Review: French Kiss by Sarra Manning (Diary of a Crush #1)

Publisher - Atom
Publication Date - 30th May 2013
Paperback - 240 pages
Genre - Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Reviewed by - Amy

Book Info - New town, new college, new people, Edie's feeling overwhelmed. What if nobody wants to be her friend? But then something happens that turns her life upside down: Edie spots Dylan. Messy-haired, pouty, frustratingly elusive Dylan...

Fast forward to the college trip to Paris and things are really heating up. In between the shopping, the clubbing, the kissing and the making up, something happens between Edie and Dylan that changes both their lives for ever.

But do boys like Dylan ever play for keeps?

My Thoughts - I didn’t particularly enjoy Diary Of A Crush, it was definitely not the best romance. It was acceptable but the main characters don’t seem to even know each other that well yet seem to find themselves attracted to each other (when they aren’t in complete and utter moods). Dylan was mainly a jerk, well... he was most of the time! He’d have a moment when he’d take Edie’s coat or defend her but most of the time he really wasn’t boyfriend material.

I didn’t like how at one point Edie refers to her ‘kick-ass facilities’. She wasn’t particularly kick-ass... She wasn’t lame but she was endearing and it’s really hard to imagine her actually be venomous, she’s got a bit off an evil-glare but if I’m honest that seems to come pretty naturally at puberty... She was definitely a hilarious character, as she said: ‘fluffy little baby bunny rabbits are more intimidating than me’. That was just so funny... in fact, it might describe the whole book. (see summary) Just read the first page, I mean it’s got that little fact file that’s all like ‘name, age, lives, height, weight, hair, eyes, favourites...’ I totally rolled my eyes- I remember when I used to read books that were in diary format & had that! The protagonists weren’t 16 though... But Edie’s sweet sixteen & (seldom) kissed... Once again though we find a girl who just doesn’t seem to be deserving of being part a love triangle- there was not a lot that made her stand out. She’s just moody, a catastrophe of embarrassment and seriously inconsiderate. The thing I like is she didn’t change for other people... I appreciated the beautiful quote: “I was ‘up myself’ and ‘weird’. Better than being a bunch of cookie-cutter deadheads”... It’s pretty self-explanatory really, isn’t it?

I probably wouldn’t be her friend, she feeds off Drama and has a muddled personality... It’s hard not to pity her though and get some giggles from her...

Summary - It’s a bit fluffy, rather cute, not intimidating... If you’re looking for an easy read this might be it!

Other books in the series:
1. French Kiss
2. Kiss and Make Up
3. Sealed With a Kiss

Review: Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Publisher - Atom
Publication Date - 24th May 2012
Paperback - 400 pages
Genre - Young Adult/Contemporary Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 2 out of 5: It was ok.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - Welcome to the dorkside. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

Jeane Smith's a blogger, a dreamer, a dare-to-dreamer, a jumble sale queen, CEO of her own lifestyle brand and has half a million followers on Twitter.

Michael Lee's a star of school stage and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie.

They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop snogging?

My Thoughts - I was really looking forward to reading this book - I mean, as a blogger myself, what could be more interesting to read about than a teen blogging sensation? But, I ended up having some really mixed feelings about this one. It's not that I hated the book, but I didn't like it much either. If I had to describe my feelings about Ardorkable I would probably use the word 'neutral'.

This story is told from alternating points of view of the two main characters - Jeane and Micheal. I enjoyed the way the story was laid out and it helped to show just what polar opposites these two characters are. The reader often gets each character's thoughts on the same event and at times it was laugh-out-loud funny that they perceived the event in such different ways. These characters really are chalk and cheese. What I did find slightly strange is how when Michael and Jeane are thinking about each other, they use the other character's full name all the time. Not once does Jeane think of Michael as, well, Michael. It is always Michael Lee. I don't know why but this just bugged me a bit whilst reading this book.

Unfortunately, for a large portion of the book, I found Jeane to be pretty unlikeable. She is proud of the fact that she is a dork, this being the reason that she started her blog called Adorkable. But she is so judgemental of everybody around her and thinks that she is so much better than everybody else at her school. She is very prickly towards others and isn't afraid to speak her mind, even if she knows that it will hurt somebody's feelings. But, as Michael, and therefore the reader, get closer to Jeane, it is obvious that this prickly and judgemental demeanour is a protective barrier. At the heart of the matter, Jeane is a lonely girl who just wants to be loved and she becomes a much more mellow and likeable character as she lets Michael into her life.

Michael is an ok character. As with the book as a whole, my feelings towards Michael are pretty neutral. He trys very hard to keep everybody happy but he comes across to the reader as quite bland. The one thing that I did really like about him was the way that he is able to stand up to Jeane, despite the fact that she is a force to be reckoned with. He doesn't change a single thing about the way he dresses or acts, even though he knows that these things go against everything that Jeane stands for.

The storyline in itself wasn't particularly interesting and, for large portions of the book, nothing much really happens other than Jeane and Michael sneaking around behind their friends backs and kissing. Oh, and bickering, a lot! Although I will admit to loving the bickering between the two of them - this in particular was a lot of fun to read. But, and this is a big but, as the story nears its end, Jeane and Michael grow as characters and do a lot of soul searching and I loved the way the story ended. The author even managed to squeeze a tear or two out of me at the end!

Summary - A book that has a lot of potential but it doesn't fully deliver. There are some fun moments that had me laughing out loud but overall it was a pretty average book.

Other reviews of this book:
Fluttering Butterflies / Jess Hearts Books / Missy's Reads and Reviews

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #36  for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge