Review: Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (March 5, 2009)

Hardcover: 272 pages

Price: $11.55 from {amazon}

Summary: from {goodreads}

Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it’s all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.

But Annika’s plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him. Annika suddenly fi nds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

Janette Rallison’s proven talent for laugh-out-loud humor, teen romance, and deep-hearted storytelling shines in a novel that will have readers laughing and crying at the same time.

Rating:

Review: I've grown wary of chick-lit, but I finally relented to Just One Wish, and wow, it far exceeded my expectations. If you note the previous chick-lit I have reviewed, they all fall into the 2-3 star range. However, Just One Wish had me ensnared in its cute plotline and likeable characters. Admittedly with a standard plotline, fairly stereotypical, predictable, and unrealistic, but it was definitely a book that had the entertainment value I needed.

Ahh, characters. Much of the chick-lit I read (maybe I have this unconscious radar for not-so-great chick-lit) tends to have weak girls and super-sexy-OMG-hot guys. It gets a little monotonous after a while. However, I found myself liking Steve, the Teen Robin Hood, who is the typical famous movie star with a deep interior. That being said, he really was extremely nice and, does it need to be mentioned, hot. I have a thing for super-nice boys, and Steve was definitely one that I would call sensitive, sweet, and caring, so I really couldn't help but like him. He was also the perfect gentleman to Annika, so he gets boosted a few rungs on the drool worthy ladder. Annika herself was likeable as well. She actually had a backbone and did what she wanted to get what she wanted, not in a spoiled way but in an "after I've decided, nothing can change my mind" sort of way. Annika cried at the end though, which helped me relate to her because no one's invulnerable, though some may like to seem that way. The only real complaint I have about her is her spontaneity since, excuse me, but the idea of hunting the most famous male teen star in Hollywood is pretty unbelievable... and Annika's bet with Steve was pretty inconceivable. And don't forget Jeremy, Annika's brother, who though he doesn't show up a lot, is so cute! Definitely the type of brother I would have traded my little sister for back when my sister was his age - in a heartbeat.

The one major thing I didn't like is the time span of Just One Wish. Granted the plot wouldn't really work over a long period, but the first time Steve leaned in to kiss Annika I was like "woah, slow down there!" Not because I didn't like them individually or together, but because it was so quick. On the other hand, the plot was fast-moving and had me wanting to read what was going to happen next. The book was predictable in that I had a general idea of what was going to happen, but I didn't know what exactly would happen to cause it. Janette Rallison's writing also helped it along, easy-flowing and up-to-date.

Romance: Mild, but emotionally one of the main features of the book. There were a few kisses here and there, but nothing more than that. It was more Annika and Steve's first, innocent discovery of actual love, both romantically and family-oriented.
Cover: 3.0 - simple, but cute! Reminded me of how much I loved blowing dandelions and making a wish when I was a young kid.
Writing: 3.5
Characters: 3.5
Plot: 3.5

Bottom Line: Overall, I would call Just One Wish pleasurable, but fairly average. Though it was predictable, had your typical characters, and followed a common plotline, Janette Rallison managed to create a multitude of fun, relatable characters that flesh out the plot and lessons about appearances and family. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light read that they can read and enjoy, but don't have to get too involved in. My one wish is to see Janette Rallison write more adorable books that uplift my spirits! :)

Review: Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

Publisher: HarperTeen (May 26, 2009)

Paperback: 288 pages
Price: $12.74 from Amazon
Summary:

She's looking good . . . but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.

Though her deal with the devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't making things any easier. Plus, when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model, all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay gorgeous forever?
Following the critically acclaimed Lucky, Rachel Vail continues her poignant sisterhood trilogy with the rebellious middle Avery sister, Allison. Fiery, sarcastic, and just plain fun, gorgeous captures the heartbreak and hilarity in one girl's attempt to have it all.

Rating:

Review: Well. Let me start off by saying that Gorgeous wasn't exactly what I expected from the summary.

Hm...

Gorgeous was, admittedly, a fairly enjoyable read. It's the average chick-lit: shy girl, hot guy, girl gets guy (maybe, not going to ruin the book now, would I?). There's the sterotypical high school cliches and, for the most part, the dialogue and sentiments of the teenage characters were spot-on. Rachel Vail also manages to insert some good messages about self-esteem, family, friends, and appearances. Just want to point out that I thought it was cute how Allison and her crush flirted by talking to each other through their cell phones even when standing next to each other! Perhaps a bit awkard in real life (not that I've tried it), but adorable and adolescence-y nonetheless. 

Unfortunately, there were a lot of points that didn't really boost my impression of this book. First off, there's Allison, who's always important since she's the main girl here. I actually found myself relating more to one of her friends, Roxie, and Roxie isn't even there about a third of the time! I had neutral feelings about Allison at the beginning; she was just one of those girls that wanted to fit in like everyone else. But when she does manage to "fit in," she develops a I-art-better-than-thou attitude which doesn't exactly convey the message that self-assurance will lead to a independent, kind person. But contradictory toward her snooty behavior, her self-esteem is way low, even at the end, and especially for a girl who has the potential to be Amreica's next teen model, which might have been cute for the first 50 pages, but that girl needs some self-confidence! And I'm not just talking about in the last couple pages. The other characters, with the exception of truly independent Roxie, also fell flat for me; it was basically a one-way personality for all of the other characters.

The other main thing that bugged me was the confusing devil-and-phone concept. I had a preconception of what the idea was going to be like and during the course of the book, I thought I was right and I thought I got it, the whole posess-the-phone deal, but then the end comes and everything I thought before was wrong. What?! I'm still trying to understand some impossibilities that turned out not to be so impossible after all...

Bottom Line: Even though there were major flaws in character and plot, Gorgeous, overall, was a mildly enjoyable read for me. I didn't necessarily like the characters, but I also didn't have a strong aversion to them, and I think that and the fact that I didn't go in with high expectations allowed me to still sort of enjoy the book for what it is: very light chick-lit. The concept had potential, but I don't think Rachel Vail was able to manipulate the devil's deal to her full advantage. I won't be re-reading this one, but who knows? Maybe Gorgeous will be your kind of read when you're in for some fluffy padding, but some fluff that still delivers a good message about relationships and self-confidence.