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Monday, January 5, 2009

**GIVEAWAY** FIRST Wild Card - Be Strong and Curvaceous by Shelley Adina

My review is at the bottom...so please read on down and check it out as well as a great three-book giveaway in the series!




It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!



Today's Wild Card author is:


and the book:


Be Strong and Curvaceous (All About Us Series, Book 3)

FaithWords (January 2, 2009)


Plus a Tiffany's Bracelet Giveaway! Go to Camy Tang's Blog and leave a comment on her FIRST Wild Card Tour for Be Strong and Curvaceous, and you will be placed into a drawing for a bracelet that looks similar to the picture below.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Shelley Adina is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She knows the value of a relationship with a gracious God and loving Christian friends, and she's inviting today's teenage girls to join her in these refreshingly honest books about real life as a Christian teen--with a little extra glitz thrown in for fun! In between books, Adina loves traveling, listening to and making music, and watching all kinds of movies.

It's All About Us is Book One in the All About Us Series. Book Two, The Fruit of my Lipstick came out in August 2008. Book Three, Be Strong & Curvaceous, came out January 2, 2009. And Book Four, Who Made You a Princess?, comes out May 13, 2009.

Visit the author's website.


Product Details:

List Price: $ 9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (January 2, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446177997
ISBN-13: 978-0446177993

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


BE CAREFUL WHAT you wish for.

I used to think that was the dumbest saying ever. I mean, when you wish for something, by definition it’s wonderful, right? Like a new dress for a party. Or a roommate as cool as Gillian Chang or Lissa Mansfield. Or a guy noticing you after six months of being invisible. Before last term, of course I wanted those wishes to come true.

I should have been more careful.

Let me back up a little. My name is Carolina Isabella Aragon Velasquez . . . but that doesn’t fit on school admission forms, so when I started first grade, it got shortened up to Carolina Aragon—Carly to my friends. Up until I was a sophomore, I lived with my mother and father, my older sister Alana and little brother Antony in a huge house in Monte Sereno, just south of Silicon Valley. Papa’s company invented some kind of security software for stock exchanges, and he and everyone who worked for him got rich.

Then came Black Thursday and the stock market crash, and suddenly my mom was leaving him and going to live with her parents in Veracruz, Mexico, to be an artist and find herself. Alana finished college and moved to Austin, Texas, where we have lots of relatives. Antony, Papa, and I moved to a condo about the size of our old living room, and since Papa spends so much time on the road, where I’ve found myself since September is boarding school.

The spring term started in April, and as I got out of the limo Papa sends me back to Spencer Academy in every Sunday night—even though I’m perfectly capable of taking the train—I couldn’t help but feel a little bubble of optimism deep inside. Call me corny, but the news that Vanessa Talbot and Brett Loyola had broken up just before spring break had made the last ten days the happiest I’d had since my parents split up. Even flying to Veracruz, courtesy of Papa’s frequent flyer miles, and being introduced to my mother’s boyfriend hadn’t put a dent in it.

Ugh. Okay, I lied. So not going there.

Thinking about Brett now. Dark, romantic eyes. Curly dark hair, cut short because he’s the captain of the rowing team. Broad shoulders. Fabulous clothes he wears as if he doesn’t care where he got them.

Oh, yeah. Much better.

Lost in happy plans for how I’d finally get his attention (I was signing up to be a chem tutor first thing because, let’s face it, he needs me), I pushed open the door to my room and staggered in with my duffel bags.

My hands loosened and I dropped everything with a thud.

There were Vuitton suitcases all over the room. Enough for an entire family. In fact, the trunk was so big you could put a family in it—the kids, at least.

“Close the door, why don’t you?” said a bored British voice, with a barely noticeable roll on the r. A girl stepped out from behind the wardrobe door.

Red hair in an explosion of curls.

Fishnet stockings to here and glossy Louboutin ankle boots.

Blue eyes that grabbed you and made you wonder why she was so . . . not interested in whether you took another breath.

Ever.

How come no one had told me I was getting a roommate? And who could have prepared me for this, anyway?

“Who are you?”

“Mac,” she said, returning to the depths of the wardrobe. Most people would have said, “What’s your name?” back. She didn’t.

“I’m Carly.” Did I feel lame or what?

She looked around the door. “Pleasure. Looks like we’re to be roommates.” Then she went back to hanging things up.

There was no point in restating the obvious. I gathered my scattered brains and tried to remember what Mama had taught me that a good hostess was supposed to do. “Did someone show you where the dining room is? Supper is between five and six-thirty, and I usually—”

“Carrie. I expected my own room,” she said, as if I hadn’t been talking. “Whom do I speak to?”

