Book Review- Dedication

I just finished reading Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.

From Goodreads:

What if your ex was famous and adored by millions? What would you do if you had one chance to make him regret his entire existence? How much would you risk?


Kate Hollis's ex-boyfriend's face plasters newsstands and TV, the Internet, and the multiplex. Jake Sharpe is one of the biggest recording stars on the planet, and every song he's famous for is about Kate. For over a decade his soundtrack has chased her -- from the gym to the supermarket, from the dentist's office to the bars. Now thirty-year-old Kate gets the call that Jake has finally landed back in their Vermont hometown for an MTV special. The moment she has been waiting for has arrived.


On the eve of their prom, Jake Sharpe vanished, resurfacing when his song "Losing" -- about his and Kate's first sexual experience -- shot to the top of the Billboard charts. And the hits kept coming, each more personal than the one before.


Now Kate gets her chance to confront Jake and reclaim her past. But after eleven years of enduring protracted and far-from-private heartbreak, everyone in Kate's life has a stake in how this plays out. Kate must risk betraying the friends Jake abandoned, the bandmates whose songs he plundered, and her own parents, who fear this will dredge up a shared past more painful than any of them want to acknowledge. But after getting the call in the dead of night and jumping on a plane, can she turn back now?


Newsweek dubbed The Nanny Diaries "a national phenomenon" and the New Republic proclaimed, "Thank God for Citizen Girl." Now McLaughlin and Kraus have written a poignant, humorous tale about modern celebrity obsession and coming of age during the divorce boom. With flawless depictions of the 1980s, a charismatic heroine, and their signature biting wit, the authors offer up another lively and hilarious tale of a smart young woman looking for satisfaction in the chaos of contemporary culture.

When I first read that Dedication was about getting revenge on an ex-boyfriend, I'll have to admit (not proudly) that this hit right at home and I wanted to read more!

Dedication started off a little slow for me.  I didn't really like Kate at first--I didn't feel any warmth from her and really didn't care about her.  But then, through flashbacks, you get to know all about her relationship with Jake.  And then I started to care.  I could really feel how much she loved this boy and how great their relationship was.  And I could feel her heartbreak when the relationship suddenly ended with absolutely no closure (known from personal experience). 

There was definitely a surprise in the plot for me--twice.  The story went a way that I didn't think it was going to (although I liked it and would have done the same if I was in Kate's shoes).  And then it through me off track again!  But I liked the ending.  It had me misty eyed and really thinking back about the story.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fullfills items for the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 27
2010 Chick Lit Challenge: 2

*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Dana at Engelman & Co for an honest review.

2010 Chick Lit Challenge- March Update

2010 Chick Lit Challenge

The Chick Lit Challenge 2010 runs from January 1 - December 31st. The goal is to read at least 8 chick lit books during the year. Books can be listed ahead of time or as you go along. Books can also be used for multiple challenges.

Here is the link to my original post: 2010 Chick Lit Challenge

1.   Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
2.  Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
3.  Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax
4.  
5.  
6.  
7.  
8.   

ARC Reading Challenge 2010- March Update

ARC Reading Challenge 2010

Here are the rules:

1. To sign up, leave a direct link to your blog post about this challenge that includes your list from rule #2, using Mr. Linky below. Please leave a comment as well.
2. List all of the ARC's that you have to read right now. Then throughout the year, you must continue updating that list as you receive more ARC's. (This is important). You should also strike out the ones that you finish.

3. The Levels

Level Bronze: .a. All of us who have or will have less than 12 ARC's must read all of the ARC's we have. Note, that if you have 11 ARC's and then receive a 12th one you will be bumped up to catagory a.
b. All of us who have or will have more than 12 ARC's must read and review 12.
Level Silver: Read 24 ARC's
Level Gold: Read 25 or more ARC's
4. You don't have to make a list of which ARC's you plan to read, but you can if you want.
If you choose a lower level, you can always change it to a higher level if you like. However, you cannot go from a higher level back down to a lower level.
5. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and Audio-books are allowed as long as they are ARC's.
6. Read the books and review them on your blog. If you don't have a blog, you can post your review on sites like Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.
7. Please subscribe to my blog, as I will be doing a monthly post with MR Linky. Please add your reviews for each month in MR Linky in the monthly post. For your Name, please use this format Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader). Please be sure to use the direct link to your review, not just to your blog. Then please leave a comment.
8. Enjoy!

*Edited: I am bumping myself up to the Gold Level.  I should be able to read 25 ARCs.

Here is the link to my original post: ARC Reading Challenge 2010

1.  Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2.  Captivate by Carrie Jones
3.  A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
4.  The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
5.  Gone by Lisa McMann
6.  Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston
7.  The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
8.  Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
9.  The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
10.  Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
11.  In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
12. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
13. Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
14. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
15. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
16. Still Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
17. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley
18.  Princess For Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
19.  Wish by Alexandra Bullen
20.  
21.  
22.  
23.  
24.  

What's In A Name? 3 Challenge- March Update

What's In A Name? 3 Challenge

So here's how it works: Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:
1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know
~Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
~Books may overlap other challenges.
~Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
~Creativity for matching the categories is allowed.
~You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
~You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.
~There will be a single prize at the end of the challenge. Readers who complete the challenge and write up a wrap-up post (or wrap-up comment) are eligible. I'll figure out a way to make it international.

