Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend (Confessions #2) - Kay Marie

Goodreads summary:

So, I'm no longer a virgin sex columnist—thank you, Ollie—but if I thought that was going to make my life easier, boy was I wrong! John is back in town determined to win my forgiveness. Blythe is more ready than ever to take me down. Bridget is totally onto the new twinkle in my eye. And, well, Ollie is just as distractingly delicious as usual.

So, naturally, I have a few more confessions to make.

Confession #1: I came up with what I thought would be the perfect plan to keep my relationship with Ollie a secret—pretend to get back together with John!

Confession #2: It backfired. A lot.


My review:

4/5

I was so excited to finally be able to read this book! I've been waiting for the sequel ever since I read the first book in this series, over a year ago. After trying to be patient for months, I've been rewarded with an amazing sequel that didn't disappoint me at all. When I started reading this book, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The first book didn't exactly end with a cliffhanger or something that indicated what the sequel could be about, so I was very curious. I didn't think that Skylar could possibly be even more awkward or embarrassing, but she was, which made this a cringe-worthy, yet relatable, novel. I'm a lot like her, which means that I found her anxiety annoying many times, mostly because I knew I would have done the same thing. Reading this series has definitely made me realize a lot about myself because of that, since I got to see some of my reactions from an exterior point of view. I thought that this was really well done by the author, so I would recommend this series to everyone who struggles with self-esteem and anxiety. Once again, I found myself really envious of Skye, Bridget and Ollie's friendship, even though it wasn't as present as in the first book. They truly understand and care about each other and it seems amazing to have such a close group of friends. These three are all amazing and complex characters that I love to read about, so I was really glad to read another book about them. Ollie and Skye's relationship is adorable, but also realistic, especially in this novel. I did get a bit annoyed at them around the middle/end part of the book, but that issue was quickly solved. I truly think that Bridget has a role in their relationship, even though that sounds a bit weird and creepy, considering that she's Ollie's brother. I think that their relationship is even more solid because of their past as a trio, which I'm glad about, since I love them so much. The plot of this sequel is quite complex since Skye put herself in such a messy situation, but I think that it worked. I wish that we could have seen a bit more of Bridget because she is a really interesting character, but I guess that we can't have everything. The ending is a bit cheesy, but I feel like it's like this for a reason. Also, I'm the last person on Earth who would complain about a cheesy romance story - they're my guilty pleasure! If you have read the first book in this series, I would DEFINITELY recommend its sequel. If you haven't read the first one, pick it up right now and you'll discover a cute, funny and awkward story that will make you swoon more than once.

Beauty Queens - Libba Bray

Goodreads summary:

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.Written by Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.


My review:

4/5

It's so much better than it looks! I had been looking at it ever since my library got it, but it didn't seem like something I would read at all, so I only picked it up because I heard good things about it. I'm glad I did, because it was really funny!

The writing style itself is pretty funny. I loved the "A Word From Your Sponsor" chapters, although I was confused by them at first, and the footnotes had so many interesting details that I couldn't stop myself from reading them. I really like the fact that the author created movies, TV shows, celebrities, products and events simply to include them in this book. Some were so incongruous that they made me laugh out loud, especially since I could picture them on some channels. I think this novel really made me realize how stupid our society can be to enjoy watching such things, because even though the movies and TV shows are fictional and improbable, they reflect some that actually exist.

I really enjoyed discovering the girls' personalities. There are a couple of them, but I feel like I got to know most of them pretty well and they're all interesting and different from the others. They all have different reasons to participate in the competition, as well as different pasts and passions, and I liked understanding them better and knowing why they all act like they do. The friendships they created while being on the island are fantastic and their character development made me really happy.

The thing I enjoyed the most about this book is probably how it changes the notion of "damsel in distress". The girls wish for princes to sweep them off their feet at first, but they quickly realize how amazing they can be on their own. They discover talents about themselves and stop depending on men so much. I really liked that aspect, since it's different from most YA novels.

The only reasons why I'm giving this four stars instead of five are that, while I enjoyed reading this book, it's not really my type and that a lot of the footnotes were boring instead of funny like the other ones. I wish they had all been hilarious and crazy, but I guess you can't always get what you want!

I recommend this book, even though it might not look like everyone's type.