Tag: Young Adult

ECONOGAL > Young Adult

Fun Fact: I Love You Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

YA Offering

Gina Lynn Larsen debuts as an author of Young Adult (YA) fiction with the release of Fun Fact: I Love You. The novel follows many themes of the genre such as first kisses, unrequited love and difficult parent/child relationships. However, Larsen throws in much more angst and grief. Fun Fact: I Love You is a tearjerker along the way to the happy ending.

Nellie and Jensen

The leading pair have been friends forever. However, their friendship took a backseat to high school. Nellie and Jensen run in the same social circle. But she is unaware of how he feels about her. Then a high school prank goes awry, quickly followed by real life tragedy, and the pair are thrown together again.

Nellie is the school valedictorian with a five-year plan. She will graduate with an associate’s degree and a high school diploma and looks forward to leaving home for UNLV. She is close to her dad and at odds with her mom. Occasionally she forgets her studies to crush on school heart throb Sterling. Until he pranks her. Also unsettling for Nellie is the prankster’s cohort in crime is her best friend, Britta.

Jensen is on a different path. No college in the immediate future. Instead, he plans to continue his current (secret) work.  Unbeknownst to his classmates and teachers, Jensen Nichols is writing sci-fi/fantasy under the pen name Jen Dimes. Only a few people know of his secret life including his mom, and Nellie’s dad.

Fun Fact: Real Life is Difficult

Relationships change over time. This is one of the key themes to Larsen’s story. Furthermore, life throws out hardship at different times. For Jensen, the timing was very early on. For Nellie, just before high school graduation. How one handles the difficulties of life is the true test of growth as a person. Much of Fun Fact: I Love You explores this tenet.

Recommendation

Gina Lynn Larsen is outstanding in her debut novel. Perhaps there were a few weaknesses. (How on Earth could Nellie and Britta be BFF all the way through High School?) Yet, I found Fun Fact: I Love You to resonate with realism with respect to Nellie. And Jensen? I am sure there are many teen writers out there with various levels of success. So, I found the story stirring with emotion, satisfying on a plot level and over the top with respect to the growth of the characters. I highly recommend for teens and above. I really need to start reading more YA! Closing the book yielded satisfaction from a really good story.

Fake Famous Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Young Adult

Fake Famous by Dana L. Davis is a delightful novel. A blend between a sweet romance and a coming-of-age novel, the story will appeal to a wide range of readers. Even though the concept of strangers switching identities is not new, Ms. Davis offers a fresh, contemporary take.

This selection is a library check-out. The back cover described a prior Davis novel as a YA or Young Adult. Since I am trying to expand genres in my reviews, I quickly picked up Fake Famous. I am happy I did.

Red Morgan-Star of Fake Famous

Red Morgan is a hard-working Iowa farm girl. Her ginger hair is passed down through a Creole ancestor. The opening scenes depict her loyalty to her family and their farm. Additionally, the author provides glimpses of the difficulties farm families have in making ends meet.

The protagonist hits her 15 minutes of fame when her younger sister’s video goes viral. Red is singing when a fence gives out and she falls into a large pile of manure. She doesn’t miss a beat and poses like the famous diva Zay-Zay Waters. Unbeknownst to Red, Zay-Zay has just dyed her hair red and sees the viral video. And, hatches up a scheme. Zay-Zay needs some alone time.

Fake Famous Plot

Harkening back to Mark Twain’s The Prince and The Pauper, Zay-Zay suddenly appears on the farm with a monetary deal Red can’t pass up. The pop star wants Red to fill her shoes for a week of glamorous appearances. Meanwhile, Zay-Zay will go on a soul-finding retreat. The only catch is Red must interact with Koi Kalawai’a, a fellow singing sensation and boyfriend to Zay-Zay. Except, he’s not.

Apparently Hollywood romances are fake too. But the chemistry between Koi and Red is real and so the complications begin. In addition to romance, Davis provides an insiders look into the lives of the rich and famous. Between the paparazzi and the fakeness, it is a different kind of hard work.

Recommendation

Fake Famous is an enjoyable read. The attraction between Red and Koi moves the story forward as each provides growth for the other. The secondary characters are well-developed and add to the story line. The romance is sweet, and the coming-of-age story is insightful. This is the first novel I have read from Dana Davis, but it won’t be the last. A great novel for young teens to adults.