Outcast by Adrienne Kress

Outcast by Adrienne Kress
Published by Dviersion Books; June 4, 2013
eBook, 322 pages
Received from publisher through NetGalley --thanks!

After six years of “angels” coming out of the sky and taking people from her town, 16-year-old Riley Carver has just about had it living with the constant fear. When one decides to terrorize her in her own backyard, it’s the final straw. She takes her mother’s shotgun and shoots the thing. So it’s dead. Or … not? In place of the creature she shot, is a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot alive and breathing guy. Oh, and he’s totally naked.

Not sure what to do, she drags his unconscious body to the tool shed and ties him up. After all, he’s an angel and they have tricks. When he regains consciousness she’s all set to interrogate him about why the angels come to her town, and how to get back her best friend (and almost boyfriend) Chris, who was taken the year before. But it turns out the naked guy in her shed is just as confused about everything as she is.

He thinks it’s 1956.

Set in the deep south, OUTCAST is a story of love, trust, and coming of age. It’s also a story about the supernatural, a girl with a strange sense of humor who’s got wicked aim, a greaser from the 50’s, and an army of misfits coming together for one purpose: To kick some serious angel ass.

- Description from Goodreads.com

After reading Outcast, I would be perfectly content with reading more novels about angels...given that they are as good as this one. I'm so grateful I was able to read this because it was amazing. The plot to the characters - everything was great. 

I'd always been wary of reading about angels because if they're not beautiful and perfect, they're evil and manipulating. But with Outcast, angels are much different. Kress actually takes research and spins a book based off of real stories. Which isn't something I've been seeing lately. The angels in Outcast are complex and it's a joy finding out more about them with Riley. There are also a couple of plot twists here which make for an addictive read. This whole book took me one day to read - and I never put it down unless I had to. 

To be honest, much of that was due to Gabe and Riley's incredible chemistry. They immediately hit it off and it was absolute torture to wait for them to get together. Ashamed as I am to say that (because I should not be focusing on romance), I loved Gabe and Riley! Seriously so much that I nearly cried at the end. 

The other characters were amazing too. I loved Lacy and Wild Frank who caused many laugh out loud moments for me! They both made this book memorable. Now, Pastor Warren - he is a creepy creepy dude. I nearly peed my pants reading about him. There's something sketchy about him right off the bat and the uneasiness he gave me while reading was amazingly terrifying. 

Completely unputdownable! Highly reccommend it!

Reflect & Renew: May 2013

Hello readers! Say hi to Reflect and Renew which you will be seeing around here at the end of each month. Inspired by Monthly Rewind at the Perpetual Page Turner. Enjoy! :)

REVIEWS:

Ten Things I Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky


DISCUSSIONS:
Naughty, Naughty Authors

FEATURES:
Waiting On Wednesday (3)

BOOKS NEXT UP ON MY TBR LIST:

Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky
Outcast by Adrienne Kress
A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brandon Halpin
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS:

Making two clay bowls in pottery (can't wait to use them!)
The Leafs playoffs! We were so CLOSE! Well, there's always next year, right?
The crazy "contact improvisation" workshop we had at school. Oof, you do not know how much my back hurt after.
My last Girl Talk sesh! I'm going to miss getting to have deep discussions with y'all!

MOST PLAYED SONG:

Goldrushed - The Royal Concept

*I just had to squeeze this in here, everyone check out Entertainment by Phoenix. Such a good song.*


MADE
Dark chocolate rice krispies. Yum! Dipping things in chocolate is the best!
I already said this, but two amazing bowls in pottery! Can't wait to use them!
An awesome playlist with the help of my awesome friends!
A bad, bad, bad Romeo & Juliet adaptation for Performing Arts Class. I'm a guy. Does that convince you?

THINGS I CAN'T WAIT FOR IN JUNE
To break out my short shorts! It's about time!
My trip to Montreal! I'm coming for you!
Also, all the other grad stuff I have to attend
END OF SCHOOL!


That's all, see you next month! :)

Waiting On Wednesday (2)

The Theory Of Everything by Kari Luna

Hardcover, 320 pages

Release in July 2013 by Philomel

One part Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE, two parts String Theory, and three parts love story equals a whimsical novel that will change the way you think about the world.

