The Queen of Everything

The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
Published: 11-2-2002 by Simon Pulse

People ask me all the time what having Vince MacKenzie for a father was like. What they mean is, was he always crazy?

High school junior Jordan MacKenzie's life was pretty typical: fractured family, new boyfriend, dead-end job. She'd been living with her father (the predictable optometrist) since her mother (the hippie holdover) had become too embarrassing to be around. Jordan felt that she finally had as normal a life as she could. Then came Gayle D'Angelo.

Jordan knew her father was dating Gayle and that Gayle was married. Jordan knew it was wrong and that her father was becoming someone she didn't recognize anymore, but what could she do about it? And how could she -- how could anyone -- have possibly guessed that this illicit love affair would implode in such a violent and disturbing way?

I like Deb Caletti's books a lot, but this wasn't one of my favorites. It kinda reminded me of Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, which was a depressing book. This book is about things going on in Jordan's life, but most of the things going on in her life are actually things going on in her dad's life and how they affect her.

• Jordan's mom - While Jordan sees her mom as a slightly crazy hippie, I think she's a delightful crazy hippie. Jordan's mom seems to be a much more supportive parent than Jordan thinks she is. She also lives a zany and interesting life.
• Jackson - Jackson is a sweet, patient, and unique guy. Jordan should have spent so much more time with Jackson than she did. He's quirky because he got lost by himself for a few days and followed sounds that no one else heard back home. He plays bagpipes and shows up whenever Jordan needs him, even if she doesn't realize she needs him. 

• Kale - It's difficult to describe how much I hate this guy. He is such a jerk, and every time he showed up I cringed inside because he's just that much of a loser. Jordan wasted so much time with him even thought she knew the kind of guy he was.
• Melissa - Yeah, as far as best friends go, Melissa isn't the greatest one. She doesn't really care that Kale is a disgusting person - she just gets obsessed with the fact that a boy is paying attention to Jordan. Melissa is a pretty flat character, and she gets annoyed at Jordan for silly reasons.
• Jordan's dad - He's so selfish. He gets into a bad situation, and even though his is fully aware that seeing a married woman is a bad idea, he chooses to ignore the things he doesn't like. When Jordan tries to talk to her dad about what he's doing, he gets angry and pushes her away. He's extremely selfish, and it would have been a lot better for Jordan's life if he had at least attempted to be a decent parent.
• I'm confused - You go into this book not knowing what happened, but Jordan is telling you the story after everything has already happened. It was a bit confusing, especially when Jordan refers to Big Mama, a character we aren't introduced to until very late in the story. It can add to a story if you don't know what's going to happen, because the characters don't know what's going to happen. But it was like Jordan existed in 2 times at once - the time when everything was happening, and the time after it happened.

• This photo, ripped up and discarded in anger, did not belong here at our house. This photo of a man who was not even one of us, dressed up for an occasion we were not a part of. It frightened me. Frightened me in a way that I had never felt before. It was the sudden realization that terrible things might not just be for other people.     - pg. 103
• "I think I'm going nuts," I said to the cat. But I heard it. It did. I stood up, as if that might help my ears somehow. God, I felt so crazy, but I could have sworn I heard the sound of bagpipes coming from the direction of the creek.        - Jordan  pg. 332-333

2 robots

Deb Caletti writes about bad family situations so well, but I found it hard to enjoy this book

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

The Death Cure

The Death Cure by James Dashner
Published: 10-11-2011 by Delacorte

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.
The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

My opinion of this series is a little strange. I thought the 1st book, The Maze Runner, was just ok. The 2nd book, The Scorch Trials, was action packed and awesome. This book was a big letdown for me, which sucks, but that's just my opinion.

