Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

Release: February 1, 2011

Source: Publisher

Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers—known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.

Jenna and Jonah’s Fauxmance is told in alternating points of view: “Jenna,” who is played by Charlie, and “Jonah,” also known as Fielding (and later Aaron).

Charlie was a relatable, sassy character. Throughout the whole book, she stands at an impasse: to stay trapped on the B-list comedy Jenna and Jonah, the only thing she’s ever known, or to strike out on her own and see where she ends up. Though magnified and made over in Hollywood fashion, this is an issue that most teens face. Only instead of the end of a hit TV show, it’s the end of high school and the end of their planned out, managed lives. For the first time they will have to stand on their own two feet, whether they fail or flourish. This similarity is what truly made me fall for Charlie, allowing me to see behind her tough, diva exterior.

Contrasting Charlie’s manic apprehension, Fielding/Aaron (I never know what to call him) is all for embracing change. In fact, he’s pushing for the show to end. His optimistic outlook on the end of the show and the beginning of the unknown, as well as his hidden intelligent side, make him Charlie’s perfect counterbalance. Alone, the two characters would’ve been overkill, but together it is just the right dose of introspection and humor. (And if there’s one thing Fielding is good at, it is supplying humor.)

Though I liked the insider’s look at Hollywood and the lives of TV stars, my favorite part of the book was when the stars got off the map and hid out at Fielding’s beach house. It provided the perfect setting for the two characters to blossom, not to mention their feelings for each other. Yes, that’s right; they begin to fall for each other. And yes, it is cheesy and predictable. However, even though I knew where the story was going, I still enjoyed being along for the ride. Once again, the two voices did a great job of portraying the situation from both sides and gave the situation depth and lightness at the same time. Their banter and pranks were always entertaining and added to the sexual tension, which became rather thick as their “vacation” progressed.

Everything about the book screamed fun and flirty, headed down a path of blissful – if cheesy – romance. But then it veered off course. I must admit, I was disappointed and confused by the sudden change in the story. I had to reread the page more than once to see if the sudden end of their blissful vacation had actually happened. Sadly, it had.

The change of scenery from the beach house to the Shakespeare Festival in Oregon was not a welcome one for me. I found the time it encompassed to be long and dull, filled with prolonged (not to mention unnecessary) bickering between Fielding and Charlie. Maybe I wouldn’t have minded it so much if the plans for the ending hadn’t been so blatantly shoved in my face. The comparisons to Much Ado About Nothing were far from subtle and soured my overall opinion of the novel.

In the end, I was happier to see the book end than to see where the two characters ended up (as if I hadn’t known the answer to that question all along). What started out as a promising, light-hearted read quickly stagnated into a dull, obvious ending.

2 stars

What I've Been Up To...

I know many of you have probably been wondering where I am. While I am not the most consistent blogger, I almost always post at least once a week. Lately, however, I have been going long stretches of time without blogging. It is not because I haven't been interested in blogging, it is because I have been busy with blog-related events.

If that is too vague for you, here is what I have been up to:

Reading. 

In the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of reading many great titles. My free time has been limited, so reading has taken precedence. This is one of the reason for my blogging absence: if it comes down to blogging or reading, I will choose reading 99% of the time. I mean, if I didn't, what would I have to blog about?  Right now I am working on the reviews for the titles above, as well as many others. Keep an eye out for them!

Traveling.

I have traveled to the Bay Area/Palo Alto area twice in the last few months for some fabulous author signings. These have long been on of my favorite things, and I have been attending Not Your Mother's Book Club longer than I have been blogging. I also recently discovered Kepler's, which is a charming bookstore near Stanford (my dream school).

Both signings were tons of fun and, while I can't do a full write up for them both, I wanted to share some pics and memories.

First off, I traveled to the ever-lovely Palo Alto for Bree Despain's signing to celebrate the release of The Lost Saint. It also so happened that the day of the signing was also Bree's birthday. So, naturally, we all got cake and signed a card for Bree.

