EvilEva Reviews... Getting Revenge On Lauren Wood

EvilEva reviews ...... Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook. 

Dissecting The Cover:

I kinda like this cover. It's cheery yet disturbing. Creepy yet cute. It's very Pretty Little Liars-esque. Which is probably why I like it.

Let's Review:

Helen Worthington and Lauren Wood were best friends. There was nothing Helen wouldn't do for Lauren.
The Lauren totally betrayed her.
A rumor spread. And Helen's life was ruined. She had to move and change schools.
But now Helen's parents are moving to some hippie camp in Maine and sending Helen to live with her grandma in Michigan. Not that there's anything wrong with Michigan. I mean, other than the fact that Helen's grandma lives in Terrace, Michigan. The very city a shamed Helen fled three years ago. The very city that's still home to Lauren Wood!
At first Helen is totally against moving back to Terrace, especially since it means she'll be sharing a high school with Lauren.
But then Helen has an idea. A wickedly vengeful idea. She won't get mad. She'll get even!
Helen combines her middle name, Claire, with her mother's maiden name, Dantes, and creates a whole new identity for herself. Then she puts her plan into action.
Claire's gonna take everything that ever mattered to Lauren. Her boyfriend, her spot in the school play, her friends, her popularity. 
It's time to DESTROY Lauren Wood! 

Here's What I Think:

Another revenge book, much like the previous Eileen Cook book I read, except this time around it's for the YA set. It reminded me of Mean Girls actually.

 

Claire is dead set on annihilating Lauren Wood. Which makes her a Janis Ian/Cady Heron combo. Like Janis, she harbors hard feelings from way back and wants some serious revenge. But much like Cady, when Claire's plan starts working, she slowly starts to become a little plastic herself. 
Claire is a pretty funny, if single-minded, protagonist. And as a nerd who was also a nerd in high school, I get her lust for vengeance. I think everyone has that someone in their life that they would like to take down, exact revenge on, and completely humiliate. The difference is most of us just do it in our heads. Plot what we would say, how we would say it and how big of an audience should be around for maximum embarrassment. But unlike us, Claire wants the total destruction of Lauren Wood out of her mind and out in the open. She wants to make Lauren's life as miserable as Lauren made hers.
Although one problem I had with the book was the whole reason Claire wants to get revenge on Lauren Wood. Which is, uh, kinda the while premise of the book. I mean, I understand that most teenagers are, by nature, assholes but I find it hard to believe that the whole school would have cared about "the incident" enough to make Claire into a complete social pariah. I mean, it's not like she pushed Regina George in front of a bus or something. ;)
After the first few diabolical plans succeed, Claire should have cashed in her chips, considered her revenge gotten and then concentrated on being true to herself, befriending the awesomely geeky Brenda for realsies, and making out with Christopher while "watching" Vertigo at the old theater.
Because really the best revenge is being so over the bullshizz that you don't even need to get revenge anymore.

Swoony Times:

Christopher is a fairly swoony guy. He's a documentary filmmaker without being douchey about it. He's nice and teasingly flirty but he could have been, I don't know, more. It felt like his character wasn't completely fleshed out, like the book had to be more than just "getting revenge on Lauren Wood," so here's a love interest, sort of. So that was a little disappointing because I think Christopher had the potential to be swoonarific.

Bonus Shizz:

Revenge!
I love revenge! I mean, HELLO!, I'm Evil. So I often like books that deal with people going batshizz crazy in an effort to dole out just desserts. But I'm really more of a pranks girl, not a full-on life-ruiner.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Unpredictable by Eileen Cook.

The Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 3.
Could have been a little more fetch.

The Hunger Games Soundtrack And Other Books Into Movies News

Let's face it, it wouldn't be Books Into Movies news without a little Hunger Games. So here's your (seemingly) daily fix!
You can now check out what to expect from The Hunger Games soundtrack here.
There are 16 songs in total.
Some of the artists include, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Neko Case, Kid Cudi and Miranda Lambert. Plus you'll also find songs from The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift other than their collaboration "Safe and Sound."
The video for which you can see.....
NOW:



It's actually a really pretty song and video. You can pick up the soundtrack March 20th. 

