Review: Unrivaled

Unrivaled by Alyson Noel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a quick read about teens in Hollywood - but not all is as it seems. The main characters are from different walks of life and are all involved in this club promotion contest for very different reasons. They don't expect to make friends or even like each other, but unforseen circumstances bring them together for better or worse. Read the book to find out what happens! Recommended to young adult/teen readers that like contemporary books about teens that involve drama, relationships, a bit of mystery and glamour.

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Review: The Thousandth Floor

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Take Gossip Girl's colourful cast of characters put them in 2118, our more technologically advanced future, and you'll get the Thousandth Floor. It's an immediate delight and allows you to get into each character's head with switching point of view.

The world building is immersive because the technology is fascinating yet believable. Those familiar with New York City will see familiar sites reimagined like Central Park. Most of NYC's residents have made the Tower their home - a thousand floor marvel of engineering that soars miles above the ground. The author does a wonderful job describing the Tower to you as it's built steel girder by glass window by draping fabric in your mind.

The characters are your typical rich and spoiled teens, but they also all have their problems. Their perfect veneers hide broken insides and insecurities, which make them more relatable. The relationships and interactions between the characters feel authentic. Unfortunately, I didn't relate strongly to any of the characters but I'm sure others will. So I don't consider that a big negative towards the book.

The story opens with a bang and the mystery is not resolved until the end of the book, leaving you guessing throughout. Who fell? Was it an accident or malicious? You should definitely read this wonderful book if you want to find out - or if you enjoy engaging, quick reads about rich high schoolers, people working through their problems, really intriguing future technology or books similar to Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars.

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Review: Smash & Grab

Smash & Grab by Amy Christine Parker
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Smash & Grab isn't a unique premise - "Uptown girl - She's been living in her uptown world". It's a theme that runs through many books. Clearly, Lexi is bored, rich and looking or an adrenaline rush. The moment the book switched to the perspective of the poor, smart "backstreet guy" or "downtown man" - you knew that there was going to be a romance or chemistry between the two. Despite the unsurprising connection between the two main characters, the book was quite enjoyable.

Lexi was not a vapid, rich girl but had a depth to her character. She goes through trials and doesn't just say, "oh woe is me" but actively attempts to remedy things. Yes, her dad might be guilty but he is not alone in his guilt nor was he the mastermind of the scheme. Lexi suspects her father's boss and is determined to do whatever she can to prove his guilt. This plan leads her to cross paths a number of times with a mysterious boy, our other narrator.

Christian is a bank robber. He and his crew, his cousin and a few other neighborhood guys, do jobs for the local Mexican gang. But if Christian had his way, he wouldn't be involved in any of that. He's smart, he loves to read and he wants to go to college. But his family was threatened and that's more important to him. That's how he gets forced into a job that will target the very bank that Lexi is attempting to infiltrate. The one her father used to work at. The one she conned her way into getting an internship at.

The two don't trust each other but know that in order to succeed they must work together. This is certainly a fun, easy summer read. Do not expect a literary classic, but it's definitely enjoyable. The story has good pacing overall, although the end was a little rushed. I recommend checking out this fun, enjoyable read - especially if you want to find out what happens.

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