Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Title: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Author: Liz Czukas
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 9, 2014 -- today!!!
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

This book was super adorable and features a main character who makes a lot of lists, so I thought I'd make a list of my own.

Top Ten Clues You'll Enjoy This Book:

1. You have great affection for The Breakfast Club. The cast of characters in this story definitely gave off a Breakfast Club vibe, though maybe for a slightly younger audience. (Think Disney Channel.) Unlikely friendships, FTW!

2. You enjoy holiday-themed stories. Set on Christmas Eve in a grocery store, this story had me giddy from page one. If you've ever worked retail during the holiday season, you can probably relate to a lot of the odd things Chloe and her new friends see over the course of story. And even if you haven't, I'm sure you can imagine.

3. You find yourself constantly making lists. Chloe is a list-maker, which endeared her to me immediately, being a list-maker myself. But Chloe's lists aren't just to-do lists...she makes lists for some of the most random things, a lot of which are included in this novel. The inclusion of those lists made this book even cuter, if that's even possible.

4. You don't mind when the romance isn't center stage. Even so, it was totally sweet. There aren't many swoons to be had, but what was there left my shipping heart awwwing in contentment.

5. You love a diverse cast of characters. I loved how everyone's background was taken into consideration in this story and yet it proved not to matter in the end. I mean, yes, at first they felt stereotypical and some of the characters felt like tokens, but the author does take the time to develop each of them while they're stuck in that grocery store break room.

6. You like a side of mystery with your story of friendship. The mystery of the missing charity money is the glue that binds these kids together, turning them into friends instead of mere casual acquaintances. And Chloe needs some friends. She was also desperate to solve the mystery herself, and though it was pretty easy to figure out myself, I liked that even when everyone else had give up, she was still trying to work it out for herself.

7. You enjoy light-hearted, fluffy, and totally frivolous reads. I never thought I'd say this, but I totally fall into this category now. I will definitely (finally) be checking out my copy of Ask Again Later and the soon-to-be-published NA When Joss Met Matt, written under the author's pseudonym.

8. You like a story that portrays illness realistically but isn't heavy-handed with it. Chloe has diabetes, a fact she's withheld from her coworkers. And with the stress of Christmas Eve shoppers and the theft of the charity money, she's not been taking the best care of herself. It was nice to see her new friends rallying to help her out.

9. You gravitate toward stories featuring normal kids with normal problems and normal jobs. I tend to favor characters that remind me of myself...or my younger self, anyway. I had a clunker of a car in high school. I worked at the local video rental store, back when those were still a thing. I had to worry about paying for college and why I needed to know what I was going to major in. The struggle was real, but it was also normal.

10. You've gotten up to some grocery store shenanigans of your own. Oh, the things these kids do to entertain themselves while they await judgment. Raise your hand if you've ever wanted to be pushed around in the shopping cart like a kid or race around the entirety of the grocery store. *raises hand* Raise your hand if you've done either of those things, even though you didn't work at the store AND it was still open when you did it. *raises hand*

As you can see, this book was pretty fun and so, so cute. And it's a perfect read for this time of year, considering it takes place over the course of one day...and on Christmas Eve, no less!

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Liz Czukas is the author of fun YA romances like ASK AGAIN LATER (HarperTeen '14) and TOP TEN CLUES YOU'RE CLUELESS (HarperTeen '14). She also writes fun New Adult romances like WHEN JOSS MET MATT under the name Ellie Cahill.

Find Liz:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Instagram

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Labels: all in one day/night, christmas, contemporary, funfunfun, harper-collins, holidays, liz czukas, reviews

Review: Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

Title: Bright Before Sunrise
Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Publication Date: February 18, 2014
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him.

For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance.

Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.?

One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

I read Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt back in 2012, and I really liked it. So I was pretty excited to see she had a new book coming out and even more excited when I was approved to read it early. I quite literally danced around my kitchen getting strange looks from my daughter.

Now after reading Bright Before Sunrise, I can say all that dancing was justified. I absolutely adored this book. There is just something about books that take place in one night. One night really can change everything and be downright magical.

The story is told from both POV’s.  That’s a favorite thing of mine, because being in both heads is fun. You really feel like you’re in the know. Jonah is broody and I loved him. He’s having a really hard time adjusting to this new life he’s been thrust into, and he takes it out on everyone around him. Though I can’t really blame him, after getting the full story of how it all went down. I wanted to wrap him up and give him a big hug... and other things.

