Tag / high school

by Erik McManus | Breakeven Books

Book Review: Social Misfits

Another book from the TBR jar bites the dust! I read Social Misfits by Kelli Nicole and got my fill of the highschool drama.

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Synopsis: Good friends are hard to come by and even harder to keep. C.J. Taylor learned this the hard way when she discovered her best friend had been keeping a secret from her. And it’s kind of awkward. He’s in love with her.

In this coming-of-age story of friendships, first dates, and chick flicks, this publicly accused “tease” is forced to deal with the awkward and often humorous aftermath of rejecting her best friend’s romantic confession. There’s​ ​her (former?) best friend, Presley​, ​who’s​ ​a​ ​total​ ​sweetheart​ ​of​ ​a​ ​jock​ ​but​ ​with​ ​a​ ​dorky charm​ ​that​ ​goes​ ​unnoticed​ ​by​ ​the​ ​female​ ​population,​ ​the​ ​tragically​ ​shy​, ​Cindy,​ ​who​ ​has​ ​a​ ​massive fear​ ​of​ ​boys​ ​and​ ​a​ ​secret​ ​desire​ ​to be noticed,​ ​the​ ​hopeless​ ​anti-social​, ​Hamp,​ ​who’s​ ​deceptively cute​ ​and​ ​is​ ​particularly​ ​allergic​ ​to​ ​all​ ​things​ ​school-related…And​ ​then​ ​there’s​ ​her​ ​mother’s​ ​fiance, Anthony,​ ​who​ ​thinks​ ​her​ ​only​ ​purpose​ ​in​ ​life​ ​is​ ​watching​ ​teen​ soap operas.

But C.J. isn’t ready to give up. Faced with the hopeless reality of her now strained friendship, C.J. is determined to set things right. And she thinks she knows the perfect way get things back on track…she must find him a girlfriend.

I was looking forward to the high school drama aspect of this book because I tend to like those and though it would be fun but this one just didn’t do it for me. I found the main character to be very self-centered (which I think was the point) and kind of annoying.

They were supposed to change throughout the book and learn more about what it means to be a good person and a better friend but it didn’t seem to get to the point where I actually thought they really learned anything.

There were also multiple times that the “R” word was used and I was not a fan of this. Especially because it was used in the send of calling someone “socially r******d” when they author could have used the book’s title, “Social Misfits”, perfect for this case of phrasing.

Some of the drama kept me reading until the end but I would not really recommend the book as it just didn’t have enough substance for me.

Book Rating: 2/5

You can buy this book on Amazon and find it on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: Ths book was sent to me in physical format by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Check out this book called Dork by my author friend Will Winkle about a guy trying to get his crush’s attention while navigating his life as part of a fraternity house!

His book can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, and his website: WillWinkle.com.

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If any of you out there like Brandon Sanderson, then you should check out my latest video. It is a reading vlog of his book Skyward and I had quite a time reading this one!

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by Erik McManus | Breakeven Books

Book Review: The Revenged Queen

If any of you have been following along, then you will know that I read a book called High School Queens last year and loved it due to its sassy drama-filled plot! Well, the author was kind enough to send me the second book in the series, The Revenged Queen, and I loved it too! Thanks Zachary Ryan for sending me the book.

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Synopsis: No one knows the real Marked Queen, but now everyone wants to know her.  In this sequel to the insatiable first novel, High School Queens, you will die to know more about your favorite dirty little Queens.

As we say goodbye to the Johnson Prep Seniors, the scandals and lies that exposed them, in the beginning, are back with a vengeance.

The Marked Queen thought she had the last laugh at prom. Now, it seems a new girl is coming for her crown.  With a new title, The Revenged Queen, she was out for blood and her prime targets—the ones exposing everyone’s dark and dirty little secrets. As we dive deeper into this scandalous and humorous world of prep school teens, we learn that everyone is a hustler with a secret and a Hollywood sob story.

Can Danielle keep her new illegal activities to make money under wraps? Was Calvin going to have a warm welcome as he outs himself as gay? Was Delilah going to take the knife from Danielle out of her back and stab her with it? Was Bethany going to enjoy her rule as queen bee or fail spectacularly? And was there more to Jordan than being just a slutty, party girl?

As the scandals pile up in front of them, their secrets will be exposed… And each secret is even more delicious than the last.

This book picked up right where it left off with our dramatic cast of characters and their lives after the ending of the first book. I was excited to get back into this storyline and explore further into their dilemmas and how they were dealing with the bombs that were dropped in the first book.

In this book, the timeline is set between prom and graduation. This one definitely got a lot more savage with the drama and the revenged queen was not holding back in how she was narrating (Gossip Girl style).

It obviously didn’t have that amazing attention-grabbing style that the first one did because I had become used to the writing style. But I was very happy to be back into this high school setting and viewing the drama from the sidelines because I would definitely be a wallflower and I am ok with that if it means I avoid the crazy messes that are their lives.

There were a few spelling mistakes that kind of brought me out of the story but I sent them to the author and he said he would correct them. It comes with the territory of having advanced copies and that is why beta readers are great!

Overall, I would suggest reading this one if you have read the first one to get your fix of DRAMA and SASS! And if you haven’t read the first one, definitely go pick that one up right now!

