Hot off the Press: Love Story (Jennifer Echols) Cover!

*Squeaaaaaaal!*

Going Too Far and Forget You fans, here is what I'm sure you've all been waiting for - Jennifer Echols' next offering! No blurb (that I can find) yet, but don't you forget to list it on your July 2011 pre-orders!

Book Review: Boys Next Door (Jennifer Echols)

Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys.

But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard....

Boys Next Door is exactly the way a summer books should feel. It's light -hearted, filled with bright spirited characters and full of surprises. This is a perfect beach read, a complete summer in a book!

The narrative, in the first person by Lori, is one of the funniest I have read. Her humour is so natural it becomes virtually impossible for readers not to love her. Her personality underpins the whole plot and makes it so ridiculously loveable it is difficult to dislike her even in her worse. And Adam - Mr skull and crossbones Adam is very very cute. Jennifer's characters are always a delight and very distinct, and Adam is no exception - his ADHD helps build him to be a very adorable character. It's safe to say that his imperfections are what makes his actions perfect.

The Vader brothers are a colourful brothers that are as collectively endearing as Lori. Their antics, habits and crazy outlooks are so boy my inner teen could not help but giggle! Their brotherhood is real and hence imperfect. Although disastrous, I particularly like Adam and Sean's rivalry, because it's such a common and sometimes inevitable part of brotherhood. The Vaders even extend these ties to McGillicuddy (Lori's brother Bill's unfortunate nickname) and to Lori herself which really feels welcoming to the characters and readers alike. I found the shared history of both set of siblings establish the story fairly quickly, and it was all down to Jennifer's wonderful talent that really makes the reader feel like they know a lot about this history even without overwhelming amounts of flashbacks. Lori is so comfortable with Adam in particular she just blurts out crazy lines and questions at him without flinching. I loved it.

Now the romance - I would not say smooth, because it's honestly a tangled (very) web of lies, deceit and pretenses, but it was nonetheless good. There were some questionable actions from Lori in terms of her interactions with the Vader brothers, but it was part of the book's charm. I think at every turn Jennifer's characters had me all warm and sighing with satisfaction! There were some powerful, ohmygodsoromantic lines from Adam which I really giggled about too. 

They were so many surprises in Boys Next Door, many mistakes, but I should not forget - many romantic and hilarious moments too. Such a fun combination, and I'm sure teenagers and adults alike would definitely enjoy this as their summer read!

I'm so glad the sequel is in my hands already, and in the same book! 

Four Stars!

Author Interview: Jennifer Echols

You know how much I adore Jennifer and her novels Going Too Far and Forget You, and today in celebration of the release of Endless Summer today, I'm very pleased to host an interview with Jennifer! I have listed a few questions for her and here is what she has to say.

1. Can you tell us what inspired Forget You?

First I had an idea about a girl who is always having car trouble in a town where there’s no public transportation and teenagers really need a car to get around. This idea needed something, obviously. Then I read the Smart Bitches’ review of a Sweet Valley High book from the 1980s. They were making fun of this terrible book in which the good twin has a wreck and wakes up thinking she’s the evil twin. I agreed the book sounded bad, but something about that amnesia plot really resonates with me. Remember the Gilligan’s Island episode in which Mary Ann gets hit in the head and wakes up thinking she’s Ginger? I LOVED that episode. I know I’m not the only one. There’s a reason the amnesia plot is taken up over and over. So I decided to write my own amnesia book.

2. The cover (of Forget You) speaks a thousand words. How did you come up with such beautiful cover?

I don’t come up with my covers, and I definitely don’t have the final say! The art department comes up with them, and the editorial board at Simon & Schuster and the MTV network have to approve them. A cover can make or break sales of a novel, and the author usually has no control over this—so I am extremely grateful that I have always been very cover-lucky.

3. What research did you do, if any, in order to accurately write about partial amnesia?

I talked to several people who’d experienced this, and to my brother, who is an emergency room doctor, and my sister-in-law, a nurse practitioner. I’ve trained them to answer very strange medical questions without asking why.

3. If Meg and Doug were to hang out, what do you suppose will happen?

Meg and Doug would be great friends and would probably date for a while, but they would make each other very angry and would eventually break up because they are too much alike.