i've got more Beautiful Creatures casting news for ya. 
The main characters, Ethan and Lena, have been cast. They will be played by Jack O'Connell and Alice Englert, respectively. i've never heard of either of these actors but like i previously said, i don't really have any investment tied up in this movie because i wasn't a huge fan of the book so i'm not gonna go all Hunger Games madwoman crazy over this casting. 
Anyhoo, Emma Thompson, who i actually do know, as she played Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter series plus she's starred in countless other movies, has also been cast in the Beautiful Creatures movie. She'll be playing the dual roles of Mrs. Lincoln and Sarafine.
After reading the articles that i linked, i find it a little odd that this movie, which is based on a book about a town in South Carolina, is, so far, starring two Brits and a New Zealander.
Well at least Viola Davis is not only Southern but she's actually from South Carolina too.

John Green's latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, which just came out in January of this year, has already been optioned for movie-making by the movie-making folks over at Fox.
i think everything is in its early stages right now so the fact that it might be made into a movie is the only news i have for you. This book is currently TBRing it on my shelf and i can't wait to read it. i've heard many, many wonderful things about it. 
i also just discovered that i'm a nerdfighter. Are you? Check out the awesome sauce video below to see if you qualify. :)



DFTBA, y'all!

The last Books Into Movies news i have for you is kinda old Books Into Movies news.
So if you didn't already know, which i think there's no way you couldn't have already known because the TV in general has been playing the trailer for this movie pretty much nonstop for about a month, The Secret World of  Arrietty is out now in theaters. It's based on The Borrowers books written by Mary Norton. i actually wanna see it even though i'm not a fan of this particular kind of animation. i like when things that are usually used for one purpose are made into something new to use for a completely different, tiny purpose. That's why i love the Tinkerbell movies so much! Yes, i think we've already established that i'm a huge nerd. Anyhoosies, here's the trailer for The Secret World of Arrietty. 



Now it's your turn to tell me what you think of all this Books Into Movies news. Do you like the casting choices so far for Beautiful Creatures? Is Taylor Swift's song Hunger Games-y enough for you? Is there a song you thought would've been perfect for the soundtrack that was left off? Did you see The Secret World of Arrietty this weekend? Was it awesome? Are you a fellow nerdfighter?
Dish this shizz and more in the comments section below.

EvilEva Reviews... Lola And The Boy Next Door

EvilEva reviews ...... Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.   

Dissecting The Cover:

I'm not completely cover slutty over this one but I do like the fact that it stays true to the story. I love the pastel colored houses in the background. I love Lola's wig too! (I actually have one similar, minus the black streaks, courtesy of my Hitgirl Halloween costume.)
I also like that Cricket Bell looks very "Cricket Bell-ish." The rubber bands, pinstripe pants and the star drawn on his hand are all nice little touches.
But I think Lola's outfit isn't nearly Lola-y enough. Plus her eyes are a little too Zooey Deschanel for me.

Let's Review:

Lola Nolan is a colorful character. She loves dressing up in costumes and wigs. Not just for Halloween. Every Day!
In fact, one of the things that Lola wants the most is to show up to winter formal donning an incredibly over-the-top Marie Antoinette gown, complete with an elaborately wonderful, sky-high wig!
She would also like it if her dads would approve of her of her boyfriend, Max. Who's in a band. And has tattoos. And is slightly older than Lola. (Ok, so he's 22 and she's only 17 but they're totes in love, y'all!)
But what Lola would really like more than anything is to never ever EVER see the Bell twins EVER again. EVER!
But, of course, right before junior year, there they are in the lavender Victorian next door. Calliope, the beautiful ice skater who ruined Lola's life. And Cricket, the adorable inventor who broke Lola's heart.
Well Lola has no intention of getting mixed up with those Bells again.
But.......
Cricket is just so cute. And such a snazzy dresser. And he's so sweet and friendly and funny. And his bedroom window is like, Right There.
Suddenly Lola is feeling the swoony stirrings she felt before. 
But she has Max. And she loves Max.
But she loved Cricket first. And can you ever truly get over your first love?