Sophie Sophia is obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see. But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her dad. 

Guided by Walt, her shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself, Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to love.

Perfect for fans of Going Bovine, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Probability of Miracles.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I mean, there's a giant shaman panda. How could anything top that? Plus, look at all the cute little pandas on the cover. Seriously though, this book sounds amazing. Crazy, too, but a good crazy like giant-shaman-pandas-good-crazy. Can't wait for this. Honestly, can July come any slower? I want this NOW.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Anatomy #1
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers; January 9, 2007
Hardcover, 272 pages
Received from the author - thanks!

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

- Description from Goodreads.com

This book was definitely worth the read! I was a bit hesitant at first because of the sex scenes but in truth, they didn't even bug me that much. Okay fine, a little bit but not as much as I had anticipated.

The story with Anatomy of a Boyfriend is really quite simple and straightforward: two teens meet and fall in love. There are no confusing sub-plots to take away from the main story and I loved that! Often, books are so layered with storylines that it just feels too heavy. I liked how this book was stripped of all that, choosing only to focus on the main idea of the story which is a teenage relationship. Because of this, the ups and downs of the relationship really shone through and made it seem that much more realistic.

Now onto the sex. Honestly, I thought all the scenes were very tastefully done and not at all overdone. You know how authors tend to overwrite when it comes to scenes like these? That simply wasn't the case here and thank goodness for that! I loved how both Dom and Wes were realistically naive when it came to sex and you could see that inexperience shine through some of the first scenes. The sex scenes also didn't feel superfluous, like filler. It definitely fit with the story.

The only thing I have some beef with is that Wes' character wasn't very...defined. It was hard to identify who he was at times in the book. What I did like about Wes is that he wasn't the womanizer or playboy you see when you meet books with heavier sex themes. He was simply an average Joe who didn't mean any harm.

And finally, the ending. Um, can I get some more of Calvin please? Now there's a guy who I like! But good on Daria's part to not have Dom jump at Calvin immediately. Again, being realistic. But I would really like to see them get together. Perhaps in the next book?

Overall, I thought this was a great book. Wes and Dom's relationship was great to read about and I thought it was very realistic (though I probably said that around fifty times so far so I doubt I need to repeat myself). Finally, a book that portrays teen relationships accurately! :)

Naughty, Naughty Authors

Sometimes, authors have a tough time keeping their anger in check. Sometimes, it ends up on the Internet. And sometimes, it makes book bloggers ponder about how it affects their views on said author.

This discussion is inspired by a similar post held at The Broke And Bookish from a while ago. In truth, this discussion was actually supposed to be scheduled for December but somehow, I missed the deadline. So here it is. I guess that also explains why I'm bringing it up long after most of the drama has passed. This topic is simply too intriguing for me to ignore an opportunity to input my two cents.

To be honest, I've always been a fan of scandals, as long as I'm not connected to the scandal, in which case, I scream and cry. But, alas, I am not an author nor do I frequently converse with authors so there's no need for me to worry about being scandalized. Since starting blogging back in August, I've heard a fair amount of reviewer/author drama going down from secondary sources. Most of it from my own research, like from this wonderful feature at Pocketful of Books, but I would consider myself pretty well-informed nonetheless.

Now, I'm not particularly surprised by all these scandals surrounding certain authors. I mean, authors are people too, right? And people definitely screw up and make mistakes so even though it hasn't happened in the past, that's not to say it won't happen in the future. But while I'm not taken aback by the fact that these outbreaks of defensive authors do occur, the sheer amount of guts some authors have is appalling. Sometimes, after sitting back and reading about these scandals, you wonder: where the heck are their publicists? Because honestly, the things they say are absolutely horrifying, in how rude and offensive they are. 

I can tell you right now that I understand feeling defensive when someone criticizes you or your work. It's understandable that you'd be upset over a negative review of your book. To think about all the hours you've spent writing that book and then to have it torn to pieces by a single reader? It hurts, man. And you get upset  which is natural. You vent to your friends - fine. You cry a bit - fine. But there has to come a time where you realize that sitting back and moping won't do you any good. Maybe this reviewer has a point. Maybe I do need to work on character development. There has to be a reason why someone thought what they thought about your book and so maybe before getting all angry and enraged, think it through. When someone attacks your book, often they aren't attacking you as a person. And that's incredibly important to remember. Also that everyone is entitled to their opinion. So while one person may absolutely detest your book, another might absolutely love it (not counting you, the author, FYI). Think about it, is it really necessary to make a fuss about one review? Especially on the internet, no less. You're not only putting your reputation on the line, you're making the reviewer look like a villain when they aren't really doing anything bad.

