Pretty Crooked review

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Katherine Tegan Books

March 13, 2012

368pgs.

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

First of all, love, love the cover!!! Second, I’ve been a fan of the Robin Hood story since I was a child and watched the animated Disney version. So I was really excited about the story being set in high school. Pretty Crooked was a totally fast and fun read!

I loved the fact that Willa is a strong female character with a great sense of humor. Her voice really brings the story to life. She’s also led a different life than most MC’s. Her mom is artist, kinda flighty, they’ve moved around a lot, etc. It kinda reminded me of the mom in Mermaids with Cher and Winona Ryder. Then the mom sells some paintings for a lot of moola, and that’s when they move to Arizona.

Willa gets enrolled in Valley Prep, which has the usual suspects of spoiled rich kids and Mean Girls in Kellie, Nikki, and Cherise—although Cherise does have a heart and a conscious compared to the other two girls. She gets sucked into their Mean Girl world as well as draining some of her mom’s newly acquired money on fashion. She totally morphs into someone she isn’t, and fortuantely, she gets a wake-up call and realizes what's going on(plus her mom is superpissed about her spending!). That’s when she has the epiphany to stand up to the Mean Girls by becoming a modern day Robin Hood. She especially wants to help out the scholarship girls, Sierra and Mary, that Kellie and Nikki are making fun of because of their poverty through a malicious online blog.

As for the characters, I totally loved the LI Aidan! He was your typical rich, popular kid, but at the same time, he wanted to break out the mold. And for him, breaking out of the mold meant doing crazy stuff to get kicked out of school! I loved how his usual charms didn't work on Willa and that made him work even harder! He kinda reminded me of Logan from Veronica Mars! I also loved the character of Tre—the bad boy turning good who gives Willa some Robin Hood lessons! Her training sessions with him were great.

I did wish there had been more of the Robin Hood scenes and a little less of Willa getting settled into Valley Prep and life with the Mean Girls. It was really not until the second half of the book that we got to see the premise acted out in all of its fun mayhem! I'll be interested to see what happens in the second book since there's several lose ends left that I want to see tied up.

Overall, a really enjoyable read! 4 Stars!

The Jersey Shore Version of Twilight

Okay, I died laughing at this because it combines two of my guilty pleasures. Twilight and Jersey Shore. Check It out!

Our 5 Star Book List of 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It's time for us here at Reading, Writing and Waiting to round up all the novels we've reviewed during 2011 that received the coveted five star rating. I want to thank all of my review partners for their hardwork this year! I am so glad you came on board with me. I couldn't have got through all the reviews without you!! So, without further ado, here's the Young Adult novels we went Gah-Gah over last year:



Clarity by Kim Harrington
"First off, um, WOW!! This book has easily pushed its way to one of my favorite novels. True crime mysteries in YA are few and far between, and Clarity helps fill that void. This novel totally reminds me of a psychic Veronica Mars, and those of you who know me know how much I loooooooooove Veronica Mars. I know I'm not alone on that one. :)"--Annie



Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins
"I loved every second of this book and it's so hard not to spill the beans because I could go on and on about the plot. There are so many things that happen in this book that make me think WTF, and OMG what's gonna happen next. This book is a must read for the Sophie Mercer fans out there."--Annie



Wither by Lauren Destefano
"There's just something about a forbidden love that hooks me every time. Rhine's relationship with Gabriel is risky. They'd be killed if anyone ever found out she liked anyone other than her husband, Liden, and that heightens the stakes tremendously. "--Annie



Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer
"A good young adult contemporary novel, to me, is gritty and real, with a plot that is reasonable, yet has a great twist. A twist I can't guess by the second chapter of the novel. Well, my friends, I am so happy to tell you I found that in Vicious Little Darlings."--Annie



Secrets (The Ivy #2) by Lauren Kunze
"The drama kept me turning the pages. I just had to know what was going on, plus book one left off with a huge cliff hanger, so I was immediately hooked into book two."--Annie 



Lure by Stephaine Jenkins
"The voice in the first paragraph hooked me right away and told me this was a girl I could totally be friends with. She isn't afraid to call someone out on their crap, which in my eyes makes for an awesome female lead character. She will keep you on your toes."--Annie



