Little Miss Bookmark

Being a book reviewer isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Sure, you receive copies of books before they come out and it's almost like you're hearing juicy celebrity gossip before the rest of the world. Cracking open an unreleased book is ... exhilarating. I get this giddy, kid-on-Christmas-morning type of buzz just thinking about reading a yet-to-be-released installment from an author that I have followed for years or being the first to read how a character's life has changed due to some cliffhanger at the end of the previous book in a series or when you are one of the first to be able to read the very first book from a brand new author.

But there is also a very difficult side to reviewing books. Sometimes you have to dish out these less-than-stellar reviews about something that an author has slaved over for a crazy amount of time ... something that has probably become a best friend and/or enemy at many times during their writing process and has settled on being one of their greatest accomplishments and something they are very proud of.

The blurb for Middle Man was awesome ... millions stolen from Saddam, a soldier turned spy set out to solve the mystery of the stolen money with only a clue from his deceased father. That sounds amazing, right?

Unfortunately, this book just didn't hit the mark for me. I don't know what it was. Okay ... let me put it like this: books are like fish in a tank. There's a sign on the tank that says, "Don't tap the tank". I want a book to be the fish that I have to tap the tank for. I want to be banging on the tank like my life depends on it, trying to get the attention of this fish, repercussions be damned. I just didn't want to tap this tank. I wanted to walk by and drag my kiddos with me. Weird analogy, I know. But it's what popped in my head, so that's what you get.

I can't say for sure what it was about the book. I guess it could be in part within the first couple of scenes something that happened with a Marine sniper ... the whole scenario seemed weird to me. Not that I know from personal experience whether something about the military is true ... one of my favorite people is a Marine sniper and so I asked him what he thought ... he agreed with me that something was wonky (my word, not his - Marines don't say wonky, I'm sure).

Anyhow ... that one item didn't ruin the book. The writing wasn't BAD. The characters were well written, the story seemed full and it didn't seem to be lacking in any department. It could be that I've read so many Vince Flynn books that he has ruined me for military/spy authors.

I really wish that I had some concrete reason as to why the book and I didn't mesh. Sometimes, the book gods just aren't smiling down on you the day you start a new book.

Just because it missed the mark with me, doesn't mean that you won't love it! So if you're into the whole military/spy novel thing, you should definitely pick this one up and see what it's all about. You may have found a new author that you love.

I really flip-flopped about the rating for this book. I thought that 3 wasn't enough but 4 was too much, Goodreads doesn't accept any "and a half" ratings ... so I decided to give it a 4 because a 3 would be a disservice.

Anyway ... glad I wasted a whole paragraph on that explanation. So. I have a few specific things to touch on. Nothing huge and it's not book ruining type of stuff. The first thing that kinda got to me is mostly my fault, I guess. See, when I receive or buy a book, I read the blurb and then it's promptly forgotten. The book ends up on a big list of books that I need to read. I don't believe in buying books when you run out ... why run out in the first place?!? Who knows how many catastrophes could happen and imagine having to go without reading because you weren't prepared!! Because of that belief, I have tons of books on my "To Read" pile. Tons. I'm ashamed of how many I have and I refuse to divulge that number because I know that you would judge me. Now that we have almost completely derailed ... just to sum up: I read the blurb, I get the book, it goes in a pile and I don't look at the book again until it's time for me to read it. When I do finally pick it up, I NEVER read that blurb again. Why spoil some of the surprises? I always just dive in, feet first. When I got to around page 45-ish in Gone Wild, a name came up and I had no freaking clue who this person was!! Who the heck is Ina? Why is this Adam dude calling out to her? Oh, yeah. That's the main character. It just seemed weird to me that for so many pages, I just had no clue what the name of the main character was ... I felt like I was having a Tommy Boy moment, "It's gotta be YOUR bull ..."

Now that I know who Ina is ... she kind of annoyed me during part of the book. Good Lord, woman! Figure out who you are! And I'm assuming that this is how the author intended Ina to be ... which is great with me, I love flawed characters ... but it became a bit much at times.

Adam ... he's a pretty well written character. I really liked him. I loved how jaded, protective and secretive he is. It made him more intriguing. It really pushed me to keep reading so that maybe, just maybe, I could find out more about this gorgeous, mountain man. I just really liked him and I couldn't find too many things about him that I didn't like. Oooh ... other than (and this will sound weird) but I kept thinking of him as the Yoda of safety ... Be careful, you will. I don't really know why that happened or even if other readers will feel the same way ... but there it is.

