Definitely different... I might be okay with that- a teen's review
923483
As a diehard Sims addict (since I was 9 on the original Sims), I was super-psyched for the Sims 3. Countdown calendars, going to the store right when it opened, [a large amount of] money clutched in hand; I was ecstatic when I brought it home and began installation, then created two girl young adults and started exploring the game.  After playing it for almost three days straight, here's what I found:

Pros of the game:
+Create-a-style is pretty sweet. You can customize almost everything in the game with any color or pattern you want. I coordinated outfits perfectly, which felt awesome. (I know, what a nerd.)
+Create-a-sim definitely has its strong points as well. I love how you can shape your Sim into a real person with a real personality. Definitely adds dimension to the game. This was the reason I personally was most excited for the game, because creating the sims and their stories is my favorite part.
+I love how much smarter the sims are. When there's a sim blocking their way, they wait until the other sim's done and then CONTINUE! That's pretty darn cool.
+I like that the families age even if you aren't playing them. No more having to play each lot exactly equally.
+It's cool how the disc is both PC and Mac compatible- if I switch to a PC, I won't have to drop 50 bucks on a new disc that I already have, which I had to do for TS2 from PC to mac.
+There are lots of new interactions for your sims to have, some connected to the traits you chose for them. It makes playing more fun because your sims are different.
+I love the seamless neighborhood; playing TS2 with all the expansions and some custom content on my (now crashed) PC, it took almost ten minutes to load each screen. There truly is no wait to visit community lots, which is a total blessing.

And the cons (you knew they were coming):
- I would like to create some lads for my two girls, and I'm kind of nervous they're gonna get deleted because of this neighborhood development thing... sigh.
- I have a MacBook 10.5.6, and the minimum requirements are a 10.5.7, which I think is silly. That's the newest version (which came out just last summer), and the large majority of mac users don't have the newest kind.
-Since my MacBook 10.5.6 is below the minimum requirements, I was prepared for plenty of crashes and errors. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. And actually, I haven't had a single crash- maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe since I only have one other large installed application on here (The Sims 2), the game is running better. However, the game is slow. Quite slow. My sims will freeze mid-action, I'll wait a couple seconds, and they'll start moving again.
-Create-a-style is also very slow. It takes forever for the pattern to change on an object.
-Is it just me, or do all the sims' faces look kind of alike and chubby? It was a shock at first, but after playing it so much I kind of like it. They look nicer. So maybe this isn't a con.
-There aren't actually that many choices for objects and clothes, but you can customize everything... I guess EA wants you to download from their store and exchange. I'm waiting for the talented creators at Modthesims2.com to create some awesome stuff- which eventually they will. All for free, too.
-One more little picky thing: the fastest speed is NOT FAST. It bothers me, because I send Laine and Andie to bed and then spend 5-7 minutes staring at the screen waiting for them to wake up. Couldn't EA have made a 'skip ahead' feature?

Overall, I would recommend the Sims 3 to most players, especially the ones whose operating systems are up to par. There are definitely things I'd change, but I like playing it. It's not the Sims 2, or a better version of it, like I thought it would be- it's a completely different game. I think out of the 2 of them, I like Sims 3 better.
3801907
Teen reality is all about finding an identity unique from all others; or so we hope. Howard has the added edge of being a ghoul. Therefore he begins his own journey of being different by being "really" different. Perhaps this is a handicap, perhaps it is an advantage. Only Howard, and the reader may decide. In much the same heritage of the classic Frankenstein, Morton as created a character wrestling with his predefined heritage and an identity which is not in sync with his surroundings.

Navigating the world of adolescence, and the halls of the American high school are hazard enough, and Morton gives his protagonist the tools of compassion, patience, and a good head for punk rock as coping mechanisms for the protagonist. There is believability with the habits of teen life in the late 70's as most teens believe that they were/are sitting at the nerds table. Morton demonstrates that the real ghouls of the school were the emotional bullies which reside in many adolescent communities who perceive that they have the power of financial or social status.

We all can relate to "the other", "the outsider", as we all lived through those phases of the American world of high school. The real story of this novel is not the Ghoulish drama of finding every day sustenance, but rather the "ghoulish drama" of the American rite of passage in high school and how we all learn to adapt while attempting to create a identity.

The relationship between Howard and Sebastian proves that "all you need is love", the love of one good friend that can relate to all of your quirks and imperfections. The character of Granny is the classic ghoul with a heart of gold and her steady support of Howard is the plasma which holds Howard steady as he attempts the carving out of a new identity separate from the horror of his past.

