Flat-Out Love: A Panoramic Review

"Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer." (from Goodreads)

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

My reaction: 


Overall, this was a really cute read. About 60 pages in I guessed what the big secret was (big spoilers, highlight to read: it clicked into place for me when Julie mentions that "it's not going to kill him" about Finn, and Celeste reacts badly. I did sometimes second-guess myself but most of the time I figured Finn was actually Matt) but it was still enjoyable to read, especially with all the tension coming up to the final reveal. Even though I was in on the secret quite soon, it gives the story a fun Shakespearean-esque twist and keeps the momentum going, and I liked the burgeoning romance. The revelation itself, however, was unfortunately not as dramatic as I thought it would be, and felt a little too staged. I also wish we'd been given a bit more at the end, following the climactic scene, especially of Matt.
 
Julie makes herself present in the Watkins' lives very quickly, which I thought was kind of strange. I suspect she became involved with them not only because she needed a "family" during her first year at college, but also because she wanted to have control over something, and making someone else's life better would help her to feel good about herself. Celeste is a very unusual 13-year-old, and I don't know if I entirely get the explanation at the end for her behaviour. But it was nice to see Celeste's progression as she starts to stand on her own two feet, with Julie's help.
 
Once I got hooked into it partway through, I finished it pretty quickly, and it put me in a good mood.

Best aspect: the interactions, particularly between Julie and Matt. I liked seeing the slow, gradual shift in their relationship as she gets more comfortable with him; they're friends, but still engage in teasing, geeky flirtation. While it's not really my sense of humour and I didn't get some of the references, it's quirky. Matt turned out to have an attractive manly and romantic side to him (he's not geeky all the time!) and his character felt quite real.
 

If I could change something... I wish we got to see more of her classes and time spent with side characters like Dana, Seth and Jamie. We're told she and Dana are good friends but we hardly see any of their interactions, and none of these secondary characters become full-fledged individuals. Rather, the story is very much about Matt, Celeste and Julie.


I also thought the dialogue was not always that realistic or authentic. In particular, there are a couple of "soul-baring" confessions towards the end that seemed to go overboard, feeling too formulaic, like the author was giving the reader exactly what they wanted or expected. Plus, one of the conversations involves Matt, and I'm not sure a guy would really make himself that vulnerable.

The "New Adult" aspect:

Julie's a bit of an unusual freshman, and her experience is definitely a bit different than a traditional "first year at college" story. She's mature for her age, so her voice feels rather adult, but I still felt like I could relate to her and get inside her head. I thought a bit much was made of the fact that she loves learning/studying, especially as we don't see much of her courses. Indeed, the fact that Julie's a literature geek and Matt's a math geek seemed to be pointed out to the reader rather too obviously.

If you haven't read it: it's probably one of the better New Adult books I've read, although I thought the writing could use some editing to smooth it out and lessen the amount of "telling" vs. "showing". If you're looking for a fairly light contemporary New Adult read, and you don't mind a bit of predictability, you might want to check this one out.

If you have read it: how long did it take you to guess the secret?  

Quote: 

"You are a beautiful girl, and it doesn't really matter what you wear. I like the scarf on you, but take it off if you want. As long as you don't borrow your brother's T-shirts, you'll be stunning." Julie turned to Matt. "Don't think that bag strap is hiding your shirt from me. I can still read it." Today's T-shirt said: ME: like you, only better. "You're straight out of GQ, Matt."


"I do my best. ..."

Final verdict: 3.5 shooting stars. 
 

Disclaimer: I received this as an e-book for review from the author.

Note: This book contains some sexual content and mature language.

This book counts towards my goal for the "New Adult" reading challenge.

 

Kiss, Marry, Kill: the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Here's how it works: you take a book, choose 3 guy characters from the book, and then the other person has to pick one to kiss, one to marry, and one to kill.

It's high time for another one of these! This time it's the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, and your choices are:

1.) Mendanbar

2.) Telemain

3.) Daystar

Who do you kiss, who do you marry, and who do you kill?

