Cupidity by Caroline Goode

Title: Cupidity
Author: Caroline Goode
Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: December 28, 2004

Dating in high school is like reality TV. It can get pretty surreal.

Between the strict social ladder (geeks' lockers left, jocks' to the right), and silly, pointless rules (no hand-holding, no kissing, no breathing!), high school is the single worst place to fin a boyfriend. And Laura Sweeney is no exception. She hasn't had a date since...well, ever.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. So Laura is calling in the big guns. She needs guidance. A proven "get the guy" strategy. Luckily she knows exactly the expert to call. He's a matchmaking mastermind who actually has the bow and arrow to prove it. Let's just call him...Cupid.

Laura Sweeney is the typical trying-to-be-valedictorian senior. She's smart, but not so popular. She buries herself in books, trying to beat out her competition with her 4.0 GPA. At the start of the year, she swears to herself that she will have a boyfriend. She makes a wish to the god, Jupiter for his help and he sends him Cupid...or Cupidity. Laura's life becomes upside down and topsy-turvy; jocks going out with goths, brainiacs dating cheerleaders, everything changes as her life spins out of control. When will she get her wish?

Confusing, random, and only slightly entertaining, Cupidity will not impress readers. Only people with the general knowlege of mythology will be able to understand the gods and the creatures in this novel. Judging by the cover, you would think that it probably has something to do with a dating service, but it's really about the Cupid. Goode's writing was entertaining, but cheesy and choppy.

The cast of characters in this book were extremely generic and stereotypical. They weren't individualized at all! They were the 'so-called-normal' jocks, skater dudes, goths, cheerleaders and it fails to impress readers. Without a good plot, and without good characters, Goode was just not able to accomplish a good RoCom.

One thing the reader will recognize though, is the originality of the plot. The connection between high school and Greek mythology was interesting and fresh. Otherwise, that's it. It would be a good read for those readers who like cheesy romance, a little touch of mythology, and a bucket full of stereotypes.

The Bottom Line: I really, really didn't like this book. Everything was just way too random and way too complicated! High schools don't really have stereotypical cliques and a 'social ladder'. In some books, this was the case...but for Cupidity, this is all that Goode focused on! I was frustrated and annoyed with Laura and the other characters. Also, does anybody know who that guy in the cover is? I don't think he was even mentioned in the book! I'm confused. You might like Cupidity...but I don't. B-

---Report Card---

Originality: 8/10
Ending: 6.5/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7.5/10
Theme: 8/10
Imagery: 8/10
Setting: 4/5
Voice: 3/5
Style: 3/5
Tone: 3/5
Cover: 7/10
Total Score: 72/100 (B-)

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The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka

Title: The Twelve Dates of Christmas
Author: Catherine Hapka
Pages: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 7, 2008

Lexi's feeling a little holidazed this winter. . . . .

Lexi's been going out with Cameron for way too long. Sure he's a nice guy, but there's a spark missing between them. So she comes up with the perfect plan: get him to fall for another girl so she'll be free-and guilt-free, too.

But when Lexi sees Cameron looking awfully cozy with Jaylene, her heart melts, especially when her budding psychologist best friend tells her that once a new couple has gone out a dozen times, their relationship is pretty much set. Cameron's twelfth date with Jaylene-the Christmas Ball-is coming up. Can Lexi find a way to rekindle her relationship with Cameron in a (saint) nick of time?

The Twelve Dates of Christmas was a big improvement from Love on Cue (Hapka's other book). If I had to choose two words to describe this book, it would be scintillating and entertaining. Hapka did a great job here. The plot was unique and original, as was the title (I loved the title). It was clever and obviously well-written.

The characters were what made this book stand out from the rest of the Romantic Comedies. They were just so different, and yet, Hapka was able to make them fit perfectly with the plot. My favorite character was Allie, Lexi's best friend. She was wacky and eccentric. It was a nice change of scenery if you catch my drift. She made the book more engaging and eventful.

The events that happened throughout the book were hilarious. Allie's 'twelve dates' theory was one of the funniest. And when Lexi tried to stop those twelve dates, she always found herself in a compromising-but nonetheless funny-position.

