The Fame Game, by Lauren Conrad

In Hollywood, fame can be found on every corner and behind any door. You just have to know where to look for it. Nineteen-year-old Madison Parker made a name for herself as best frenemy of nice-girl-next-door Jane Roberts on the hot reality show L.A. Candy. Now Madison's ready for her turn in the spotlight and she'll stop at nothing to get it. Sure, she's the star of a new show, but with backstabbing friends and suspicious family members trying to bring her down, Madison has her work cut out for her. Plus, there's a new nice girl in "reality" town—aspiring actress Carmen Price, the daughter of Hollywood royalty—and she's a lot more experienced at playing the fame game... When the camera's start rolling, whose star will shine brighter?

Filled with characters both familiar and new, Lauren Conrad's series about the highs and lows of being famous delivers Hollywood gossip and drama at every turn.

Reality TV isn't really familiar to me, though it isn't completely unfamiliar either. With this book, I felt as though it was pretty much like reading a book based on a reality television... and I'm not talking about the part of the book that is indeed about a reality show. If that was the intended outcome, then Conrad definitely succeeded in that. If it wasn't... well, it was.

This is a spin-off series from Lauren's L.A. Candy series. I have to admit, I tried reading L.A. Candy and it really just didn't work out for me - which is why you will never see a review for that book on this blog - I don't review DNF's for many reasons, including being fair to the author and giving them more positive publicity through those that do enjoy the books. With that being said, I can say that it was a good thing that I did read at least some of L.A. Candy because it helped the scoring of this book.

One of my big things in reading a book is checking out the writing - and every single aspect of it. I can honestly say that the writing in this book compared to L.A. Candy is much MUCH better, and it really shows that the author has evolved with each of her stories. I also enjoyed Madison as a character, which was surprising to me considering that I spent a good portion of the book having a very love/hate relationship with her.

As a matter of fact, I had a love/hate relationship with most of this book and its characters - ultimately finding more "hate" with the other characters than "love" like I did with Madison. Unlike her role in the L.A. Candy series, Madison is definitely more fleshed out and developed in this book, which is its own saving grace considering this is her book/story. The other characters fell a little flat for me. There wasn't much growth nor maturation, rather the characters seemed to be shallow and not much more past that. However, they were pretty good for some laughs.

The plot of this book was pretty much non-existent... or just seemed to play hide-and-go-seek with me, and I failed miserably at seeking. I couldn't tell you a single commentary about what the actual storyline of this book was as it felt more like a story told the way stories are told in tabloids - which, again, could have been a nod to that whole "reality television" feel that seemed to have been missed on me.

I'm sure it seems that I am ripping this book a new one because I hated it, but it's not true. In fact, it wasn't an incredibly atrocious read - it was actually fun. I'm just being hard because I feel like this story could have been taken to the next level because it does have the potential to get there. Having said all of this, even though this wasn't my favorite read of the year... I could definitely see where a lot of teens and reality show fans would love this book. If you're one of these, I would recommend checking this book out and forming your own opinion.

Rating: ★★★✩✩ Avg 3.57
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: The Fame Game
Author: Lauren Conrad
Series: The Fame Game, Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover, 313 pages
Release Date: April 3, 2012

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If We Kiss, by Rachel Vail

Charlie Collins has never been kissed.

She's never been in love, either. Charlie's beautiful best friend, Tess, has kissed three boys and has loved each one of them. Then Charlie unexpectedly finds herself falling for Kevin, and she's in a mess of trouble right away. For one thing, Tess is in love with Kevin. Even worse, his father seems to be dating Charlie's mom, who suddenly can't stop smiling. With no one to confide in, Charlie has to figure this one out for herself. But even as she tries to pull away from Kevin, she can't stop wondering, What would happen if we kiss?

When I first started reading If We Kiss, I was a little caught off guard by the tone from the main character. She seemed a little... immature. Needless to say, the first couple of chapters were a little rough to get through. Then, miraculously, it's told in the story that Charlie is just fourteen years old - and I had a very big Aha! moment. Suddenly, the voice made a whole lot of sense. Then, I felt bad.. and had to go and start all over. I'm telling this so people can go in with the knowledge that yes, the tone is a little on the young and immature side - but, that's because she is young and immature. And I am not saying she is immature in a negative way - just immature in a way that goes away with age and life experience.

Now, with that out of the way...

Despite her age and the things mentioned above, I really warmed up to Charlie through the story. She's a spunky character with a lot of humor and wit. She also had a lot of conflicting feelings and moments of doubt, all things that come with being a teenage girl. She was a genuine character that was easy to read and empathize with. Her best friend, Tess, was a solid character as well.. and reminded me so much of some of my female friends in school that fell in love with every guy that they kissed, it was a bit nostalgic. Reading now, of course it made me want to roll my eyes about a thousand times.. but, that is definitely a very real portrayal of how insanely intense your feelings are for everyone when you're a teen. I have to admit that I had a big problem with Kevin. I mean, his portrayal through the eyes of Charlie and Tess was that he was a nice character - oh, and a bit of a kissing slut. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I didn't see this "nice" character that they both fell for. He was really playing both girls, which is a big turn-off in my eyes. I did like how he called Charlie Chuck. It was cute. And I wish, wish, wish that George would have had a bigger role because he seemed like a decent character.. but I can't say for sure with the little time I got to read about him. Maybe next book?

There was an equal amount of drama and humor in this book that worked well for the story. Once I was over my little hiccup in the beginning, I really enjoyed If We Kiss. I was actually surprised at how fast of a read it was, but it made it no less enjoyable. The story flowed smoothly and keeps you turning page after page until the end. If you enjoy sweet little romances, I definitely think you'll enjoy this book.

My copy also had fun extras in the back that included an interview with author Rachel Vail, a kissing quiz and, my favorite, a sneak peek at the sequel, Kiss Me Again - a book that I WILL be nabbing as soon as it's available!

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Young Adult Books Central

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Title: If We Kiss
Author: Rachel Vail
Series: If We Kiss, Book 1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
Release Date: January 1, 2012

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