“It’s Carly. And Ms. Tobin’s the dorm mistress for this floor.”

“Fine. What were you saying about tea?”

I took a breath and remembered that one of us was what my brother calls couth. As opposed to un. “You’re welcome to come with me and my friends if you want.”

Pop! went the latches on the trunk. She threw up the lid and looked at me over the top of it, her reddish eyebrows lifting in amusement.

“Thanks so much. But I’ll pass.”

Okay, even I have my limits. I picked up my duffel, dropped it on the end of my bed, and left her to it. Maybe by the time I got back from tea—er, supper—she’d have convinced Ms. Tobin to give her a room in another dorm.

The way things looked, this chica would probably demand the headmistress’s suite.

* * *

“What a mo guai nuer,” Gillian said over her tortellini and asparagus. “I can’t believe she snubbed you like that.”

“You of all people,” Lissa agreed, “who wouldn’t hurt someone’s feelings for anything.”

“I wanted to—if I could have come up with something scathing.” Lissa looked surprised, as if I’d shocked her. Well, I may not put my feelings out there for everyone to see, like Gillian does, but I’m still entitled to have them. “But you know how you freeze when you realize you’ve just been cut off at the knees?”

“What happened to your knees?” Jeremy Clay put his plate of linguine down and slid in next to Gillian. They traded a smile that made me feel sort of hollow inside—not the way I’d felt after Mac’s little setdown, but . . . like I was missing out on something. Like they had a secret and weren’t telling.

You know what? Feeling sorry for yourself is not the way to start off a term. I smiled at Jeremy. “Nothing. How was your break? Did you get up to New York the way you guys had planned?”

He glanced at Gillian. “Yeah, I did.”

Argh. Men. Never ask them a yes/no question. “And? Did you have fun? Shani said she had a blast after the initial shock.”

Gillian grinned at me. “That’s a nice way of saying that my grandmother scared the stilettos off her. At first. But then Nai-Nai realized Shani could eat anyone under the table, even my brothers, no matter what she put in front of her, so after that they were best friends.”

“My grandmother’s like that, too,” I said, nodding in sympathy. “She thinks I’m too thin, so she’s always making pots of mole and stuff. Little does she know.”

It’s a fact that I have way too much junk in my trunk. Part of the reason my focus is in history, with as many fashion design electives as I can get away with, is that when I make my own clothes, I can drape and cut to accentuate the positive and make people forget that big old negative following me around.

“You aren’t too thin or too fat.” Lissa is a perfect four. She’s also the most loyal friend in the world. “You’re just right. If I had your curves, I’d be a happy woman.”

Time to change the subject. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my body in front of a guy, even if he belonged to someone else. “So, did you guys get to see Pride and Prejudice—The Musical? Shani said you were bribing someone to get tickets.”

“Close,” Gillian said. “My mom is on the orchestra’s board, so we got seats in the first circle. You’d have loved it. Costume heaven.”

“I would have.” I sighed. “Why did I have to go to Veracruz for spring break? How come I couldn’t have gone to New York, too?”

I hoped I sounded rhetorical. The truth was, there wasn’t any money for trips to New York to see the hottest musical on Broadway with my friends. Or for the clothes to wear once I got there—unless I made them myself.

“That’s it, then.” Gillian waved a grape tomato on the end of her fork. “Next break, you and Lissa are coming to see me. Not in the summer—no one in their right mind stays in the city in July. But at Christmas.”

“Maybe we’ll go to Veracruz,” Lissa suggested. “Or you guys can come to Santa Barbara and I’ll teach you to surf.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said. Either of Lissa’s options wouldn’t cost very much. New York, on the other hand, would. “I like warm places for my winter holidays.”

“Good point,” Gillian conceded. “So do I.”

“Notice how getting through the last term of junior year isn’t even on your radar?” Jeremy asked no one in particular. “It’s all about vacations with you guys.”

“Vacations are our reward,” Gillian informed him. “You have to have something to get you through finals.”

“Right, like you have to worry,” he scoffed, bumping shoulders with her in a chummy way.

“She does,” Lissa said. “She has to get me through finals.”

While everyone laughed, I got up and walked over to the dessert bar. Crème brulée, berry parfaits, and German chocolate cake. You know you’re depressed when even Dining Services’ crème brulée—which puts a dreamy look in the eyes of just about everyone who goes here—doesn’t get you excited.

I had to snap out of it. Thinking about all the things I didn’t have and all the things I couldn’t do would get me precisely nowhere. I had to focus on the good things.

My friends.