Okay. This is for the moment when the woman of your dreams says that she loves you ... do not, I repeat ... DO NOT ask her: "What? Why? Where? When? How?" Too weird and out of place.

The book is actually pretty good. It was entertaining but it did leave me wanting more. I think that it just needed more suspense. You can't insert such a great controversial scenario into a story and not fully explore it, in my opinion. I would have loved to see more mystery and suspense in the book.

I will definitely be watching out for this author in the future. If her first book is a 4-star (in my mind) then her next ones should be even better!

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Lisa. Jackson. WHEW! Man, this book ... geez!

I have read hundreds of books in tons of different genres. One of my favorites is the mystery/suspense group. But only if a few conditions are met:

1. The hero/heroine MUST be flawed. I detest reading about some perfect person who lives in the perfect house with a perfect dog, the 2.5 perfect children, the perfect spouse who drives the perfect car with the perfect life. I want someone who has been down in the trenches, who has had bad stuff happen to them and they have dusted themselves back off, sworn to never make that same mistake again, only to make that same mistake again! I guess I could have said just a regular person. But what fun would that have been?
C. I would really like it if I couldn't pick out the killer. If I can pick out the villain in the first couple chapters, I get very angry and refuse to read the book for 10-15 minutes while it's in time out and had time to think about what it's done. I'll probably finish the book ... but I will probably not read from that author again anytime soon.
4. The word of the day is: twistyturney. There have to be lots of twistyturneys in the book. Mandatory. OR ELSE (dun dun DUUUUN) <-- Imagine scary music. <br/>
Okay, if all of those conditions are met, then that makes a happy reader (me). So. The question is whether Lisa Jackson met those criteria and the answer is ABSOLUTELY!

It has been too long since I have picked up a Jackson book and I really regret that now. I feel like I have missed out on a great series and now after the mountain of books that I have to read is a bit smaller, I'm going to pick up the rest of the To Die series.

While there are quite a few characters, I felt like I knew where all of them were coming from. It was a bit much to keep up with at first but I quickly caught on. And maybe that would have been a non-issue if I had read the rest of the series.

I really felt like this could be a standalone book. I didn't feel anything was lacking in the story ... there wasn't a back story that I felt like I was missing out on or anything, so that's a gigantic thumbs up.

All in all, a great book. Definitely one I'll pick up again and of course an author that I'll stop neglecting!!


** I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review ** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

Before I dive headfirst into this review, it does need to be known that this book does not have words. I repeat ... no words. But in no way does that take anything away from this wonderful book ... here's why ...

So many things to say about this little book. First of all ... adore the illustrations. They are fun and simple and almost child-like ... which is a good thing!! I think that kids are able to see a bit of themselves in the drawings and it also inspired our two boys to make a comic strip!

I showed this book to our 6 year old and he loved it from just looking at the cover. After a few minutes, he started to tell ME what the book was about - which is another thing that I love. Getting children interested in books is so important for their development. I've always said that it doesn't matter WHAT they read, as long as they are reading SOMETHING. And this book, even though there are no words, plays right into that as well. This book helps them on their creative side. We also found out that each time he would "read" the book to us, the story changed and that means that this book will be a favorite for a very long time in our house.

I'll hop down off of my soap box now and just say this ... great book, pick it up ... it's really for any age between 2 (when they start really talking) and around 10 (when everything around them becomes babyish and anyone speaking to them is an inconvenience ... we're at this age with our eldest ... it's great. Lol).

Pick it up or give it as a gift and watch the creative side of your child emerge!

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

What to say ... this one is difficult for me to review. On one hand, the story line was one that I hadn't heard of before (that doesn't happen very often!), the characters were pretty well written and the world that the author created were interesting. On the other hand ... it was just ... too much. This is considered a children's fiction book and it is very, VERY involved. There were tons of characters to keep track of and while I remembered all of them, sometimes it took me a moment to get back into the story.

That was another issue for me, the flow of the story seemed to start and stop every few pages because you were flip flopping between centuries and characters. Now, it's very likely that I had issues with that because I'm a stay at home mom and with two boys running around, I have to squeeze in reading time between taking care of those two monsters. But it really felt like I was in the car with a 15 year old who just got their permit and are learning how to use the break pedal ...

