Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
"Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.

Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface- not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices."- summary from Amazon

I must start off this review by saying how much I've been waiting for a new Michele Jaffe book, so I may be a bit biased when it comes to how much I loved it. Like, I may have been starving so much for Jaffe's awesome writing that I loved it more than I should. I highly doubt that though.

Anyway, this book sucked me in from the beginning. There's a prologue that sets the stage and takes place right before the climax, with Chapter 1 going back in time several days earlier. I really enjoyed Jane's character and she had a lot of depth to her, a lot of secrets, a lot of angst, as well as very loyal to her friends. The other characters are just as fleshed out and it's interesting seeing all their interactions especially as the reader is trying to figure out who could have tried to kill Jane. I had two suspects, but ended up being way off. The killer though does make sense and it's not so out of the blue that you're left scratching your head.

I was actually really surprised at how well Jaffe was able to go so in depth with her characters, be serious (though there are some funny conversations sprinkled throughout), emotional, keep the suspense going, among many other things. This book is a complete departure from her previous books, but it's a direction I wouldn't mind seeing her continue in for the future (though I do still want funny books from her; maybe alternate?).

The writing is so beautiful as well and Jaffe does a wonderful job with setting the atmosphere no matter what setting it is. I really liked how the flashbacks of The Night and Jane's past flowed in and out through the storyline. It was handled really well.

Overall, this is a wonderful thriller with a small side of romance. I highly recommend this book, as well as Jaffe's previous YAs- Bad Kitty and the sequel Kitty Kitty (most hilarious mysteries you'll ever read).

FTC: Received ARC from publisher (thanks Jocelyn!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Author Interview- Michele Jaffe

1) Rosebush is a complete departure from your fun YA mysteries, and adult contemporary and historical romance novels. How did you get the idea for it? Did you set out to write a darker YA novel, or was it a complete surprise to you seeing how it turned out?

I totally did not want to write a book like this. I am The Worst Person to write this book.

You know that old toothpaste slogan "Put your money where your mouth is" (it was a toothpaste slogan, right? If it wasn't, it totally should be. Because hello, that is a very good slogan. Why am I talking about toothcare? It's super important. Your number one accessory is your mischievous smil--what? Oh yes, that's right, Rosebush)? So anyway, there are a lot of darker YAs out there now, and I found myself admiring some and becoming, er, impatient with others (if that means "hurling them across the room and making a face and going eeeeeeeew now I have to wash my brain!"), but I felt I had no right to Talk if I couldn't do the Walk which translated means I didn't think I should criticize the books unless I'd tried writing one. So I did.

AND NOW I CAN TALK ALL THE SMACK I WANT.

Joking. I am not much of a smack talker anymore.

I realized that what I had a problem with in some books was the way they fetishize the dark parts of growing up, the pain. Those things are true and real but what is so much more interesting is what we learn from them. Bad Things happen to everyone; they totally happened to me. So do we let them define us (for example, I was date raped by two guys when I was 16) or do we grow from them (and it was awful but through it, I learned to value and prize myself and never let anyone else define me). Realistically we do both, but hopefully, we can find ways to let the growth predominate.

Which makes me a lousy person to write a dark YA. Because I'm never going to write a book where someone kills themselves because they were date raped or molested; I believe in and relish the capacity in people to digest and get stronger through those things far too much. So as much as I want to be dark, it's always going to be in a "light at the end of the tunnel" way. I JUST CANT STOP MYSELF.

Its like a curse.

To me, Jane Freeman's situation in Rosebush (in a hospital bed paralyzed as a killer circles ever closer) is almost a metaphor for the process we all go through in trying to figure out who we are. It's scary and vulnerable and we're always appraising other people's reactions to us. But if we do it right--like Jane does--pay close attention, listen well, and ultimately work to be honest with ourselves, we'll make it through and be in a better place than where we started. SEE? THERE IS NO END TO MY OPTIMISM! MAKE IT STOPPPPPPPP--(mouth plugged with taco).