How lucky I was to have won the scholarship that got me into Spencer.

And how much luckier I was that in two terms, no one had figured out I was a scholarship kid. Okay, so Gillian is a scholarship kid, too, but her dad is the president of a multinational bank. She thinks it’s funny that he made her practice the piano so hard all those years, and that’s what finally got her away from him. Who is my father? No one. Just a hardworking guy. He was so proud of me when that acceptance letter came that I didn’t have the heart to tell him there was more to succeeding here than filling a minority quota and getting good grades.

Stop it. Just because you can’t flit off to New York to catch a show or order up the latest designs from Fashion Week doesn’t mean your life is trash. Get ahold of your sense of proportion.

I took a berry parfait—blueberries have lots of antioxidants—and turned back to the table just as the dining room doors opened. They seemed to pause in their arc, giving my new roommate plenty of time to stroll through before they practically genuflected closed behind her. She’d changed out of the fishnets into heels and a black sweater tossed over a simple leaf-green dress that absolutely screamed Paris—Rue Cambon, to be exact. Number 31, to be even more exact. Chanel Couture.

My knees nearly buckled with envy.

“Is that Carly’s roommate?” I heard Lissa ask.

Mac seemed completely unaware that everyone in the dining room was watching her as she floated across the floor like a runway model, collected a plate of Portobello mushroom ravioli and salad, and sat at the empty table next to the big window that faced out onto the quad.

Lissa was still gazing at her, puzzled. “I know I’ve seen her before.”

I hardly heard her.

Because not only had the redhead cut into line ahead of Vanessa Talbot, Dani Lavigne, and Emily Overton, she’d also invaded their prime real estate. No one sat at that table unless they’d sacrificed a freshman at midnight, or whatever it was that people had to do to be friends with them.

When Vanessa turned with her plate, I swear I could hear the collective intake of breath as her gaze locked on the stunning interloper sitting with her back to the window, calmly cutting her ravioli with the edge of her fork.

“Uh oh,” Gillian murmured. “Let the games begin.”



© 2008 by Shelley Adina.

Used by permission of the author and Hachette Book Group USA.

My Review: Excellent! Be Strong and Curvaceous was my introduction to Shelley Adina and her series involving the privileged and fashion forward young ladies of Spencer Academy. I was really looking forward to reading Be Strong and Curvaceous, because I had heard so much about this series and because I wanted to see how it stood alone.

Because I was popping in on Carly, Gillian, and the rest of the students, I knew I was going to have to look around and get to know the characters much as a new student in the school. The first two books focused on Lissa and Gillian, and this book's focus was on the sweet and brave Carly. Not knowing what happened in other books left me wanting to pick them up as well so I could better understand other characters, their personalities, and I also wanted to know their significance in Carly's life and each other's. The void I felt did not take away from the story at hand. I do want to get the other two books as soon as possible. :)

This school would have been a dream for me as a young reader! I had a friend who went to a boarding school when I was young, and I always fantasized at what life might be like in such a posh place and to have such independence. It seemed completely exotic to me to be in a boarding school. It was like a pre-college experience in my young mind's eye.

I really liked how Carly came to Christ. It was nice seeing her (and that was the nicest part actually visualizing the story) make a decision and learn to rely on God. I think there was a nice even balance too. Carly is not the privileged girl that many of the other students are, and it is nice reading a real world solution to her financial deficits (in other words bargain hunting and a part time job!). All in all this was a very enjoyable read, and I found myself caring for the students at Spenser Academy. It is a place I would love to visit, and I certainly wish that I had such a great YA series in my hot little hands when I was a teen!

Here is one of my favorite parts. A quote from Philip (Carly's boss) "I can tell you from experience that chances to do things for each other can be taken away, just like that. And then you spend the rest of your life wishing you'd had just a few more minutes." He stared through the glass at the Sony videocam on its pedestal, without seeming to see it. "Just to say yes. Or to bring them a glass of cold water. Or to give them a kiss to say you love them."

This small message was amazing! This book is fabulous! I hope you get a chance to pick up this gem!

GIVEAWAY -- There is of course an awesome giveaway at Camy's blog, but before you go...Miriam from Hachette Book Group has given me the opportunity to share this entire series with one reader!!! You have the opportunity to win not just Be Strong and Curvaceous, but all three books in Shelley Adina's series. That means "It's All About Us," "The Fruit of My Lipstick," AND "Be Strong and Curvaceous." You can start from the beginning and befriend all the students at Spencer Academy! I WISH I could win this!

