Gossip Girl: The Carlyles: Love the One You're With by Cecily von Ziegesar

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 240
(This is going to be a slightly shorter review because I read the book about two weeks ago)
I think this is, by far, the best Carlyles book in the entire series. The first one was good because it was a new series, with new people, but this last book was a great way to end the series.
I really like books that take place on an island, especially rich people on vacation and that's what this was! So the Carlyle family goes on an island vacation and the triplets bring some of their friends along and there is, of course, lot's of drama, but also many problems that have persisted since the first book are put to rest.
Everything was resolved extremely well and there wasn't any issues that were left on a cliffhanger.
This was a great book, but I'm glad the series is over. It wouldn't have lasted as long as the Gossip Girl series, and honestly didn't need to. I felt that the triplets had more depth and each book went through a lot more than one Gossip Girl book did. 
Of course all the books were light and fun reads and I enjoy Cecily von Ziegesar's work, but I think I'm done with her books for awhile. I won't be reading the It Girl series because it'll probably be too much like all her other works. Of course I could be wrong, but it's time to move onto other books.
See you soon! Sorry for the short review!
Paige

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Gossip Girl: The Carlyles: Take A Chance On Me by Cecily von Ziegesar

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 240
These books are starting to sound too much like the original Gossip Girl series. The way the characters are starting to act and behave is suspiciously similar to Gossip Girl. And you're probably thinking, well yeah! Cecily von Ziegesar wrote both series'!
But in actuality, she didn't! She created The Carlyles series, and a lady named Annabelle Vestry was the one who actually wrote the series. And it doesn't even say her name on the front cover! If I was her I'd be a little upset, because it takes a lot of work to write a book!
But I'm not here to rant and rave about marketing, I'm here for reviews! So let's move on... (But just a side note about the marketing; I do LOVE that red dress on the right there!! SO cute!)
The series is starting to lose its appeal for me. It started out strong, but is continually becoming weaker and weaker. I'll still read the fourth book in the series to see how the story ends, but let's just say I'm glad there's only four books.
Don't get me wrong, I love the writing style, the cattiness of the girls, name dropping of designers, restaurants, etc., and the deliciousness of the boys, but the the plots are becoming boring. I had to keep convincing myself to read the book, just so I could be finished! (That's never a good thing and always a sign that the book is dull from beginning to end)
I also liked these books, at first, a bit more than the original Gossip Girl one's because there was less drug and sex references, but that's starting to become more common as well. Again, I'm all for having that in a book, because I am by no means a book burner, but I just had higher hopes for these characters. I also originally though these characters were a little more innocent in the beginning of the series, compared to Gossip Girl, but they've become cynical and...dry. Some seem to have little life left in them which leads to a disappointing and unrelateable character.
Normally, we want to look up to these characters and we wish we were like them, but now...They've lost their superiority, at least for me they have. They're less enviable. Because when you start to envy a characters clothes more than their attitude, you know there is a problem.
Overall, I wish the plots were a little more interesting and I hope the next and final book in the series does not disappoint me as much as this one.
See you soon!
Paige

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Gossip Girl: The Carlyles: You Just Can't Get Enough by Cecily von Ziegesar

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 208
This is the sequel to the first Carlyles book appropriately called The Carlyles, and it was just as good as the first! The beginning was a little slow but they usually are for me with Gossip Girl books, I'm not sure why. But as soon as you really get into the story and what issues are going on in the current novel, the book gets better and better. Gossip Girl/Carlyle books, for me, are like the TV show The Hills; totally addicting and a guilty pleasure! Sure there are books with more quality out there, but I just love diving right into these books where there's tons of backstabbing, hooking up, name dropping, and just overall, bad girl/boy activities. 
Plus I would totally love to move to New York!
I don't want to give away anything in this review so it will be fairly brief; Avery is still trying to live a classic and old fashioned New York life just like her grandmother did. Sometimes that doesn't always work out for her though...Avery also has to deal with her arch nemesis Jack again, who stirs up more trouble than she can handle. Especially with all the baggage she has in her own personal life.
Baby is now enjoying New York a little more, but she keeps noticing things that would make either her sister or her brother happy, but not her. Baby is a very conflicted person. She's happy most of the time, but the rest of the time she feels frustrated and unhappy with the old fashioned ways of NYC. Very unlike her sister who feels NYC isn't old fashioned enough...Hmm
Then Owen, also has conflicts with his friends and there are some large rumors spread about him around his school and he has to deal with those as well. (And some other stuff that I can't tell you about without spoiling it!)
I think I liked the first book better, simply because it was the first book, but I like how the characters are developing more and more throughout each novel. I also noticed more snarky interjections from Gossip Girl herself, throughout the novel, which I actually liked. She (or he? Really it could be either) has such a sarcastic attitude, but at the same time she has a lot of sense. A perfect narrator! 
Overall, I can't wait for the next one and can't wait to see what other kind of trouble these kids get into!
(Also, is it just me or do they seem way more sophisticated than their age level? They're only juniors in high school but they have such authority and power. Maybe it's because they're rich....)
See you soon!
Paige

