STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott Book Review
Publication Date: June 1st 2008 by HarperTeen
Rating: – Acceptable |

Book Summary: My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember.

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best–her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends–a real life

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani–because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known–or the one she’s always wanted

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott Book Review Overview:

• My favorite Elizabeth Scott book so far
• The plot was captivating and I was easily hooked
• The ending was a bit abrupt and I would have liked to see it tied up more nicely

I was easily hooked into the plot in STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott because I just knew that things were going to go awry. Scott uses just the right amount of foreshadowing to keep me turning the pages. I easily saw where the plot was going but the fun was seeing how the characters got from Point A to Point B.

The romance is not the main focus of STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott, so if that is what you’re looking for, you will probably be disappointed. Dani does have some awesome chemistry with the love interest but the family issues overshadow the romance. The love interest in STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott is pivotal to Dani’s character growth because he helps her realize that she does have a choice in how to live her life.

There are still some parts of STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott that could have been developed a little better. First of all, I thought Allison’s older brother, James, would play a much bigger role in the book other than a decoy. Furthermore, I would have loved a better explanation of the story behind Dennis, the lawyer that helps out Dani and her mother. However, these are just minor quibbles that I had and could be easily overlooked.

As much as I enjoyed STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott as whole, the ending failed to completely satisfy me. From a moralistic standpoint, I wasn’t satisfied by the way the lesson was learned. Furthermore, there were still a few loose ends that could have been tied up nicely.

STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott is still an enjoyable summer read. It is by far my favorite Elizabeth Scott novel and I look forward to reading her other books.

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Permalink Book Review, Three Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Elizabeth Scott, Book: Stealing Heaven, Borrow It, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Publisher: HarperTeen | 865 words

The Pile

I’m going to try and be realistic here. I am going to read 6 books in the month of July. I think that’s quite manageable even if I’m sorely behind on my GoodReads challenge. I would love to aim for more books, but let’s be real here.

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I’m currently reading this one! Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite authors so I’m always excited about her newest book.
2. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen: This one looks exciting! I have to read this one for review in August so I’m hoping to read it soon.
3. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott: This is Loreal’s favorite – or at least one of her favorites – Scott novel so I hope I enjoy it too.
4. Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon: I keep pushing off reading the Lord John Grey series but I am finally making time for it. I have no excuse now that I own the first in the series.
5. Hazel by Julie Hearn: I thought it was only appropriate to add a historical YA to the mix. This one has been sitting on my shelf for about a year now.
6. Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick: This was one of my most anticipated sequels! I’m so happy that I managed to snag a copy at BEA this year.

The Vlog

Don’t forget to subscribe to my new channel! I still get emails that people are subscribing to my old YouTube channel – which is great, but I’m no longer posting new videos on that account.

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Permalink Memes, TBR Pile - Author: Diana Gabaldon, Author: Elizabeth Scott, Author: Ilsa J Bick, Author: Julie Hearn, Author: Maggie Stiefvater, Author: SA Bodeen, Book: Hazel, Book: Lord John and the Private Matter, Book: Shadows, Book: Stealing Heaven, Book: The Raft, Book: The Raven Boys | 478 words

PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott Book Review
Publication Date: September 21st 2010 by Simon Pulse
Rating: – Acceptable |

Book Summary: Kate Brown’s life has gone downhill fast.

Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate’s invisible.

And then there’s Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can’t stand even though she can’t stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she’s sure she’s just his latest conquest.

Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn’t realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen — but only if she lets them…

Book Review Overview:

• Fantastic chemistry between Will and Kate; I love love/hate relationships
• Kate was a little tough to like at first, but her character grew so much throughout the book
• Teens will be able to relate with Kate and her family’s financial problems especially in today’s economy

You know, sometimes I end up finishing a book with no idea whatsoever how the title is related to the story. PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott is not one of those books. Immediately from the first few chapters we learn that Perfect You is destroying Kate’s life. Kate’s dad gave up his job to sell Perfect You vitamins at the mall, but the business isn’t doing so great. To make matters worse, Kate has to help her dad sell the vitamins.

I had a love/hate relationship with Kate. I could easily relate to her insecurities when it came to Will, but at the same time I wanted to pull my hair out on how obvious everything was. From my perspective, there was no second-guessing Will’s intentions. He made it pretty clear to everyone but Kate. But needless to say, Will and Kate had a ton of chemistry. Their relationship really started out as a bit physical (kissing only, PERFECT YOU is PG-13!) if you don’t count the excessive bantering that goes on between the two of them at school.

“And what do you mean, you used to say stuff to get me to look at you? You were a pain in the ass on purpose?”

“Oh, please. For you and me, it was flirting. Besides, it was the only way I could get you to talk to me.”

“You’re making me sound like a freak.”

I could also understand how upset Kate must feel about her life at home, but I couldn’t relate to the way she would burst out yelling at her parents. I know she’s upset, but it doesn’t help to blame her parents – especially her mom. But I have to give her a break since I know that it must be really hard for her seeing her home life crumble due to financial situations despite doing her best to help out. But it did bother me that Kate rarely thinks about others’ feelings – especially when she says something mean. It’s pointed out several times in the book that this is her biggest flaw – she has a tendency to think the worst of people. However, despite her flaws, Kate grows so much as a character and I loved her by the end of the book.

Kate’s Grandma was probably my favorite character in PERFECT YOU. This lady’s still got style. Kate must be crazy not to appreciate a grandma who’s willing to take her shopping. And those purple boots? Is Kate crazy? I’d love to have a pair like that! (Oh wait, I already do.) Yeah, Grandma is a little materialistic, but at the end of the day, Grandma still wants the best for Kate and her family.

PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott is more than just a fun teen romance novel. Elizabeth Scott explores other problems such as the loss of the best friend and family financial situations. Especially with today’s economy, I feel that many teens will be able to resonate with Kate and the other characters in PERFECT YOU by Elizabeth Scott.

Other Book Reviews:
Coffee Table Reviews
Paperback Treasures

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Permalink Book Review, Three Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Elizabeth Scott, Book: Perfect You, Borrow It, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Publisher: Simon Pulse | 1093 words