Here are the details. You must have a US or Canadian address. NO PO BOXES. Hachette will ship the three books to the winner. Enter by commenting and leaving a way I can reach you. If you have a blogger account with your email attached that is fine, if not you must leave an email (disguise it to keep away spammers -- ex yourname(at)gmail(dot)com) so I can contact you if you win. I will send an email to the winner chosen on January 19. The winner will have two days to contact me back with their address or I will have to move on to the next winner.

You can have multiple entries for what you do.

1. Comment saying you want to win with a way to contact you - 1 entry.

2. Tell me about your first job - 1 entry.

3. Blog about this contest - 1 entry.

4. Twitter about this contest, and come back with the link - 1 entry.

Deadline January 18 at 11:59pm

48 comments:

Lindsey said...

Don't enter me, I just wanted to say great review! Think we felt similarly about the book. :-) Gonna link to your giveaway from my blog!

God bless!

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

No need to enter me, Kelly. I'm just popping in to say thanks for the e-mail; I've got this listed at Win a Book for you.

donnas said...

Please enter me. I would love to read these they sound so good.

My first job was working for my father in his office doing inventory on tools, so not fun.

Thanks!
Donna
bacchus76(at)myself(dot)com

donnas said...

Please enter me. I would love to read these they sound so good.

My first job was working for my father in his office doing inventory on tools, so not fun.

Thanks!
Donna
bacchus76(at)myself(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I'd love a chance! Thanks

Angela

angelpii(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

My first job was as a fry cook at a Micky Ds...it was horrid!

I constantly smelled like a fry.

angelpii(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I would love to be entered. I think my first job was working as an elf, taking pictures of kids on Santa's lap.

djecse at yahoo dot com

Katie said...

enter me, please!
My first job was babysitting.

bball11kt(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

I put a link to this contest in the sidebar of my blog: http://katiesbookshelf11.blogspot.com/

Lexi said...

I'd love to win these!
My first job was as a waitress, and gosh I was awful at it!

darbyscloset said...

I would enjoy starting on a new series! I think my sister-in-law would enjoy these books as well!
Thanks so much for the opportunity!
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

Stormi said...

Hey Kelly,

Starting to feel a bit better but still pretty sick. :( Thanks for the prayers.

I would love to win these books.

My first job was working at Tyson's, eww talk about nasty.

Have a great day,
Stormi
ladystorm282001[at]yahoo[dot]com

darbyscloset said...

My frirst "really" job outside of babysitting for the whole neighborhood was at Brown's Chicken. I was released from there because I talked to much to the customers...imagine! ;-*
Thanks so much for the opportunity!
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

Simply Stacie said...

Please enter me :)

stacie_vaughan (at) hotmail (dot) com

Simply Stacie said...

My first job was when I was 15 and I worked at Country Style Donuts serving coffee and donuts. Let's just say I never liked donuts after that job!

stacie_vaughan (at) hotmail (dot) com

Unknown said...

I'd love to be entered please! Thanks.

unforgetable_dreamer_always AT hotmail (Dot) com

Unknown said...

My first "real job" was at a fast food place called Hardee's it was horrible, I hate it I had to wear a really dorky outfit and it wasn't very fun cleaning tables, emptying the trash, and cleaning bathrooms needless to say I didnt last long there lol.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to win the entire series!
My first job was a tutor at this tutoring centre where I got to work with children in grade 1 to 3, after school. It was a great experience since I plan on becoming a teacher. =)

I linked to your awesome giveaway here: http://carmenalexis.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-links.html

Please count me in!

The Giveaway Diva said...

would love to enter this awesome giveaway!! thanks so much!

nicolemarielum @gmail.com

The Giveaway Diva said...

my first job was being a childcare attendent at a gym! i loved being able to look after all the adorable children

Carolina said...

Please enter me! I really want these books. My first job was baby-sitting. It was a good job and I got paid well. I linked the contest to my blog! :)

Alyce said...

I would love to be entered to win.

My first job was working at a small marina on a lake. There were two of us teenagers working in the shop. The boys got the good jobs working outdoors cleaning the boats. I got to dust tackle and work the till. If there weren't any customers I just dusted tackle for 8 hours. We weren't allowed to sit down, so I spent an extra long time dusting the fishing supplies on the bottom shelves so I could rest.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com

Alyce said...

I would love to be entered to win.

My first job was working at a small marina on a lake. There were two of us teenagers working in the shop. The boys got the good jobs working outdoors cleaning the boats. I got to dust tackle and work the till. If there weren't any customers I just dusted tackle for 8 hours. We weren't allowed to sit down, so I spent an extra long time dusting the fishing supplies on the bottom shelves so I could rest.
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com

Anita Yancey said...

