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Showing posts with label Becca Wilhite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Becca Wilhite. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Book-Covered Books
It's Tuesday, which can only mean one thing ... it's time for my favorite weekly meme! The Top Ten Tuesday topic du jour is a book cover freebie. Freebies often stump me, but with this one, I knew right away that I wanted to feature bookish book covers. After all, there's nothing I love more than a lovely cover showcasing my favorite hobby in all its beautiful, cozy, whimsical glory. I'll get to some favorites in a moment ... but first, I urge you to join in the TTT fun by visiting That Artsy Reader Girl, skimming a few guidelines, making your own list, then clicking around the book blogosphere to check out other bloggers' posts. It's a good time, I promise.
Without further ado, here we go with my Top Ten Favorite Bookish Book Covers:
Happy TTT!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Looking for a Light, Diverting Romance? Look No Further.
(Image from Becca Wilhite's blog)
After writing eleven book reviews today, I'm too tired to come up with another plot summary, so here's the official one for Wedding Belles by Melanie Jacobson, Jenny Proctor, Becca Wilhite, and Brittany Larsen:
Janie is a classical cellist booked to play a posh Charleston wedding. She’s excited to have the lucrative gig until the groom’s brother, Emmett, shows up and asks her to help him play a song he wrote for the happy couple. The only trouble? Emmett is her unrequited high school crush.
Lily has been Dahlia's best friend, partner-in-crime, and now her maid of honor . . . until suddenly there's no wedding, and she's left to clean up Dahlia's biggest mess of all. She's been friends with Deacon, the jilted groom, for just as long, and it's up to her to rescue him after Hurricane Dahlia blows through.
Sutton is a photographer running from her past. Only the pleas from her best friend to photograph her wedding could bring Sutton back to Charleston. Her plan is to get in and get out before her ex knows she and their daughter are in town. At least it’s the plan until she meets Max, who turns out to be the safe place she didn’t know she was looking for.
I don't usually dig short stories, but I'm becoming a fan of romance novels centering around one main event that are told in parts. Wedding Belles is no exception. It offers a series of funny, upbeat stories written by some of my favorite Latter-Day Saint romance novelists. Although the book has nothing to do with the Church, it is mostly clean (there are a few mild swear words) and completely sweet. Naturally, I liked some of the stories more than others (the first and final are my favorites), but all of them are fun, warm, and engaging. If you're looking for a light, diverting read, definitely pick up this swoony romance.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other romance novels by Melanie Jacobson, Jenny Proctor, Becca Wilhite, and Brittany Larsen)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs)
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Wedding Belles from the generous authors. Thank you!
Monday, March 19, 2018
Cyrano de Bergerac-ish Romance a Swoony Tale About Never Judging a Book By Its Cover
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although she's yet to be swept up in a whirlwind romance with the Mr. Darcy of her fondest dreams, Greta Elliott still lives a life that's pretty darn idyllic. The 24-year-old loves her job as an assistant librarian at the old library where she's worked since she was a teen. She adores Will Marshall, her thoughtful, generous BFF. And, despite her mother's constant wheedling, the woman is always there when Greta needs her.
When Greta meets a gorgeous man in the poetry section, she thinks her life is finally complete. Mackay "Mac" Sanders might be a lowly coffee shop manager, but he's got the face of a cover model and the soul of a poet. His romantic texts make her heart thrum. So what if he's less eloquent in person? Who cares if his conversational skills are a bit ... lacking? The guy can kiss and craft text-poems that rival the Bard's. Mac's so pretty to look at that Greta can overlook a few character flaws. Can't she?It's only when Greta's world starts to crumble that she realizes it's Will and not Mac who's keeping her afloat. Is is possible there's more there than just an old friendship? She's always found Will's heart attractive. His over-sized body? Not so much. Can she finally learn to look past her best friend's physical imperfections or will she lose her chance at true love forever? For a librarian, Greta's still got a whole lot to learn about judging a book by its cover ...