Here's What I Think:

As you all probably know from this little nugget of fandemonium, I'm a HUGE fan of Stephanie Perkins. In fact, I'm writing this review from her bushes. Ha! Just kidding!
Anyway, call it the influence of too much Supernatural-watching on my part, but I'm fairly certain Ms. Perkins has made some kind of awesome-story-writing deal with a Crossroads Demon. Or she could just be insanely talented. But whatever the case, be it natural gift or something far more sinister, homegirl can friggin' WRITE some YA!
Lola is a fun character. She "doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume." I love that about her! Halloween is my absolute fave holiday and I do it BIG, so the idea of someone having the balls to glam and crazy it up Every Single Day is beyond awesome in my opinion.
But Lola isn't the only cool character. There's also her BFF Lindsey Lim who is Made Of Awesome!!! Lindsey is not only a great bestie that completely supports Lola even though she kinda hates Lola's boyfriend. Oh no. Lindsey is also an amateur detective that hearts Nancy Drew! She's smart and sassy and she totally reminds me of Lane from Gilmore Girls if you substitute a music obsession with sleuthing!
Lola also has two incredible dads. Nathan and Andy are tough but sweet. They care for Lola so much and i thought that their relationship with her, as well as with each other (plus their relationship with Lola's birth mother) was really great.
And lastly but certainly not leastly, there's Cricket Bell. What can i say about Cricket Bell? Well for starters he's the super swooniest! Cricket is the shy, sweet boy next door. He's got a unique style that Lola loves. He's an inventor. When they were little, he built Lola an elevator for her Barbies. And now that they're older, he helps Lola build her elaborate Marie Antoinette costume. He's tall and nerdy and I LOVE HIM!!!
The friendship/romance between Lola and Cricket is so sweet and it's written in classic Stephanie Perkins style. Meaning, it's that slow-burn, y'all.
Throughout the book you just want them to get together already! It's just that really sweet love when you've known someone for so long, and they know all your secrets, and they were your first kiss, and it's all so innocent but now so passionate, and you just want these two crazy kids to be together forever.
Lola and the Boy Next Door as everything that makes a story great. I LOVED it!
It's another book (much like Anna and the French Kiss) that I wanted to hurry and finish to see how everything plays out but I also wanted to take it slow and stay in Lola's world as long as I possibly could. And to have that ability to write a story that makes you feel that way?
Well that's either just great story telling! Or possibly a Crossroads Demon deal. ;)

Swoony Times:

Ok, if Lola didn't fall even a tiny bit in love with Cricket I would seriously question her sanity.
He's just sooooooo sweet!
But lucky for us swoon-lovers, Lola does fall for Cricket. Like I said before, it's all about the slow-burn swoon. Lola finds herself falling for Cricket but she thinks she loves Max and something happened in the past with Cricket that Lola can't get over so she doesn't want to fall for him because of that but she also can't stop thinking about Cricket and what's a girl to do!?!?
So because of this slow-burn, there's more crackling sexual tension than makeout sessions and declarations of love. But that's totally fine because sometimes the implied swoon is way hotter! (Especially if your crush is Cricket Bell!)

Bonus Shizz:

IncrediBesties!
Lindsey Lim is Lola's best friend. And I so wish she was mine! She is soooo friggin' awesome! She's a fellow Nancy Drew fangirl, so much so that she's nicknamed Lola Ned (check out Noteworthy for the reason why!) Also aiding in her awesomeness, she and Lola marathon eps of Alias, Dollhouse and Pushing Daisies! Only 3 of my fave, unjustly cancelled shows! 
Plus she's game to dress up as Lola for Halloween even though Lola's style is vastly different from her own.
Will you accept this Be Fri necklace, Lindsey? Because I think you're awesome and we could totally start up our own bomb ass detective agency! Will you be the Gus to my Shawn? The Mac to my Veronica? The Ned to my Nancy?

Special Guest Star Appearances!
Guess who works with Lola at the Royal Civic Center 16?! Anna and St. Clair! Yeah, from Anna and the French Kiss! Stephanie Perkins' other amazing book!
They're still together and cuter than ever! I love when authors sneak in characters from their previous work. It's like a nice little wink-wink, nudge-nudge to their fans.

Beloved Pets!
I love reading books in which the characters have a beloved pet. Probably because growing up I was never allowed to have one. If I could have had a pet, it'd be puppy all day long, baby!
So I really liked that Lola had an adorable mutt named Betsy. Which is short for Heavens to Betsy! Which might be the greatest name EVER!

Pie Maker!
One of Lola's dads is a pie maker! Which totally reminded me of Ned the pie maker from Pushing Daisies. Which was a totally amazing TV show that should have been on waaaaay longer than 2 seasons. The facts are these: I miss that show!