Brighton has flaws. You see, Brighton on the surface looks perfect. Not a care in the world. She’s popular, pretty and always has a smile on her face. It’s been 5 years since her father’s death and she’s still not okay. Not that it’s a bad thing, I found that it made her feel real to me. She puts on a show for everyone, yet inside she’s a mess.

Jonah, hates everything about his new home, and the kids he now goes to school with. Especially Brighton, until he spends one night in her company and learns she’s not what she appears to be.

Through the course of the evening, they both learn so much about each other, but not only that, they learn about themselves. I think that was really the best part of this book.

I was brought back to my teenage years reading this. I lived for the weekends I had plans with my friends and some nights felt like they would never end. Shenanigans until the sun came up! We all gained so much from those times, so I could completely relate to Jonah and Brighton on this level. 

Would I recommend Bright Before Sunrise? Heck Yes!! It’s such a great book. I cannot wait to meet the Author this spring. She is seriously the one author I’m looking forward to meeting the most at YA Fest. I might fan girl a little bit. Okay, maybe a lot. lol

About the author:

Tiffany Schmidt lives in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles. She's not at all superstitious... at least that's what she tells herself every Friday the thirteenth.

SEND ME A SIGN is her first novel. BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE will follow in Winter 2014. The ONCE UPON A CRIME FAMILY series begins with HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH in 2015.

Find Tiffany:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

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Labels: all in one day/night, beautiful covers, bloomsbury, bright before sunrise, contemporary, love/hate relationships, reviews, tiffany schmidt

Review: Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

Title: Bright Before Sunrise
Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Publication Date: February 18, 2014
Source: received from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him.

For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance.

Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.?

One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

I'm a sucker for a book whose events transpire over the course of one day or night.  I also like books where the two main characters start out as enemies...or at least on unfriendly terms and have to work to get into each other's good graces. Also, if I'm being completely honest here, I like books told from dual perspectives...but only when the voices sound different and unique enough to actually warrant two point-of-views.

Bright Before Sunrise has all of those things.  It's also a really honest and relatable story, much like Schmidt's debut. As I said, the book is told from both Jonah and Brighton's perspectives, and each voice definitely lends something to the story, whether its Jonah's brutal honesty and cynicism or Brighton's ability to see the best and be the best in any situation.  Each character just felt so genuine and conjured up images of people I knew in high school myself.  They are realistic and so are their emotions and reactions.  And they find themselves in situations that real teenagers would.

Aside from just being real, I also loved how opposite these two characters were, and how utterly different their lives are, though neither exactly has it easy.  In the beginning, Jonah finds it difficult to tolerate Brighton and what she stands for, or what he thinks Brighton is all about anyway.  And Brighton's only interest in Jonah is to get him to complete a service project so that she can win an award that her deceased father once received.  Thus begins a whirlwind of a night that ends full of possibilities.

I know that falling hard for someone after only one night together would normally be considered insta-love by my own standards, but in this book, it feels more like a slow burn.  Remember, these kids don't even really like each other when the story begins, but throughout a night full of normal teenage circumstances, they slowly become friends, confidantes, and something a little more.  The growth these characters face, what they discover about themselves and each other...that's what those formative teenage years are for.  I love how the author uses the course of one night to express how perceptions can be altered and shaped in a second, if one truly gives themselves over to it.

Everything about this novel just felt so authentic to the teenage experience, right down to the worry about getting home late at the end of the night.  (Or actually, probably early morning, but you get what I'm saying.) The connection that was forged between these two characters was just beautiful and sweet, and I loved where the story ended, leaving the reader full of hope and a little wonder at what the future holds.  After two solid, clever stories about real teens with real problems and real lives, I'm pretty sure I'll be reading everything Tiffany Schmidt writes for the foreseeable future.  I can't wait to get my hands on Hold Me Like a Breath!

GIF it to me straight:

*sigh* cute, simple, hopeful and...wait for it...purr-fect  =)

About the author:

Tiffany Schmidt lives in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles. She's not at all superstitious... at least that's what she tells herself every Friday the thirteenth.

SEND ME A SIGN is her first novel. BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE will follow in Winter 2014. The ONCE UPON A CRIME FAMILY series begins with HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH in 2015.

Find Tiffany:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

Read More

Labels: all in one day/night, beautiful covers, bloomsbury, bright before sunrise, contemporary, love/hate relationships, reviews, tiffany schmidt