• Cranks - The scenes with Cranks in the deteriorating city were intense. These scenes were probably my favorite parts of the book. The subplot of one of the group being infected and slowly going insane was, to me, more interesting than what was going on with WICKED. It was also an emotional punch in the gut.
• Brenda - I love how Brenda, and really most of the girls in these books, are not afraid to embrace the butt-kicking that comes with being somehow connected to WICKED. Brenda is not the most fleshed-out character, but I like her. She's smart and not dead weight in the face of danger. I can't remember much of what went on in the Scorch Trials with Brenda, so maybe she is more of a developed character and I just don't remember the details.

• short chapters - The chapters in this book are way too short. They average about 5 pages each, although I am completely guessing - this isn't mathematical at all. It was horribly distracting for there to be a new chapter so often. There are 73 chapters in this book! I just...why? In most books I read, I barely notice the chapters because they are normal length, and I like not noticing the chapters.
• epic conclusion? - I thought this book was a big step down action-wise from The Scorch Trials. There's a lot of description of people being shot with weapons, and other action-y things, but it doesn't feel like action. There's not a lot of dialogue either. Thomas does a lot of thinking and warring with himself.
• indecision - Is WICKED bad? Is WICKED good? What do we do in either of these situations? It's still unclear if the villain is really the villain. This doesn't bother me, but Thomas thinking about it constantly was annoying after awhile. Stop thinking and do something! Also, there was very minimal recap from the 2nd book, which I read a long time ago, so I would have liked a refresher on what happened.
• the group - In The Maze Runner there was clearly a tight-knit group. They had to work together to survive and to escape. In The Scorch Trials, the group expanded a bit, but was also called into question. In this book, Thomas and a few others were separated from everyone else. Basically, the core group was really small and I forgot where some of those characters came from, and I missed some of the other characters I was familiar with.

2 robots

Not the action-packed satisfyingly epic conclusion that I was looking forward to

Acquired: bought

I Know It's Over

I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin
Published: 9-23-08 by Random House

PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant. Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over.

I was interested in reading this book because it's a teen pregnancy story from the guy's point of view, which is something I've never read before. I learned that if it's a book from a male POV where sex takes place, I should read reviews 1st. Teenage guy protagonists aren't my favorite.

• abortion - I do have to give the author credit for exploring abortion as an option for Sasha. No matter how you feel about abortion, it's a realistic touch. I don't know what the laws are in Canada though, which is where this book takes place.

• Nick - The only thing motivating most of the decisions in Nick's life is sex. He has a friend he's not into, but she's willing to do sexual things with him, so he decides that's perfectly fine - ideal even. Yuck! I disliked Nick. I couldn't relate to him, and his decisions were generally terrible.
• Sasha - It's extremely hard to read about Sasha because she is incapable of deciding what she wants. She is back and forth over whether or not she wants a relationship with Nick for the entire time they are together. She is not a strong-willed character in the least. I was too busy being mad at her to care about what she wanted.
• all the parents in this book - Nick's parents are finishing up their divorce. Nick's dad is ok in one scene - when he really listens to Nick and helps get him what he needs. Besides that, he's a jerk. He gives his son cash for condoms instead of talking to him about his relationship. Nick's mom barely reacts to the fact that her son got a girl pregnant. Sasha's dad decides to stop talking to his daughter. What kind of support is that? Yeah, sure, be upset and angry - but to stop talking to your pregnant daughter is just about the least helpful thing I can think of.
• decision - When Sasha decided what she was going to do in regards to the baby, it seemed so quick and easy. The way Sasha was portrayed, I expected her to agonize over a decision and take awhile to decide what the right choice was for her. Then Nick doesn't question that decision, or try to give Sasha his opinion. I don't even know if he had an opinion.

• "Anyway, high school is just a stopover," Holland added. "It has nothing to do with what's really happening."   "Let's hope not," I sad grimly. Holland cocked her head and gave me a funny look. "These are the best years of your life," she said in an auditorium voice. Then the phone rang and she snapped it up and repeated it into the phone before pressing the receiver to her ear.              - pg. 73-74   Holland + Nick
• "This is another test isn't it? Like Halloween." My eyes were burning from the inside. I hated that she could do that to me. I was trying to be careful with her and she was breaking up with me. "So how does this one work? If we don't talk for three months, you'll be my friend?"             - pg. 120   Nick + Sasha

2 robots

A character-driven book in which I disliked all of the characters.

