Review Time: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

by Brittany Geragotelis

Review Time: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Story: Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is. She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

Why It's a Must-Read: It's been a long, long time since I read a book that gripped me in the way that The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer did. But let me start by saying: I LOVE scary movies. I throw whole parties dedicated to watching horror films. And this was the first book I've read that's been scarier than most of the horror films that are out on the market nowadays. But I wouldn't describe The Unbecoming as horror. We're not looking at a Stephen King book, here, where there's a deranged killer clown stalking kids. I would classify this as more of a psychological thriller...one of those stories where you're constantly wondering if she did what she thinks she might have done or whether it was all in her head. Either way, the book is addictive and nearly impossible to put down once you pick it up. It was terrifyingly beautiful.

Okay, how GORGE is Michelle?!?!

What a Character: I love, love, LOVE the sassiness of Mara Dyer. Despite what's going on in her life and in her head (she sometimes sees dead people and is suffering from PTSD), to the outside world she's quick-witted and isn't a fool. But even though she's tough on the outside, on the inside she's barely hanging on. I love a character who's damaged. Call me crazy, but I think they're more interesting. And it takes a lot of energy for someone to act as if her world isn't crumbling down around her, just to make others feel better.

And if I felt a kinship with Mara Dyer, I wanted to have a secret love affair with Noah Shaw. At first he appears to be the ultimate bad boy. Achingly beautiful with an ego to match. But as the story goes on, we find out there's so much more to him than we thought. And this is one of those stories where the bad boy IS attainable. Thank gosh, because he's H-O-T and the perfect match for Mara's razor-sharp wit.

A Little Something Extra: I picked up this book, after an author friend of mine, Amanda Havard, told me about it at BEA. She was saying how she couldn't wait for Michelle Hodkin's follow-up to The Unbecoming, called The Evolution of Mara Dyer. And now that I've read the first, I have to agree. Good thing we won't have to wait too long for it--The Evolution will begin on October 23rd. You can pre-order it here. I think I may have found one more person to add to my list of favorite authors....

Be sure to follow her on Twitter @MichelleHodkin and then go out and buy her books!

5x5,
B.

Review Time...Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

by Brittany Geragotelis

Review Time: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The Story: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Why It's a Must-Read: I'm not one for sappy stories. I tend to gravitate toward strong, kick-ass female characters who don't mope around, but whose lives are totally complicated. The idea of a regular girl dealing with the grief over losing her father wouldn't typically sound like something I'd pick up. BUT, after hearing from several people that Amy & Roger's was a great read, I decided to be open minded and give it a try.

And I'm so glad that I did! First off, the story wasn't sappy at all. Sad at times, sure, but not at all whiny or depressing. Instead, it was more like an adventure--with heart. Since the story takes place on a trip across country, the reader gets all the fun of a road trip, minus the sore butt from sitting in the car for hours and hours. And though a lot of time is spent in the car, the action actually happens mostly when Amy and Roger stop at their intended destinations. In the end, the story's about overcoming adversity and dealing with life on life's terms. Beautifully written and never boring, this book is the perfect summer read!

What a Character: The main character, Amy is broken at the beginning of the book. She's full of fear, guilt and self-loathing over what's happened to her family. There's no one else in her world that could punish her more than she's punishing herself. And then her answer appears: Roger. Roger is such a great character. Cute, total boy next door and a little too nice for his own good. He challenges Amy just enough to make her grow, but is the soft touch she needs to feel safe enough to do so. Together, the two of them deal with their issues and become the perfect traveling companions. I also loved all the other characters Amy and Roger met along the way (Bronwyn, Walcott and Lucien)...they each helped her heal in their own ways, and make the reader wish that all strangers were that cool.

A Little Something Extra: I have a confession to make: I mostly picked up Amy & Roger's because my editor, Alex, edited Morgan's book, too! After reading it, I'm not at all surprised she wanted to work with Morgan and her story! The funny thing? One of the characters in this book shared the same first name as the main character in my book, Life's a Witch. I thought Hadley was a pretty unique name, so I was surprised to see we both chose the same name!

Follow her on Twitter @Morgan_M and then go out and buy her book!

5x5,
B.

The good thing about being sick...

by Brittany Geragotelis

So, I came down with a cold this weekend...the one that all my co-workers and friends have had over the past couple of weeks. And it pretty much sucks! I'm stuffed up, can't stop sneezing and when I breathe through my nostril, it feels like it's on fire! Ugh. When you're sick, it's hard to remember what it feels like to be well.

BUT the one (and only) good thing that comes along with being sick, is that it's like the one time you don't have to feel guilty about being lazy. It's practically required that you lay around, take naps, drink lots of fluids, watching bad television and movies, and play on the computer. So, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that I watched about a dozen eps of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and a bunch of movies over the three-day weekend.

photo credit: 20th Century Fox

I did manage to drag myself out to the movies (bundled up and in sweats of course) on Sunday, to see Black Swan—though in hindsight, I'm not sure it was worth leaving the house for. I'd heard so much about Black Swan that I was really excited to see it. People have been pretty close-lipped about the storyline, just saying that it's "intense," "dark" and "messed up." From the previews, I couldn't tell whether it was a horror film or a psychological thriller (it was the latter), so I wasn't absolutely sure what I was getting myself into when we went. In the end, I was mostly underwhelmed. I didn't think it was all that shocking (although there's a lot of sexual situations and some violence), and I didn't think it was incredibly groundbreaking.

photo credit: 20th Century Fox

Not usually a fan of Natalie Portman, I actually found her to be great in the role, doing a good job of creating a brand-new character through her voice choices and mannerisms. And I'm a big fan of Mila Kunis, so it was nice to see her in a darker role. The movie was shot beautifully though, and especially the ending with her turning into the Black Swan—that was incredible! The dancing was also really good, and at times it was hard to tell when it was Natalie dancing or her body double.

photo credit: 20th Century Fox

But all in all, I was expecting more. More drama, more intensity, more darkness, more something. I thought that the over-use of sexual context was a bit much and really think the film would've been better without it, though I applaud Natalie and Mila for being willing to go there.

So, there it is. Black Swan: While visually stunning, the storyline left a lot to be desired. Did any of you see any movies this weekend? Anything good?

5x5,
B.