We'll Always Have Summer: Jenny Han
"OMG, you guys. That's all I have to say about the final book in this series. I liked the first book, really liked the second book and absolutely LOVED the third. The third book was so emotional."--Annie



The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
"I literally carried this book around with me everywhere until I finished it. Not since Edward in Twilight has a love interest hooked me this way. He has so many inner demons and Meghan is the one person who can get beneath that frigid layer of ice that surrounds his heart. Love him!"--Annie



Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
"Gah! I love, love stories. Especially when the two people in the relationship want to kill each other all the time!"--Annie



Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley
"I read through CRUSH CONTROL at lightning speed because I couldn't stop myself! I remember reading about this sale in Publisher's Marketplace and thinking how awesome it sounded, and it didn't disappoint. I loved it!"--Jamie



Hourglass by Myra McEntire

"I just finished this novel and it was AWESOME. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2011 and I’m happy to report it didn’t disappoint. This time travel novel defiantly stood out among the sea of paranormal books out there on the YA shelf."--Annie



The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
"Added to the dual main characters are their two best friends--an on again, off again couple--who are fun and quirky. The ending is sweet and satisfying--not over-done or under-cooked. I give THE FUTURE OF US five stars! (Who didn't see that coming?) :)" --Jamie



Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
"All I can say is wow. I absolutely adored this book, the cast of characters was well-rounded and not what I was expecting AT ALL. A girl who is not only the leading quarterback, but captain of her team, respected and loved by the team mates? Never would've thought it could be pulled off and with such talent."--Jenn



Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
"This is one of those books, either you love it or you hate it. I've seen this novel referred to as literary crack before, and I have to say I agree. This novel grabbed me from the moment the bad boy love interest stepped on the scene. He was amazing. He did things that I didn't expect and I was shocked. SHOCKED and appalled by some of the things he did in this book, which in large part hooked me even more."--Annie



Everneath by Brodi Ashton
"I love it when a novel is so out in left field, it defies ever rational thought I have about what the underworld is suppose to be like. Plus, anything that can tie in Greek mythology and make you wonder if some things could actually be true…is a fantastic book. EVERNEATH grabbed me by the arms and yanked me into it’s world. I could not put it down. I read it in, like, two sittings. It’s that good!"--Annie



Lola and the Boy Next Door Stephanie Perkins

"What can I say? Stephanie Perkins creates contemporary magic. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR was witty, and quite simply, irresistible. I couldn't put it down. "--Annie

You can find full reviews of our five star novels HERE.

We love bringing you book reviews and would like to thank all of our followers, commentors, and guests for an awesome year. 2012 is gonna rock!! Thank you all for checking us out! We love you all!

Cover Reveal: Chosen One's by Tiffany Truitt

I love doing cover reveals! So without further ado, here is the upcoming novel by Entangled Publishing: Chose One's by Tiffany Truitt. The blurb sounds amazing and I am stoked to have a review copy coming! Mark this one down on your To Be Read list. It hits shelves in April 2012.

Plot:

What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?


Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Find it here on GOODREADS!

Contest for Aspiring YA Writers‏

The Book Wish Foundation asked me to pass this along, so here it is:



Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers. This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation. See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details.



You could win a manuscript critique from:

Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot

Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau

Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust

Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe

Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue



All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For. Essays are due Feb. 1, 2012 and winners will be announced around Mar. 1, 2012. If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven't finished, or started, your manuscript). You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.



If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss. To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest.



Good luck and best wishes,

Logan Kleinwaks

President, Book Wish Foundation



What You Wish For (ISBN 9780399254543, Putnam Juvenile, Sep. 15, 2011) is a collection of short stories and poems about wishes from 18 all-star writers: Meg Cabot, Jeanne DuPrau, Cornelia Funke, Nikki Giovanni, John Green, Karen Hesse, Ann M. Martin, Alexander McCall Smith, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Carol Oates, Nate Powell, Sofia Quintero, Gary Soto, R.L. Stine, Francisco X. Stork, Cynthia Voigt, Jane Yolen. With a Foreword by Mia Farrow. Book Wish Foundation is donating 100% of its proceeds from the book to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, to fund the development of libraries in Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad.