Review: The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

Title: The Boyfriend App

Author: Katie Sise

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Publishing Date: April 30th, 2013

Pages: 312
Audio Length: 7 Hours and 30 Minutes

Genre: YA Contemporary 
TW: N/A

Series: App #1

Source: Audio

 

Get the app. Get the guy.
Computer-whiz Audrey McCarthy feels most at home in a tech lab, surrounded by her fellow geeks. Once popular and fearless, she hasn't been the same since her dad died. And her ex-best friend, gorgeous queen bee Blake Dawkins, has turned into her worst nightmare. Audrey is counting the minutes until high school is over and she can get the hell out of Dodge and go to college-that is, if she can find a scholarship.
So when Public Corporation, a giant tech company, announces a contest for the best app developed by a high schooler-with $200,000 in prize money-Audrey is spurred to action. She comes up with an idea so simple, yet so brilliant, she can't believe it hasn't been done: the Boyfriend App. With a simple touch of the screen, romance blooms among the unlikeliest couples in high school, and people start to take notice. But it's not quite enough.
To beat out the competition, Audrey will have to dig deeper. And she does-right into a scandal that would rock Public to its core. Suddenly the Boyfriend App lands Audrey where she never expected to be: in the middle of the limelight, passionately kissed by the hottest guys in school, causing complete and utter mayhem. But can it bring her true love?

What made me pick this book up: 

I'm going back and reading books that we need to review on Edelweiss/Netgalley and this was one of them. 

What did I like about the cover: 

I love how it actually looks like a phone. The colors are also really cute. I think it works well for the book.

What made me read this book: 

Like I said I was going back and reading ones I needed to review, but also the premise sounded good. It sounds interesting and like a quick, cute, and fluffy read.

What did I like the most: 

The idea of a boyfriend app. Basically a dating app. I think the way she made it in the book was a really good and interesting idea. 

I also really like Xander... Or Aiden. I don't remember who was who. When listening to the book I kept getting them mixed up. 

Anyway, I also love the geeky mentions in this book. Gaming and books and such. I always love when books have that element to it. Especially since she's supposed to be super loner and geeky. 

What didn't I like: 

Ugh here's where it gets interesting. 

The MC was so annoying and clueless. "Gasp! He kissed me. Did he mean to do that? Does this mean he likes me?" 

Any time this guy does anything she's like OMG he likes me!? No he can't possibly! He doesn't like me at all. I love him but I can't ever be with him because he doesn't like me.

YET THE ENTIRE BOOK HE WAS FLIRTING WITH HER. Jeeze louise could you be any more clueless!?

And then everything changes. This part will probably be a huge spoiler, but I feel like it doesn't matter with this book. 

*Spoiler starts here*

When everything crashes and burns, which of course it did. She hacked into the company's mainframe and found a high pitch hum that basically hypnotizes people. So she adds that to her app. It was so completely stupid. I don't even understand why she thought this would work. Everything of course does work out in the end, because it's a book. But really, it was so completely unrealistic.

*end spoiler*

She likes this guy, but she can't like him because he's her best friend, so then she likes this other guy so she doesn't like the one guy. It's just ridiculous. Is this how teenage girls really are?

Anyway, the whole book she was clueless, it was unrealistic, and I really thought I would enjoy this one.

I really didn't.

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
The rest of the series? No. Another book? Probably. This one looks good.

Not at all what I thought it would be, super disappointing. 

“Don’t use what you know how to do to hurt people.
Because once you know this stuff, you have responsibility.” 
― Katie Sise, The Boyfriend App

Katie Sise is an author, jewelry designer, and television host. Lucky magazine has called her a "Designer to Watch," and her company has appeared in most major fashion magazines, including Vogue, W, Elle, Self, and many more. Katie is the author of The Academy, The Pretty App, The Boyfriend App and Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career.

Review: The Stranger Game by Cylin Busby

Title: The Stranger Game

Author: Cylin Busby

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publishing Date: October 25th, 2016

Pages: 288
Audio Length: 6 Hours

Genre: YA Contemporary Thriller
TW: Physical and sexual abuse

Series: Standalone

Source: Audio

 

The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty young adult novel—perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart—about fifteen-year-old Nico Walker, whose sister returns home after a four-year disappearance.
When Nico Walker's older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah's daily cruelties.
Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.
But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She's thin and drawn, where Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah's retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she's been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah

What made me pick this book up: 

I don't really remember what made me do it. It was more than likely the cover that caught my eye. It looks creepy like something is going to attack her. 

What did I like about the cover: 

It looks so ominous. Like I said that something is about to attack her. It almost gives me anxiety just looking at it.

What made me read this book: 

I was in search of another short book, because I'm still working on getting out of this reading slump. I love a good mystery and this one sounded awesome. 

After reading the synopsis I had to find out what happened. It could go one of two ways. The person who says she's her sister really isn't, or her sister is completely messed up from whatever happened to her.

I had to know.

What did I like the most: 

Like I said, I love a good mystery. When I was reading the synopsis I had to know what happened.

The writing was pretty good, it wasn't annoying or hard to follow. I felt all the emotions they did. 

I really enjoyed the fact that it had some chapters from Sarah's point of view. At first I was confused, but it actually ended up making a lot of sense. 

The characters are written pretty well, I wanted to like them, and I really didn't find any of them annoying at all, which is always a huge feat for me.

The thing I liked the ABSOLUTE MOST was the ending. I was wanting to rate this book a 3 up until about 3/4 of the way through it, when it had me feeling so much, and I was so invested in the book I think I ended up staying in the bath for over an hour. I couldn't move or think of anything else.

What didn't I like: 

I don't think there was anything in particular that I didn't like. 

It was a good story, the writing was good, it just wasn't amazing. 

Hence the reason it's a 4 star and not 5. I would probably rate it a 4.5 to be honest.

One thing that kind of had me was that it seemed a bit rushed at parts. It was meant to be a short book but it seemed like it all happened so fast and it didn't make sense sometimes.

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
I think so, if there was more.

This book ended up being so much more than I thought it would. Halfway through the book I would've rated it a 3. By then end it was a solid 4.

“I knew my sister was dead. I felt it in my body, as if my bones could tell me the truth.”― Cylin Busby, The Stranger Game

Cylin Busby is the author of several teen books and numerous articles as well as the acclaimed young adult memoir, THE YEAR WE DISAPPEARED,which was a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and a Cybils Award winner.
Her latest novel, THE NINE LIVES OF JACOB TIBBS, has earned starred reviews and was an Amazon Best Book of the Month. The former Senior Editor of Teen Magazine, Cylin now lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Website: http://www.cylinbusby.com/
Twitter: @cylinbusby
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Young Adult, Children's Books