What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Book Review #24
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Rating: Four stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

My name is Robin.

This book is about me.

It tells the story of what happens when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom, the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be a good thing, right? Only it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that.
Because I'm not gonna lie to you -- there are naked women involved. Four of them, to be exact. Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing. But the way things have been going lately, I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse than not getting what you want, is getting it.

I just devoured What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know whole and I have to say I'm more than satisfied. Although it is a sequel, you don't have to read the previous book (What My Mother Doesn't Know) to fall in love. When I discovered there was a sequel to What My Mother Doesn't Know, I never expected it to be from a whole different point of view, so I knew I was definitely in for a treat. Reading the book from Robin's point of view was so refreshing and breath taking. It was so nice spending the day inside a teenage boy's mind. Due to the way the book is written (short poems) along with the intense humorous engaging plot, I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down.

Robin is a fourteen year old boy known as the "loser" of the school. When Robin begins dating Sophie, one of the most popular girls of the school, his classmates don't now exactly how to react. Eventually, Sophie's friends give her an ultimatum between them and dating Robin. Eventually, it becomes Robin and Sophie against the whole entire school. Robin starts to get picked on even more and Robin just can't stand making Sophie go through the torture with him. Robin has second thoughts about what he really wants. Sophie and Robin have a touching relationship that suffers through pressures which truly test their love for each other.

Over the course of about an hour, I laughed extremely hard, smiled, shifted uncomfortably in my seat, and came pretty close to tears while reading What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know. Robin's emotions and feelings were so real it was almost scary. He had those genuine raw feelings, worries, and anxieties that most teenage boys have, that are sometimes not shown in other books.

My favorite part of this book was Robin and Sophie's relationship. I wasn't used to reading a book with a couple that had such a strong amazingly powerful relationship. Together they faced the whole school, never giving up, when no one else approved of their relationship. It was refreshing to see two people a stronger connection emotionally than physically (although they had a pretty heated physical connection as well). Robin and Sophie were so adorably cute together.

What My Girlfriend was fast paced, funny, romantic, and touching. It was just as good as the What My Mother Doesn't Know, if not even better. I loved reading about Sophie and Robin's stories! If you like quick, light, and "feel good" books, then you most definitely need to check out What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know.

Wake by Lisa McMann

Book Review #22
Wake by Lisa McMann
Rating: Five stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from the back of the book)

For seventeen-year old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does-they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she was a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant...

I"m trying to decide where I should start this review. First of all, WOW! Wake is extraordinary and unlike anything I've ever come across. Not to sound corny, but reading Wake was like having a really good dream the sucks you in leaving you never wanting to wake up. I literally could not put this book down, luckily for me it wasn't very long so I got to finish it in an hour or two. I've heard wonderful things about Wake, but I wasn't expecting myself to fall in love. Wake was intense, romantic, and full of craziness.

Janie Hannigan is a senior in high school living in Michigan. Her mother is an alcoholic which is one of the reasons Janie is known as "white trash" around town. Janie is average in the sense of being a hard worker and working to get to college, but aside from the regular teenager she has a n extraordinary "gift". Ever since she was little, she has been pulled into other people's dreams the moment they doze off. When she is in someone else’s dream it looks as if she is having a seizure.  She becomes numb and loses any feeling in her limbs. As time passed, Janie has learned to live with her "gift" and has even come to accepted it. Although one day she is pulled into a horrifying dream unlike anything she has ever experienced in the past.  Janie isn't just seeing  dreams anymore; she's become an active participant.

In the beginning of the book Janie only has one loyal friend; next door neighbor Carrie. Later on Janie meets Cabel, the only person who Janie has told about her "gift". Not only has Janie seen Cabel’s dreams, but
she finds that she appears in them as well, and that he is aware of her presence in his dreams. From what Janie has seen through his dreams added with rumors around school, she tries to avoid him. Cabel finds a way to get through to Janie and she finds out the truth behind his image (which was a twist). Cabel helps Janie and together they realize the Janie has more power and control over her abilities. 

I absolutely loved Cabel. At first I was reluctant to like him because of his "bad boy" image, but once you discover the truth behind his motives, you can't help but love him. Cabel is caring, sweet, and just right for Janie. Together their relationship kept me on edge, but in the end left me satisfied.

Wake isn't just a book about a girl falling into other people's dream, it is much more deep than that. Wake has crime-fighting, mystery, romance. The intense plot makes up for the not so amazing writing. Set in the present tense combined with being a quick read, Wake is definitely a book not to miss. Lucky for me, I don't have to wait for the sequel to come out (Fade)! If you haven't picked this one up yet, you most definitely should.