Review: Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Lying Out Loudby Kody Keplinger
Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Scholastic

Kody Keplinger returns to the world of The DUFF in this brand-new companion novel! 

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go. Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with -- secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross. Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand -- a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed. But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

My Thoughts

I had just read book that had left & me reeling (An Ember in the Ashes) & was looking for something light, fluffy, & fun to clear my palate. This book was perfect for that!! This review may read as if I didn't enjoy Lying Out Loud and that's not the case....entirely anyway. There was some really strong character development throughout the book and the dynamics between them where pure perfection.  Keplinger certainly has hit her stride where that is concerned. That is what kept me reading since I adore character driven books. I might have DNF had the people not been the glue that held it all together. I think much of what I didn't like was simply due to personal preference. Allow me to elaborate.

This is one blurb that pretty much sums it's book up perfectly. So much so that I dont need to go into the plot at all. I hate liars. I'm sure most of you do as well. Well, I should have taken the word "LYING" in the title as a clear warning. This book will be centered around someone who lies. It didn't so much bother me that the M.C., Sonny, was lying but what bothered me was that she felt absolutely no remorse about it. She was clearly a selfish, inconsiderate person and that just rubbed me the wrong way. People do really odd things in order to comfort themselves when dealing with extreme duress, like accidentally catfishing you arch nemesis on purpose. Although I was not a fan of Sonny's behavior I had to admit, she was pretty witty. I'll give the girl that. Her narration thru the story did make me giggle quite a bit.

Sonny -  arc loc. 335
My arch nemesis? My Lex Luthor to my Superman? The Loki to my Thor? The peanut butter to my jelly? Okay, I know most of the world thinks those last two go together, but personally I find the combination rather abhorrent and just ew.

I just think the level of deception she built up with her supposive close as sisters best friend Amy and her supposive crush Ryder was completely out of control. That was the point of course but it didn't sit well with me. Funny how well I cant stomach mutiny and murder but this made me grit my teeth. I had a good friend do something not the same but equally as bad to me and i think it just struck that raw nerve. That should really be taken as a compliment since it was pretty damn close to reality. 

I really keep trying with this contemp genre but I keep striking out. Admittedly, I am sure I am not the target audience either. This had some brilliant characters though so I am mostly positive it will be enjoyed by the masses. Just prepare to deal with some serious scheming!!

3 Snowflakes

Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Publisher- Poppy

Release Date- June 5th 2012
Purchase- Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

My thoughts:
Kody Keplinger is rapidly becoming one of my must read authors. I loved her other books The Duff and Shut Out, so I couldn't wait to get a hold of her latest book A Midsummer's Nightmare!
This story proves to provide the perfect amount of drama, angst and emotional entertainment great for a lazy warm summers day.
The morning after a grad party, Whitley wakes in a bed, hungover and next to a guy she can't even recall his name. But it does't matter, she's off to college in the fall and is on her way to spend her fun-filled summer with her dad at the beach condo and away from her self-absorbed mother. Little does she know that her summer plans are about to rapidly change. Instead of the condo, her dad informs her that he moved to suburban Hamilton. And the surprises keeps coming. Her bachelor dad is engaged to a women named Sylvia who has two teenagers. Thirteen year old Bailey who's been looking forward to having another girl around and Nathan....the nameless hookup from grad. They were going to be one big happy family.
Thus begins, Whitley Johnson's midsummer nightmare.

The first thought that pops in my head after reading this book would have to be cringe-worthy.
I felt so nervous and afraid of the things that would fly out Whitley's mouth. She comes off with more attitude then what I usually like in my characters. I'm not a big fan of bitter and cynical and Whitley has it in spades. She has a very strong 'my life sucks and so do all the people in it' vibe that I really wanted to shake straight.
So even thought she may not be the most likable character I still found her to be very realistic and easy to connect with. I mean I get it, her mother was so busy being wrapped up in her own issues with the divorce that she didn't give Whitley the attention she desperately deserves. Her father is more like a best friend/brother then an actual dad and past friends have always let her down. So Whitley turned to drinking, partying, flirting and flings to escape and find happiness where she can get it. While the whole 'I don't care about anyone or the consequences' wasn't always easy to read (cringe-worthy stuff my friends) I was still very much invested to see how things would play out. Especially with Nathan. For someone who puts on a big show about not caring, the reader knows the truth, Whitley cares to much even if she doesn't show it. It was really good to see Nathan brake down some of those walls and help her develop a healthy outlook into her life. She really needed the Caulfields and Harrison to show her that there is more to life then meaningless escapes.
I also really loved the other characters. Harrison was hilarious and such a positive force in Whitley life. Bailey is a sweetie, it was good to see Whitley care about her the way she did.
As for Nathan, I really adored him to bits. He has some old fashion views that we don't normally see in male characters. It was refreshing and honestly sexy. He's written to be some kind of geek, but quite frankly all I saw was swoon. He understand what Whitley is going through and despite all the crap that she put him through, he still wants and accepts her for her and that's something ya just gotta love. It was pretty amusing to see these two try to deal with the obvious attraction but given there unique situation made the dilemma even harder.
The Duff fans will be happy to see Wesley and Bianca. They make a small cameo appearance in this one, but it was still great to see them even for a short scene.
The only thing I didn't really care for was Whitley's dad and thought the ending smoothed out a little to nicely. We also didn't get to see her resolve anything with her mom, but on the other hand it's not hard to guess that better days are ahead for this girl.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's a great story about family, finding yourself and first love. I love reading one of Keplinger books. I never know what to expect. Her stories are always filled with flawed and real character that you can't help care about.

I can't wait to see what she comes up next!

 4 Snowflakes

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website