As a reader though, I find myself thinking: do scandalized authors make me wary of their books? Or do I continue with it anyway? In all honesty, I don't see how scandals have anything to do with the quality of a book. Yes, I understand being disgusted at an author's actions and not wanting to have anything to do with them but on the other hand, their character isn't related to how well they write. I'd rather rely on reviews to tell me that. And in any case, scandals attract me, not deter me so if an author has some controversy surrounding them, I'd probably be interested in what their book is like. However, it's not as if I'm just going to pick every book written by every single controversial author - I actually have to be interested in them. Man, what do you take me to be?

Well, there's my two cents on this controversial topic. Whew, I think I'm all scandal-ed out! Feel free to leave comments below! xxx

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
The Monstrumologist #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; September 22, 2009
Hardcover, 447 pages
Borrowed from library

These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?

- Description from Goodreads.com

I am completely blown away by this book. In no way would I have expected this to be so good. I had received a recommendation prior to reading the book, insisting that I should read it because "it's a very good book" but that did not prepare me for all the twists and turns that awaited me. 

The Monstrumologist is incredibly gory and grim but instead of turning me away, it only increased my fascination. I was hooked from beginning to end, despite the fact that it is a lengthy book. There is no shortage of action in this book, yet it is written so in a way that it doesn't feel like filler. Every single story line in this book feels relevant to the progression of the story. Rick does a wonderful job of describing the dark New England setting he has painted, along with the terrifying anthropophagi. While reading, I couldn't help but believe the existence of such things, even though the better part of me realized how absurd that is. Everything was so rich with detail that the story felt much more sophisticated and complex than it really was.

My goodness, I really can't reccommend this enough. I loved everything about this book, even the gory bits which by the way, are much gorier than you'd expect coming from a YA horror/fantasy. You might need to check that out before you read it if that puts you off. In all, it was a brilliant read and never in my life have 400 pages passed by more quickly. Amazingly horrifying and worrisome, this is a book you should definitely check out!

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson
Published by Sourcebooks Fire; May 1, 2011
Paperback, 304 pages
Borrowed from library

When Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with Natalie "the Boob Job" Stone three days before their drama club's departure to Italy, she completely freaks.

Stuck with a front row view of Sean and Natalie making out against the backdrop of a country that oozes romance, Jessa promises to follow all of the outrageous instructions in her best friend's care package and open her heart to new experiences.

Enter cute Italian boy stage left.

Jessa had prepared to play the role of humiliated ex-girlfriend, but with Carissa directing her life from afar, it's finally time to take a shot at being a star.

- Description from book

I know a lot of people did not enjoy this book. I know there were many negative reviews and it almost makes me think twice about my own feelings on this book. I simply cannot believe that this many people detested a book that I consider to be one of my all-time favourites. 

To me, it was amazing. Stunning. I loved the travel aspect of it, though it certainly wasn't as prominent as I thought it would be. It didn't shine, like so many other foreign settings have in the past but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Kim wrote a gorgeous cast of characters, ones who were incredibly layered and felt real. They weren't flimsy, one dimensional characters, they were complex and fascinating. I am not kidding you, without skipping a beat, I would read another book on each and every single one of the characters. Even Jessa and Carissa, who are frankly the most annoying characters ever. I like to think that the other characters made up for them. 