Bree gave a beautiful reading and an inspiring talk on what she went through while writing The Lost Saint. After hearing her talk, I love The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint even more.

The second signing was a Valentine's Day party at Books Inc. in San Francisco and featured three authors: Susan Selfors, Cathleen Daly and Elizabeth Eulberg. It took a bit of finagling to get there, but, in the end, I was super happy to have gone. All three authors were fun and funny in their own way. Even better, the girls at Not Your Mother's Book Club had special cupcakes made to match each book cover.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap a picture of the Prom and Prejudice cupcake. It was very cute though!

Elizabeth Eulberg and me

Susan Selfors and me

Filming.


That's right, I said filming, as in TV. About a month ago, I traveled to LA to film a short segment for Young Icons on my blogging and how books have changed my life. The episode featuring my segment will be airing on Saturday, March 5 on different stations around the US. It was an...interesting experience. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast. I just will never look at TV or film stars the same way ever again. It is long, hard work!

Now, that's all I'm going to say for now, as I will be devoting a blog post about my experience closer to the air date. In that post I will hopefully have some channel listings for you. Please keep in mind that, since the show is syndicated, it plays on a lot of different stations at different times. I will do my best to find the info for major cities, but just know that the air date is set for March 5, no matter the channel.

Thanks for reading! Keep an eye out for more blog posts coming soon!

Prom and Prejudice Winners!

This is rather delayed, but I have finally selected the winners of the Prom and Prejudice giveaway. The two winners, who will be receiving a finished copy of Elizabeth Eulberg's Prom and Prejudice, are:

Alison from Lost in Believing

&

Betsy H

Congratulations to you both!

Also, I would like to remind the winners of the 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge Wrap-Up giveaway (what a mouthful!) that they need to email me their mailing addresses. I haven't received either and Kay cannot mail out the prize bundles without them. Thanks!

Sweet Venom Bookmark Giveaway

As a part of the cover reveal of Tera Lynn Childs' Sweet Venom, I have a few signed bookmarks featuring the gorgeous cover to give away. I had  originally intended to post this giveaway along with the Sweet Venom cover reveal, but my mail service had other ideas and they were not delivered until today.

If you are anything like me, you can never have enough bookmarks lying about, especially when they're signed. Plus, these bookmarks are super pretty, as you can see in the picture below.

I will be giving away five of these lovely bookmarks to five (5) lucky readers. All you have to do to enter to win is fill out the this form by midnight EST on Tuesday, March 1. I'm going to have to keep this contest restricted to US residents only. Sorry international readers, I will host something for you all soon!

Good luck!

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal

I know most of you are probably still coming down from all the excitement and chocolate-induced sugar comas of Valentine's Day, so I though I'd treat you to a little something special: a cover reveal!

Last year Kay Cassidy and I hosted a chat with Tera Lynn Childs for our 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge, wherein she mentioned a new series she was working on, due out Fall 2011. As with Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Bootcamp, this series was inspired by a bit of Greek mythology. Only instead of majestic gods and goddesses bestowed with  incredible powers, the characters in this new series were bestowed with a seemingly less fabulous gift. It was the kind of gift that came with lots of hissing and scales. The girls were to be descendants of Medusa. 

At the time of the chat, the first book was titled Medusa Girls #1. Recently, however, Tera announced the official title: Sweet Venom!

To summarize, the book has a fabulous premise and a great title to go along with it. All that's left is the cover. And luckily, I just so happen to be a part of the team that has the honor of revealing the cover. So, without further ado, I give you the Sweet Venom cover!

Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Coming October 2011

Isn't it gorgeous?! I love the moody color scheme and swirling tendrils of dark hair. It's definitely not the colorful, snake-haired cover I expected. No, it is far better!

While you wait for Sweet Venom's release, be sure to check out its Facebook page and the page on Terra's website. You can also add Sweet Venom to your to-read list on Goodreads.com.

Thanks for sharing the cover reveal with me!