4. How about...if Officer After and Zoey get together?

John and Zoey are too nice to make it together long. John needs a bad girl, and Zoey needs a bad boy, for the sparks to fly.

5. And I just have to ask this...John After and Douglas Fox?

John would not get along with Doug. He would think Doug was like Eric, the villain from Going Too Far. Of course, everyone thinks Doug is like Eric, which is a big part of Doug’s problem.

6. Which of your characters are you most similar to? In what ways?

All my characters are little parts of me. They have to be, so I can understand their motivations. Doug is the no-nonsense part of me that can’t stand hypocrisy or other people’s arbitrary rules. Zoey is the meticulous part of me that thinks if I just get my desk neat enough and make my family happy enough, all my problems will disappear.

7. If you were to be trapped on an isolated island, which among your characters would you choose as your sole companion?

Doug. He is very entertaining. And he’s creative and resourceful, so he could probably save us both from starvation, as long as there was no boat motor or crashed airplane motor to fix for our escape. Doug is not mechanically inclined.

(I must admit one of my fave Doug moments in Forget You was when he thought Mike's Miata was gonna explode. Gotta love Doug!)

8. Who do admire most as a writer?

Jane Austen. I adore her hilarious and sexy novels. I love that each one is very different from the others, yet if you like one, you’ll probably like the rest. I think that’s what readers look for in a writer who produces multiple novels, and I hope I am doing that for my own readers.

(I agree! Pride and Prejudice is my heart and soul and Emma is absolutely stunning!)

9. Are you currently working on another novel? If so, what should we be expecting?

I’m writing a new novel that will be published by MTV Books in July 2011. I really don’t like to talk about my books until they’re done, but I can tell you that it’s another romantic drama like Going Too Far and Forget You, and I’m incredibly excited about it!

July 2011 hurry now! In the mean time however, why don't you lot check out Endless Summer (if you haven't already been waiting for it)? If you haven't read Boys Next Door yet, don't worry, it actually comes with it! I haven't ordered mine yet but hopefully after exams, and if you've enjoyed Going Too Far and Forget You you're sure to enjoy this one too!

Thank you Jenn for your time :)

You can head to Jennifer's website HERE or her blog HERE to know more about her books and to say Hi!

UK ARC TOUR: Forget You (Jennifer Echols)

After pining for it and visting Jennifer's website twice a day every day to check on updates, I finally had the chance to read Forget You today.

It's bloody awesome.

Now,my review here will tell you how much I loved it, but to keep it short, I loved every single bit of it. Fraught with sexual chemistry and emotionally-charged, it's unmissable. Which is why, I reckon you all should read it early too :) It will be out 20th July, but you wanna read it now, right? :D

Jennifer has very kindly provided me with an advance copy which I will be circulating to UK bloggers for review. It's not as pretty as the real book - which you should also pre-order, by the way, because the cover is beautiful - but it's the inside that counts! :D

I know I have several bloggers interested in the tour from twitter, but I will arrange the order as I get comments for sign-ups. The details of the tour will be as follows:

* Open to all UK bloggers (Are there any EU bloggers interested?)

* The book should be sent out a week after you have received it.

*The review should be posted on your blog within a week of sending out the book.

* No tacking information needed, but could you please get certificate of posting (you can get this for free)?

*E-mail me at dwaynehalim@hotmail.co.uk if you have received the book and I will reply with the next recepient's address. Can you also e-mail me if you have sent it, please?

* Comment with your blog and e-mail address.

That's it! I hope UK bloggers sign up. Forget You really is a beautiful book.

PS. As it is my signed personal copy, please do take good care of it!

Book Review: Forget You (Jennifer Echols)

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. With her life about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people—suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

I have pined for this book since I first read the blurb. I wanted it so much I visited Jennifer's website for teasers and/or extracts twice a day, every day. So you can only imagine the excitement and the height of expectations I hold for Forget You!

My judgment in five words: Jennifer has done it again!

