2. The Break-up Diet

The Break-up Diet, by Annette Fix (August, 2008)

I finally got my first Early Reviewers book a few days ago, and decided to read a few chapters last night. Well, just over two hours passed by and I was finished with the whole thing.

I don't really think of my posts here as reviews, but that's what I signed up to do on LibraryThing. My reviews are pretty brief, but probably a little more meaty than the two sentences you often get from Publisher's Weekly.

This memoir reads like chick lit, the good kind. I kept forgetting it wasn't a novel as I read it. Every "character" feels real and Annette's voice is really authentic. It's a quick read and fun, even when working through some really tough, emotional stuff. It's not the kind of thing I usually read, but enjoyed it. If you like Jennifer Weiner's work (and I definitely do), you'll probably like this.

1. Ghostgirl

Ghostgirl, Tonya Hurley (2008)

I picked this up at Midwinter at the YALSA booth. My friend Jenine, a teen librarian, handed it to me and said it was or was probably going to be a quick pick title. It was loud in there and I might be misremembering what I misheard. I totally can't resist free advance copies of teen lit, so I was happy to have it.

The book is about an unhappily unpopular girl named Charlotte Usher, who starts the new school year with a plan to become more popular and get the attention of Damien, the boy she adores. Of course, shenanigans ensue, and Charlotte chokes to death on a gummy bear right after managing to get partnered with Damien in physics class. The story follows Charlotte as she tries to adjust to her new afterlife in Dead Ed, the school for dead teenagers. At the same time, Charlotte isn't ready to move on from Damien and we get to see how she plots to get close to him.

It's really cute with all the allusions to literature and music, usually with a gothic flavor. Each chapter begins with a quote from somebody like Emily Dickinson, Martin L. Gore, or The Cure. It's clever without being obnoxious. When this comes out in August, I recommend checking it out. There's a website (and a MySpace, of course) for the book, too.