Top Ten Tuesday: Posts That Tell You Something About Me

This fabulous meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is blog posts that we'd like to share that show the reader something about us. It's been forever since I've taken part in this meme! And okay, I totally cheated here and gave you more than 10 since I grouped some of them together :D

1.) I started vlogging recently, and one of the vlogs I've done has been for Misty at The Book Rat's meme Book Chat, where I talked about under-appreciated/less well-known books that I recommend.

2.) A book has to really wow me to get 5 stars, but I gave that rating to Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden. You can read the review here.

3.) Unfortunately, there's also the opposite end of that spectrum. One book that failed to impress me (getting a 2 star rating) was Sunshine by Robin McKinley. This review shows off my snarkier side!

3.) Last year I hosted the Read Outside Your Comfort Zone challenge, and one of the books I was really impressed with was Stephenie Meyer's The Host. I'm not normally much for sci-fi but I got totally sucked into this one.

4.) Earlier this year I did a series of posts called "Cross My Palm" where I talked about current/emerging trends in YA in various genres. It seemed to get quite a good response so I think I might repeat it next year!

6.) This "Rants & Raves" post of mine, "Yes, Self-Published Author, You DO Need An Editor!", tells you a little about how much I value good editing. 

7.) I have three typical review formats, the names based on a photography theme: "close-up," "panoramic" and "snapshot." Here's examples of each: my review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor,  my review of Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin, and my review of The Glass Demon by Helen Grant.

8.) I'm quite proud of my "YA Through the Ages" series, which I spent a good deal of time on researching and writing.

9.) It's no secret that psychology fascinates me. Check out my reviews from Psychtember last year if you feel the same (I think my review of Without Tess by Marcella Pixley is a nice example) and be sure to tune in this coming September for Psychtember 2012!

Also, on a related note, I'd love to get some questions from my readers for the event! Dr. Carolyn Kaufman, a clinical psychologist and author, will be here to answer questions about psychology and writing, so don't be shy — just fill out this form (it's anonymous, don't worry) and your question could be picked :)

10.) Here's an open letter to publishers I wrote about my desire for more New Adult books. A few months later I came up with the New Adult reading challenge, which I'm very pleased to see has been well-received!

I'm interested to know, are there any particular posts of mine that have jumped out at you guys?

July "New Adult" Challenge Reviews — Link Them Up Here!

Participants in my "New Adult" reading challenge: if you have reviews from July, here's your chance to link them up. And everyone else: if you are interested in joining the challenge, it's not too late! Please see the details here. The more the merrier :)

Also, if you missed it last month, you might want to check out my "New Adult" Niche interview with Melanie Card (and there's an e-book giveaway there too!).

Waiting on Wednesday: Legacy of the Clockwork Key and The Friday Society

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

This time there's a steampunk theme:

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

Goodreads' description:

"When a fire consumes Meg's home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key-a key only Meg can use- that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect, and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg will be swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny."

I haven't read that much steampunk and what I have read makes me think it's not really my kind of genre, but I'm hoping that might change depending on the story. Sounds like there are lots of secrets in this one (not to mention that handsome stablehand) and it seems like there isn't a heavy emphasis on the steampunk aspect, so perhaps it will help to ease me into the genre!

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

 

Goodreads' description:

"Be your own hero . . .

An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns—and the heroines who use them all.

Set in Edwardian London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician’s assistant. The three young women’s lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

It’s up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder—and the crimes they believe may be connected to it—without calling too much attention to themselves.

Told with Adrienne Kress’s sharp wit and a great deal of irreverence, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike—well, relatively ladylike—heroines poised for more dangerous adventures."

This book just sounds like a whole lot of fun. The three main characters sound fantastic — love that they come from three such different backgrounds and educations — and then of course there's the murder mystery! The spunky cover is awesome, too.


What books are you waiting for? Also, have you been wowed by any steampunk YA you could recommend to me?