I've enjoyed Becca Wilhite's previous two novels, so I've been anxious to read her newest, Check Me Out. The fact that it features a library setting and the cutest bookish cover art ever? Icing on the cake, baby. Not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this contemporary romance about learning to appreciate someone for their inner gifts in spite of what they look like on the outside. Given the novel's premise, there's no way its heroine could come off as anything but superficial and Greta definitely does. While she proves herself capable in many ways, she's still self-centered and immature. Kind, self-deprecating Will lacks a backbone but is otherwise a perfect, non-traditional hero. While he's much easier to like than Greta, their love story remains swoony and sweet. It's predictable, of course, but Wilhite does throw in a compelling subplot that adds a little more depth and interest to the tale. On the whole, I ended up liking this fun, upbeat novel. If you fancy light, clean romances that are engaging and enjoyable, definitely check this one out (pun intended).
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other girl-swoons-for-hot-egomaniac-boy-only-to-realize-he's-a-jerk-and-her-ordinary-but-awesome-BFF-is-the-one-she-really-loves stories, although no specific titles are coming to mind. Also reminds me of novels by Melanie Jacobson and Jenny Proctor)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Check Me Out from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Author Chat: An Interview with Becca Wilhite (With a Giveaway!)
Valentine's Day is long gone, but that's no reason to stop the love from flowing here at BBB. My contact at Shadow Mountain is generously provided me with one copy of Becca Wilhite's ne
w novel, My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions, to give away. It's a sweet, funny love story that will just make you happy (you can read my review here). Check out my interview with Becca. Then, peruse the instructions and sign up to win. Easy cheesy, as my kids would say!
BW: I love books. I have always loved books, and I've been a crazy reader as long as I can remember (a trait I've passed on to 75% of my children). When I was in college (totally not studying any sort of writing) I wrote a ton - in journals (which I kept) and letters (which I didn't). Many years later when I decided to write a Whole Entire Book, I worked on it for several years, on and off, between hobbies and parenting and a great deal of cooking. When I thought the book was finished, I bound a few print-offs and handed them around (to friends who are readers, to High School kids, and to a couple of Junior High literature teachers, who passed them around in their classes) and waited for feedback. Most of the feedback was of the "Oh, look! It's not awful!" sort - kind, even if it's not very helpful. (But really? That's helpful, because I am never quite sure if what I write is awful or not until someone tells me. I'm working on that.)
Then I sent out a few query letters. (That still makes me shudder.) Nothing. I decided that maybe I needed to have a small press look at it, that maybe they'd be more likely to read
/like/publish my manuscript than a Big National Publisher. So I sent the manuscript to Shadow Mountain, where it got plucked out of the slush pile and, eventually, became Bright Blue Miracle. I'm told that rarely happens, and so I know enough to be grateful. I love Bright Blue Miracle, and I think it's good, but there's a balance of talent and luck in this game, and I'm grateful for the luck part.
I like happy. I like fun. I like to shake my head in wonder about how people can do bizarre things. I like to laugh.
BW: I have the greatest husband in the world. He is kind and talented and patient and funny. And lest we forget, really good looking (which I recommend in a husband, if you can possibly make it happen). He takes great photos (that make me look seventeen percent more awesome than reality, and I so appreciate that seventeen percent). He works hard to support our family, and he's totally behind it that I choose to stay home and be the Mom and write books.
Because being the Mom rules. Seriously. We have the four greatest kids ever. All far above average. :) Want to know about them? Here's a taste. Kid 1: Teenage actress, sparing me the drama. Kid 2: Self-motivated violinist and chef. Kid 3: Voracious reader and diva. Kid 4: Sweetest boy in the world (and that's clocked, not just my opinion). What's not to love?
Shoes would be my fetish, if I could afford a fetish. Shoes and purses. Alas, no fetish yet. But a girl can dream...
Me: LOL. What kinds of books do you enjoy reading? Who are some favorite authors?
Me: How do you juggle the many roles you play (wife, mom, homemaker, writer, etc.)? How do you prioritize all the demands that are placed on you every day?
BW: Want to know a pet peeve of mine? The phrase "I don't have time" - because, duh. Time is all we really have. And we all get the same 24 hours, every day. What we choose to put in it is, more or less, up to us. So I prioritize. It's sort of a pyramid thing, you know? The big chunks of important stuff are family related. The house-y stuff takes a majority of the day (cooking, driving kids around, laundry, cleaning when I can no longer avoid it), and I try to spend good time every evening with my sweet husband. But that little tip of the pyramid, that time when nobody needs me, that's the writing time. Sometimes that is the hour between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning, and some days it's shoved aside for something else (like sleep). Sometimes I have to choose between writing and exercise (and it's sort of a toss-up, to be honest). When I'm writing, I don't answer the phone (because that's what voice mail is for) and I turn off the sound on the computer (because email is a siren call, and I only allow myself an occasional peek once I'm lashed to the mast, like Ulysses. Okay, really, I allow myself to check email after I've written a certain number of words or a great scene.)