All in all a good mix of horror and reality, and worth the adventure of turning off the reality TV and picking up a good book.
1986834
I thought this book would be an interesting summer read, although I was not sure if it would be to my liking. As I went through the first few chapters, I was clearly ready to say: "This book is truly different - it's a reinvention of what I always took for granted."

I definitely recommend this read!

MC
4096201
It held my interest and was different than I expected.
851756
Although this is a Harlequin Teen book, I think the sophisticated themes in the book make "Carrie Pilby" more suited to adults than young teens. Not that there is inappropriate content, but it's not the typical young adult novel.

"Carrie Pilby" wasn't what I expected from a Harlequin Teen novel, and maybe that's why it took me a while to get into the book. However, once I got used to the style of the book, I did find myself rooting for Carrie, who felt she didn't fit in anywhere, to find her identity and start enjoying life. I think most of us can relate to this in some degree and her struggles were realistic.

This was an unusual, unique coming of age book that will appeal to college-age and other adult readers.
2730702
I didn't care for the second person, narrator, first person style of writhing. the story was good or at least OK. The author was OK. But not sure I'll read another book by him. It was a typical teen coming out story but I guess that's not a bad thing. I enjoyed the book. It's not like I put it down and stopped reading it like a few books I've purchased before knowing much about the author, their writing or the story. It just struck me as really average and not sure about whether I like the authors writing style.
2367793
I enjoyed the originality of this book and the fact that (like always with Jodi Picoult) I had to think a little outside the box to conceive of a character in a book actually having a life outside the story I was reading.  It is also sort of a romance, but more like an up to date fairy tale version, not the hot steamy stuff in most adult romance novels. This is appropriate for teenagers or adults.  I gave my copy to my 14 year old niece when I was done...I haven't heard yet if she liked it or not though.  I hope she does!
933989
I only read this as it was one of the books assigned to my daughter to read over the summer.  It was a short book and she challenged me to read it. It was quite different than my usual selection of light romance books, but I did manage to finish it. There were quite a few descriptive words that are no longer used everyday which caused me to highlight the word and look it up on google- this got annoying at times.  I enjoyed how he described the countryside however and it was interesting to read about society norms in this time period. It's so different from the "anything goes" society we have today.  All that being said, would I have selected this book had it not been an assignment for my daughter? No I wouldn't have, but am I glad I read it? Yes, because we can discuss the book together, and we both learned from it. This was actually my first "historical" book and all in all it wasn't bad.
2433990
On the one hand this world is extremely unique with an interesting history and some potential for "that's not what you told me" and a bad guy who believes he's the good guy and the Guardians are evil tyrants. On the other hand, it's prophesy based, and that runs the risk of being either cliched or forced or both. She can't lose because she's the chosen one, right? She's just going to keep unlocking abilities until she's big enough and strong enough to win no matter what. BUT I hold out hope for this series based on the wide cast of characters, the interesting set-up with potential for betrayals and side reversals, and the decent writing style.

This book is perfect for older middle years and high school students. It has that teen drama feel to it, with amazing powers and adventure and self-discovery.

Considering what this book is trying to be, and what it achieves, I give it a four out of five stars and I look forward to reviewing the second book later this summer.
1403849
A YA witch/wizard paranormal story with an unexpected twist or lapse into the supernatural along the way. I think it will appeal to younger readers also and luckily the writer has kept the content teen clean. I think some of the superfluous details could have been omitted to make it stronger, for example detailed accounts of going from one room to the other or scenes that added nothing to the plot. Other than that it was a pleasant venture into a teenagers world in which Portia is suddenly introduced to the fact she is a witch and the boy she likes is a warlock with a dark past. I didn't think the supernatural element, which becomes apparent at the end of the book, did the storyline any good, but I have read stranger things.
140999
I finally admit that I judge books by their covers. I do and I did in the case of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, which I find really strange since even now I'm not exactly sure what it is about this cover that I like. Maybe it's because it's one of the few female geared books I've seen recently without a long haired girl on the front. But I did judge it worthy of a read, even without actually reading the blurb. I mean the title is a bit self explanatory, isn't it?

Zevin has a great sense of pacing, and I really felt that just as I was getting a bit tired of something, she moved the story forward. There seemed to be three separate stories going on for Naomi. There's her missing memories of her family, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what little life she can remember. It's heartbreaking to feel her going through her parents divorce, mom's remarriage and the birth of a baby sister instantly. The second story involves her friendship with Will. I felt that there was a bit too much obviousness to this, but it didn't feel forced. She makes choices that Will doesn't understand, but she still makes them. I liked that she didn't give in just because he kept saying she never would have done that.