As a side note ... I really expected a tie in to the title by the time I was halfway through the book. But it really kept me guessing how it was going to happen and when. By about halfway through the book, I thought that maybe it should have been re-titled to The Doors or something. Anything having to do with the doors actually because that is what the story centered around for so long.

All of that being said, I did really like the conversations that the characters had ... I know that sounds weird but hear me out ... they went back and forth like a ping pong match and it was amusing to read. You can definitely envision actual conversations with this one, nothing seemed awkward or forced in that aspect.

I also liked the concept of doors leading to a new land or time. That was pretty interesting and I found myself wondering what they would encounter next. Each time I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued.

This isn't a BAD book but it's just not one of my favorites. I would probably try and read it again sometime. I mean, it really touched on all of the magical/fantasy/mythical creatures/beings and the like. I don't know if one more could have been

Oh, and Felinacious is an awesome name for a cat. Sounds pretentious, regal and lazy all at the same time.

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Wow. I don't even ... I just ... wow. I have just realized that I'm a complete idiot. There really isn't any other word for it. Why on EARTH have I not heard of this series before?!? Or the author?!? I am obviously not in the circle of trust in the book world. If I had been, someone, ANYONE would have told me about this little gem of a series.

Okay, now that THAT awkwardness is over ... stop what you are doing. Right. Now. Wait, don't stop NOW ... wait till you're done reading this and THEN stop what you're doing. You have to get on your Nook/Kindle/iPad/internet/whatever and order the first book in this series ... it's called Splintered. You can thank me later ... I like chocolates.

I received an advanced sample of Unhinged in exchange for a review. Picking Unhinged up was an easy decision and a hard one at the same time. It was easy because the blurb made it sound fantastic and it was hard because I usually don't read things this deep in a fantasy world. That, and I really didn't enjoy reading Alice in Wonderland ... too weird for me. But when I saw this book, I thought I would give it a try ... it's just a book and I can put it down if it's really too much.

Well ... I didn't have to put it down. It took me about 0.0285 seconds to get invested in this plot and I haven't even read the first book!! (That will be remedied soon, mind you). Basically, it's about a darker side of Alice in Wonderland ... a girl goes down the rabbit hole and after that, you'll have to buy the book because in no way will anything I describe or tell you in any way compare to how the author has written this book.

A.G. Howard wrote this chapter (and I'm assuming the rest of the book) in such a way that you could hear the mud they were stepping in squishing under their shoes, see the spidery clouds drifting by in the sky and feel the tension in the air ...

I have read hundreds of books and this is one of the few that has had me hooked so quickly and I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've gotten attached to a book from the middle of a series when I haven't read the first one.

All of that being said ... go buy Splintered. Immediately. Unfortunately, Unhinged won't be available until January 7th, 2014. That is a really long time to wait for a new installment in a series, I know. But it is really worth the wait and you won't be disappointed!

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

First of all, since I'm a mom of two wonderful (and sometimes obnoxious) boys, I've read my fair share of children's books. Now, being a mom ... I was a little surprised with how many times the word stupid and hate were in the book.

Stop right there. I know what you're thinking ... the word hate is in the title, how could I not assume that it would be in the book, right? Well, I did assume that it would be in the book but I wasn't counting on the word stupid. I can't tell you how many times a day I have to tell our 6 year old that he needs to find another word to use instead of stupid and that hate is a really strong word and yadda, blah. It's actually amazing that I don't have a permanent knot in the middle of my forehead from banging it on the wall every night ... THAT'S how many times a day I tell him these two things.

Anyhow, if this book didn't have those two words in it, I would go out and buy it immediately. It's a really cute book that goes through all of this child's favorite stories and he's saying how he feels almost robbed because none of them were actually true. Finally, he realizes that the reasons he doesn't like each book is the same reason that he loves them. Such an adorable premise for a children's book. It brought back so many memories for me and I'm sure that our youngest would enjoy it.

I just wish that there were other words used, I really do love this book and it would make for some amazing gifts to all of our pint-sized friends.

I received this book in exchange for a review on my blog: http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Oh, do I have a review for this one. I'd like to say that it will be all rainbows and unicorns, but this one is going to get pretty rough.

That being said ... it wasn't a HORRIBLE book ... after all, the premise was pretty interesting: having a relationship with a man for over a year and a half, having only honestly met him once and all other meetings are when he comes to you at night and you (ehem) enjoy each other ... yeah, it's risque but it's interesting. I figured with a premise like that, the book just HAD to be awesome.