The Bottom Line: This book is memorable in every way. The Twelve Dates of Christmas is a funny and entertaining read. I would recommend to read this light-hearted book just before the holidays. For this one, Hapka is worthy of an A- :-)

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Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka

Title: Love on Cue
Author: Catherine Hapka
Pages: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 10, 2009

When you have to sing your heart out, it's best to know how. . .

Maggie Tannery is a true theater girl and a total shoo-in for the lead in this year's school production of Romeo and Juliet. She's seriously psyched because it looks like her crush, Daniel, might be playing her Romeo both on-and offstage-if all goes as planned.

But when her school decides to perform a musical instead, Maggie catches a major case of stage fright-because she can't sing! With her leading role in jeopardy, as well as her chance of winning her leading man, Maggie turns to the musically talented Nico to giver her voice lessons. But their voices aren't the only things that seem to be harmonizing. As Maggie tries to break a leg-and not her heart-she wonders who the music man of her dreams really is. . .

Another hilarious read from the Simon Pulse RoCom series!

Love on Cue is great for those who like light comedy and easy romance but personally, I don't think it's all that great. To me, Maggie seemed WAY too desperate to be Derek's girlfriend. And the way she gets all tongue-tied around Derek got old. It happens way to commonly in books. I mean seriously!? In Love on Cue, she can't even form a coherent sentence. In real life, I don't think that would happen or if it does, then it wouldn't be common. I couldn't help but grow annoyed and irritated with Maggie.

Derek. He was VERY unrealistic. He was TOO perfect. In the book, he was portrayed as someone who could do no wrong. He was adept and proficient in EVERYTHING. I was just really unimpressed with his character.

It was random. I think that Hapka just threw in random scenarios so that Maggie would always find herself in an awkward position. They just didn't fit in with the book. There wasn't any connection at all.

Errors. Has anyone noticed that on the back of the book it says 'Daniel' and not 'Derek'? Call me a perfectionist but I hate mistakes like these. It's one of my pet peeves.

The only thing that really stood out to me in this book was, unexpectedly, Calla. She was the only character that constrained me to finish the book. Calla's issue was that she was a little overweight. But she was able to accept it and, eventually, joke about it.

The Bottom Line: I found Love on Cue to be disappointing but nevertheless funny. Don't stop reading Catherine Hapka though. Her book 'Twelve Dates of Christmas' is BETTER than this. I'll follow up with a review. But for now, C-
:-)

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Miss Match by Wendy Toliver

Title: Miss Match
Author: Wendy Toliver
Pages: 304
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 10, 2009

Want to snag that certain someone? You need Miss Match!

Sasha Finnegan has always had a knack for setting people up, and at sixteen, she's turned her talent into an online business, molding high school crushes into true love. But Sasha finds her toughest match yet when hottie Derek Urban asks her to set him up with Sasha's gorgeous sister, Maddie. It's not that Derek isn't a good catch. In fact, after spending so much time with him, Sasha can't help but think he's perfect-for her, that is.

Can Sasha push her feelings aside for the sake of her business? Or has this miss finally found her match?

Another cute read from the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies! Yay!

This book is FULL ON light entertainment. Miss Match is bright and comical. I thought that Toliver did great on making all of the characters witty and realistic. I loved Sasha's character because she was a character that teenagers would be able to relate to. Surprisingly, I also liked Sasha's sister, Maddie. I thought that she was just going to be the cliché cheerleader type, but she was down-to-earth and had her own problems to deal with.

The friendships and relationships between the characters were typical but they were still compelling and charming.

However, even though Miss Match is entertaining, it still has its weak points. For example, nothing in the book would compel me to remember Miss Match. I didn't find anything in Miss Match that was captivating or distinct enough to be 'unforgettable' or unique. Also, I didn't like the whole 'knight' event with Derek. It was just TOTALLY impractical and non-realistic. I found it absurd and grotesque.

The Bottom Line: An easy, carefree book that isn't anything special, but nonetheless a fun read. C :-)

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