Please enter me. Loved the review. Sounds like some really good books.
ayancey[at]dishmail[dot]net

Anonymous said...

sounds like a gret book! please enter me! i'd love to read it!

glittergurl04 @hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

my first job was at this retail store selling and folding clothes the pay was ok but the discount was awesome!

glittergurl04 @hotmail.com

Dawn M. said...

Count me in, too. :0) I've been wanting to read this series for a while now.

Like so many others, my first job was babysitting. I loved it but it didn't pay much. After I started driving, my job was a cashier at a resale shop. I hated dusting!

Thanks! :0)

Miss Audrey said...

Hi Kelly! I made it over to your blog. Thank you for the invite! I'll post on my blog a link for your giveaway, but I don't get too much traffic... Guess I should update more often! I'd love to win the series as I'd like to read them and I have a sweet young teen that I'm sure would greatly benefit from the read!

Audrey

Miss Audrey said...

My first job was at an icecream shop. It lasted all of one day! The night before I was to go to work my dad was hospitalized with an unexplained serious illness. It was my mother's birthday and some 'older' man kept hanging around my workplace, wanting me to go out with him. He was hairy and I was a nervous wreck. They didn't offer me a chance to eat anything and my first day was my last. I didn't apply for another job for a good couple of years! I had all but forgotten about it until I read the other entries... Anyway, I survived!

Alyce said...

I blogged about it here:

http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/weekly-giveaway-roundup.html

stacey @ bookthirty said...

There has been some really great press on this series! I would love to win it! :)

stacey(dot)bookthirty(at)gmail(dot)com

stacey @ bookthirty said...

My first job? I started working at 15yo, and seeing as that was 20 years ago, I'm having a hard time remembering! I think it was the public library - I worked there for two years during high school and - being a lover of books - it was very close to my idea of heaven!

stacey(dot)bookthirty(at)gmail(dot)com

KR said...

I love to read all of these!
MJ

KR said...

My first job was wrapping Christmas presents at our only department store during Christmas vacation when I was 14. I did this every year until I finished high school. I still enjoy wrapping gifts and making them look special!!

Kristi said...

Hello,

I am also giving these away and I was a little envious as I could not enter to win - so I am entering here!

In the town that I grew up in we have a Carillon Bell Tower called The Mahaney Tower (after the people who paid for it.. ) and I worked there as a pre-teen collecting the fee for people to take the elevator to the top. I think the fee was a dime back then..

Anonymous said...

I would love to read this book--your review sounded great!

Andrea
purplg8r@aol.com

Becky said...

I would love to win this just based on your review. What a wonderful set of books this must be.

Thanks so much!

Becky said...

My first job was waitressing. I still miss it some days. I enjoyed the people and I made pretty good money from the tips. It also gave me the groundwork of relating to people and listening to them which I still use in my profession today.

Thanks again!

Edgy Inspirational Author said...

I love YA fiction. Please enter me. joyfulhutch[at]msn[dot]com

silverhartgirl said...

My daughter and I would love to read these

Peaches said...

Oh, I would love to win...you can email me at peachescorner@Yahoo.com

Peaches said...

My first (and current) job is actually at a small vintage bookstore. It's really awesome, actually, because I get to read all day, and play with the owners' cats! Thanks for hosting this contest!

Peaches

From Fatigued to Fatigues said...

Enter me, please!

My 1st job was as an au pair for the summer. The kids were twins and I think their mission was to see if they could make me lose my mind.

Liv (Alivia) said...

I love your blog. I just started reading it. :)

First job=babysitting. It was sort of a disaster. Ha.


livey12@excite.com

Erika Powell said...

please enter me
sports[dot]erikalynn[at]gmail[dot]com

Erika Powell said...

please enter me!!

My first job was as a waitress for a catering company, it was fun to work other peoples parties, weddings and special occasions. Everyone was in such a good mood.

Here is a link to my blog
http://kissmybook.blogspot.com/2009/01/simple-pleasures.html


sports[dot]erikalynn[at]gmail[dot]com

Sandy S said...

The books sound really good! I would love to win! Thanks!

skstigger (at) hotmail.com

Wendi said...

Wow Kelly! Great review and giveaway!! Wish I had read about it earlier. I LOVED Be Strong and Curvaceous and would love a chance to read the other books. :)

Wendi

Hoarders Extraordinaire said...

I'd love a chance to win this book! My first job was working as a lifeguard. I worked as a guard for 5 years and swore up and down I wasn't having kids! A year later I was pregnant with my first one...lol

Marta

http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com