Also, maybe you're assuming too much when you ask how I handle all the demands "every day." Because there are days when I'm Only the Mom. And days when I'm a writer for lots of hours. And days when I lie in my bed like a lump, emerging only to refill my dish of ice cream. I give it a try, this being all things, and I try not to beat myself up when it doesn't all work perfectly.
Me: What are you working on now?
BW: I'm doing fun blog interviews for My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions, and that is awesome. I'm writing at a few things, hoping my muse will sing in my ear about her favorite. I have a few first drafts that are hiding until I'm brave enough to re-read them and see if there's anything there worth revising. I'm also doing a little community theater with my kids. We're all in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and if I may say so myself, we're tremendously cute. (You can just take my word for that.) I also do a little PTA, and some church service. So, keeping busy.
Me: So far, you've written two romances. Do you think you'll stick with this genre or venture out into others? Why or why not?
BW: I love love stories. I think no matter what I write, there will have to be some sort of lovey stuff there. Want to know a little-known fact? Bright Blue Miracle didn't used to have the romance element in it. Before there was the Trevor character (suggested by my Publisher) the love-story angle of that was just the girls, learning to love becoming sisters. But I'm pretty sure I'll keep writing the happy, positive stuff, because that's what I know. (Insert bubbly cheerleader icon here.)
Me: Finally, I ask this of every author I interview, simply because the answers are fascinating in their variety: How do you write? Do you force yourself to write every day or wait for the mood to strike? Do you outline your books or just start writing? Is there anything you HAVE to have while you write (music, food, something to drink, etc.)? Where do you write? How do you come up with your ideas and what do you do with the ones that don't pan out? What makes you unique from other writers you know?
I write on the family computer, in the family office. Which means that before I can get going, I need to log a kid off Facebook, restack the violin music another kid left on the desk, put away the crayons, and wipe away all manner of stickiness from the mouse. I try to write something every day, and in order to do that and not go crazy, I have learned to allow myself to write things that aren't very good. Because it's a ton of stress to think that something publishable has to come out of every writing session. I'm sure there are writers who can create brilliant first drafts, month after month, but I wouldn't want to have dinner with any of them. :)
I am not an outliner. I'm more like a toddler, picking out shiny sparklies from a tray. "Ooh," I say. "That's pretty. Let's have that." And then I stare at the screen for a while, and write another little scene, until I say, "Hm. That's a nice one, too. Let's put that in the pile." (I thought for years that was an original thought, but I must have heard it somewhere, because Ann Lamott uses a very similar image in her amazing writing book "Bird By Bird.")
I can't listen to music while I write, because I have no ability to stay on task. I'll start singing along, or I'll write the words of the song into my dialog. That is not as good a plan as it sounds. So, quiet is good for me.
Sometimes I'll give myself a treat - like a little dish of grapes or some over-sugared cold cereal (without milk) that I can nibble on. But I save the good snacks (like expensive cheese, or anything spread with a great deal of butter) for when I've reached the goal.
The goal is generally 500 words a day. Many days that comes pretty fast, and I can do it twice, or three times. Other days, it's a big pain to just make the words come. But I generally keep all the writing, even the dumb stuff. I have files full of words that don't make the cut. Inside my computer it doesn't even make a mess. And who knows? Maybe someday I can salvage something from the "chucked" pile. Because, the thing is, the more I write, the better I get at it. This is true for everyone. The act of writing makes us better writers. That's why the second draft is better than the first, and the eleventh is even better. So maybe there are pieces of stories that I can revisit and shine up to become something great.
