Book Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

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Better off Friends
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: February 25th 2014
Review Source: Point

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

As a sucker for cute covers, I noticed this book on blogs during few of the “Waiting on Wednesday” meme. After seeing this beautiful cover featured many times, I had to look it up. Even though at first I thought this was a bit juvenile, I decided to give it a try. And I was glad I did. Better Off Friends is one of the most adorable stories I’ve ever read. I enjoyed this book to pieces. It took me back to my middle school days, in which we all didn't think having guy friends was possible. Then in high school, when we start to notice guys more than just friends. Remembering this was kind of cute and it really put a smile on my face.

Levi and Macallan are the type of couple you fall for instantly. They are just too adorable. They see each other and understand one another. The chemistry between the two is something very rare nowadays. However, their banter is very realistic because we all had those awkward and silly conversations with our friends. Even as awesome best friends in the opposite sex, these two are meant to be together. Anyone around them knew they would end up together one day, in which Levi and Macallan were the only silly ones, clueless of their love for one another. Seriously, this story is too cute.

Better Off Friends is told in alternative views. Yet at the end of both, her/his point of view, we get a conversation between Levi and Macallan. Pretty much we are the audience and they are providing the story of how they met. Something like the show, “How I Met Your Mother”. I found this quite cute.

Although the characters are not fully developed, as I wish they could've been, Better Off Friends is a fun  and cute read. The characters are charming and just plain adorable. Their story has the realistic feel, which made the story special to me. So if you are looking for a cute, fun and realist story to read, then Better Off Friends is the one to read.

{Spanish} Book Review: El Club de los Corazones Solitarios by Elizabeth Eulberg

El Club de los Corazones Solitarios
The Lonely Hearts Club #1
Escritora: Elizabeth Eulberg
Nivel de Lectura: Narrativa Juvenil
Género: El Romance Contemporáneo
Fecha de Publicación: 30 de Junio 2011
Editorial: Alfaguara Juvenil

Penny está harta de los chicos y harta de salir con ellos, de modo que hace un juramento: "Nunca más". Ha sufrido demasiadas malas experiencias y le han hecho daño demasiados chicos. Pero no le va a volver a pasar, ya que decide formar el Club de los Corazones Solitarios y no quedan con chicos nunca más.

Penny no es la única que está cansada de la forma en la que las chicas cambian (casi siempre a peor) para conseguir al chico de sus sueños... Poco a poco sus amigas y todas las chicas del instituto se van sumando al Club de los Corazones Solitarios. Sin que Penny se lo espere, el Club se convierte en una auténtica revolución y ella en la chica más popular del instituto por renunciar a las citas amorosas, lo que resulta ser una lástima, ya que ha encontrado a cierto chico que, a su pesar, le gusta... el único por el que merecería la pena darle otra oportunidad al amor.

Una historia romántica muy divertida, con la que se sentirá identificado cualquiera que alguna vez haya renunciado al amor y, aun así, lo haya encontrado.

Es un libro fácil de leer, ligero y puede que hasta algunos piensen que es una historia sencilla, pero a veces para despertar pasiones y sentimientos no hace falta grandes narrativas, este libro, aunque se basa en una historia de adolescencia, puede tocar las fibras del adolescente al adulto. 

Personalmente es un libro que me encantó, y me sentí totalmente identificada en algunos momentos con cada uno de los personajes, te presenta situaciones que evocan épocas de tu vida que ni te acordabas y te das cuenta que muchas cosas no han cambiado.

Penny y sus amigas te llevan a un viaje de amistad, confianza, perdón y música, y si te gustan los Beatles te va a gustar aún más este libro.

No soy amante de dar spoilers, sólo les puedo decir que es un libro bueno para leer, todos en la vida hemos tenido un personaje como Nate en nuestra vida y yo sigo esperando un Ryan en mi vida.

Waiting on Wednesday: Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Better off Friends

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Release Date: February 25th 2014

Publisher: Point

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

Book Review: Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Contemporary
Released: April 1st 2012
Review Source: Point
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I loved this book! Elizabeth did it again!!! Absolutely brilliant!

This book follows the lives of Carter, Sophie, Ethan, and Emme as they go through high school at a performing arts school. Many times when I read books where the author writes from many different points of view I get easily confused, but not with this book. I even felt like I could hear some of these characters reading their parts in this story out loud to me.

I really enjoyed tagging along on this journey through high school with these talented teenagers. We start out by learning a little bit about each of the characters:
~Emme is a songwriter, one of the best, and she feels indebted to her best friend, Sophie, for putting a voice to her words. Emme is perfectly happy being in Sophie's shadow and ends up at CPA because of her.

~Sophie has her eye on the prize. She is a great singer wants to be a star, and will stop at nothing to reach that goal--even if it means damaging a relationship, or two, along the way.

~Carter is a former child star who cannot seem to get out of the spotlight. He decides to attend high school because he wants to be more normal. Sophie manages to snag him as her boyfriend, but does she really like him or is it his fame and fortune she is after?

~Ethan is a songwriter, too, and he is AMAZING! He and Emme are best friends and he seems to have this problem of messing up his relationships.

There are a few other characters, who are really good friends with Emme and Ethan, but I'll let you enjoy them for yourself when you pick this book up.

This book took me on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster. I was yelling at a few of these characters at times, and crying or laughing with or at them at other times. I love it when an author can write characters that are so believable and stories that draw out my emotions and make me root for some of them and curse others. This book also took me back to my own high school experience, and even childhood, a bit. I wasn't talented enough to attend a performing arts school, or brave enough to be the star of the show. I did, however, enjoy helping in the background getting sets ready for plays that our school put on and was a proud member of our school's drama club. From the age of 4, I was in dance class (tap, ballet, jazz-you name it) and I really looked forward to our dance recitals every year when we could dress up in great costumes and be a part of the fabulous productions we put on for 100s of family members, friends, and the public. I miss those days sometimes. So I really identified with Emme in this book-how she was okay with being in the background...and yet, I enjoyed performing at times, too.

My favorite part of this story, besides the ending (of course), is seeing how the characters changed and grew as the story progressed. Well, most of them changed anyway. You'll see what I mean when you read it. And you must pick it up as soon as it is available!!! You will not be disappointed! If you are a fan of Elizabeth's other books, you'll love this one, too. And if you haven't read any of her books yet--what are you waiting for? I'm not kidding, you won't be sorry! Love them!!!