Unfortunately, it just didn't hit awesome for me. And I have some extremely nit-picky specific reasons why.

Let's get this show on the road ... I have a lot of ground to cover. Okay ... sometimes there was this weird phrasing in the book ... I don't know if the author was trying to blaze new trails in the literary world or what, but not using pronouns in sentences where they are needed REALLY makes the sentence look like a checklist.

Moving on, lets talk about the characters. On one hand, I thought that the character of Elvira was very well established, I loved how spunky/mouthy/sassy she was. She is actually the only character that I felt was ... complete. I didn't wonder anything about her. That could be because of the way she was written - she's a no frills, don't mistake what I'm saying, take it like a man, type of woman. So maybe she commanded that I like her. Now ... on the other hand ... all of the male characters ... had absolutely no depth. It was pretty sad. I didn't understand where any of them were coming from or their motivation or even who in the heck they were. They were just ... shallow. And not shallow = self involved ... I mean shallow = boring. Also, all of the male characters seemed to have been made with a cookie cutter ... they were all so similar. They were bad-asses (the author's word). I just don't get it.

Speaking of bad-asses ... if you are truly a bad-ass, would you call yourself a bad-ass? I'm pretty sure that if you're a self-proclaimed bad-ass, then that means you aren't really one. And if THAT is true then this book is full of frauds and that makes it even worse.

Another thing with the characters ... they were all attractive! All I can say is, I want to live in Denver because it sounds pretty amazing. Eye candy on every corner ... every single guy is hot ... with their sultry looks, flowing locks, disarming dimples and manly gaits. There must be some type of secret screening that you have to go through before you can move to Denver ... note to self: look into job specifications for a Denver residence screen-er ...

These last ones, I'm going to list really quickly before this review turns into a novel by itself ... #1. Honey, babe and baby are acceptable nicknames but when every character is called that, it becomes a bit confusing and annoying, honey. #2. Sometimes, the phrases that the bikers used was weird ... for example: "She is in residence now" ... they sound like the military and while that goes with the pic of dog-tags on the cover, the rest of their vernacular just didn't mesh with it. #3. Hearing the phrase "Sorry I cut you" has a different connotation here in Texas ... it means that you cut someone ... with a knife, or a chainsaw or you shanked them ... maybe on accident. In the book, it means that you hurt them ... cut seems pretty specific when you're not actually cutting someone ... #4. No self-respecting 33-year-old says "yowza". Ever. #5. If you're a dude and your dad hits on your girlfriend, maybe by saying that she has a nice ass ... IN FRONT OF HER ... you punch him in the face and leave. You don't chuckle. That was freaking weird.

Last but definitely NOT least, we are going to play a game. It's called Never Have I Ever. It's easy to play, you say "never have I ever" and then name something that you have or haven't done. If any of the players of the game have done it, you have to hit yourself in the face with a book ... preferably one of those hardback editions of the Websters Dictionary that has been sitting on your parents bookshelf for the past 30 years. Now, I get to go first because it was my idea ... and this is really my show right now ... okay ... Never have I ever ... used the word SQUISHY more than 20 times in a book ... unfortunately, at this point, Ms. Kristen Ashley (the author of this book) would have a big knot on her forehead.

Oh, I almost forgot!! The book did have one major redeeming quality ... the characters were Denver Broncos fans. Almost boosted my rating to a 4 star ... then I saw another sentence with the word "squishy" in it ... bumped it back down to a 3 star.

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

True to Sandra Brown form, this book was just about everything I look for in a book. It was entertaining, gripping, sweet, twisted and so much more.

You really can't go wrong with anything Brown writes. This book was written in 1991, but I didn't find myself noticing the 22 year difference. With some books, you REALLY notice that the book is old ... the author leans too heavily on modern technology and that becomes outdated so quickly that their books also feel dated. Maybe that's one of the main reasons that I really enjoy all of Brown's books.

Now ... since you can tell I'm a fan, let's talk about French Silk. I really didn't have any issues with it ... it was a really good book. And except for one or two parts, it didn't really slow down or make me lose interest. The characters were great (as are all of Sandra Brown characters in every single book) - well written, thought out, engaging ... the whole nine yards. The setting was also gorgeous ... at least I think. I've never been to New Orleans ... but the picture that Brown painted has turned it into a place that I would like to check out.

Long story short, great book ... pick it up ... you won't be disappointed.


http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

I won this book through the Goodreads First Read Giveaway on 05/31/2013 and received my copy on 06/20/2013.