Here is the link to my original post: What's In A Name? 3 Challenge

Food-
Body of Water-
Title- Princess For Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
Plant- Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax
Place Name- Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
Music Term-

TwentyTen Reading Challenge- March Update

TwentyTen Reading Challenge

The aim is to read a total 20 books, over ten categories, in 2010.

Rules:
~Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
~The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
~Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
~Each book can only qualify for one category.
~Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
~Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.

Here is the link to my original post: TwentyTen Reading Challenge



Young Adult (Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.)
1. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

T.B.R. ** (Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.)
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
2.

Shiny & New (Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!)
1.
2.

Bad Blogger’s *** (Books in this category should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book a go)
1. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (I found this review at Sharon Loves Books and Cats)
2. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin (I found this review at BookHounds)

Charity (Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.)
1.
2.

New in 2010 (This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!) )
1. Captivate by Carrie Jones
2. Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston

Older Than You (Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!)
1.
2.

Win! Win! (Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long as you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so! )
1. Gone by Lisa McMann
2. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Who Are You Again? (This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!)
1. In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
2. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Up to You! - Paranormal Books
1. Need by Carrie Jones
2. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

2010 Debut Author Challenge- March Update

2010 Debut Author Challenge

What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

•The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.
•Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.
•The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

* I would like to limit the novels to those released in 2010.

You’ll have to do all the research to make sure a novel meets the criteria for the challenge. I do have a few sites that can help with your search; 2010: A Book Odyssey/The Tenners, AuthorsNow & The Class of 2k10.

If you're still unsure... I've tried to make a list of titles that meet the criteria at GoodReads: 2010 Debut Authors.

More Challenge Guidelines:
•authors that have "adult" titles currently published but are debuting a YA/MG novel in 2010 can be included in your challenge lists. This goes for authors that have childrens books published as well.
•novels must be read between the dates of January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010 to count toward your challenge total. (this means if you've read a 2010 debut novel in 2009, it doesn't count..... but!)
•reviews posted in 2010 will count toward the monthly prize packs, even if you read the novel in 2009. Does that make sense? For example I've read debut author Jennifer Hubbard's novel The Secret Year, in 2009. But I will not be posting my review until closer to its release date in 2010. So, even though it can't be counted as one of my "challenge" books, I could still use its review for a prize pack entry.
•please do list the 2010 debut novels you've already read in your challenge lists. That way other participants can find out about a book they might not have otherwise.

Here is the link to my original post: 2010 Debut Author Challenge

1. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
3. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
4. Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston
5. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
7. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
8. Princess For Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
9. Wish by Alexandra Bullen
12.  

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge- March Update

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

2. There are four levels:
--The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
--Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
--Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
--Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.
3. Audio, eBooks, re-reads all count.
4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

Here is the link to my original post: 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge

I am going for the Stepping it Up level..if I can read more, then I'll change it later.

1. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2. Need by Carrie Jones
3. Captivate by Carrie Jones
4. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
5. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
6. Gone by Lisa McMann
7. Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston
8. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
9. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
10. The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
11. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
12. In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
13. Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
14. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
15. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
16. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
17. Still Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
18. Princess For Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
19. Wish by Alexandra Bullen
50.  

2010 100+ Reading Challenge- March Update

2010 100+ Reading Challenge

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.
What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.
3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Books started before the 1st do not count.

Here is the link to my original post: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

1. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
2. Need by Carrie Jones
3. Captivate by Carrie Jones
4. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
5. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
6. Gone by Lisa McMann
7. Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston
8. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
9. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
10. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
11. The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
12. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
13. In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
14. Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
15. Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
16. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
17. Dead Before Dark by Charlaine Harris
18. O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell
19. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
20. Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
21. Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
22. Still Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley
23. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley
24. Princess For Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
25. Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts
26. Wish by Alexandra Bullen
27. Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
28. Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax
100.  

A to Z Challenge- March Update

A to Z Challenge

January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...
Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books.

I will be doing the Authors challenge this year.  ( for Q, X, Z which I will count if it is anywhere in the last name.)

Here is the link to my original post: A to Z Challenge

A. Armstrong, Kelley The Summoning
B. Benjamin, Melanie Alice I Have Been
C. Crewe, Megan Give Up the Ghost
D. Dolamore, Jaclyn Magic Under Glass
E. Ellsworth, Loretta In A Heartbeat
F.
G.
H.
I.
J. Jones, Carrie Need
K.
L. Leavitt, Lindsey Princess For Hire
M. McMann, Lisa Gone
N.
O. Oliver, Lauren Before I Fall
P. Preston, LM Explorer X-Alpha
Q.
R.
S.
T.
U.
V.
W. Walker, Kristin A Match Made in High School
X.
Y. Young, Suzanner The Naughty List
Z.

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge- March Update

Welcome to the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge!

Here's your chance to catch up on Sookie and all her friends -- living and undead, fully human and not.

It's easy, it's fun, it's for you! And you have an entire year to complete the challenge.

The Rules:
1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

Here is a link to my original post: Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge

The Books:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
All Together Dead

There are also Sookie and gang short stories and an up-coming anthology! For more, see Charlaine Harris's website.



I probably won't start this one for while, but I wanted to post it now.