The Boy Next Door!
There's just something about the boy next door that is oh so swoony, amirite? And Cricket Bell is the quintessential boy next door. He's sweet and funny and a tad dorky. But he always seems to know the right things to say and do.  
In my book, Boy Next Door totally trumps Bad Boy every time!

Impala Alert!
Lola's hot rocker BF drives a '64 Impala! Only 3 years off from being completely awesome. ;) But I did squeal with fangirlish delight when I saw the mention. Even though Max so doesn't deserve to drive a Metallicar. :P

Noteworthy:

Here are some parts of Lola and the Boy Next Door that were particularly noteworthy in my opinion.

From page 30:

Lindsey Lim fancies herself a detective. This is due to her lifelong obsession with mysteries, ever since she received the Nancy Drew Starter Set (Secret of the Old Clock through Secret of Red Gate Farm) for her eighth birthday. Hence, "Ned." She tried to nickname me Bess, Nancy's flirty, shop-happy friend, but I wasn't pleased with that, because Bess is always telling Nancy the situation is too dangerous, and she should give up.
What kind of friend says that?
And I'm definitely not George, Nancy's other best friend, because George is an athletic tomboy with a pug nose. George would never wear a Marie Antoinette dress- even with platform combat boots- to her winter formal. Which left Ned Nickerson, Nancy's boyfriend. Ned is actually useful and often assists Nancy during life-threatening situations. I can get down with that. Even if he is a guy.

From page 125:

"I don't wanna talk about guys anymore," I say. "Can't we just rehash Alias instead?"
There's only one type of television show that Lindsey and I agree on: shows that involve solving crimes while wearing cool disguises. Alias, Pushing Daisies, Dollhouse, Charlie's Angels, and The Avengers are our favorites.

From page 231:

Lindsey's walls are painted classic Nancy Drew-spine yellow. Her complete collection of the novels is lined up in neat rows across the top shelves of her bookcase and below them, alphabetically by author, are titles like History's Greatest Spies, Detecting for Dummies, and The Tao of Crime Fighting.

So, now after all that are we all in agreement that Lindsey Lim is the shit? I thought so.

If You Liked That, Try This:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.

Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 5!
Stephanie Perkins does it again! i can't wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After!!! Which is described as being the final book in the Anna/Lola companion series. Ok, I just had a sad. Then I had another sad because Isla won't be out until sometime in 2013. :(  

A Little Bit Of Book Into Movie (And Music!) News

So i guess i'll start with the news that everyone will be super jazzed to hear. Even though i'm quite sure that you guys know by now and thus this is in fact not really news at all. But anyway for those few readers of this blog that also happen to live under a rock, you know like my mole people fans, it turns out that Breaking Dawn Part 1 will be out on DVD February 11th! (P.S. Why does Kristen Stewart look so morose and suicidal on EVERY Twilight movie cover? Cheer up, bitch.)
Shockingly, i, much like the mole people, haven't seen it yet. (i know, i've been a very bad Twihard.) But i will be buying it this Saturday. i won't however be one of the cray's going out at midnight just so i can score a fucking flower prop. That's not how Evil Eva rolls.

Here's something new, how about a little Books Into Music News! Taylor Swift will be premiering her music video for "Safe and Sound" from The Hunger Games soundtrack on MTV Monday the 13th. The soundtrack itself will be available March 20th.
Here's a still from the video. Looks a little more Twilighty than Hunger Gamey to me.

Someone has finally been cast in the movie version of Beautiful Creatures (the book series written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.) And that someone is Viola Davis. She'll be taking on the role of Amma.
i read the first book in this series and wasn't really a fan. (Check out my review of it here) i can't even remember who Amma is. So i'm not about to shit my pants with anticipation for this one but depending on who else is cast and how the trailer turns out, i might head to the theater to see it.

That's all the Books Into Movies (and Music!) News i've got for you now. What do you guys think of all this? Do you think Viola is a good choice for Beautiful Creatures? Do you think Taylor Swift's video will encompass the spirit of The Hunger Games. Will you be waiting in line at midnight just to get a Breaking Dawn prop flower? Dish that shizz in the comments section below.

EvilEva Reviews... Not That Kind Of Girl

EvilEva reviews ...... Not That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian. 