I am so conflicted with this review. So. Since I apparently can't tell my head from my behind with this one, I'm planning on just going through the list of ... things ... one by one and letting you guys make a decision on your own!

There might be some little mini-spoilers ... nothing serious or story ruining ... I promise!

At this point, you've probably already read the description for this book so you know kind of what is going on. Forget everything that they have posted. Just throw it out the window and hope that a car runs over it, smashing it into oblivion. Now. I'm not saying that the description is false. At least not completely. But when you're faced with a ghost in this book ... Yes. A ghost. One that talks. And people can hear it. A ghost you can have full blown conversations with. Now, maybe I have issues reading correctly or someone is going in and changing the book description when I go to read it ... but I didn't know that ghosts were a part of this book. It was just a weird thing not to include in the description, especially considering that it comes out within the first couple of chapters - so it's not like it was a secret only to be revealed at the end of the book.

Okay ... here come some little spoilers ... you might want to skip this paragraph. So. Reincarnation. I don't have feelings either way on this topic. Reincarnation might be possible, it might not ... who am I to say. But this is another topic that I didn't think would play a pivotal part in the book. But it does. And during a bit of the book, it was a little hard to keep up with who was who in another life and who dated who 5 gazillion years ago before they turned into another person who dated this other person 899 years ago but then fell in love again 458 years ago just to die in a freak space-ship accident but came back as pet leopard of the person they fell in love with back when rocks were forming. Yeah. It's a lot. And maybe how I explained it is a little more extreme than it actually was in the book, but you get my point. It was confusing. Or maybe I'm slow. Both are very likely possibilities.

Visit http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ for the full review!

LOVE Sandra Brown ... super excited to read this one!

Just finished this one a couple of minutes ago and wow. This is one of my favorites by Sandra Brown now.

Writing was phenomenal (as usual), Brown can really write some amazing characters! The depth that she goes to in order to really delve into making them feel like real people is pretty amazing. I think that Brown creates awesomely flawed characters. Who doesn't like a flawed character?!? This is a little weird, but I would much rather read about someone who is messed up than the perfect person. I guess it just makes them more ... normal ... to be flawed.

Anyway, in order to avoid a complete derailment ... Low Pressure. I was a little unsure of this one for some reason. I thought that the premise was good but I didn't really know how this story would play out at the beginning. I was afraid it would turn into more of a family drama than her usual books and that isn't really what I am looking for when I read a Sandra Brown book. I want something with a little romance, a lot of mystery and tons of suspense. Well Brown totally hit the nail on the head. The family aspect didn't play as much of a part as I was afraid that it would.

Read the rest of my review on http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Finally, Daemon and Katy get their act together and finally behave like a couple! I really don't have any negatives with this book ... if I did ... you know that I'd point it out.

This book pretty much runs the same as the previous two in the Lux series. With a few twists. More than a few twists. The ending completely threw me for a loop. I've read so many books that I can usually pin-point the bad guy pretty close to the beginning of the book and I really couldn't with this one. I thought that something was a little hinky with one of the characters and then it seemed to resolve itself and before you know it ... BAM!! ... mind blown.

There was one point at the end of the book where I just had to sit there ... I was so stunned. I'll just tell you this, there was a huge betrayal. Major. Epic. For some reason, this betrayal just came out of left field for me. I don't know why. I should have guessed it!! But Jennifer Armentrout is a tricky author. She writes stories that are so ... normal. You feel like you're there, you know? And then she pulls some twisted plot whirlpool out of nowhere and you feel like the rug has been yanked out from under you.

I think that is a sign of a good author ... if someone can keep me guessing, you're a good author. I mean, I watch Criminal Minds. That makes me an expert in like ... everything ... right? If only!

Anyway ... great 3rd installment in this series ... I'm interested to see where else Armentrout can take this.

Oh, Onyx. So many things to say and not enough time ... just finished this one ... I'm going to have to sit back and decompress and process everything that just happened before I write my review ...

After sitting back for a while and contemplating everything ... I'm still confused. Not by the writing - it's stellar ... I still love how this writer is a no-frills kind of lady with her style (writing that is). I'm confused about the story line ... where in the world can it go next? Who am I going to love and then hate, who am I going to hate and then love ... it's a jumble of emotions with this book. I'm freaked out by what is happening and then it's fine. Or everything is all good and then ... BOOM ... mind blown.

