Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Despite feeling like she is one of those YA authors I must have read, Heartbeat was actually my first read by Elizabeth Scott. Her books have caught varying amounts of my attention, but when I had an egalley of this I figured it was as good a starting place as any. 

Heartbeat is Emma's story, and Emma is a teenage girl whose mother is dead. Except, she's got machines in her helping her breathe, and she's still pregnant with Emma's baby half brother. Because after her mom died, Emma's stepfather decided to keep her alive so that his baby would have a chance at surviving. Emma, who used to be a perfect student, doesn't care about anything except the fact that her mother is brain dead and the fact that her stepfather is forcing her body to stick around anyway-- and she can't imagine that anyone can understand what that is like. And Emma blames her stepfather for everything.

Okay, so Emma herself isn't super likable. Her hatred for her stepdad seems extreme, but that's because we get to be the reader, watching from a distance. So even though I wished she would grow up a bit, I could sorta understand where she was coming from. She is a teenage girl who lost her mother, and she wants somebody to blame for a tragedy that seems meaningless. But then she also goes blowing off her friend, Olivia, who does nothing but try to be there for her, in favour of this boy, Caleb, that is very good-looking but also causes a lot of trouble. And that I respected a lot less. 

Caleb himself is the kind of bad boy that needs saving and only the main character's love can do it because deep down he's a good person, stereotypical type of character that I didn't find that original or interesting. But, in combination with Emma, I like him. They are sweet together, and it's nice seeing people find redemption in each other, even if it's basically what you expect. So it was cute, and I did find their romance believable and not. 

Heartbeat is a pretty quick, easy read and the plot is interesting so it keeps your attention. It doesn't have me rushing out to pick up everything else Elizabeth Scott has ever written, but there are a couple of her books I have been interested in and heard really good things about, so I'm not deterred from grabbing those in the future. I think whether or not you like this book might boil down to if you can stand Emma or not, and while she wasn't my favourite main character, there were enough redeeming characteristics and realism to her actions that I didn't mind.

Overall, Heartbeat kept me interested enough to keep reading, and to read other books by Scott in the future, but it wasn't special enough to be something I'm rushing out to recommend unless this plot in particular interests you.

Release Date: January 28th 2014  Pages: 304  Format: Egalley
Source: Netgalley  Publisher: Harlequin Teen  Buy It: Book Depository

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez was actually the second book I finished reading in 2013, but now that it's nearly the end of the year I'm feeling all guilty about the books I didn't review––especially the ones, like this, that I enjoyed and wanted to share––so expect between 0 and 20 more reviews to follow. No promises!

What appealed to me about Virtuosity despite its mainly predictable premise of a girl falling for the wrong guy (in this case, her competition) was the fact that its set in the world of competitive violin. I love stories that introduce to me a world I wouldn't otherwise encounter, especially contemporary stories, and in this case it's one in which Carmen wants to win basically the most competitive violin competition in the world, the Guarneri competition. Only problem is that she's not great at handling the competition, and as a result takes prescription anxiety medications. Then she meets her competition, Jeremy, and begins to fall for him.

At least in retrospect, since I'm writing this review almost a year late, the story was basically
what I expected, but what I liked a lot was Martinez's writing. It was easy to read, flowed clearly, and really brought scenes and emotion to life. Carmen was complicated and interesting character, as was Jeremy, and it was hard to decide which of them I wanted to win more. Although I didn't necessarily like her, I did find Carmen's voice quite entertaining most of the time. The romance between Jeremy and Carmen could have used a bit more development, but I suppose I feel a lot just because some books are a little more fast-paced to keep the reader's attention. I definitely had a lot more sympathy for Jeremy as a character than I did for Carmen.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the look into classical music that Virtuosity provided, and as I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of Martinez's second book, The Space Between Us I definitely plan to pick that one up as well since I enjoyed her writing here. Hopefully it won't take me 11 months to review that one.

Fire With Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

I really enjoyed the first collaborative novel between Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, Burn for Burn, so I was definitely excited to pick up the second book in their trilogy, Fire With Fire and see what my favourite revenge-seekers Lillia, Kat and Mary were up to.

Originally when I was reading about this trilogy it was described as having a paranormal edge to it, but that didn't appear at all until the very end of Burn for Burn. Likewise, while it is definitely more apparent in Fire With Fire it's not until the very end that we really find out where all the clues have been leading, with a cliffhanger that has me already begging for book 3, Ashes to Ashes, which sadly must wait until 2014.

As a general rule, I prefer contemporary to paranormal, so I don't really mind that these books come across more contemporary, especially because they are so well-written and I enjoy the characters so much. That's really what makes the Burn for Burn trilogy, the character voices– all three of which are very distinct– and the writing. The revenge storyline is entertaining but not terribly original (although I do love the twist at the end of Fire With Fire and can't wait to see where it goes) but the writing is so strong it carries these books into "really really enjoy" territory for me.

Fire With Fire begins almost immediately after Burn for Burn as the girls learn whether or not they got away with their homecoming hijinks and if their revenge changed anything at all. I was especially drawn to Kat's voice and story in this book, although a lot of the mystery revolves around what's going on with Mary. The book itself is really long at over 500 pages, which is maybe too long, but with good enough, easy to read writing, I don't mind.

In Fire With Fire it's once again, it's impossible to tell where Han's writing begins and Vivian's writing ends, as the collaboration is smooth and easy flow and realistic details make me want to pick up both of their books. After reading Burn for Burn I did grab Han's Summer Trilogy but I still need to read a solo book by Vivian. I guess that's something to keep me occupied until Ashes to Ashes, the final book in this awesome trilogy, is released.

Release Date: August 13th, 2013  Pages: 528  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Buy It: Book Depository