Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Posted February 1, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Rowena’s review of New Girl by Paige Harbison.

Main Character: Callie
Love Interest: Max
Series: None
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

They call me ‘New Girl’…

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

I went into this book, thinking that this was going to be some kind of contemporary YA story with a paranormal twist but I’m glad that this wasn’t one of those kinds of stories. I don’t think this story needed a paranormal twist to make it interesting. It was interesting without adding any of that into the mix.

This story follows the new girl at Manderly. She comes into this new school and immediately is thrown in the shadow of the girl that she replaced. No matter where she goes at that school, Becca is everywhere. Everyone loved her, including the guy that you develop a serious crush on.

I had to keep taking breaks when I read this book because I would get so flippin’ pissed off at the injustices that these teens committed, day in and day out. They compared the new girl to Becca, who was like the Queen Bee and that dumb little shit Dana got on my hot damn nerves. I couldn’t stand it. Even when the story of Becca starts to come together and you realize things, I still didn’t like Dana. She was unnecessarily mean to the new girl and I hated the things she said and did to the new girl.

My favorite and most frustrating part of this book was the relationship that blossomed between Callie and Max. There were times when I was so excited for Callie (the new girl) and times when I wanted to throw my arms around her and stop her from acting a straight fool. There were times a plenty that I wanted to smack some sense into Max. I thought they spent too much time not discussing what was bothering them and them not talking would lead to embarrassing outbursts. I had to keep reminding myself that they were teenagers and teenagers did stupid things like this. At the same time, I enjoyed both of them. I like Max and felt bad for him because of the sticky situation he was in because of Becca. I also liked getting to know Callie. She was the kind of girl that I would have been friends with in high school and I felt bad for her because she dealt with a lot of crap that she shouldn’t have had to deal with.

I will say that this was an interesting read. I wasn’t bored at all while I was reading this story and though I had to put it down from time to time because I would get so frustrated but never once did I hate the book. I think Harbison did a great job of sucking me in and making me come to care for the characters in the story. I liked this book and am glad that I decided to read it.

..and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Harlequin Teen.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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Tagged: 3.0 Reviews, Contemporary, Harlequin Teen, Netgalley, Paige Harbison, Reviews, Rowena's Reviews, Young Adult

Review: Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison.

Posted January 27, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 7 Comments

Main Character: Bridget
Love Interest: Liam
Series: ??
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Heroine, Bridget Duke, rules her high school, but when she crashes her car and ends up in limbo, she must confront the people she has wronged, all of whom want her to go to hell. The outcome of these meetings will decide her final destination.

Nothing annoys me more than a teenager with the kind of attitude that Bridget had. The attitude that says, I’m better than you and I know it (and you should know it too). The attitude that she’s above the rules and what not. It’s why I can’t stand a lot of the teenagers that my niece Chelsea brings home with her. They all have this attitude and they make me want to smack those stupid grins off their faces.

There were times aplenty that I wanted to smack Bridget upside her head and then she goes into the Head Master’s office and she starts spewing lots of crap and I immediately and instantly hated her guts. What surprised me is that over the course of the book, I began to loathe Bridget more and more because she was such a bleeping brat. There was no excuse for the way that she treated people. She was the total mean girl and I did not like her at all and it affected my enjoyment of the book.

My main gripe with this book was that the author doesn’t really explain why Bridget acted the way that she did. It’s hinted at but after I finished the book, I didn’t have that sense of, “Ahhh, okay I get it now…” I was left feeling like she didn’t grovel nearly enough. I didn’t leave the book with that feeling of contentment that everything ended the way that it should have ended. I wanted Bridget to grovel more, she spent so much time screwing everyone else over and within a few pages, tries to make amends for it all. I didn’t really see her come into her own, I saw that she was going to die if she didn’t make everything right in the few hours that she got.

Even though I enjoyed the book as a whole, I was left wanting more and that’s why this book is getting a C from me. I enjoyed Meredith’s character. My favorite part of this book was when Bridget saw the other side of the coin. When she visits Meredith, Liam, Michelle and Brett, when she sees what her actions caused her, that was when the book started getting interesting. I took pleasure in seeing Bridget squirm but for me, it just wasn’t nearly enough squirming to make up for what she did but I would definitely read another book by Paige Harbison.

..and that’s your scoop!