Great series ... I'm already reading #3 which is why this review will be a little short ... I have to get back into Katy's world and find out what is happening now.

Pick up the first one in the series, you won't be disappointed. It's light-hearted and fun, the characters are so realistic and sassy ... love it.

June 6, 2013: Just finished rereading ... again. Still an awesome book!

June 23, 2012: Three words ... MY. NEW. FAVORITE!!!

This book is absolutely awesome. Armentrout developed an amazing character in Katy. She's this spunky teenager and she holds nothing back when it comes to the leading male, Daemon, (who happens to be my new favorite male character).

If this ever turns into a movie ... please, for the love of everything soft and fluffy, cast Channing Tatum as Daemon. You and I both know that it's the right thing to do.

Anyhow. Armentrout pulls you in from the very first page. Her style of writing is so .... laid back (?!?) ... I can't think of another word for it ... you just feel like it's happening around you. She doesn't add any extra descriptions that you don't really need. Everything she writes is pertinent to the story and can't be cut out ... no filler (yay)!!

Great book ... I recommend it to anyone who wants a fun summer read. This is definite "by-the-pool" reading. I can't wait to read it again. Or the next one ... which doesn't come out for a while (booooo).

Pick it up. Read it. You won't be disappointed!!

Read this puppy in one day. It's good.

Wait for it ... here it is ... the big BUT.

Okay, great story, excellent continuation of what was already established in The Selection. But. I'm not going to lie to the 1 person that will actually read this review. I got a little annoyed with the flip-flopping of America's emotions. I was so frustrated, it got to the point where I wasn't rooting for one guy (it was always Maxon previously, by the way) and I didn't really care who she ended up with as long as it was someone. Anyone. Just pick a dude, lady!

But that simmered down after what happened. If you've read the book, you know what I mean. That BIG thing that happened and it made me hate Maxon with a fire-ey passion hot enough to melt Mordor. I don't think I've ever disliked a fictional character as much as I did Maxon after that scene. But alas, he redeems himself ... but it took a while.

So now I'm back on Team Maxon and I wish that the next book was out so that I could just find out who she picks!!! It's horrible getting into a book like this and then to be pushed to the last page by the wonderful writing just to end up running into a brick wall at the end of the last page.

I feel incomplete. My life can't possibly go on until I read the rest of this series.

Dramatics aside, it's a great series and one that you should pick up and take with you to the beach or that little cozy corner that you have where you can snuggle up with it and fall in love with the characters as most who have read this have.

June 3, 2013: Read this again ... still adore it!!

May 26, 2012: And I thought that 50 Shades of Grey was controversial! This book is right up there with it, but just for other reasons.

Biggest reason? Because the author's editor called a reviewer a bitch. Is that right? Hell no. And the author and editor conspiring to "like" all of the reviews that gave the book 5 stars ... moral? Again, hell no. But here's my thing. I'm not going to hate a book just because the author or their editor or their dodgy neighbor down the street is rude to someone. I'm here to rate books, not become some kind of Book God that can thrust an entertaining book into a shame-filled book hell just because the people who are responsible for it have no manners.

Another reason it's so controversial is because of how similar it is to Hunger Games. And it's pretty similar - they are both in post-apocalyptic settings, there's a love triangle, there is a male stylist, a competition that parents thrust their children into, parents benefiting from their child being used in the contest, extravagant food and an annoying woman that is the girls'"handler". There's even a place where this is said, " ... we want to make them really pull for you. And that won't happen unless they can get to know you". Sounds a lot like what Katniss was told when she was getting ready for the games and was learning about sponsors.

All of that aside - and that may be too much for some perspective readers - it's a really cute book. The characters are lovable and the book is pretty well written. I mean, it's no Grapes of Wrath or Sense and Sensibility, but it's cute and entertaining. I really liked how the story progressed - no parts were lagging or boring or lacking, for that matter.

I don't think that the book deserves the flack that it's been given. You have to think, this is a book for young adults. Will they like it? Absolutely. I can't wait for the rest of the series. In hindsight, I should have waited until all of the series was out before I started on it so that I could read it all in one sitting, but I had to see what all of the fuss was about. Because of that, I'm going to be tortured until the others come out - I can't wait to see what happens next.

I would hate for someone to base whether they get this book on what others are saying. Just grab it, read the back of the book and form your own opinions instead of using someone else's to determine whether you would really like this book. You might be pleasantly surprised because I sure was!

I'll definitely read this again and again. Now hurry up with the rest of series!