Forget You is a delicious and a bewitching romance, with a bucketful of sexual chemistry between an endearing heroine searching for answers and a seductively sexy hero who holds the key to it all.  Complex, hugely addictive and ultimately mersmerising, Forget You is an unmissable treat! I found Forget you to be more emotionally-charged, whereas Going Too Far is more psychologically defined. I love love love them both!

Zoey and Doug are both charming characters, brought to life with their respective fears and insecurities. The complexity of their personalities and the demons that shape them - Zoey's family problems and Doug's past - opens the ground for a richly developed set of protagonists. Between Zoey's problems and partial amnesia - forgetting such a consequential night - and Doug's own concerns, they evoke sympathy from readers without forgoing their relatability. I love how Doug is immediately introduced and is prominent in the narrative - I'd like to think that as Zoey's subconscious being extremely aware of him. Around them, secondary characters are equally loveable, with flaws that reflect the imperfections of humanity. Between them, a disarming connection with each other that shatters their defenses.

And I have to add that Doug is unbearably sexy. And sweet. And cute. With or without crutches. Oh heck.

Undeniably, Zoey and Doug are sultry in their own right and are scalding together - the sexual tension between them have reverberated throughout my entire reading experience! Their romance I found was built on an attraction that has long been denied; each attempt at turning away from each other only leads to taking a step towards each other. The contrast between their relationship and Zoey and Brandon's are glaringly obvious, but with a different feel.

Sexy and full of surprises, Zoey and Doug's relationship takes root from a shared past and blossoms to an enchanting tale of of searching and finding. Each of their shared moments are addictive and special, and oh-my-God, so searingly sexy, unmasking qualities of they would not have otherwise discovered in each other. Emphasis here on searingly sexy.

The also setting is adds to the dreamy pair - the lull of the sultry beach in inescapable and welcoming. The unravelling of the twists in the plot is heart-stopping and delivered in short, surprising bursts of revelations. Not to mention that structure of the narrative mirrors accurately Zoey's thoughts and the extent of the the effect her partial amnesia has on her life, especially on her relationship with Brandon and with Doug. And the ending - I wish it was longer! I know I might sound terribly selfish - because even though Forget You is not yet released, I am ready for a sequel!

Five stars, of course!

Forget You will be out 20th July. Don't you forget! :)

*Thank you to Jennifer for my copy. I totally heart you!

Book Review: Going Too Far (Jennifer Echols)

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far... and almost doesn't make it back. 

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge - and over...

I was blown away by this novel. It was such a unique read that I was mostly oblivious to every element of change the busy high street around me had undergone. Not even shopping managed to tear me away from this book. It was such a captivating novel.

What I thought the greatest strength of this novel is Echols' heavy characters. Meg and John are one of the, if not the most complex characters I have encountered. Echols' attention to details allows for full attention to her protagonists, a feat not many authors are able to execute. The depth to her characters goes beyond the supercificial and extends on to so many levels. They are well drawn and distinguished without the deprivation of genuine humanity. Best of all, their emotional and psychological intensity makes them a cut above the rest.

Meg's voice was fiercely rebellious and her tone inherently explosive, that combined with the dialogues and exchanges which characterises John in a  completely differently light, comes an inevitable romance that can only be Echols' unique story. Surprisingly, Meg maintains to be a very relatable, very endearing character; one that you may not agree with, but you can never dislike.

My reading experience was one of awe and blind guesses. I found the storyline and pacing different from much of the other novels I have read. The criss-crossing of various elements of the story resulted to a fantastically developed story. There are many twists in the plot that occured at different times - all of which garnered the same shock factor and equal appreciation. I was taken aback and challenged at certain points of the novel; it really was an engaging read.

I found Going Too Far a novel of wonderful surprises and challenging twists and turns, all of which builds this novel to be something of quality. The ending was very satisfactory, much like an account and tangible proof of the lengthy transitions and changes the characters undergo through for and because of each other. Before I forget to mention, Going Too Far is also a novel about a damaged psyche, trauma, fears and inhibitions - its motif include psychological understandings and much more.

I like it so much I even inspected zoomed in on the cover - and I think that little eyebrow piercing is digitally added. :D

Five stars!

PS. Echols' Forget You is coming out in the summer and oh my God, I can't wait!