Mini Reviews: Emily For Real by Sylvia Gunnery and Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Emily’s world crumbles when her boy friend dumps her, and when she thinks her life can’t possibly get any worse, a series of secrets are revealed that threaten to tear her beloved family apart. Emily’s heart has been broken into a hundred pieces and she feels like there is no one to turn to, until an unexpected friendship blossoms with a troubled classmate named Leo. Sometimes moody but always supportive, Leo is Emily’s rock in an ocean of confusion and disbelief. But Leo doesn’t have an easy life either. He struggles to be both mother and father to his little sister while his mom battles her alcohol addiction. His deadbeat dad darts in and out of the picture, and Leo would rather he stay away, permanently. The two friends lean on each other, and in the end discover the inner strength to face whatever life throws at them.

My Rating: 2 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: My biggest problem with Sylvia Gunnery’s Emily For Real was that it squished a variety of topics like a breakup, family secrets, alcoholism, etc. into a short book. As a result, none of these subjects were covered in depth. However, there were other problems as well: namely, that Emily was kind of immature, that what was supposed to be a meaningful friendship between Emily and Leo felt superficial at best, and that because I felt emotionally disconnected from Emily, I just didn’t find her family drama that engaging. 

Emily For Real was released by Pajama Press in April 2012.

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Pajama Press) for free. 

original image from thegate.ca

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From Goodreads: Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make: 1) I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you? 2) I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine. 3) High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry - get it?) Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable. (Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.) (Sorry. That was rude.)

 

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

 

Thoughts on the Novel: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett is about one girl trying to get through her first year of high school. While the writing was okay, I wasn’t pleased that the book ended so abruptly, particularly since I thought the plot and the characters – none of whom I really liked – weren’t memorable enough. I also didn’t care about the romance because I couldn’t see what Rose saw in Jamie or figure out why he, a senior, would fall for a lowly freshman. Moreover, I thought it was very hypocritical of Rose for judging her best friend for staying with a cheating boyfriend when she herself makes out with Jamie, a guy who has a girlfriend. 

Confessions of an Angry Girl was released by Harlequin Teen in August 2012.

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Harlequin Teen) for free via NetGalley.