Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell

Image from RPL

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication: April 26, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
ISBN:978-0061728938, Hardcover
Reviewer Source: Library

Synopsis of book from Amazon: Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream.


This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow"—as Samantha Jones dubs her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined.

With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.

Personal thoughts on book:I enjoyed reading The Carrie Diaries but it took me a long, long time to finish Summer and the City, the sequel book. Carrie is in NYC and is hanging out with Samantha. This young Carrie is very different than the Carrie from the SATC series. She does a lot of complaining, very jealous, and self-centered. During her summer in NYC, she ends up taking a writing class at the New School and meets a lot of interesting characters. Samantha in the book is (gasp) engaged which if you know her character from the SATC series, you would find that somewhat unbelievable. Carrie meets Miranda and the two do not hit it off at first. Things do change as they realize they have things in common. Similar to the SATC series, there is plenty of talk about men, fashion, and parties. You get to see a softer side of Samatha which is different from her character in the series. If you are a fan of the series and want more of Samatha, Miranda, and Carrie at a younger age, give it a try.

Sexual content: Obsession with losing virginity
Violence/Disturbing images:
Drugs and Language: Underage drinking

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13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Image from RPL

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: 2010
Age Group: Young Adult
ISBN: 0312609140
Reviewer Source: Library

Synopsis of the book from Amazon:
Everything about Jessie Gillmansen's life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she's about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent--he's a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie's small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can't avoid...
Personal thoughts on book:
When I first started reading this book, it reminded me of Twilight. Also by reading the copyright page it said "13 to Life: a werewolf's tale" Instead of only one girl being new in town, it was brothers.

Jessica is still hurting from the lost of her mother and loves to spend time with her horses and dogs. Jessica is assigned to show the new student Pietr Rusakove around and it changes her life forever. At first Jessica tries to deny the feelings she has for Pietr with unsuccessful results. I do not want to give away too much of the story but it is a very predictable. Jessica also likes Derek a football player. Pietr is quick to point out that guys like Derek don't like girls like Jessica.

Sometimes I cannot understand why Jessica likes Pietr or her reckless behavior. But I think that will appeal to the reader. I was sometimes confused on which character was talking or what was going on in the story. Overall I think it will appeal to fans of the Twilight series or Wolves of Mercy Falls. This was book one and I found out book four was published in August. Book five will be published in 2012.

Sexual Content:Kissing
Violence/Disturbing images: Girl fighting, violence at the end of the book
Drugs and Language:  Not really.

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It has been over a year since I wrote my last book review. My goal is to write at least three book reviews each week.