Book Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe

Title: Someday, Someday, Maybe

Author: Lauren Graham

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Source: Purchased

From Lauren Graham, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, comes a witty, charming, and hilariously relatable debut novel about a struggling young actress trying to get ahead―and keep it together―in New York City.

It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works.

Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job. 

Book Review: This Song Will Save Your Life

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Farrar Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 17, 2013

Source: Purchased

Add it to Goodreads

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice,This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Soundtrack Saturday (55)

Hey, there everyone, and welcome to this week's Soundtrack Saturday post! I've got something really special lined up for you today, so be sure to keep reading to find out just what it is!

So anyone who might be new to my blog (or oblivious to this meme) might be thinking, "What on Earth is Soundtrack Saturday?" Soundtrack Saturday is a bookish meme that I created so I could share my love of books and music. Each Saturday, I choose a book and post a playlist full of songs based on the characters, the plot, and the themes in the book.

But that's not all. You can participate, too! I'm inviting all interested book bloggers to participate in this meme! Each week, I'll be posting a linky at the bottom of my post so that you can share your Soundtrack Saturday playlist for other bloggers and blog readers to find.

As with all bookish memes, there are a few easy steps to follow to help you create your own perfect Soundtrack Saturday post:

• Choose a book that you've read or are currently reading - any book is fine as long as you can create a playlist for it
• Create a full (10+songs) or a mini (four songs) playlist for the book of your choosing
•  For more detailed instructions on the different types of soundtracks and how to make them, please visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post. It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday is a weekly meme that was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Leave a comment on my blog post if you enjoy the feature
• Add your name to the link-up tool at the bottom of the post 

Book Review: Eleanor and Park

Title: Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

 Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: February 26, 2013

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

My Review

All in all, I was really impressed by this book by Rainbow Rowell. It was the first book that I read by this author, and I am now a fan! I will admit that I was frustrated with the ending of the novel, but it seems many people were as well. But hey... that's what reading is all about. Not everything gets tied up perfectly because life is messy. Ms. Rowell makes her novel that much more realistic by not tying things up nicely. Sometimes, there isn't a perfect ending in life, and books that give that message are, at least to me, one hundred percent more perfect because they show that life isn't perfect.

Other than that, I really did enjoy this book. It was a cute tale of two kids who fall in love but realize they aren't really right for each other. It is also a serious novel with the many things that Eleanor has gone through in her life. It is something that I think teenagers should read because it's not just a book about falling in love. It's about falling in love when your whole world is collapsing. It's dangerous. It's stunning. It shows that so many people really have it worse than you do, and that is something we all need to understand to become better people.

I would be thrilled to see a sequel to this novel to learn more about Eleanor and her life after she left town. I think she still has quite a bit to tell us. On the other hand, I think Park has a story of his own to tell. Even if we don't get a sequel, these two characters have made me think, and that's the wonderful thing about reading.

I would recommend this book for fans of contemporary YA novels, but also for fans of the ABC Family show The Fosters.

Reviewer's Note: If you haven't done so already, check out some of the fan art for Eleanor and Park. It is fabulous. You can even find some of it in the Collector's Edition of Eleanor & Park from Barnes & Noble.