Jinx by Meg Cabot

Book Synopsis:
It's not easy being Jinx.

Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean). What's worse? Her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes—even to New York City, where Jinx has moved to get away from the huge mess she caused in her small hometown. Her aunt and uncle welcome her to their Manhattan town house, but her beautiful cousin Tory isn't so thrilled. . . .

In fact, Tory is hiding a dangerous secret—one that could put them all in danger. Soon Jinx realizes it isn't just bad luck she's been running from . . . and that the curse she has lived under since the day she was born may be the only thing that can save her life.

My review:

Jean "Jinx" moves in with her aunt and uncle after an incident back home. Upon arrival, she learns her cousin Tory (now refers to be called Torrance) thinks she is a witch. Tory reminds Jean that their great-great-great-grandmother was also a practicing witch and stated that one of her descendants will also be a witch. Naturally Tory believes it's her, until Jean saves Zach's, Tory's neighbor and crush, life.

Having read most of Ms. Cabot's young adult novels last year, I was looking forward to reading Jinx. Unfortunately, this book didn't grab me as her previous novels did. The mystery behind Jean's move to live with her aunt is obvious as is the reason her family calls her Jinx.

What really stood out to me was how similar the characters are with the characters from The Princess Diaries series. For instance, Jean reminded me of Princess Mia; Zach was a good guy like Michael; Tory was mean like Lana. At one point, I actually started seeing the Princess Diaries characters instead of these main characters. From this, I thought the plot seemed "a bit familiar" and too formula-based.

Jean, the protagonist, came across as boring and naive. I often found myself wanting to shake her and say "Can't you see what's going on here?" It was so frustrating to see Tory repeatedly take advantage of her and for Jean to remain passive so she wouldn't hurt Tory's feelings.

Although Jinx is not a favorite of mine by Ms. Cabot, I still plan to read my way through her young adult collection.

Book details:
ISBN: 978-0-06-083766-2
Pages: 262
Year Published: 2007
Genre: YA Fiction
Date Finished: August 13
Rating: C-

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Annabel Green is the girl who has everything. At least, that's what she portrays in her modeling shoots. But Annabel's life is far from perfect. Her friendship with Sophie ended bitterly, and her older sister's eating disorder is weighing down the entire family. Isolated and ostracized at school and at home, Annabel retreats into silent acceptance. Then she meets Owen—intense, music-obsessed and determined to always tell the truth. And with his guidance, Annabel learns to just listen to herself and gains the courage to speak honestly. But will she be able to tell everyone what really happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends?

My review:

For awhile now, I've read and heard glowing reviews of Sarah Dessen's books. Last summer I read This Lullaby, which I really enjoyed. When I asked "which book is your favorite?", the responses were always Just Listen and The Truth About Forever.

Initially, my intent was to read Just Listen, however when I noticed my library owned the audio book, I decided to listen to it instead. In a way, I'm glad that I did. The narrator, Jennifer Ikeda, did a fantastic job of portraying Annabel. As Annabel shared the events that occurred on that fateful night, I forgot I was listening to a book, but felt I was actually hearing Annabel tell her story.

For me, the best part of the story was Annabel's relationship with Owen. Their friendship started out cautiously and grew to be very supportive. Ms. Dessen did an excellent job with pacing Annabel and Owen getting to know each other.

While listening to the story, I began thinking about how important it is to have someone listen to what you have to say. For Annabel, she didn't believe anyone would listen, let alone believe her about why she is no longer friends with Sophie. Instead she bottled her secret and kept quiet until she was too afraid to share her story. Annabel likes to keep the peace in her relationships, which causes her to shy away from telling people how she truly feels. As she begins to trust Owen, she sees that being honest doesn't have to be something she fears or the reason she may lose something. Honesty will lead to acceptance, closure and free her from the box she has been suffocating in.

I highly recommend this book. Ms. Dessen is a great author. Though her targeted audience is young adults, I believe adult readers will be impressed with her ability to bring characters to life.

Book details:
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-241097-4
Pages: 371
Year Published: 2006
Genre: YA Fiction
Date Finished: July 31
Rating: A+

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

Title: Just Take My Heart
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
ISBN-10: 1416570861
Pages: 322
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Date Finished: April 28

From the dust jacket:

Natalie Raines, one of Broadway's brightest stars, accidentally discovers who killed her former roommate and sets in motion a series of shocking events that puts more than one life in extreme peril.

While Natalie and her roommate, Jamie Evans, were both struggling young actresses, Jamie had been involved with a mysterious married man to whom she referred only by nickname. Natalie comes face to face with him years later and inadvertently addresses him by the nickname Jamie had used. A few days later, Natalie is found in her home in Closter, New Jersey, dying from a gunshot wound.

Immediately the police suspect Natalie's theatrical agent and soon-to-be-ex-husband, Gregg Aldrich. He had long been a "person of interest" and was known to have stalked Natalie to find out if she was seeing another man. But no charges are brought against him until two years later, when Jimmy Easton, a career criminal, suddenly comes forward to claim that Aldrich had tried to hire him to kill his wife. Easton knows details about the Aldrich home that only someone who had been there -- to plan a murder, for instance -- could possibly know.

The case is a plum assignment for Emily Wallace, an attractive thirty-two-year-old assistant prosecutor. As she spends increasingly long hours preparing for the trial, a seemingly well-meaning neighbor offers to take care of her dog in her absence. Unaware of his violent past, she gives him a key to her home...

As Aldrich's trial is making headlines, her boss warns Emily that this high-profile case will reveal personal matters about her, such as the fact that she had a heart transplant. And, during the trial, Emily experiences sentiments that defy all reason and continue after Gregg Aldrich's fate is decided by the jury.

In the meantime, she does not realize that her own life is now at risk.

A compelling novel that probes the mysteries of the human heart and mind, Just Take My Heart is Mary Higgins Clark's most spellbinding tale.

My thoughts: Mary Higgins Clark has been my favorite author since high school. The Cradle Will Fall was the first book I read by her and I spent that summer reading all her books. Every April, I look forward to her new release.

Just Take My Heart is about a man who is accused of killing his famous ex-wife. Although it takes time for the case to come trial, the public has pretty much found him guilty. Emily is the assistant prosecutor assigned to the case. Emily is thrilled to take the case as she has suffered numerous losses and thinks this is a sign that things are finally moving forward in her life.

Emily knows her job is to convince the jury that Greg Aldrich killed his ex-wife out of anger over their divorce. However, as the trial progresses, Emily suddenly has doubts that the wrong man is on trial.

Natalie's real killer didn't come as a surprise. Despite the obvious, I still would recommend this book to all of Ms. Clark's fans.