behind it is powerful. I haven't read the second book yet so I'll just have to wait.

The characters are exciting. The only people who I would have liked to find out more information were Amma and Marian. The girls like Savannah and Emily are stereotypical but very believable and hilarious. Ethan was a great main character and has a strong point of view. Lena is rebellious in a classy and believable way as well.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda is now an outcast after she called the police to a party. But no one knows why. Maybe if they knew what she went through they would try to help her. Just when Melinda thinks she has a friend who doesn't know why she is shunned by her peers, Melinda is alone again. Heather was the closet thing to a friend that she's had since the incident. But maybe, just maybe, with David and Mr. Freeman help, Melinda can finally speak up about the truth.

I know that book is know a movie but I have yet to watch it. The plot line was very serious and can be difficult to read at times. It is a very powerful story. I thought that the fact that Melinda wasn't talking was weird but by the end you can tell how significant that that was. It was a great novel and it's no surprise that it won so many awards.

Melinda is kind of considered to be a hero. She is powerful and even though at first she doesn't seem like it, by the end of the book she really is. David and Mr. Freeman are also very important. David helps her learn to speak up and Mr. Freeman gives her a safe environment to do so. Those are the three most significant characters but there are many other you should pay attention to.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver has been through a lot. More than most fifteen year olds have to deal with. Boyfriendless and friendless Ruby can only find comfort in writing her lists and talking to her shrink. Boys are the only thing on Ruby's mind but maybe making a list about every guy she ever liked was a bad idea. All this stress can't be good for you. These panic attacks aren't really helping Ruby either. Being a social outcast has proven to be the nightmare it seems to be.
The best part of the story was obviously Ruby's witty and hilarious voice. She is a great narrator and is one of the main reasons putting this book down is practically impossible. Surprisingly this book is on the shorter side and kind of fast paced. The one thing that I would have changed would be making the panic attacks that Ruby had more serious. For some reason, when I was reading those parts, it didn't seem like Ruby was that scared of them but afterwards she says that they are awful. Those parts could have been lengthened and more detailed.
The characters were the most important part of the book. Characters in most other books tend to become slightly less interesting and more annoying but not in this book. They were all relatable and exciting. Each individual was given specific attributes that could only fit them. Ruby was like an everyday superhero especially once you find out how much she went through. All of Ruby's "boyfriends" were hilarious as well.