I don't think I'm that much different from other writers I know - we're all just regular people who like books, and through some combination of work and blessings, we get to make books for other people. I am lucky to have met some really fun and interesting writers, and have a few that I count as close friends. Which is, you know, excellent. I think I'm like most writers in that I'm not really sure what I do is good until someone else tells me it is. Writers are, in general, totally insecure. Weird, huh? Also, I love positive feedback, but the negative weighs lots more - so if I receive a bad review somewhere, and accidentally actually READ it, I need to hear about a hundred people (who are not my husband) tell me I'm witty and charming before it evens out. But I'm working on getting over that one, since it's idiotic. Baby steps.
w novel, My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions, to give away. It's a sweet, funny love story that will just make you happy (you can read my review here). Check out my interview with Becca. Then, peruse the instructions and sign up to win. Easy cheesy, as my kids would say!----
Me: Welcome to Bloggin' 'bout Books, Becca. I'm so glad you're here! Tell me about your path to becoming a published author.
BW: I love books. I have always loved books, and I've been a crazy reader as long as I can remember (a trait I've passed on to 75% of my children). When I was in college (totally not studying any sort of writing) I wrote a ton - in journals (which I kept) and letters (which I didn't). Many years later when I decided to write a Whole Entire Book, I worked on it for several years, on and off, between hobbies and parenting and a great deal of cooking. When I thought the book was finished, I bound a few print-offs and handed them around (to friends who are readers, to High School kids, and to a couple of Junior High literature teachers, who passed them around in their classes) and waited for feedback. Most of the feedback was of the "Oh, look! It's not awful!" sort - kind, even if it's not very helpful. (But really? That's helpful, because I am never quite sure if what I write is awful or not until someone tells me. I'm working on that.)
Then I sent out a few query letters. (That still makes me shudder.) Nothing. I decided that maybe I needed to have a small press look at it, that maybe they'd be more likely to read
/like/publish my manuscript than a Big National Publisher. So I sent the manuscript to Shadow Mountain, where it got plucked out of the slush pile and, eventually, became Bright Blue Miracle. I'm told that rarely happens, and so I know enough to be grateful. I love Bright Blue Miracle, and I think it's good, but there's a balance of talent and luck in this game, and I'm grateful for the luck part.Me: You write books for the young adult market. How do your books differ from others on the YA shelf?
BW: I have this theory (possibly I have several) that you'll find what you're looking for, with school, with friends, in life. I'm looking for things that make me laugh. Make me smile. Make me think about important things. Make me feel good. So that is what I write. There are a great deal of important things I don't choose to write about (because other people handle the serious important stuff so much better, so I'll just read their books). So maybe what I write (that's different from much of what's on shelves these days) is light, fun, positive stories. Sort of like frosting (really Good frosting), but without the sugar headache.
Me: You sort of already answered this, but one of the best things about your stories, in my opinion, is that they're not only clean, but also positive and happy. In a market saturated with dark, depressing fiction - vampires, werewolves, the apocalypse, and so on - why did you choose to write lighter, happier books?
BW: I have this theory (possibly I have several) that you'll find what you're looking for, with school, with friends, in life. I'm looking for things that make me laugh. Make me smile. Make me think about important things. Make me feel good. So that is what I write. There are a great deal of important things I don't choose to write about (because other people handle the serious important stuff so much better, so I'll just read their books). So maybe what I write (that's different from much of what's on shelves these days) is light, fun, positive stories. Sort of like frosting (really Good frosting), but without the sugar headache.
Me: You sort of already answered this, but one of the best things about your stories, in my opinion, is that they're not only clean, but also positive and happy. In a market saturated with dark, depressing fiction - vampires, werewolves, the apocalypse, and so on - why did you choose to write lighter, happier books?
BW: It sort of goes back to looking for what I want. I love to read a good scary book now and then - but I don't want to live with it for months and years at a time. Writing a book gets inside your head, and it takes half of forever. I choose to fill that time (and therefore my books) with things that will make me laugh (rather than shudder in fear or hide in the bathtub).
I like happy. I like fun. I like to shake my head in wonder about how people can do bizarre things. I like to laugh.
Me: The "About" section on your blog is very skimpy. Please expound on the following: WIFE, MAMA, WORDS, FOOD, SHOES
BW: I have the greatest husband in the world. He is kind and talented and patient and funny. And lest we forget, really good looking (which I recommend in a husband, if you can possibly make it happen). He takes great photos (that make me look seventeen percent more awesome than reality, and I so appreciate that seventeen percent). He works hard to support our family, and he's totally behind it that I choose to stay home and be the Mom and write books.