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In My Pants Tag

So John Green technically started this tag and basically you find books that no one else has and make a...ahem dirty sentence out of it. Well, not a sentence, but take the title of the book and add "In my pants" to the end of it to see what nasty, freaky, dirty things come up. I think you can also only choose books you own? I could be wrong. Check out mine:
(and for those of you who have done this tag; sorry if I've repeated any!)

The Great Gatsby in my pants
Me and Mr. Darcy in my pants
Thrill Ride in my pants
The Boyfriend League in my pants
Island Girls (And Boys) in my pants
A Year in Europe in my pants
To Catch a Pirate in my pants
When It Happens in my pants
Waiting For You in my pants
Take Me There in my pants
Geek Magnet in my pants
Unwind in my pants
I Am Not a Serial Killer in my pants
If We Kiss in my pants
Better of Famous? in my pants
Twelve Long Months in my pants
Played in my pants
Snow in my pants
They Came to Baghdad in my pants
Funerals are Fatal in my pants
The Man in the Brown Suit in my pants
Some Like it Hot in my pants
Beautiful Stranger in my pants
The Daughters Break the Rules in my pants
And my all-time favorites: Is He or Isn't He in my pants and What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw in my pants

Sorry for the dirty post, but I hope it made you laugh as much as I did!
See you soon!
Paige

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Labor of Love by Rachel Hawthorne

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 296
Out of all of Rachel Hawthorne's books, that I've read so far, I think I liked this one the least. This teen chick lit takes place in New Orleans where Dawn and her two friends Jenna and Amber are rebuilding houses for the post Hurricane Katrina effort. Once the girls land in New Orleans they try to experience the most of the city and go to get a psychic reading. At the reading the psychic predicts that the girls will meet boys and fall in love but will also go through some heartbreak. The reading is actually pretty cryptic and throughout their stay in New Orleans, the girls try to determine if certain events occurred like the psychic predicted.
After the psychic reading the girls are exploring more of New Orleans and actually run into the boys that they were predicted to meet by the psychic. Dawn's friend Jenna immediately hits it off with one of the boys and her friends have no choice but to pair up with the other two because Jenna and her new boy interest have wandered on their own. Dawn begins to talk with Brady, but she warns him that she doesn't want a relationship because she just got out of a bad breakup where her boyfriend cheated on her at prom. Brady, however, wants a relationship and they agree to only be together for the time that Dawn is in New Orleans, even though he and his friends go to a college in Houston, which is where Dawn and her friends live.
The story continues on with the ups and downs of their relationship, exploring more of New Orleans, and building houses for those affected by the Hurricane.
I really liked the idea of the story with the girls volunteering to help build houses (like Habitat for Humanity). You don't see too much of that in teen books where people voluntarily help out the community. It was nice to see, also how they balanced their love lives and time in New Orleans with things like a curfew and limited budget. The story felt really realistic. 
However, I thought the love story aspect of the book was a little dry. I couldn't connect with Dawn, Brady, or either of their friends. The story felt too fake to me. There was too many times when I thought that Dawn was being desperate even though she kept insisting that she didn't want a relationship. She seemed a little hypocritical to me. And Brady didn't seem to notice this, which made it seem like all he wanted to do was get in her pants...er, not make her a good girl?
I liked the story, but it just wasn't one of my favorites by Rachel Hawthorne. If the story didn't include the girls going to New Orleans to help volunteer, I don't think I would have finished the book. But the sub plot, setting, and overall, circumstances helped hide the fact that it was a pretty terrible love story.
See you soon!
Paige