Dissecting The Cover:

This cover makes me super uncomfortable. There's no way you can be taken seriously carrying this kissy-face book around. Which is kind of ironic given what the book is about. I mean, Ms. Bee would totally give you judgy eyes if she saw you reading this.

Let's Review:

It's senior year, and Natalie Sterling has all her ducks in a row. She's poised to become student council president, she spends her free time taking SAT practice exams with her best friend Autumn and she can expect a glowing college recommendation from her fave teacher Ms. Bee.
In her final year of high school, Natalie is doing everything right.
Because Natalie Sterling is A Good Girl.
She doesn't have time for silly freshmen shenanigans. Or raging parties. And she certainly doesn't have time for immature high school boys.
But senior year brings a lot of pressure. And what better way to relieve such pressure than by secretly hooking up with a hot guy?
Suddenly Natalie's best laid plans become uprooted. Her best friend is no longer talking to her, her advice to a struggling frosh goes unheeded, there's a chance she could get expelled AND, perhaps worst of all, she might actually have feelings for a certain jock.
Now Natalie is questioning everything she thought she knew about boys, about her friends, about herself.
So if Natalie isn't that kind of girl, what kind of girl is she?

Here's What I Think:

Ok, so Natalie is kind of a hard person to like. She's a perfectionist and a control freak and a bit of a raging goody goody. And I'm actually a teensy bit like her. I mean, when Natalie was hating on Spencer for being overtly sexual, there was a part of me that thought "Calm down, judgypants! Just because Spencer likes to flirt and dress in skimpy outfits, doesn't mean she's a whore."
But then my own goody goody side was like "Spencer, you're only 14! Mike Domski is so gross and totally not worth your time. You're better than that, boo. Now go put some pants on."
I get that Natalie means well but she's a little too overbearing and judgmental. Everything is either black or white. From Spencer to Connor, it was like Natalie was all too ready to believe the stereotypes (flirty freshman "Rosstitute" and jerky, dumb jock, respectively) even though throughout the book they both proved to her that she was totes wrong.
There were several times when I wanted to shake the shit out of her and say "You're being a bitch to Autumn... Connor... Spencer. Why can't you just accept them for who they are?! They've accepted your crazy ass."
Eventually Natalie loosens the fuck up and realizes what an uptight, no fun, judgmental harpy she's been.
I mean, I get it. It's senior year, you're last chance to make things as perfect as they're gonna get so that you can try to ensure your acceptance to a good college.
But even as a perfectionist, control freakish, slightly judgmental chick my damn self, I never really connected with Natalie. She was a little too type A for my taste. I'm more of a type A minus. ;) It made me kind of wish the book was told from the perspective of pretty much any of the other characters.

Swoony Times:

Not That Kind Of Girl is all about the covert swoon. Natalie doesn't want anyone to know that she could be "shallow" or "stupid" enough to be interested in a football player.
Because she's a smart cookie so she's better than that.
But lighten up, Nat cos Connor Hughes isn't your average, clichéd jock. He's actually pretty sweet. And smart. And he legitimately likes you. Plus he has that sweet hidden shed in which you can make all kinds of swoony magic!

Bonus Shizz:

Christmas Tree Farms!
I like the idea of a Christmas tree farm. I say the "idea" because I've never actually been to one. But the formula sounds like a winner.
I mean, fresh-scented trees being sawed down by a strapping young guy like Connor Hughes? Plus the possibility of sharing a cup of hot cocoa with him? Um, sign me up!

If You Liked That, Try This:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

The Scale Of Judgment Says:

...... 3.
A little too judgy for me, dawg.

It's A 50-Days-Til-The-Hunger-Games Celebration At EvilEva's Trailer Park!

It's only 50 days until The Hunger Games hits theaters! Which means it's only 50 days until i lose my shit!!! So in honor of the 50-day-mark the fans have been gifted with this new trailer. Which is pretty much just made up of all the other trailers we've already seen, plus like 20 seconds of new shizz. But let's face it. That's not gonna stop us from watching it like one billion times. We're gonna watch it and we're gonna like it, dammit! (Even if they got the whole Mockingjay pin thing COMPLETELY wrong.)

*squeals with fangirlish delight*
March 23rd, y'all. Don't forget. 
Now go back to fangirling like a maniac. :)