2) What book(s) are you working on now? Can you tell us anything about them?

I'm working on another darker YA and a thriller that's somewhere between YA and adult (kind of like the Power Rangers meets Da Vinci Code) (Ish) (which is totally a thing) and a middle school historical mystery. I think. If you ask me tomorrow, I might tell you three different books though. I have the attention span of a gna--what were we talking about?


3) I absolutely love your Bad Kitty series and they're part of my short re-readable book list. The last book was published in Summer 2008 and the manga trilogy around the same time. Are there plans for a third book in the future? (PLEASE SAY YES!)

Yes totally! But for now, unfortunately, only in my head.

As Virginia Woolf said, to be an independent person you need



and


(actually she just specified "a room of your own" but didn't mention the corpse)

--and she was right. I love writing the Bad Kitty books more than I love



(TRUE)
but not enough people wanted to buy them so no one will pay me to make more right now.(ALSO TRUE). Either we need to convince more people to buy them using some kind of hypnosis ray (@@@@BUY BAD KITTY@@@@) or I need to become Mayor of Funkytown and then I can issue them as official documents (according to a fortune teller, this should be happening very shortly).


4) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor (or flavors, if you're so inclined)?

Watermelon because it is two colors! Red inside, green outside--how do they DO it?!?


5) You're best friends with Meg Cabot, and frequently did advice columns and videos with her a few years back. How did you two first meet?

Meg and I met one night when XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX and then she said XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX "no way you're XXXXXXXXXXX right out of the lobby.
[REDACTED BY MICHELE'S LAWYER]


6) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start?

When I am writing, I mostly only read books that are by dead people because reading people who are alive makes me feel super insecure, but sometimes, like now, I can read living people if they write non-fiction. So right now, I'm reading Fatal System Error by Joseph Menn (alive) which is a nonfiction book about cyber crime, "Sex in and out of Intimacy" by Laura Rosenbury and Jennifer Rothman (both alive) in the Emory Law Journal which is a feminist legal theory piece, and The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (dead).


7) Having met you at BEA and seen your advice vlogs with Meg as well as a bit of a focus on fashion in your books, I can tell that you are quite the fashion lover and have some amazing clothes that you put to good use (your BEA outfit was fabulous!). Where does this love of fashion come from, and can you give out some fashion tips to my readers that have worked for you?

BLUSHING. Oh how I *wish* that were true! Mostly the way I get dressed is to look at things and say "Does this make me feel like I am going to have a fun day?" and if the answer is "yes!" I'm in. Last night I wore a sequin mini dress and a t-shirt that says "I AM NOT WITH STUPID ANYMORE" (current most prized possession) and thigh high fur boots. I was cozy and warm and chic all the way both to and from the supermarket. Kidding. I also went to the bike store.

It helps to have very understanding friends.

Seriously though (everyone put on fake mustache and serious expression please), the best way to get dressed is to have fun with it. Why look like someone else, or wear what someone else says to wear when you can put the ME in Fresh-n-Awesome? It is also a good way to make friends because people will stop you on the street to tell you that you look nice (or sometimes to growl at you, but I choose to assume that is some kind of compliment on their home planet). That is my #1 clothing tip. My #2 clothing tip is to try on everything inside out or backward. I am totally not kidding. Not everything works with this but more stuff than you'd think and you'd be surprised how rad things can look when flipped around. It is like getting a whole new wardrobe...for free. Which means: more money for tacos!