Because being the Mom rules. Seriously. We have the four greatest kids ever. All far above average. :) Want to know about them? Here's a taste. Kid 1: Teenage actress, sparing me the drama. Kid 2: Self-motivated violinist and chef. Kid 3: Voracious reader and diva. Kid 4: Sweetest boy in the world (and that's clocked, not just my opinion). What's not to love?
The "words" part is about loving to talk, write, read, listen, sing, write, study, blog, and write.
Okay, about food. I love it. Lots of it. I love healthy foods, but I have plenty of food vices, too. I love butter. A great deal of butter. I love white flour and sugar, too. I'm a pretty good cook, and hot breakfast and family dinners are mostly standard (even though we're in the zone of teenagers). When it comes to food I'm not too hard to please, and there's almost nothing that's not worth the time or effort to make. (Almost. Except Potstickers. Because the ones from Costco's freezer are just about as good as the scratch kind, so I should save myself the whole day and just use those.)
Shoes would be my fetish, if I could afford a fetish. Shoes and purses. Alas, no fetish yet. But a girl can dream...
Me: LOL. What kinds of books do you enjoy reading? Who are some favorite authors?
BW: Mmm. Reading. My favorite. I've been hanging out in the YA section for many years, and love a great YA read. I kneel at the feet of Sharon Creech. I have never been disappointed in her work. I love reading out loud to my kids, and Harry Potter (with all the voices) is a favorite of ours. One of the best things I've read in the last 10 years is Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief." Wow. Everyone should read that (and I never make demands like this). Also, I think I might be in danger of worshipping Kate DiCamillo. She is exceptional in her diversity, and every single thing she's ever written (probably including grocery lists) is excellent. I could go on like this forever, but I won't. But if you want more of this sort of thing, come visit my blog, because I talk about this stuff now and then.
Me: How do you juggle the many roles you play (wife, mom, homemaker, writer, etc.)? How do you prioritize all the demands that are placed on you every day?
BW: Want to know a pet peeve of mine? The phrase "I don't have time" - because, duh. Time is all we really have. And we all get the same 24 hours, every day. What we choose to put in it is, more or less, up to us. So I prioritize. It's sort of a pyramid thing, you know? The big chunks of important stuff are family related. The house-y stuff takes a majority of the day (cooking, driving kids around, laundry, cleaning when I can no longer avoid it), and I try to spend good time every evening with my sweet husband. But that little tip of the pyramid, that time when nobody needs me, that's the writing time. Sometimes that is the hour between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning, and some days it's shoved aside for something else (like sleep). Sometimes I have to choose between writing and exercise (and it's sort of a toss-up, to be honest). When I'm writing, I don't answer the phone (because that's what voice mail is for) and I turn off the sound on the computer (because email is a siren call, and I only allow myself an occasional peek once I'm lashed to the mast, like Ulysses. Okay, really, I allow myself to check email after I've written a certain number of words or a great scene.)
Also, maybe you're assuming too much when you ask how I handle all the demands "every day." Because there are days when I'm Only the Mom. And days when I'm a writer for lots of hours. And days when I lie in my bed like a lump, emerging only to refill my dish of ice cream. I give it a try, this being all things, and I try not to beat myself up when it doesn't all work perfectly.
Me: What are you working on now?
BW: I'm doing fun blog interviews for My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions, and that is awesome. I'm writing at a few things, hoping my muse will sing in my ear about her favorite. I have a few first drafts that are hiding until I'm brave enough to re-read them and see if there's anything there worth revising. I'm also doing a little community theater with my kids. We're all in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and if I may say so myself, we're tremendously cute. (You can just take my word for that.) I also do a little PTA, and some church service. So, keeping busy.
Me: So far, you've written two romances. Do you think you'll stick with this genre or venture out into others? Why or why not?
BW: I love love stories. I think no matter what I write, there will have to be some sort of lovey stuff there. Want to know a little-known fact? Bright Blue Miracle didn't used to have the romance element in it. Before there was the Trevor character (suggested by my Publisher) the love-story angle of that was just the girls, learning to love becoming sisters. But I'm pretty sure I'll keep writing the happy, positive stuff, because that's what I know. (Insert bubbly cheerleader icon here.)
