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!
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
Monday, February 9, 2015
Review: When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill
Author: Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas)
Series: stand-alone
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For someone who's not the biggest fan of new adult in general, I've had some pretty awesome luck picking out great reads in this genre. In this case, it does help that I've already read -- and mostly adored -- a book by Liz Czukas, and When Joss Met Matt is written under her new adult pen name. Also, I'm a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, and though this story is more "friends with benefits", it definitely falls under that category.
I'm also a big fan of banter, and this novel had it in spades. I loved the easy friendship between Joss and Matt, the witty repartee…and, oh my, that chemistry. From the very beginning, you know that these two should be together, and it's fun but painful to read as they fall in and out of love many times as they ultimately work toward that end result.
This novel read like the montage episode of your favorite show, where something that's happening on the show in the present results in a lot of flashbacks. I enjoy a story told in this manner, as long as the segue isn't jarring and the flashback makes sense in the scheme of things. It's handled well in When Joss Met Matt, and the flashbacks were definitely necessary to the story. They give the reader a sense of the evolution of Joss and Matt's relationship, and they put what's happening between them now into perspective.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars was because of the ending. It left something to be desired, especially with all of the build-up leading to it. Also, it was due a bit earlier and it felt like the author was prolonging it for bigger shock value. Aside from that, though, I really enjoyed this novel. For the most part, it was light-hearted and humorous, and I thought the spin on the standard "friends with benefits" storyline was refreshing. Cahill/Czukas definitely got my attention with this book, and I can't wait to read more from her, whether it be YA or NA.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas
Author: Liz Czukas
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 9, 2014 -- today!!!
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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!
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starryeyedjen
- I work with numbers by day, and I'm a mommy and avid reader by night. I'm a self-proclaimed Spreadsheet Queen, and I'll read anything you put in front of me. I seriously love all the books! And I adore audiobooks, too!
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