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Liebster Award

Wow! Huge thank you to Sidra over at the World of Ardis book blog, for tagging me for the Liebster Award. For those of you who don't know, it's a blog award for those who have 200 followers or less. To be considered to receive the award a blogger must; reveal eleven facts about themselves, answer eleven questions, tag eleven other bloggers for the award, and then ask eleven questions to the people they tagged. So here we go for mine!

Eleven Facts About Me:

1. I have been reading practically before I could walk! My parents always gave me books over toys as a kid and I think that really helped me be as passionate as I am about books, even today, 17 years later!
2. I have a guinea pig named after a character from a Jane Austen book! Can you guess which one?
3. The longest book I've ever read was Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1,000+ pages!) and I read it when I was in 8th grade. That was a huge accomplishment for me and I felt I could really expand my horizons and not be so intimidated by the size of books.
4. I've played soccer for 6 years! I'm not the best but it's a lot of fun and great exercise!
5. I want to eventually get my PhD! Before that however, I want to go to school to learn how to become an editor. It's my dream to work at one of the big publishing houses. 
6. One of my favorite shows is The Hills. I love Lauren Conrad, she seems like such a sweetheart and I also love her L.A.Candy series! I can't wait to start the Fame Game series!
7. I've never broken a bone in my body! I've had sprained ankles, toes, and fingers, and dislocated elbows but no broken bones!
8. I have a reading bucket list. Basically, a list I made up of all the classics I'd like to read before I die. I haven't even gotten half way through! I really need to work on that!
9. I'm a huge fan of writing letters! I love writing and receiving mail. Email seems so impersonal these days so it's always nice to get a letter in my mail box every once and a while.
10. I don't have a favorite color! If I absolutely had to choose I guess I would say purple because I seem to gravitate towards it but I'm not crazy obsessed with the color (I mean, my room's green!). But my blog is purple!

Eleven Questions and Answers

1. Contemporary vs. Historical? Which do you prefer and why?
I think I prefer historical but I read more contemporary. It's hard to find really well written historical fiction for teens, but once I do I gobble it up like a melting cookie. I love how the history is defined like that's the way it happened you can't change it, but then author's change bits and pieces here and there to make it there own and I think it's so cool to see how each author does it differently.
2. Any favorite villains? Who from what book, and why?
I really enjoy reading about snarky little drama queen, I'm-the-coolest-in-the-school type villains. Think of the mean girls from The Clique series by Lisi Harrison, or The Alphas series also by Lisi Harrison, The Daughters series by Joanna Philbin, or even from books like Snow Queen by Emma Harrison. They're hilarious because in the end their own vain usually makes them screw up and it's so easy to laugh at them. 
3. Your MOST favorite book to date and why?
I can only choose one? That's tough. Hm, probably Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. When I first picked up Pride and Prejudice in 7th grade I was skeptical that it would be too hard to read but I devoured that book in a matter of a few days. Plus I love every thing that has to do with Pride and Prejudice; the movies, the spin offs, the modern retellings, it's all so cool to read about.
4. Real books vs. Ebooks, which do you prefer and why?
Another tough one. Okay so I love real books, they are my passion and I still love sitting down and reading a real book, but with the price of new hardbacks these days, it's much cheaper to buy an Ebook. I love my Kindle I think it's amazing, but nothing beats the smell, the feel, and the experience of reading from a printed, physical, copy.
5. Favorite genres? Why?
Teen chick lit; I love the sappy romance stories, they're so cute. Dystopian; I love the fantastical worlds that authors can build up and I love seeing their take on how they think the world will be 100 years from now or some other extended time. Teen horror; I love a good scary book but they're kind of hard to find. I don't mean like Vampire Diaries, I mean like full on you are scared can't sleep at night, horror. Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz was one of the few books I've found that truly scared me. That book was amazing (if you have any horror recommendations drop them in the comments down below! I'd love to hear them!). I like a little bit of action/adventure (think the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson) but not too much. Teen chick lit/romance is still my all-time favorite genre. Historical fiction; Kind of already explained above and lastly, mystery. Not necessarily teen mysteries, I don't seem to like those too much, but Agatha Christie is one of my all-time favorite authors. She is a literary genius.
6. Ever cried due to a book? What book and why?
No, I don't think I have. I mean sure, there are a lot of sad books but I don't think they've made me cry. I might have cried when I read A Walk to Remember, but I'm not 100% certain. 
7. Which do you prefer buying your books or borrowing from the library?
Buying! 100% buying! (Sigh, I miss Borders..) I love going to my used bookstores around my area and picking up tons of books for really cheap. I love the feel of cozy little bookshops too. If it was more economically practical I would love to open a bookstore. Buying books online is a lot of fun for me too!
8. How do you feel about love triangles?
If they are written well I love them! If they are written poorly....eh I get turned off by the book.
9. How many books have you read this year and do you have a goal how many you would like to read this year?
I have read 48 out of my goal of 150 books this year.