Book Rating: 4/5

You can buy this book on Amazon and find it on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author in physical format. I chose to read and review it because I wanted to.

You asked for a bookshelf tour and you have received a bookshelf tour! Check out all the books on my shelves and let’s see if we have any of the same ones!

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by Erik McManus | Breakeven Books

Book Review: The Infinite Noise

Another day and another book read! I took part in a buddy read with my friend Josh from highliterature.com and he actually suggested this book as it was on his TBR. It is called The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen and is contemporary with some sci-fi aspects to it (superpowers).

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Synopsis: From Lauren Shippen, the creator of the beloved and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions, comes the first novel in a series that follows the struggles and discoveries of three teenagers with supernatural abilities who end up on the couch of Dr. Bright, a mysterious therapist who specializes in atypicals.

“What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?” (Vox on The Bright Sessions).

This book was ok. It didn’t have a very big synopsis which was alright because it left it open to the imagination but I guess I expected more from it. When it mentions the X-men in a quote about it, you would think that it has to be good right? Wrong. It wasn’t horrible but there was a lot lacking.

First off, I did enjoy the development of relationships. As Caleb and Adam become friends, you see different sides of each of them that exposes their feelings and shows how they react to different situations.

Caleb’s chapters were a little too much for me because they were overly descriptive. I found them hard to get through as I would get lost in the depiction of how he was feeling. I also believe that the author wanted to express the struggles of his power so kudos because I could feel the frustration as well. *Not sarcastic, I actually believe she did a good job with this*.

Adam’s chapters were more relatable and fun. He was a nerd and the goody two shoe type which is kind of how I felt that I was like in high school so I connected with his character.

The plot progressed kind of slowly which brought it down a bit and overall, not much happened. I was hoping for something with a little more action in it since the characters have weird powers but there were no battle scenes or anything like that. It was more a studious version of an origin story where they learned how to handle their powers.

It might be time to pick up another fantasy book to satisfy that action craving I am having.

I would recommend it if you want a contemporary book about young love. Also, it is very much LGBTQ+ positive so if you want another book with a healthy representation of this, then you have found your book.

Book Rating: 3/5

You can buy this book on Amazon and Book Depository and find it on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by my friend Josh from highliterature.com to buddy read with him. This was my honest opinion on what I thought about the book.

I recently did the “Do I Have That Book?” tag and I had so much fun making this video! I would love if you could check it out and leave a like or comment what you thought!

The Moscow Mule Box - Vices Reserve

by Erik McManus | Breakeven Books

Book Review: High School Queens

Hey bookworms! I am just finishing up my vacation and I have some reviews for you since I managed to crush a couple books while I was away. I will also have a post coming soon about my vacation and everything I did. But for now, here is my latest review. This one was called High School Queens by Zachary Ryan.

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Synopsis: They all thought they did a masterful job of keeping their secrets close to their chest. These stupid fools thought they were the high court of this kingdom, but they had no clue who was really pulling the strings. You might wonder to yourself, who would be that heartless to make them backstab their friends, expose other’s secrets, and lose their morals? You don’t need to know who I am, but you better remember my name, The Marked Queen.

Danielle, Andrew, Delilah, Aman, and Jasmine all are now faced with a mysterious villain whose one goal is to ruin each of their lives. They must protect their secrets at all cost, or they’ll be the next victim on Marked Day. They know what’s at stake, and they’ll stop at nothing to continue being: the rich spoiled girl, the normal teenager, the girl who isn’t banging the principal, the straight vlogger, and the girl who isn’t her dad’s punching bag. What happens when The Marked Queen changes up the game just in time for prom? Will each of our favorite puppets survive? Or are they willing to backstab each other just to keep up their personas? The only thing lost at this prom wasn’t going to be their virginity.

So, I have never read a book that was this dramatic before. BUT, I absolutely loved it. I was skeptical when I started it but quickly fell into the dramatic high school atmosphere of what the popular kids must feel like. They were so savage to each other with insults and backstabbing, it was very intense.

I have never seen Gossip Girl but based on what I have heard about the show, I feel like this book is very similar and may have drawn some inspiration from it.

All of the characters were very easy to follow and I enjoyed learning about each of their stories. There was LGBTQ+ inclusion in this book which was a plus for me as I believe it was represented well in how it was spoken about and reacted to.

Every chapter would end with the marked queen talking to you and I really liked this because it would leave it as a question of what devious thing was going to happen next. She speaks with spite and disdain for the characters as if she is above them all and it makes sense when you find out who she is.

I honestly want to read the next book in this series. It has its hooks in me and I can’t get enough of it. This might just be my sassy side coming out for this one because I am not like any of the characters in real life but I guess I like the drama in a setting where I am not a part of it. This must be why reality TV is becoming something I like to watch.

Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone who wants a dramatic, fast-paced book about some teens just trying to get to prom. If you have any sass at all, you will like this book.

Book Rating: 4.5/5

You can buy this book on Amazon and Book Depository or find it on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to us in physical format by the author to read and give an honest review.

Is anyone taking part in the Harry Potter Magical Readathon? Here is my video showing the books I chose to read for my OWLS! Let me know in the comments if you are participating.

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