Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald

Synopsis:
Jenna may hail from the 'burbs of New Jersey, but Green Teen activism is her life, so she leaps at the chance to visit her hippie godmother, Susie, up in rural Canada. Jenna is psyched at the chance to commune with nature for the first time--and the cute, pladwearing boys she's certain must roam there.

But after a few run-ins with local wildlife (from a grouchy old moose, to Susie's sullen Goth stepdaughter, to a hot but hostile boy named Reeve), Jenna gets the idea that her long-held ideals, like vegetarianism and conservation, don't play so well with this population of real ouotdoorsmen. A dusty survival guide offers Jenna amusing tips on navigating the wilderness--but can she learn to navigate the turns of her heart?

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm a huge outdoors person and I love hiking and camping and all other various wilderness-y activities, so reading a book that involved a city girl out of her element in the woods sounded like a good fun read, and I wasn't disappointed.

Jenna is from New Jersey and is all about environmental activism, so when she gets the chance to spend the summer in a small town in the Canadian woods, she jumps at the opportunity to spend her time with people who basically live in the woods, and therefore must be environmentally conscious. However, upon arrival, Jenna is surprised to learn that for many of the town's occupants recycling pop bottles and reducing the amount of electricity used is the last thing on their minds.

Now of course because this is a ya book, there are several attractive local boys for her to hang out with, and I was impressed with the fact that Jenna actually realized and admitted to herself right away as soon as she started having feelings for one of them. It seems such an obvious thing, but so many times all the main female characters and in denial of their crushes, and that drives me crazy. In my high school experience, I always knew exactly when I liked a guy. It was admitting to other people about my crush that I had problems with. So kudos to Abby McDonald for getting that right.

Overall, though there wasn't really anything too deep or thought provoking about this novel, I really enjoyed reading it and, ultimately, that's all that matters.

The Line By Teri Hall

Synopsis:
Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it's far from the city, where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it's close to the Line--an uncrossible section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It's a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

My Rating: 7/10

My Thoughts:
I gave this book a seven, though it's really more like a six and a half... I was really excited for it. It had an interesting premise and had a lot of potential, however as soon as I started it I had to force myself to keep going.

I found Rachel to be a really annoying character. She is naive and sheltered and seemed very immature to me. Normally, this wouldn't really bother me, however the prose describing Rachel seemed almost like I was reading a middle grade book, and it really turned me off. I stuck with it, though, hoping things would improve as the story progressed.

And it was this interest in seeing how the book would end that kept me reading more than interest in the plot. But as soon as things FINALLY started to happen, and the plot FINALLY started to pick up, the pages ran out. Yes this book ends on a HUGE CLIFF HANGER! And it wasn't even really a cliff hanger, it was more like the book ended in the middle. Nothing was resolved. In fact, it felt like the book had barely begun. It seemed more like a very overly-detailed plot synopsis than a full novel with build up, a climax and a conclusion. There was no climax and no conclusion. Only build up.

Oh well, it was short and the possible future world that Hall creates is kind of interesting so I think I might pick up the next one, if only to see if the story improves.

...And bring on a love story! I'm always down for that!

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis:
An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

My Rating: 6/10

My Thoughts:
This is another book that I read a while ago, so my review is going to be a little short. I saw the movie before I read the book, and I hate that, because it always seems like when I do that the things I like best about the movie are never in the book.

I love, love, love the first half of this book. It's the perfect love story and everything is happy and fun to read. Then John decides to re-enlist and everything is depressing after that. Because I'd seen the movie, I knew it was coming, but I think the book is even more depressing.

The book has a different ending, and I actually think I liked the movie ending better. Perhaps this is a bit romantic of me, but I can't help it. I'm a sucker for the romance in books like this. It's why I read them. When I want something thought provoking and unique I look elsewhere.

Overall it was okay. The first half would get a higher rating than the second half, but unless you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, I would maybe just see the movie.