Me: Finally, I ask this of every author I interview, simply because the answers are fascinating in their variety: How do you write? Do you force yourself to write every day or wait for the mood to strike? Do you outline your books or just start writing? Is there anything you HAVE to have while you write (music, food, something to drink, etc.)? Where do you write? How do you come up with your ideas and what do you do with the ones that don't pan out? What makes you unique from other writers you know?
I write on the family computer, in the family office. Which means that before I can get going, I need to log a kid off Facebook, restack the violin music another kid left on the desk, put away the crayons, and wipe away all manner of stickiness from the mouse. I try to write something every day, and in order to do that and not go crazy, I have learned to allow myself to write things that aren't very good. Because it's a ton of stress to think that something publishable has to come out of every writing session. I'm sure there are writers who can create brilliant first drafts, month after month, but I wouldn't want to have dinner with any of them. :)
I am not an outliner. I'm more like a toddler, picking out shiny sparklies from a tray. "Ooh," I say. "That's pretty. Let's have that." And then I stare at the screen for a while, and write another little scene, until I say, "Hm. That's a nice one, too. Let's put that in the pile." (I thought for years that was an original thought, but I must have heard it somewhere, because Ann Lamott uses a very similar image in her amazing writing book "Bird By Bird.")
I can't listen to music while I write, because I have no ability to stay on task. I'll start singing along, or I'll write the words of the song into my dialog. That is not as good a plan as it sounds. So, quiet is good for me.
Sometimes I'll give myself a treat - like a little dish of grapes or some over-sugared cold cereal (without milk) that I can nibble on. But I save the good snacks (like expensive cheese, or anything spread with a great deal of butter) for when I've reached the goal.
The goal is generally 500 words a day. Many days that comes pretty fast, and I can do it twice, or three times. Other days, it's a big pain to just make the words come. But I generally keep all the writing, even the dumb stuff. I have files full of words that don't make the cut. Inside my computer it doesn't even make a mess. And who knows? Maybe someday I can salvage something from the "chucked" pile. Because, the thing is, the more I write, the better I get at it. This is true for everyone. The act of writing makes us better writers. That's why the second draft is better than the first, and the eleventh is even better. So maybe there are pieces of stories that I can revisit and shine up to become something great.
I don't think I'm that much different from other writers I know - we're all just regular people who like books, and through some combination of work and blessings, we get to make books for other people. I am lucky to have met some really fun and interesting writers, and have a few that I count as close friends. Which is, you know, excellent. I think I'm like most writers in that I'm not really sure what I do is good until someone else tells me it is. Writers are, in general, totally insecure. Weird, huh? Also, I love positive feedback, but the negative weighs lots more - so if I receive a bad review somewhere, and accidentally actually READ it, I need to hear about a hundred people (who are not my husband) tell me I'm witty and charming before it evens out. But I'm working on getting over that one, since it's idiotic. Baby steps.
Me: Thanks so much, Becca!
----
Okay, if you want to win a copy of My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite, all you have to do is make a comment on this post. I'm not even going to make you answer a silly question this time. Please leave an email address in your comment if you don't have a public blog - you can't win if I can't reach you. The deadline to enter is March 20. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sweet, Satisfying Romantic Obsessions A Nice, Light Valentine's Treat
Sarah Howard is the kind of girl who should be in romance novels. She can easily picture herself
roaming the moors, donning gauzy Rengency gowns, and charming her own brooding Mr. Darcy. Too bad reality has to get in the way of her romantic fantasies because the truth is, no one would cast a Medusa-haired, fashion-backward, too-smart-for-her-own-good girl like Sarah to be anyone's leading lady. Her high school "boyfriend" made it all perfectly (and publicly) clear: no one in his right mind would date anyone as hideous as her.
When My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite opens, Sarah is beginning her freshman year at college. Nothing is going quite as expected - her parents are a little too eager to have her gone, her best friend found another place to live, and her new roommates are ... interesting. Then, there's her new study buddy: Ben's so drop dead gorgeous that Sarah nicknames him Adonis on the spot. The weird thing is, she's getting some serious romance novel vibes off this fine specimen of manhood. Clearly, he's only after one thing - her class notes. Because, seriously, she's so not the kind of girl that gets this kind of guy. He's obviously hiding some fatal flaw, some cruel secret that will decimate her already pummelled heart - it's better to play it safe, keep her distance, remain just good friends.