The third story was about her discovery of James. This is the story line that really drew me in. There was an honesty to James that I felt Naomi wanted to have herself, yet was scared to. Even thought she was completely redefining herself, she was doing it more just to not be what everyone else kept telling her she was. James new what he was and was attempting to make real changes, even if he was more messed up than Naomi was.

On story alone I would have given this a five, but I found that a lot of the dialogue felt off. For the first two chapters I kept thinking the book was taking place in England, and even throughout the rest of the book the idea kept coming back to me. Maybe people on the East coast really do talk that way, but I just didn't feel like the vocabulary was natural for American teens (when was the last time you heard a seventeen-year-old boy refer to another as a chap?). I will however definitely look for more from Zevin.
2472644
When St Martins pitched me MY MAD FAT DIARY I was sort of on the line about it. Its not something thats in my normal wheelhouse but if its pithy and funny and quirky, I can usually appreciate it. So I accepted and now . . . Im not too sure how to review it. I definitely didn't like it like I thought I would and now Im kind of stuck. Its a real diary written by a seventeen-year-old. What am I going to comment on? The writing? The realism? The authenticity? I don't even know.

It reads like a diary written by a seventeen-year-old. I do think Rae was more astute and quick-witted than your average teenager but I didn't read anything earth-shattering. I wasn't rolling on the ground laughing. I may have chuckled a time or two and smiled a little but thats about it. She absolutely had her irrational teenage moments and she also had some pretty insightful moments as well. Her mother is less a mother and more a domineering roommate but she does have her solid mom moments.

I thought the most intriguing part of this book was Rae interactions with Bethany. Ive been in Raes shoes and been around people kind of like Bethany so I could definitely relate to that level of insecurity in a person and having them really project it onto you. But I found myself liking these interactions the most. They ended up being telling of both people involved, I think.

I didn't like the end. At all. Throughout the diary Rae waffled between wanting to lose weight so boys would like her and wanting to find a boy who liked her for who she was. I personally thought she trended more toward the latter more often than not. So when the ending came and the boy she was mega-crushing on basically says if you weren't fat wed totally be together, and she gets all swoony, Im like WTF? This type of thing irritated her to no end throughout the book but have the same words come out of the mouth of the boy shes mooning over and somehow he has a point? I really didn't like that.

So . . . I didn't connect with it like I wanted to. For the most part it was an engaging-enough read but ultimately not for me.

3

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
270001
*reads description*

Wait, what?

Yea, this book had be hooked the moment I read what it was about! I am not a huge fantasy person, but this one had a truly unique concept that made me think of it as more Lost thriller type genre than fantasy. The whole story is such an interesting concept. The idea that there is this greater power over this town, imposing its will on the people I find slightly comical, but you can get pretty into it!

Ultimately, I do not think I am the perfect audience for this book. I really see it being the perfect YA book. It touches on a lot of those teen angst topics that I think I would love relished 10 years ago. If you love teen vs. what feels like the world and working to overcome for the greater good. Than I would completely suggest this book!
718770
It was definitely different, which I realized upon reading the description. It was interesting that the dad didn't only want to use her as an experiment but that he'd probably wanted her all along and needed a way to get her to return the feelings with no hesitation. He got what he bargained for and then some. Made for a hot scene though.
4275045
Showed to a group of teens - surprised them and I think it really made a lot of them think.
136528
While about werewolves like so many other YA books, this one is just... different.  The only way I know how to explain it is that it is not your typical paranormal romance.  Rather, it is dark, simple, and at times strange and creepy.  The writing is sparse, simplistic, and often a bit clunky, as Block's style is.  However, the writing lacked that magical sparkle that is found in many of Block's other novels, like Weetzie Bat.  That sparkle was what usually pulled me in to her books, and since that was lacking here, I wasn't all that interested in it.  The plot, while thin, was interesting, and certainly different from other werewolf tales.  I also liked how real the characters were, even though some of them felt under developed.  I feel like several story lines, especially Pace's, were not explored enough and kind of left me feeling confused.  Overall, a so-so book.  If you can get it from a library, it is worth a read, especially if you are a Block fan.  But it is not a keeper and not worth purchasing.
4568728
Bought this (free book) on a whim. I'm thinking it's written for teen readers, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Try it...you may like it!