XOXOXO+airkisses by the dozen,
mmmmmmmmmm

Violet in Bloom by Lauren Myracle

Violet in Bloom by Lauren Myracle
"Katie-Rose, Violet, Milla, and Yasaman—four girls with seemingly little in common but their flower names—are nurturing their new friendship and are busy building luvyabunches.com, their very own social-networking site. Their first flower-power task? A doomed campaign to get their school to serve healthier snacks. The Jelly-Yums they champion—soon dubbed “beans of grossness”—taste like candied beets. And that’s just the start of their troubles. A scheming classmate tries to drive a wedge between Katie-Rose and Yasaman, Violet may have been slammed in a secret journal, and poor Milla unintentionally commits hamstercide. It will take all the strength and genuine affection of these pals to weather a particularly stormy week of fifth grade."- summary from Amazon

Let me start off by telling you that I love Lauren Myracle. She is funny and I've yet to come across a book of hers I haven't loved. This was no different. I absolutely love this series and can't wait to read more from these girls.

It was a bit hard for me to get into the middle-grade mindset and the 3rd person POV, but once I did, it was just so fluid and fun for me. The book though is not just all fun and games. What I love about this series is that Myracle throws in real-life issues that kids have to deal with, like the death of a pet, friendship troubles and many other things, though one thing that isn't made an issue is the fact that Milla has two moms. That is awesome; no one freaks out about it or thinks it's unnatural. It just is.

Myracle also doesn't talk down to her readers (well, except for me, but only because I'm WAY out of the demographic, lol) and isn't condescending in any way. The kids know what is going on around them, they're smart, rebellious, and usually it's the adults who are out of the loop (which is usually true, hence why I'm a kid at heart. I never want to be a grown-up). The girls kickstart a whole campaign to get the school to eat healthier in regards to the snacks they pass out. They do a ton of research, present the case to their teachers and it all gets rolling. These girls are wonderful role models and this is a great series to give to your young ones. It's almost like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but younger and without magical pants.

Overall, this is another winner for Myracle and I'm excited to see where the girls are taken next.

FTC: Borrowed book from library (yes, this does happen on occasion!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

Meandering Monday (2)

OK so I have a very little amount of time to write this in because I waited too long. So here's a few quick things:

1) I am going to Stephanie Perkins' event for Anna and the French Kiss this coming weekend in Salisbury, NC and I'm so excited! Is anyone else going? Let me know or say hi when we're there. I can't wait to read Anna, which I will be doing next week for Fresh New Voice of YA along with another overseas romance book- Falling in Love with English Boys by Melissa Jensen.

2) Parks and Recreation is an awesome show. I'm watching an episode now as I write this. I'm so glad I bought the second season DVD and I can't wait for the third season to start. If you haven't seen this show already, watch it when it comes back in January.

3) Chinese food is awesome.

4) Cats are cute. I love them.

5) Michele Jaffe is finally watching the TV show Sex and the City and tweeting all about it. Read her tweets here; they're pretty funny.

In My Mailbox- Weeks of Nov. 22 and 29 + Retrospective

I did a vlog this week because I got a ton of amazing books! Here it is:




Books Shown:

Parks and Recreation Season 2 DVD (not a book obvs.)
The Tapestry Book 3: The Fiend and the Forge by Henry H. Neff
Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman and Lisa Pazer
The Flappers Book 1: Vixen by Jillian Larkin
Sequins, Secrets and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett
The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Jen Bryant
Wish by Joseph Monninger
Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez


And here's my retrospective:

Monday- I premiered my Meandering Monday feature where I ramble about random things, though this week I was a bit focused so as to unveil my new schedule for the next couple weeks.

Tuesday- I reviewed Stork by Wendy Delsol, which is out in stores now.

Wednesday- I unveiled the cover for Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers and also answered questions in Ask Book Chic and put out the call for new questions. This of course means a contest- you can win an advance copy of Delirium by Lauren Oliver. The contest ends Dec. 10, so get your questions in soon!

Thursday- I reviewed Matched by Ally Condie, which is out in stores now.

Friday- I read from Rosebush by Michele Jaffe as part of Fragment Friday. Rosebush's official release date is Dec. 9, but some stores may already have it out!

Saturday- I reviewed Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph, which is out in stores now.