Monday, December 24, 2012

Review of: Belles(Belles, #1) by Jen Calonita

Belles (Belles, #1)
Belles(Belles, #1) by Jen Calonita

Page Count(Hardcover Edition): 356
 Publisher: Poppy
 Released: April 10th, 2012  
 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
 My Rating: 4 stars
 Read: December 02 to 16, 2012
 Source: Library


Synopsis: 
Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

(from Goodreads)

As I'm sure other's would agree, this book is addicting. There was not one point where I said to myself " I'll just stop there for today" There was no good part to stop at. This story was very continuous  and it almost lost it's affect if I ever set it down for too long. Which is why I didn't!

 I love the idea of this story. To me, this was a dialed down version of Mean Girls in a book! It was verbatim the same, with a new girl, and basically a group of mean girls. Who doesn't love this plot?!

I very much enjoyed the character set. Izzie was by far my favorite because of how strong she was, whether it looked like it or not. She had so much backbone and spirit which I loved. Hayden came next because of how helpful he was to Izzie and because he was genuinely sweet. Mira and the others to come are in no particular order, just the way they pop up in my head. At first, I didn't like Mira because she was so controlled by Savannah, and didn't try to accept Izzie into the family! Opposite of Izzie, she had no backbone in the first half of the book, but then towards the end, she really rose and stood up for herself. I cheered her on quietly in my head(: Now, onto the evil queen, Savannah. I did not like her from the beginning and didn't feel sorry for her in the end. She truly irritated the crap out of me, and I probably hated her more than I should have had, because I was imagining her to be someone else.. Anyways, I really thought she was a rich, spoiled, ungrateful brat. I think that I was supposed to hate her, because she was the one who made everyone take Izzie's side. So, Jen, I thank you for that!. 

Onto the guys and family members(: Brayden! Ooh Brayden was such a cute character, I loved him♥. I wasn't expecting that little twist  at Emerald Prep with him and Izzie, but it really set the stage for what was to come. If Brayden was real, I'd take him in a heart beat. No offense Izzie! ;). Taylor was kinda iffy for me. In the beginning, I thought he had some clingy problems with Mira and brushed them off. But towards the end, he really wanted Mira to be everywhere with him, every practice, game, even every minute. That was the point where I was totally creeped out, and vowed to never become a trophy wife, ever. Kellen was really interesting. I was intrigued by his aura around him, but was disapointed when Jen didn't add more to his story with Mira. I hope in the next book, Jen will expand a lot more on their relationship. Mira's family was fairly good, but had some secrets which were revealed in the end. I was shocked when I found them out.

Belles was a wonderful, but shocking book. The only critique I have is that there needs to be more expansion among characters in the next book. I can't wait to get my hands on Winter White! I recommend this to fans of contemporary with a bit of a twist.

♦Haley♦

*on a side note: I have now added another name to my favorite baby girl names: Mirabelle! It's just so perfect and princessy; I love it! The other one I love is Tabitha(:

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