Book Review: This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

Publisher: Aladdin

Publish Date: April 27, 2010

Paperback, 240 pages

My Review:
Cute fun book.  Reminds me very much of my middle school days, full of friends, boys, gossip, fights, and school work.  Barbara Dee nails this book spot on for the middle schoolers.

What did I love: the characters, how true to life they were.  Francesca wanted a friend and wanted to fit in while retaining individuality.  Her life had it's problems but she didn't focus on them.  Evie, wanted a change and Francesca offered it, but she didn't want to leave her old friends behind either.  As Francesca and Evie break out into their project and snooping into teachers' lives and learning more about each other, they also learn about themselves.  There were some great lessons in this book for tweens, some I wish I had learned myself when I was that age.

A fun quick read, great for tweens and early teens, though as an adult I enjoyed it as well.  It's cute, adorable and thought-provoking without being heavy or too cutesy.  Just an all-around good read.

My Rating:  4.0/5.0
About the Book:
Sometimes your life just needs a little jolt. 

This is what Evie's new friend Francesca tells her, and soon enough, Evie's life has had something more like an earthquake. Francesca thinks life is dull unless you go after everything you want and say everything on your mind all the time--and sometimes that includes giving other people a little behind the scenes help to give them what she thinks they want.

Evie can't always tell if she's horrified or fascinated by everything Francesca convinces her to do, but ultimately, she comes to see friendship--and life--in a whole new light.

About the Author:
Barbara Dee is a graduate of Yale University, Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, and the University of Chicago Law School. She has taught high school English, practiced law, and reviewed books. She lives with her husband and three children in Westchester County, New York.  You can visit her on the web at www.BarbaraDeeBooks.com.

FTC Information: I received this book through 1-ARC-Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Waiting on Wednesday - July 21

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This one actually comes out tomorrow and I heard about it on Shelf Awareness last week, but the cover and the premise have completely intrigued me.

The Doctor and the Diva by Adrienne McDonnell

Release: July 22, 2010

A breathtaking novel of romantic obsession, longing and one woman's choice between motherhood and her operatic calling

It is 1903. Dr. Ravell is a young Harvard-educated obstetrician with a growing reputation for helping couples conceive. He has treated women from all walks of Boston society, but when Ravell meets Erika-an opera singer whose beauty is surpassed only by her spellbinding voice-he knows their doctor-patient relationship will be like none he has ever had.

After struggling for years to become pregnant, Erika believes there is no hope. Her mind is made up: she will leave her prominent Bostonian husband to pursue her career in Italy, a plan both unconventional and risky. But becoming Ravell's patient will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Lush and stunningly realized, The Doctor and the Diva moves from snowy Boston to the jungles of Trinidad to the gilded balconies of Florence. This magnificent debut is a tale of passionate love affairs, dangerous decisions, and a woman's irreconcilable desires as she is forced to choose between the child she has always longed for and the opera career she cannot live without. Inspired by the author's family history, the novel is sensual, sexy, and heart-stopping in its bittersweet beauty.

So what are you waiting on this week?