The best part of this story is how it's not about a romance. It's about finding yourself and learning who you are. It was so nice and refreshing to see that. And I think that's why the book meant so much to me. I have absolutely no clue on who I am or how to find myself so it was just nice and comforting to see someone like Jessa, so absolutely buried in all of her crap that she has little sense of who she is, find themselves again. That, in itself, made this book amazing for me. There's something about that reality that deeply resonates with me and though this book may not be technically perfect, I am thankful I read it.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Published by St. Martin's Press; January 15, 2013
Paperback, 240 pages
Borrowed from library

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

- Description from Goodreads.com

No amount of "the cover is misleading" could have ever prepared me for what waited for me in the book. Honestly, I was surprised at the amount of sex and graphic imagery. Had I known this was going to be in the book, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Yes, I've sat through health classes and yes, I know what a penis looks like but having it described to you in that way is horrifying and disgusting. It makes me wish that sex weren't even a thing. Just, EURGH.

What I did appreciate with Uses for Boys was the style of writing which was what made the first few chapters awesome and incredibly readable. I zoomed through them in two minutes and without them, I probably wouldn't have been able to stomach those gross juvenile sex scenes. Or want to continue at all. Once we had gone a little further into the book, the writing changed a bit. Perhaps that was to signify the growth of Anna, but for me, I would have liked the writing to have stayed the same. It was unique and special and I loved it. 

I thought the pacing in this book was totally off. We didn't meet Sam until 3/4 in and that probably has something to do with the lack of connection I felt towards him. To me, he was like every other guy Anna has hooked up with. I mean, wow, he abstains from sex for, like, a day and that means he's "more than useful" or that he is "the one"? Oh, please. Give me something I can actually believe. There was nothing more to the Anna/Sam relationship than sex. I think there was more love in the Anna/Josh relationship which, by the way, takes up more of the book than Anna/Sam does. 

Now with Anna, I actually liked her for the first bit. I felt she was a real teenage voice and that even though I couldn't really connect with her, I could appreciate her and the story she would tell. That soon disappeared. I mean, I totally understand how hard it is to never have a parent there. I just feel like the author was trying to make me pity Anna or sympathize with her when, in all honesty, she was unlikable. I just couldn't bring myself to make an effort to connect to her because I couldn't. It's terrible, what happened to her and I wish I could sound like a caring human being and say that "yes, I did sympathize and my heart broke for her" but I can't. Because in reality, I sat there flipping the pages like a robot.

There also seemed to be no character development at all. I think this may be related to the fact that Sam is practically like every other jerk Anna's ever dated. I just don't see her learning from her experiences and that frustrates me so much. She's still the same girl, the same girl who relies on guys to give her attention. And I think that bugged me a lot. Having it end and knowing that Anna did not change in any way. I don't feel as though she owned her mistakes and recognized that. 

There were also a lot of loose, confusing situations and especially that of Toy who gave me the biggest headache of all. I think most of her parts was just filler and I didn't really see how she relevant to Anna's story except for maybe showing that Anna did in fact have a life outside of the guys. In all, I just really did not enjoy this book. It was a fast read, yes, but it was just incredibly dull and monotonous. In essence, Uses for Boys is a story about all the relationships one girl has with guys. And there's really not much other than that. Except for a lot of graphic sex and gross scenes. Don't be mislead by the cover because it's not cutesy or romantic at all. It was gritty and horrifying. But after reading this, I know that these dark, serious, Ellen Hopkins-esque books are not for me and I'll gladly stay away from them.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Published by Speak; September 1, 2000
Paperback, 250 pages
Borrowed from library

Love can be a very dangerous thing.

After her sister left, Caitlin felt lost.

Then she met Rogerson.

When she's with him, nothing seems real.

But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?

- Description from Goodreads.com

I'm taking deep breaths currently, trying to get my thoughts straight. This is probably going to be the hardest review to write thus far. Dreamland is about an abusive relationship and is as dark as I've seen Sarah ever get. And I appreciate that, I really do. She writes about relationships, and well, an abusive relationship is incredibly common so it makes sense why she would write a book about it. The book should have been a breath of fresh air - I constantly wish for Sarah to try something a bit different - but it just didn't click with me. 

Perhaps it's just me, unable to jump over the "different" hurdle. Perhaps it was too far a leap that Sarah took for me to enjoy it as much as some people did. But like I said, I do appreciate it and you know what? I did think the relationship was written very realistically. I did. But I just didn't feel anything towards the characters. I hated Caitlin, and not just because she stayed in a toxic relationship (more on that later). I feel stupid and insensitive for saying this, but she was just so thick. Here she was complaining about her life, about how she had a "withdrawn mother" and a vanished sister, when in reality, her life was amazing. She had a close, supportive friend and an amazing family. And I understand how hard it must be to lose your sister and have you mother and father all shackled up and depressed, but does she really have to go out of her way and do everything Cass did not do to prove a point? To get attention? Honestly, I loathe characters in books who change themselves because they feel they need to get out of somebody's spotlight. And I guess part of the reason I'm upset is because of Caitlin and her relationship with Rogerson.