Acquired: swapped for on swap.com

The Last Summer (of You and Me)

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
Published: June 5, 2007 by Riverhead

Set on Long Island's Fire Island, The Last Summer (of You and Me) is an enchanting, heartrending page-turner about sisterhood, friendship, love, loss, and growing up. It is the story of a beach community friendship triangle - Riley and Alice, two sisters in their twenties, and Paul, the young man they've grown up with - and what happens one summer when budding love, sexual curiosity, a sudden serious illness, and a deep secret all collide, launching the friends into an adult world from which their summer haven can no longer protect them.






This book was so dull and weighed down by wishy-washy characters and their endless deep thoughts. It was hard to care about the characters and what happens to them, because they were shells of characters to me. I bought this book because it was on sale and I was hoping for a good story about twenty-somethings from an author I like...but I think I forgot how long ago I liked the Traveling Pants books, and how I really only cared about 1 or 2 of those girls anyways. 


*I didn't actually love anything in this book. These are the things that kept me reading til the end, though I admit there was some skimming.

• Alice + Paul - When they finally get together, Alice and Paul are a couple that seems like they could actually work. They make sense, and it was obviously a long time coming. I wish they were together for more of the book.
• Riley - Riley is the spontaneous and fun sister. It would be great if we got to see her with friends besides her sister and Paul. They spent every single summer on the island, shouldn't at least one of them have other friends? We are constantly told how fun Riley is, but all we see of Riley is when Alice is worrying about her. Even the chapters from Riley's point of view are dull.

• mood - This book's tone takes a lot of getting used to. It feels so contemplative and sad. The word that comes to mind is melancholy. There's so much thinking...deep thinking, introspection, etc. So much thinking and not a lot of anything else.
• characters - It's like they all want to be miserable! They just think and think about doing something they want to do, but they never act on it. It was very frustrating to read.
• plot - Unfortunately, the plot is buried deep under all of the characters' worrying and wondering. And when things do happen, the events are met by even more thinking and worrying. Every character seems so isolated and trapped in their own head, despite the fact that they are presented to us as people that have grown up joined at the hip.

• "Is there really nothing?" she asked. She fixed him with a glare, daring him to ask her what she meant. If he did, honest to God, she would punch him.         -  Alice   pg. 115
• He wasn't actually taking something out of his house that was his, he recognized as he bunched it up in his hand and walked down the stairs and out the back door. He was taking something that he'd stolen. Two wrongs supposedly couldn't make a right, but he felt in his heart that sometimes they could.     - Paul  pg. 271

2 robots

Too much thinking, not enough anything else. It was a struggle to care enough to finish.

Acquired: bought

1. Bass Ackwards and Belly Up

2. The Last Summer (of You and Me)

Death by Latte

Death by Latte by Linda Gerber

(book 2: Death By series)

Published: Sept. 18th, 2008 by Sleuth/Speak

It was only a few weeks ago that Aphra Connolly's life changed completely. She had been living a quiet existence on her father's secluded island resort, until Seth Mulo turned up and stole her heart...and provided information that led her to find her mom in Seattle. But the reunion isn't quite what she expected. Aphra's mom, Natalie, doesn't seem happy to see Aphra, and Natalie's boyfriend, Joe, insists that Aphra go home. Even worse, Seth shows up, only to ask her to return the ring he gave her the previous summer. At least Natalie's hunky neighbor is sympathetic. But when Joe is found dead at a nearby coffee shop, Aphra discovers her whole trip to Seattle has been based on a lie. And now someone just might be trying to kill her...

