Thursday, July 24, 2014

New YA Novels Set in NYC: Starry Night, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club and Being Audrey Hepburn.

I just got back from my annual trip to the New York Musical Festival and am obsessed with all things NYC. Coincidentally, I have just read three fabulous novels set in the city that I would highly recommend.  Starry Night by Isabel Gillies is set against the backdrop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night." The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine is a re-imagining of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," set during the Roaring Twenties in Manhattan.  Finally, Being Audrey Hepburn, by Mitchell Kriegman, the creator of "Clarissa Tells All," chronicles how a girl's life is upended when she tries on the dress Givenchy designed for Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Starry Night introduces Wren, whose Father curates art at NYC's Metropolitan Museum, where she meets Nolan at a black tie event and allows him to convince her to steal off to an after-hours club.  She is an arrtist and he is the lead singer in a band, and their artistic hearts speak to each other.  Wren hopes to spend her junior year in France at Saint-Remy where Van Gogh created her favorite masterpiece. However, she lets her first love derail her plans.  Predictably, Wren gets grounded after her disappearance from the party at the Met and the fledgling romance is challenged in a variety of ways.  As she struggles to make the relationship work, she loses sight of what is really important in her life.  This cautionary tale plays out in the art world of NYC which adds to its charm and romance.

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club sets the fairy tale of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" during the Roaring Twenties in Manhattan.  The twelve Hamilton girls by day are kept prisoners in their Upper East Side home, but Jo, the firstborn known as "The General," teaches her eleven sisters how to dance and helps them sneak out to speakeasies each night.  They think they are avoiding discovery by their controlling father, until he announces he knows what they are up to and he is going to marry them off whether they like their prospective husbands or not.  They decide that they must escape before they lose their freedom and each other. However, before they can do so, they are caught in a speakeasy raid and flee separately, taking refuge in various places throughout the city.  The glitter and glamour of the underground dance halls and the girls' plucky personalities make for a fun read as they all find ways to survive in the city.

Being Audrey Hepburn stars 19-year-old Lisbeth, a waitress from the Jersey Shore, who is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn.  Her best friend Jess, a fashion design student, who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, calls her one fateful evening to come to the museum to see the iconic dress Givenchy designed for her idol's role as Holly Golightly.  When Lisbeth tries it on and heads to a Manhattan socialite party where she does her best Audrey impersonation, she finds her life changed forever.  She rescues a suicidal "pop princess," meets a hip fashion designer, falls for a preppy party boy and photo bombs her way into a career as a fashion blogger, all in one evening! This campy book is filled with allusions to Audrey Hepburn's many films and her self transformation into a star who even today inspires women with her "can do" attitude.  Lisbeth truly embraces Audrey's sentiment that "Opportunities don't often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them." Grab this book when it comes out September 16th!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Romantic Reads for Summer: The Kiss of Deception, #Scandal, The Bridge from Me to You

Three popular young adult authors are back with  romantic reads that are perfect for summer escape. Mary E. Pearson's (The Jenna Fox Trilogy)  The Kiss of Deception is the first book in her new Remnant Chronicles trilogy. Sarah Ockler's (Twenty Boy Summer, The Book of Broken Hears)   #Scandal cautions teens about the dangers of social media. And in alternating chapters of prose and verse,  Lisa Schroeder's (Chasing Brooklyn, I Heart You, You Haunt Me) The Bridge from Me to You follows the story of two troubled  teens who together find the strength to deal with their problems. 

The Kiss of Deception introduces Princess Lia, who flees from an arranged marriage, which would secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom.  She travels with her maid to a distant village, hoping to find a new life as a commoner.  When two strangers arrive, she finds herself attracted to both of them.  Little does she know that one is her jilted fiancee and the other is an assassin who was sent to kill her. Naive and headstrong, Lia always seems to leap before she looks, which, of course, spells trouble.  The romance and mysticism, along with the nonstop action, makes this a must read for fantasy fans.  I am looking forward to the sequel The Heart of Betrayal, which comes out in 2015.

#Scandal weaves a cautionary tale about social media into a familiar tale about a girl who falls for her best friend's boyfriend. Lucy has been the third wheel in Cole and Ellie's relationship since freshman year. When Ellie claims to have the flu and asks Lucy to go to prom with Cole, she has no idea that  Lucy is in love with him, and he is attracted to her as well. Prom night revelations abound when someone steals Lucy's phone and photographs many of the revelers' indiscretions, including Cole and Lucy kissing, at an after prom party. The thief posts them on Lucy's Facebook page, as well as submits them to an online blogger's scandal contest. By Monday morning Lucy has been branded a back stabber and a narc.  She turns to members of eVIL, a school group battling the problems with modern technology, to help her find the perpetrator and clear her name. This engaging read points out the dangers of smart phones with unprotected access to social media sites, as well as explores issues of honesty in friendship. I'm a Sarah Ockler fan and this book does not disappoint.

Those of you familiar with Lisa Schroeder's novels-in-verse will enjoy her latest offering, The Bridge Between Me and You.. Lauren has been sent to live with relatives by her abusive mother, separating her from the little brother she loves.  Colby is struggling to convince his football loving father that he is done with sports once high school is over.  When they meet at the local convenience store, they are immediately attracted to each other. However, their romance barely gets off the ground when Colby’s best friend is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and Lauren’s past begins to overwhelm her. As they struggle to deal with their problems, they turn to each other for love and support.  The novel-in-verse format makes for a quick satisfying read. It will be available July 29th.