BOOK REVIEW: A Midsummer’s Nightmare – by Kody Keplinger

Title: A Midsummer’s Nightmare
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: June 5th 2012
Finished reading: June 10th 2015
Pages: 291

“They loved me no matter what the rest of the world thought. I couldn’t just stop being afraid, but for them, I could try.”

I have to admit I wasn’t sure whether A Midsummer’s Nightmare would be something I could enjoy. I’m not a fan of chicklit and this sounded too much like a cheesy romance novel. Still, since I was pleasantly surprised by Kody Keplinger‘s other novel The DUFF and I needed a story about parental relationships I decided to give it a go anyway. Like I suspected, there were quite a few cheesy scenes included and I really couldn’t stand the main character Whitley. She is arrogant, ignorant, cocky… And truly annoyed me. I can’t say that I agree with her lifestyle or thoughts, but I guess at least she felt ‘real’. A Midsummer’s Nightmare is easy to read and it would make a perfect beach read. It’s just not for me… Recommended to those who enjoy a good contemporary romance story with a little drama involved and don’t mind a character that is not exactly likeable.

Whitley’s parents divorced when she was younger and ever since she has been spending her summers with her dad. But the last summer before college everything changes… As her dad suddenly has a new fiancee and she has to deal with her new stepbother and sister. And even worse: the faincee’s son turns out to be Whitley’s one-night stand from graduation night. Oops! What was supposed to be the perfect summer suddenly turned into Whitley’s worst nightmare… And she is not sure how to deal with this new situation. Will Whitley adjust to the new situation in a small town where everybody knows who she is and judges her for her actions?

A Midsummer’s Nightmare is not a bad read, but I couldn’t really enjoy it… I guess the genre it belongs to just isn’t my cup of tea. It is a fast and easy read though, and if you like contemporary romance you will probably love this read. It looks like Kody Keplinger wants her main characters to be unlikeable, but at least the story feels real that way and I guess that’s a bonus.

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WWW Wednesdays #43 – June 10th

Originally featured at Should Be Reading and now hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words, WWW WEDNESDAYS is still about answering the following three questions:

• What are you currently reading?

It’s been a bit hard to go back to The Diviners by Libba Gray after reading my two read along reads, so I’ve decided to read some other books in between. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but I guess I stopped reading at the wrong point. I’m also still trying to finish The Death Of Danny Daggers by Haydn Wilks, an ARC that was sent to me by the author for review. The general story is interesting, but the use of too much swearing and difficult Scottish and Welsh dialects makes it hard to finish it fast…

• What did you recently finish reading?

I finished A Midsummer’s Nightmare earlier today and I didn’t enjoy this one as much as Kody Keplinger‘s other novel The DUFF. It’s too much of a chicklit to my taste and the main character Whitley is really annoying… Although you get an idea why later on in the story. I’ve also read the second prequel novella The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige, which turned out to be another disappointment… The prequel novellas just don’t live up to the actual series.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I will either read Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer, my next TBR jar pick, or finally pick up The Assassin’s Blade bySarah J. Maas for my Bookish Bingo Spring challenge. Since I now only need two titles to complete the full bingo, I might read those two first…

Teaser Tuesdays #46 – June 9th: A Midsummer’s Nightmare

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at Should Be Reading. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

I’ve put my current reads temporarily on hold to read A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger first. I need this one for my Bookish Bingo Spring Challenge and it looked like a quick read. I’m not sure I’m really enjoying it so far though and I’m afraid this one will turn out be a typical case of not-for-me… It feels too much like a chicklit read so far.

My teaser (37%):

“It took a minute for the words to sink in. I stared up at Nathan, anger burning away the amusement I’d felt before. Scorching the insides of my stomach and chest.”

 

What are you reading right now?

Friday Finds #39 – June 5th

FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at Should Be Reading and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during the last week and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. A start of a new month means new titles added to my TBR pile… This week all books I already own a copy of; click on the book descriptions to go to its Goodreads page.

My finds:

BOOK REVIEW: The DUFF – by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
First published: September 7th 2010
Finished reading: April 16th 2015
Pages: 280

“No matter where you go or what you do to distract yourself, reality catches up with you eventually.”

This is definitely not my typical read and I wasn’t completely convinced I was actually going to like this novel when I first started reading it. I guess I ended up being wrong about my suspicions. Have you ever had it happen that you both hated and loved a character? That is exactly what happened to me with the main characters in The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. While I hated Bianca for using sex as a way to forget about her problems, I loved the fact that she had a strong character and in the end wasn’t afraid of being completely herself. I definitely understand what it feels to be a ‘DUFF’, but I wouldn’t ever respond the way she does in this novel by Kody Keplinger. Although in a way I admire her courage… The womanizer Wesley on the other hand; boy I hated his character. The typical arrogant teenager who thinks he thinks he’s the hottest guy on the planet and it’s his job to make girls feel miserable… Le sigh. But he ended up growing on me when he showed his sensitive side. The prose Kody Keplinger uses to describe her story is brilliant and made me laugh at various points in the story, and combined with a fast pace The DUFF is truly a pageturner.

Bianca Piper is not what you call the ‘perfect’ cheerleader, but she is smart, sarcastic and has two loyal best friends. She doesn’t always feel attractive when she is with her goodlooking best friends Jessica and Casey, and sometimes she wonders why guys never pick her as a date instead of her friends… And then comes Wesley Rush along, the school’s hottie that tries to get in every girl’s pants. When he calls Bianca ‘the DUFF’, she is so angry she throws her coke in his face, but she cannot get the word DUFF out of her head afterwards…

Things at home aren’t great either and Bianca fears her parents will end up in a divorce. She desperately needs a distraction, and ends up kissing the guy she thoroughly hates. Soon, she and Wesley are doing a lot more than sharing just a simple kiss… An enemies-with-benefits relationship is born. But Bianca’s hatred turns out to be not as deep as she thinks, and to her horror she is starting to fall in love with him… The boy who keeps calling her Duffy.

I would have never guessed I would enjoy reading The DUFF, but I did. The prose is briliant, funny and easy to read, and together with the fast pace I was able to read this novel in a heartbeat. I have a love-hate relationship with the characters, but it didn’t really take away from my reading pleasure. I don’t know if I would be able to watch the movie, but this novel by Kody Keplinger I would definitely recommend if you enjoy reading YA contemporary and don’t mind a few sex scenes.