Pants on Fire

Author: Meg Cabot

Series: Stand Alone

Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Harper Teen

Released: 1 May 2007

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com Katie Ellison is not a liar.

It's just that telling the truth is so . . . tricky. She knows she shouldn't be making out with a drama club hottie behind her football-player boyfriend's back. She should probably admit that she can't stand eating quahogs (clams), especially since she's running for Quahog Princess in her hometown's annual Quahog Festival. And it would be a relief to finally tell someone what really happened the night Tommy Sullivan is a freak was spray-painted on the new wall outside the junior high school gymnasium—in neon orange, which still hasn't been sandblasted off. After all, everyone knows that's what drove Tommy out of town four years ago.

But now Tommy Sullivan has come back. Katie is sure he's out for revenge, and she'll do anything to hang on to her perfect (if slightly dishonest) existence. Even if it means telling more lies than ever. Even if, now that Tommy's around, she's actually—no lie—having the time of her life.

My Review: Does anyone write novels the way Meg does? She takes such a simple idea and infuses it with so much heart that it’s nearly impossible to like what comes out on the other side.  Katie is such a funny heroine, and although Meg is taking a pretty heavy topic (liars and cheaters) she somehow turns it into something light an funny when it comes to Katie’s perspective on things.  It’s the classic story of trying to be something you aren’t and then that one special person who makes you realize who you truly are.

It’s such a fun book for girls who are at that age where everything feels likes it changing and moving on without you.  By the end of this novel Katie has come to better understand herself, and her friends.  She’s realized what it means to be a good friend, and she is light and funny and heartfelt.

Out of all of Meg’s books for Young Adults, Pants on Fire is one of my favorites. And it literally defines summer story/beach read.  In that the novel takes place in a beach community during the summer.  The plot is light, the writing is witty, take this one on your next road trip with your girlfriends and you won’t be disappointed.

Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot

Series: Abandon Trilogy # 1

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Mythology

Publisher: Point

Released: 26 April 2011

Summary: via goodreads.com Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.
Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Review: Abandon was…difficult. I LOVE Meg Cabot books, seriously. She is one of the authors that I actually follow blog-wise. I think she is hilarious, I usually count down the days until her books are released, so I was pretty disappointed with Abandon. Abandon doesn’t sound like Meg to me (see, I call her Meg, that is how much of an affinity I have with this woman). Abandon sounds…older. I wanted to like this book, I wanted to like this book so much that I read it twice. I love Meg’s characters, I think that they are hilarious and captivating. Except Pierce. Pierce is kind of an idiot. Pierce is annoying. Pierce is...well, Pierce. I wanted Pierce to be more intellectual. She would do the strangest things and then expect everything to work out in her favor. I know that Meg's heroines aren't necessarily the brightest bulbs in the box, but I just felt like Pierce was being forced into a role that didn't really suit her, and with that I mean I felt that she was forced into being the "nice girl" everyone is always telling her how nice and helpful and great she is, which is nice, except I would like to see how nice and helpful and great she is, not have characters telling me right and left. I don't know, maybe I'm alone in this, but if you want a Persephone re-imagining then skip this one for something else. (I recommend The Goddess Test, even though it’s completely different from the actual Persephone tale. Still, the characters were more entertaining and less ridiculous than in Abandon.)

Underworld

Author: Meg Cabot

Series: Abandon Trilogy # 2

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Mythology

Publisher: Point

Released: 8 May 2012

Summary: via goodreads.com Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead. Not this time. But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey. Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves. But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies. And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape

My Review: After reading Abandon, I really didn’t know if I had it in me to continue on with the series. But, they’re not that many pages and I read pretty fast so I thought “what the heck, might as well” and unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed (I should have known, right!?) Underworld picks up exactly where Abandon left off. It was a worthy sequel in that it didn’t really feel like a sequel. Pierce is still kind of a whiner, and manipulates John into doing whatever she wants. Although she is getting a little bit better at listening to him. The strangest thing for me about Underworld is that I never really felt a lot of chemistry happening between Pierce and John. Cabot is excellent at chemistry. She is practically the QUEEN of shy glances, and epic pseudo damsel in distress sequences. Seriously. This is one of the best things about Meg. She knows how to write the perfect girl book. She has a lot of heart, and so do her characters. And she knows how to write the perfectly cute dialogue between teenage boy and girl that makes up the relationship. However, with Pierce and John the spark that Meg is so good at was noticeably absent.

I’ve read all of Meg’s books (well, all of the ones for Young Adults and Middle Readers, and the Boy series, and the Heather Wells Mysteries and the first and second Queen of Babble books) and there was just something so…off about this one.

The story was well constructed, and I love the idea the Meg has done. The story of Persephone is one that has always been incredible fascinating, and the way that it is incorporated into this one is awesome! Because Meg isn’t trying to re-create anything, or do a simple “YA Updated Version” she is spinning the tale on it’s head and has created some pretty real characters. In fact, it’s their real-ness that has me annoyed. Meg is pretty good at taking me out of real life, to a witty, hilarious other-world that I really love and wish actually existed. Is that weird. Underworld, which is one of Meg’s first legitimate “fantasy” novels is the one that is most real dialogue wise. And that is the reason that I was kind of disappointed in it?