Book Review: The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life by Lauren Myracle

The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life by Lauren Myracle 
(Penguin Group)

Smack dab in the middle of the worst years of her life: Middle School, Allison a 7th grader has to deal with figuring it ALL out. Between friendships, crushes, and the all consuming pursuit to be popular, she is deeply entrenched in a preteen's complicated world! With that said, while I was reading, I thought back to my days of teaching 7th grade and even further back to my days of actually experiencing that horrid era of existence. It is an excruciating time of self discovery and unwarranted input from peers. This book captures this pain and confusion very well and is entertaining to boot.

NOW FOR THE BAD PART: The book is inappropriate for a girl of middle school age. Some of the language, sexual innuendo, and subject matter will add fuel to the already hormone-induced curiosity fire raging in tweens. Furthermore, some of the language, while common with that age set, shouldn't be promoted as acceptable. The delicate balance is what was so awesome about Clueless. The language could have been way more vulgar to portray popular nineties parlance, but Amy Heckerling avoided vulgarity while capturing the vernacular authentically. Any time a book aimed toward ages 10 and up (the suggested age on the book) uses the term "ménage à troi," you know you've got to shelve the book until the reader is 14, if then.  Well written? Yes! Entertaining? Yes!  Too mature for the suggested reader? Definitely!

If she had just framed The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life as being recalled by a high schooler, summed up with a successful update at the end (e.g., Allison and Meagan are going to the same college in the fall or Rachel wasn't prom queen, Mika was), teenagers 14 and up would more readily go for the middle school plot. It's a fun read, but just too mature for the intended audience.

Moral of the story: Parents, you may just have to read/skim books before you allow your kids to read them. Just because it's at a book fair or in the library doesn't mean that it is acceptable for all children. 

Book Review: How the Other Half Hamptons by Jasmin Rosemberg

How the Other Half Hamptons by Jasmin Rosemberg
5 Spot (Hachette Book Group)


Spring cleaning definitely has benefits. You get to clear out and freshen up things for the busy travel season ahead!! Well, I was sorting some things out in the garage and I ran across a brand new book among other books that had been packed away.  I had never seen the book before. It was published in 2008 which was a year full of transition. I may have even purchased it while in a fog, but I sure am glad I found it!  

Three friends--Jamie, Rachel, and Allison--pay for share house arrangements one summer in the Hamptons and their lives change forever. While that may seem like a rather dramatic observation, it is true nonetheless. Between hookups and hangouts, these girls find out a lot about themselves and about what they truly want.  I enjoyed the entire book. I enjoyed the plot. I enjoyed the insider approach to Rosemberg’s writing. Can I call her “Jasmin?”  After reading this delicious novel, I feel like we’re friends for some odd reason. Her background as a nightlife reporter for the New York Post serves her well as she gives readers a taste of the not-so-often seen side of the Hamptons. 

Jasmin Rosemberg’s How the Other Half Hamptons is an easy read that you won’t want to put down. It was not at all what I expected which was a pleasant surprise. The book is a sneak peek at not how the upper echelon “hamptons” each summer--oh no--but, it’s about how twenty-somethings (sometimes thirty-somethings) break and bend the law in order to make summer memories. As the byline reads, “One house. Forty strangers. Add vodka and stir…”

I appreciate this book not only for the entertainment factor, but also because it shows women from all backgrounds that there is a clear distinction between boys and men. I could relate to some of the hijinks, tomfoolery, and down right ambiguity of the guys these girls had to encounter. I also could relate to the cattiness that plague female interactions. Jasmin got the tone just right and I found myself reading at a frenetic pace in order to find out how things were going to pan out. For example, the adventure in the Lexus was hilarious however, the writing was so great that I felt anxious for the girls! I felt as if I were the fourth chick in the back seat trying to find a sign on the dark roads to save us from a debacle of a trip. Anyway, as you build up your beach reading list (I know I am), add this gem.  If you can’t wait, read it now to get some ideas of ways to spend your summer...or things to avoid!

My Dream Come True

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Almost a year ago, I sat down at my computer and got lost in story that flowed so easily from my mind to the blank pages. I was obsessed with each character and wondered what they were doing when I was away from writing. I would sit and plan out what my characters would do, but by the time I got to the computer to write, they had their own plan. I remember one time, I just knew Drew would ride home with her friend after a party, yet she took off walking down the street as if to let me know that I wasn't in control of her.

Finally, after months of trying to figure out how I could get my book to the masses, my ebook is available on Amazon!  Just in time for Christmas, the holiday season, and cozy nights at home, Enigmatic Encounters: The Beginning is a witty coming of age story set on a small southern college campus. The next book in the series will be out next year, so don't panic! You will find out what happens next with Leslie, Drew, and Bruce, but you have to get this book first to find out what happens in The Beginning.