       Ok, so I only read this because the book I bought was $5 for all 3 of the books in this series. I gave Death by Bikini 3 Robots. You can read that review here. There really wasn't much plot at all in this book. Even though the 1st book was decent, this book is just a nothing story - tiny little bits of advancement in the plot with Aphra's mom, but other than that there is no reason for this book to exist.

Reasons I love this book:

• twists - Once the story actually got going, Aphra and her cohorts got into a bit of a situation. Even though some characters were extremely suspicious from the beginning, there were some little surprises in who turned out to be on which side.
• pace - These books are on the short side, so the plot moves pretty quickly. The beginning was a little slow for me, when Aphra met up with her mom and found out what was going on, but after that everything was faster.

Huh, what?:

• Aphra - Alright, Aphra. Let's review what we've learned from the 1st book. Someone that you thought you could trust was actually a killer. So...why are you spilling secrets to people you've known for 2 minutes? Aphra is supposedly 16, but she just comes off as younger, maybe 12. I don't know if it's because she's so self-centered or something else. 
• plot - There is no reason for this book to exist. The only significant thing that happens has to do with Aphra's mom and could have easily just been thrown into the next book. Much of the book is just dull. Exciting things happen, but the way they are written is just not interesting. It's kind of like watching something happen from behind glass where you can barely see or hear what's going on. 
• Seth's arrival - All of the sudden, out of nowhere, Seth appears in Seattle with no explanation as to how he got there. He's has his own reason for being there, but it seems like the author's reason for bringing him into the sequel is simply to have a love interest present. 

Favorite quotes:

• The air felt like it was being sucked from my lungs, and my head rang as if someone had clapped their hands over my ears. Hard. I don't remember falling, but the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the dock, head pounding. The boast was a mass of flames.        - pg. 107-108
• There's a thin line between suspicion and paranoia and I hate to think I may have crossed it, but the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. The vehicle we were driving belonged to - and had been equipped by - the Agency. An Agency man had suggested we take it. Why?   - pg. 193

2 Robots

This book contained nothing important to the series and I've lost whatever little interest I had in the plot. I'm not going to read the 3rd book even though I already own it. Good if you want a short, quick read and a cute, easy mystery.

Acquired: bought

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Published: February 1, 1999 by MTV Books


Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie is navigating through the strange world of love, drugs, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and dealing with the loss of a good friend and his favorite aunt.

      If this were an indie movie, I might think it was great, but I read this book and found it bland. I will not remember much about it at all and I really don't understand why it's so popular. I thought it was boring and I'm glad it was as short as it was for that reason. 

Reasons I love this book:

• letters - Charlie is writing letters to an anonymous person, so the novel is his telling of events in his life to a stranger. So the way Charlie thinks and talks about his life ends up being very train-of-thought, run on sentences. It flows so easily and once you sort of get in that mindset it's hard to find a stopping point.

Huh, what?:

• plot - Uh, there is a very loose plot at best. Charlie tells us about his daily life. Sometimes he goes on dates but doesn't really care either way if he does or doesn't. He reads this book and he likes it. He reads that book and doesn't know if he likes it. There is actually a lot Charlie doesn't know, but I think that's one of the points of this book. We all grow up but none of us know what we're doing so we struggle to figure it all out - and by the time we do, it's over. It's impossible to base your experience on someone else's so everyone's essentially flying blind.
• Charlie - It's not that I really dislike Charlie, it's that he's a bland, lukewarm character so my feelings on him are similar. He merely relates to us what happens in his life, but rarely ever forms opinions on these things - and if he does it's oh it was good. Even as he continues to date a girl he doesn't like being with, Charlie just goes along with everything she does and never has the courage to speak up about anything.
• the book - This book is considered a "new classic" - one of those not yet ancient books that show up in English or Literature classes. I don't understand why exactly it has been elevated to this status. It does deal with an issue of Charlie's, but that is barely even a part of the story and when it was revealed I had trouble empathizing with Charlie because he is so emotionally flat. I believe this issue that the book deals with (mentions is really more accurate) is the only reason this book is widely read or still considered worth reading.