Sarah knows a girl like her is never going to have a straight-out-of-a-Jane-Austen-novel type romance; heck, she'll be lucky to have any kind of romance at all. So, why has her life suddenly gone all Pride and Prejudice? Is it possible that her real life could be just as good, if not better, than all the silly romantic nonsense in her head? Can Ben truly be as great as he seems? Or is he just waiting in the wings to dash her every hope - again? Looks like it's time for a little Sense & Sensibility, but will reality have its way with her once more? Or will her unlikely fairy tale finally lead to the Happily Ever After she's always dreamed of?
After reading so much bleak post-apocalyptic fiction and dealing with several family health crises (including my own), I really needed something happy to read. Wilhite's second novel (read my review of her first, here) fit the bill perfectly. My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions is bright, fun and hopeful. The story's predictable, the heroine's clueless, and the guy's drool-worthy - it's the perfect combination for a quick, light, easy romance. It's not excessively original, charming or moving, and honestly, I wanted to smack Sarah upside the head on more than one occasion, but I recommend it for some simple, clean, upbeat entertainment. Just in time for Valentine's, it's a tale that will make dreamers fling aside their Jane Austen's and pine for the kind of imperfectly perfect romance that occurs in only one place - real life.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a little bit of Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison [my review])
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG because of minor lusting :)
To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain. Thanks! Book image is from their website.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Bright Blue Miracle A Refreshing Beacon of Light
Take a stroll through the YA section of any bookstore, and it's bound to get depressing. After all, a crowd of creatures you've previously met only in nightmares leers at you from every shelf. Wizards, vampires, werewolves, demons, djinni - welcome to the decade of dark fantasy. Considering this sea of bleakness, is it any wonder Bright Blue Miracle stands out? With its bright, whimsical cover and sunny title, Becca Wilhite's first novel shines like a beacon in murky water. It just screams "Happy Book!" And who doesn't need some happy in a world made even more dreary by so much black-cloaked reading material in the kid's aisle?If you're expecting life between the covers of Bright Blue Miracle to be a bed of roses, think again. Its heroine, 17-year-old Leigh Mason, can attest to that. When the novel opens, her widowed mother is breaking big news - She and her boyfriend are getting married. Not that Leigh doesn't like her mother's fiancee, but he's not her fun, big-hearted dad. Plus, he comes with a perfectly nice, perfectly beautiful teenage daughter. Who will be moving in with Leigh, who is decidedly unperfect.
Leigh tries to make the best of an uncomfortable situation, but the transition isn't particularly smooth. She knows she should like her new stepsister; Betsy's so nice there's no reason not to like her, but their forced friendship bugs just the same. Especially when Betsy starts dating Leigh's best friend Jeremy Bentley. The relationship between Leigh and "Germ" has always been as comfortable as a pair of worn blue jeans, with no romance involved, but suddenly Leigh's wondering what could have been if Little Miss Perfection Personified hadn't shown up. Being the third wheel is no fun, but she doesn't want to lose her best friend. How can she keep him focused on her? And can she do it without destroying her family, in all its blended glory? When a crisis sucker-punches her good and hard, Leigh will find out what it really means to be a friend - and a family.
As you can see, Bright Blue Miracle offers a simple, no-frills plot. At times I wanted more depth from the novel, but I also appreciated the tight focus on Leigh and her relationships with Betsy and Germ. The whole "bizarre love triangle" thing did get a little weird for me, although it was all very innocent and platonic. Besides that, however, I really enjoyed this read. It was quick, funny and upbeat. Pitch perfect, it's Leigh's voice that really carries the novel. She's sarcastic, but not obnoxious, bitter but not mean, likeable but not flawless. She comes off as very real. The book did not wrap up as predictably or cheesily (is that I word?) as I thought it would - so that was a nice surprise. Overall, I found Bright Blue Miracle to be a sweet, clean read with a lot of heart. Just gazing at the cover is a pick-me-up. Refreshing, isn't it?
Grade: B
(Book image from Barnes & Noble)
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