10. If you could live the life of one character from a book for a day, what character would it be, and why?

I would obviously choose Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice! To be able to land the handsome Mr. Darcy and go on that roller coaster of feelings and romance, sigh. That would be amazing. Not to mention to experience the culture of that time period.

11. Dark and brooding male protagonist with different emotions and layers or a good-natured and "heroic" protagonist.

Definitely the good-natured one. I don't usually like dark and brooding, it's a little creepy, especially in teen books because no kid should be THAT mysterious. Come on. To me it's just not believable and it can get annoying. I like the good natured one's (nice guys don't always finish last). And Mr. Darcy is dark and brooding but that is a literature masterpiece and was a different time period. In those times it was okay, he was mysterious, not some creepy vampire trying to get at a teenage girl. Oops did I just say that?

I tend to go on and on, sorry about that!

My questions for you!

1. Name your most hated book and why you disliked it so much.

2. Is there an author you own/read all of their works?

3. Approximately how many books do you own and how do you organize them on your shelves?

4. What do you think of authors who write pretty much the same story again and again but still make tons of money?

5. How do you judge how you will buy a book? By the cover, recommendations, etc.

6. Where is your favorite place to read and why?

7. What is your opinion about risque topics being put into teen books and adults condoning this?

8. Do you write in your books or do you feel like that is defacing the book? If yes, what do you write in your books? (Textbooks don't count!)

9. What is your opinion on celebrities who write books? Is it really them or a ghost writer?

10. Which do you prefer to take on a long plane ride? Books or an Ereader?

11. Narwhals; fact or fiction?

(I SAY FACT!!!)

Tagged Bloggers:

1. New Books On My Shelves 

2.Read Between the Covers

I'm cheating on this, I had such a hard time finding people with less than 200 followers so here's what I'll do. Leave your name and blog name in a comment below and you can tag yourself!

Thanks guys! See you soon!

Paige

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June Book Haul

Here are all the books I got in June!

I grabbed a couple classics from my used bookstore (however, all the classics were brand new) since they were all under $5 and I figured I should expand my reading horizons over the summer so I got:

The Giver by Lois Lowry
See my review here!


The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
See my review here!


A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
I will not be doing a review of this play since I read it in school a while back.


Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Review coming soon!


The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Review coming soon!

I also got a few books through Paperbackswap.com so here's what I got:

Gossip Girl: The Carlyles by Cecily von Ziegesar
See my review here!


Gossip Girl: The Carlyles - You Just Can't Get Enough by Cecily von Ziegesar
Review coming soon!


Suite Dreams by Rachel Hawthorne
See my review here!


Labor of Love by Rachel Hawthorne
Review coming soon!


Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Review coming soon!


The Year I Turned 16 Omnibus (Includes: Rose, Daisy, Laurel, and Lily) by Diane Schwemm
Review coming soon!

And lastly my grandparents gave me a couple of books for my birthday too:

Paper Towns by John Green (hardcover)
Review coming soon!


Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad (hardcover)
Review coming soon!

A pretty good month of book buying! Hope you guys had a great month too!
See you soon!
Paige

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