Favorite quotes:

• My mom usually helps her aunt prepare the food, which my grandfather always says is "too dry" even if it's soup. And her aunt will then cry and lock herself in the bathroom. There is only one bathroom in my great aunt's house, so this turns to trouble when all the beer starts to hit my cousins. They stand twisted in bladder positions and bang on the door for a few minutes and almost coax my great aunt out, but then my grandfather curses something at my great aunt, and they cycle starts over again.              -  Charlie  pg. 57
• I didn't feel like reading that night, so I went downstairs and watched a half-hour-long commercial that advertised an exercise machine. They kept flashing a 1-800 number, so I called it. The woman who picked up the other end of the phone was named Michelle. And I told Michelle that I was a kid and did not need an exercise machine, but I hoped she was having a good night. That's when Michelle hung up on me. And I didn't mind a bit.      - Charlie  pg. 122

2 robots

No real plot, lack of dialogue. I didn't really understand this book, so I didn't enjoy reading it.

Acquired: swap.com

The Dead-Tossed Waves

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
(The Forest of Hands and Teeth #2)
Published: March 9, 2010 by Delacorte Books


Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

Read my review of The Forest of Hands and Teeth here. 

       I had a lot of issues with The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but before I even read it I had The Dead-Tossed Waves from a swap. I figured it was a zombie apocalypse series so where could it go wrong? I am having a really hard time embracing the cheese factor here because it actually takes itself very seriously. I know a lot of people love these books, but I'm a fan of The Walking Dead and want my zombie books gory or at least way more action-packed than I am finding this series to be. This review is going to be full of SPOILERS, so I will try to warn you when a big one comes up!

Reasons I love this book:

• Elias - I can't help but like the guy. He was so dedicated to righting the wrongs of his past - and he knew how to fight. He ended up on the path due to sense of responsibility, while Gabry was following her sense of guilt.
• Gabry - I liked Gabry better than Mary. Even though both of them were in sappy love triangles, I felt like Gabry was just a little less pathetic about hers.
• the sonnets - I really liked the way that the Shakespeare sonnets were connected to the story. It made me think that maybe Mary learned a little something after all, and I thought it was extremely clever. 
• writing - I do enjoy the descriptions in these books, as you'll see in the favorite quotes section. Some of them are so dark and just really add to the creepy atmosphere of the forest. 

Huh, what?:

• Gabry's mom - SPOILERS! The big reveal that Mary wasn't really Gabry's mom rocked Gabry's world. Uh...ok then. From the second the book said Mary had a daughter I was wondering who Mary had slept with. Her 2 "loves" were left behind by the time she reached the ocean, so is Gabry's dad the random guy Mary met at the lighthouse? If you mother was from the other side of the forest, wouldn't you wonder where you factored in?
• Catcher - MORE SPOILERS! First of all, you live in a tiny village walled in against the ocean to protect you from the undead - and you can't tell a girl you have a crush on her? Man up dude! And when Catcher gets infected, he turns out to be the only known person who is immune? That's a huge honking coincidence. I would have rather he died so this wouldn't be another love triangle.
• Gabry - OH HECK, THERE ARE PROBABLY SPOILERS HERE TOO! Oh Gabry. Why can't you get it through your thick skull that the guy you've only kissed once is now a walking Petri dish fro the infection that could kill you in a matter of hours? He is the one who convinced you to leave the village and you are so lucky you even survived that. I think it'd help everybody if you sucked it up and helped protect Catcher from the Recruiters instead of making the poor guy's "life" even harder. Gabry screams at her mother at one point to kill a washed up zombie, but she spends the rest of the book trying to kiss a guy who could turn her into a zombie. Error, does not compute.
• Mary - Mary hasn't learned a dang thing since her trek through the forest. She's disappointed with herself for leaving her friends in the forest. So instead she leaves Gabry alone while she ventures back into the forest for her own selfish reasons. Abandoning another person kinda cancels out your quest to right abandoning those other people Mary!
• the twist - Uh, way too confusing for me, but that may be because it was revealed near the end and I'd already given up hope. I just wasn't interested anymore.