I'll apologize beforehand because I do see how some of what I say may be offending or insensitive. I'm just trying to sort my thoughts. Firstly, I understand how hard it is to get out of an abusive relationship. I really do. My problem was that it never appeared to me that Caitlin was in love with Rogerson in the first place. She was attracted to how different his life was from hers. She was excited to reinvent herself. That is not love and knowing that and seeing her waste away towards the end was so frustrating as a reader. I just wanted to knock some sense into her. I mean, there was nothing in that relationship once the abuse started that could ever make her want to stay. Except for maybe sex, but she knows that it all starts again and continues on and on and on. It's just, there was no redeeming factor for Rogerson that would make sense as to why she stayed. 

Another thing that bugged me was the fact that Caitlin thought that Rogerson was the only one there for her at that time. No, Caitlin. He wasn't. Open your eyes, you had Rina, your mom, Boo, and Stewart. Your dad.  They were all there for you, all you needed to do was to talk. I think this whole "pity me" and you know, just being very selfish and unappreciative was what gave me the hardest time in liking Caitlin. And of course, general frustration surrounding her relationship with Rogerson.

What I did like about this book, the one thing that didn't make me want to pull my hair out, was Matthew, Boo, Stewart, and Mingus (the dog.) I wish the book had been about them. I probably would have enjoyed that way more. 

Now see, it wasn't that I have trouble with abusive relationships. I've read a myriad of books about very dark, very real situations. It was just Caitlin that really made the book a flop for me. She was really annoying for me to read and this is not at all related to how I felt about why she wouldn't leave the relationship. But that made me a bit angry too. I do think that the abusive relationship was written well, it was realistic. And though Dreamland may not have been the book for me, there's no doubt that Sarah can write more than one type of relationship dynamic well.

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Published by HarperTeen; June 7, 2011
Hardcover, 368 pages
Borrowed from library 

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

- Description from Goodreads.com

If there's one series I wish I could own a boxed set of, it's the Magic In Manhattan series. It's wickedly funny and quite realistic once you push aside the magic. It was one of the first young adult books I've ever read and so of course, it holds a special place in my heart, along with its author Sarah Mlynowski. When I had heard that Sarah had another book, well, why wouldn't I be excited? The author of my childhood writing another awesome, fun sounding book? Yes yes yes. And let me tell you, this book did not disappoint.

I loved the cast of characters Ten Things featured. They were so different from each other in so many ways but came together as a whole and really made the book shine for me. I loved how I could totally see all the characters in a fun, teen targeted movie opening in the summer. Fun is what the book, and the characters are all about and I LOVE that. Sometimes, there just has to be some spice in your life you know? And April and Vi are the best spice-makers on earth. Yes, I think anyone living with their best friend alone will be able to "live it up" but I think they did a rather excellent job of not caring about the consequences. 

I agree, there were some UGH moments where I just wanted to slap some sense into EVERYONE but it was soon forgotten with the flow of the rest of the story. I loved the layout of the book and the transitions from past to present were very smooth which is good. The only thing that bugged me was Vi's signature catch phrase, Hells yeah. No, as a teenager I will tell you right now we don't say this. Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard this said ever ever. 

To sum things up, I think this is the perfect book to read if you're looking for something funny and light, a book that doesn't require too much brain power. It's not amazing, but it's not bad and if you overlook some of the aspects of the book, you might enjoy it. The book has a great cast of characters you'll want to party with, although April is really annoying at times. The issues the book addresses (ie. sex, a lot of sex) isn't dealt with very well - I found the sex thing to be treated very casually but hey, as long as you remember a condom, everything'll be all right, right? All in all, Ten Things was a mediocre, enjoyable read that you'll like if you can get over certain aspects of the book (ie. annoying April, unrealistic, and HELLS YEAH.)