Book Review: Resisting the Rebel by Lisa Brown Roberts

Adorable, G-rated, YA romantic comedy

Resisting the Rebel by Lisa Brown Roberts

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: July 25, 2016
Length: 235 pages
Source: Purchase
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

In spite of two interrelated learning disabilities, ADHD and dysgraphia, Mandy Pennington is a relatively well-adjusted, outgoing, socially connected teenager. She's barely dated and is quite innocent, even though she is around 17 years old (though it's her birthday at the beginning of the book, her age is never overtly stated). She's had a crush since elementary school on a guy she considers a sweet, geeky, non-threatening type, her friend Gus. When he casually invites her to a wild, kegger-type party, which is not something Mandy would normally attend, because she does not drink or hook up like everyone else at such parties, she happily accepts, hopefully assuming that maybe, at long last, Gus is ready to move her out of the friend zone and date her. Alas, it is not to be. Gus immediately deserts her to hook up with another girl. Mandy is hit on by drunk, sleazy guys, and wishes nothing more than to escape, but she is stranded with no way to get home. Until out of the blue, a "Rebel without a Cause" type of guy named Caleb, whom she'd never normally talk to, rescues her from yet another crew of predatory guys, this time an obnoxious band of stoners, and offers her a ride home. Thus begins a cute and captivating relationship which involves Caleb's suggesting that they engage in a mutually beneficial, fake, romantic relationship. She can help him discourage his stalker ex-girlfriend, and she can inspire clueless Gus with enough jealousy to see her, at long last, in a romantic light.

In a young adult genre overrun with adolescent angst, it is always a delight to me to encounter a romantic comedy, especially a mostly G-rated one which, even so, manages to have strong chemistry between the romantic protagonists.

I really enjoyed the attraction of extreme opposites of outgoing, bubbly, Pollyanna-type Mandy and disaffected, intellectual loner, Caleb. I love "nerd" heroes who are not promiscuous, and Caleb fits the bill on both. I also enjoy a fake relationship plot in romance novels (whether YA or adult), and in this case, there is a delightful, and often quite funny progression of the relationship between Mandy and Caleb. In addition, these two highly sympathetic characters embody the ideal of excellence in a romance plot, wherein the romantic protagonists gradually bring out the best in each other as, through their connection, they inspire each other to grow and change in very positive ways.

I really liked Mandy's two best friends, who are an additional source of comedy in this story. In particular, I found the subplot between Caleb and Mandy's gay best friend extremely well done. He and Caleb were best friends from kindergarten to second grade, a relationship in which the Power Rangers were a central part. They lost touch when Caleb was sent from public to private school for many years until recently. In the course of this story, the two boys rediscover their friendship due to their mutual connection to Mandy. The many references between them of the Power Rangers as an ongoing motif is both amusing and emotionally compelling. The superhero attributes of the Power Rangers becomes a recurring metaphor for achieving the positive character trait of protecting and defending people he cares about that is part of Caleb's growth arc in the story.

Overall, this is a very entertaining read, and I intend to search out more books by this author.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 4

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 4

Comedy: 4

Romance Plot: 4

Writing: 4

Overall: 4

Book Review: Ninja Girl by Cookie O'Gorman

Marvelous YA romance!

Ninja Girl by Cookie O'Gorman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: March 30, 2017
Pages: 202 pages
Source: Prime Membership Program
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

I got this book through the Prime-membership program of one free Kindle book per month and, just as for Kindle Unlimited, Amazon does not list reviews for such books as "verified purchases."

There is absolutely no "sophomore slump" for this author. I loved her first book and this, her second book, is just as good or, in some ways, even better.

This young-adult "dramedy" (part comedy, part drama) is based on a terrific twist on the ever-green, romance-genre trope, the bodyguard romance: This time around, the bodyguard is the heroine! At 16, Korean-American Lee Snow-Soon (or as we say names in America, Snow-Soon Lee, with the surname last), is a masterfully talented martial artist whose greatest hero in life, other than her kick-ass mother who runs a martial arts academy and taught Snow everything she knows, is Bruce Lee (no relation).

The hero, Ash Stryker, is a highly-talented, 17-year-old soccer player whose father is running for the U.S. Senate, and his whole family is being threatened by a dangerous stalker. Unfortunately, the bodyguard hired to protect Ash is inadequate to the task of keeping Ash safe, which leads to Snow's protecting Ash by fending off dual attackers when Ash's professional bodyguard neglects his duty and is not there to do it.

In the wake of this dramatic event, Ash's mother pleads with Snow's mother to allow her to hire Snow to be Ash's bodyguard during weekdays at the private school he attends. Ash is more than happy to have Snow in this position, as he not only greatly admires her martial arts skills but, unknown to both their mothers, he and Snow have a startling history. They recently shared an explosive kiss as two total strangers--a kiss which Snow herself initiated in a dark movie theater as both a personal dare, because she had never been kissed before, and as a test of the man with Ash that night who was obviously his bodyguard but whom Snow suspected was not keeping close enough watch on Ash.

This story is told in dual point of view, of both the heroine and hero, each narrated in first person, but it is always clear as to whose head we are in.

The subcharacters are also very well written, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that the parents are kind, loving and decent human beings. The "orphaning" that is so essential in YA and children's novels so that the protagonists can actively work to solve their own problems is done quite creatively in this novel via the action-adventure portion of the plot.

This extremely well-written YA novel contains the classic, coming-of-age character growth so central to YA fiction, as well as the exciting action-adventure I mentioned and, best of all, a wonderful, G-rated romance that is both tender and passionate.

Speaking from the perspective of a huge fan of the romance genre, who is also quite jaded, for me personally, this is one of the best-written YA romances I've ever read.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Romance Plot: 5

Action-Adventure Plot: 5

Unusual Setting at Martial-Arts Academy: 5

Writing: 5

Overall: 5