Favorite quotes:

• I fall, my face slapping against a wave, my knee scraping the sand. I scream into the water. The salt scratches at my eyes as I lunge for the surface. He grabs my arm and pulls and I try to fight. I kick and claw and thrash against him. I scream again, choking as a wave crashes on my face. I swing wildly, my fists connecting with flesh.         - pg. 82
• The simmer of panic explodes. "Go!" I shout. "Run!" The old bridge sways under our weight and pounding feet as we sprint across it. In the gaps between the wooden planks the waterfall churns and roars, racing into the black emptiness below. I can almost feel the flames of the torches behind us as we reach the other side of the bridge, as Elias slams against the gate and struggles with the latch.         - pg. 225

2 Robots

Too much sappy love triangle and not enough action. This series is just not for me. Zombie book recommendations anyone?

Acquired: swap.com

   

Cracked Up To Be

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
Published: December 23, 2008 by St. Martin's Griffin


Perfect Parker Fadley isn't so perfect anymore. She's quit the cheerleading squad, she's dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she's failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she's playing games...but what they don't know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn't something she can say out loud. It isn't even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody-be totally alone-then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.

       So, I've been wanting to read this book since around when it came out because it sounded like I could relate a bit, trying to be perfect with school is a lot of pressure. What I found is that Parker is impossible to relate to and an obnoxious person in general. I wanted to like this book at first, but at about halfway through I was done trying to understand Parker and just wanted to know what the heck was wrong with her. That doesn't mean it wasn't a well-written book, but this was not a book I enjoyed. 

Reasons I love this book:

• Bailey- Parker's dog is my favorite character in this book- he's the only one that Parker is ever nice not a jerk to and even then she can barely manage that. When Parker gets Bailey she starts becoming more human- if it hadn't been for this dog I'm not sure I would've seen any progress with Parker.
• Principal Henley- she's doing the best she can in the situation, with her whole do your work and don't mess up or don't graduate policy. If more people in Parker's life were less lenient she'd probably be in a better place (parents! I don't care if she doesn't want to go to a therapist- she needs one!)

Huh, what?:

• Parker- Parker is a major jerk to everyone she comes into contact with. She drinks and goes to school hungover when she goes at all, which doesn't make sense because the "huge horrible bad thing" she's reacting to happened the 1st time she ever got drunk. She's even a jerk to people in her head. She's obnoxious and self-centered and hard to relate to.
• Parker and guys- Ok, so she was having sex regularly with her ex (before he was her ex of course), fine, but now she's screwed up and when a nice guy starts liking her despite her being a jerk towards him, she doesn't want an emotional connection because that would be hard so she just goes straight for sex- which I'm pretty sure she knew would be the fastest track to ending the potential relationship
• "the huge horrible bad thing"- didn't even happen to her, it was just something she saw happen and probably couldn't have prevented (even if she were sober). She turned it into a horrible mess by choosing, that night and every day afterwards not to say anything about it, ever, to anyone.

Favorite quotes:

• Four years, two suicides, one death, one rape, two pregnancies (one abortion), three overdoses, countless drunken antics...six months until graduation and no one gets a medal when they get out.             -  pg. 1
• It figures the last thing I should say is the first thing out of my mouth. The room gets so quiet I can hear the faint sounds of the chemistry teacher shouting formulas all the way down the hall through two closed doors. Henley stops pacing and glances at Grey, and Chris looks like I've slapped him across the face.              - pg.  81

2 robots

This book was not at all for me. The overall plot of a character dealing with the personal fallout of something bad that happened at a party was done much better in Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.

Acquired: Bought