Faketastic Review

Faketastic - Alexa Young
From besties to worsties and back again...

Team Havalon is reunited and stronger than ever. Avalon's on top of it all - fashion trends, friends, fun. But when her fellow cheerleaders decide that Avalon is out this time around, who's side will she really be on?

Halley's got her old bff Avalon back, new bff Sofee, great new clothes, and maybe a romance on the horizon. But when a plan Team Havalon concocts spirals out of control and is catalyzed by the meddling of their respective new buds, who will be left standing when World War Havalon seems inevitable?

Faketastic flows seamlessly from its predecessor, Frenemies. In this second installment, Alexa Young has delved even deeper into Halley and Avalon's love-hate relationship. The dynamic duo shed some of their immaturity and the story went beyond snarky fashion disses.

Characterization of the leading ladies seemed stronger and more hard hitting. A lot of the drama this time around came from the meddling of the supporting cast. The misunderstandings, effectively shown in juxtaposition of dramatic irony, allow readers to feel frustration and emphathize with what the characters are going through. Wade, although portrayed as a likeable character, did seem to been toeing the line of Gary Stu. Dreamy, confident, and suave with the girls at the ripe age of thirteen - is slight shallowness his only flaw? But this is a negligible detail (still pining over Dead Romeos. Gosh - what's in a name? Beautiful.)

The Style Snarks blog was a nice touch - and of course, the witty banter of the comments was amusing. Young's writing style just has that little zing that you can't quite phrase specifically, but effectively draws you into the story. The plot was more driven this time around, and overall, Faketastic seemed to be an improvement over Frenemies. The unique lingo adds flair. And even better? The messages [it] sends out aren't nearly as superficial as some of the other novels in this genre: it isn't all about brand names. If you can pull it off, go for it.

Faketastic is a charismatic series; something about Young's writing is just rapturing. The ending was a little abrupt here as well, but if the previous two are any indication, I'll bet that it leads smoothly into the next installment, Glamnesia. (Gosh - don't you just love these titles?) Out this summer, July 1st. A snarky light read. This is one series that I'm definitely going to be keeping up with. In this case, the saying holds true - don't judge a book by its cover. Because Faketastic will blow away your misconceptions of superficial-guilty-pleasure-type-read by providing insight on teenybopper friendships that just sneaks up on you.

Frenemies Review

Frenemies - Alexa Young
What happens when two besties become full-blown worsties?

Halley Brandon is back. After spending the summer at art camp where she's discovered a funky new style, Halley can't wait to see her best friend Avalon Greene. And boy are the duo in for a surprise! Avalon has been planning the soiree of the season to celebrate her forever-friendship with Halley. But maybe Halley's new funky artist rocker chic clashes with what Avalon wants...

Avalon and Halley are in for quite the emotional ride when they discover what happens when you battle the person who knows you best - and isn't afraid to use your secrets for personal gain. From sharing custody of Pucci, their puppy, to seperating extra-cirriculars, Avalon and Halley better be prepared to deal with the carnage of this full out battle.

Best friends. Worst enemies. Frenemies.

In Frenemies Alexa Young has struck just the chord when it comes to teenybopper friendships. Individually, Halley Brandon and Avalon Greene are both likeable enough characters. Together though, they're explosive. Throughout the course of Frenemies, characterization was well done. Although a little more development before the major fall out would have been nice, sometimes tween-teen friendships can be fickle, especially since at that age, even little things can seem like the end of the world.

Emotions are portrayed nicely and readers are able to emphathize with what the characters are going through. The plot is nicely woven, leading through a series of spikes before getting to the climax. And of course, what's a book nowadays without a love interest? Wade fills the role of Romeo beautifully - a nice play-on, considering that he's in a band called the Dead Romeos. The supporting characters are also characterized relatively well, but in Frenemies, they seem to be just that - support. It works though, in this case. The ending also seemed a little abrupt, but it melds seamlessly into Faketastic.

The writing itself was crisp, fresh, and snarky. In short, entertaining; and surprisingly hard to put down. It was actually a pretty pleasant surprise that Frenemies delved deeper into the intricacies of friendship and thirteen year old behaviour than some of its counter parts for older teens. It's the kind of insight that you don't really realize right away. Frenemies is an entertaining read brimming with witty play-ons and banter. Snarky.