Review : Notable by Marni Bates

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Notable (Smith High #3)
Author : Marni Bates
Publication Date : October 29th 2013
Publisher : K-Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

I take no prisoners…

I'm Chelsea Halloway and I will happily destroy your social life if you mess with me. Just ask anyone. There is no situation I can't handle. Divorcing parents? No problem. An ex-boyfriend who wants to date Smith High School's biggest geek instead of me? Just a matter of time before I can make him see reason. At least, until my parents decide to ship me off on a study abroad trip to Cambodia…

Now instead of being admired as the queen of the Notables, I'm stuck with a bunch of college students who don't take me seriously, and a professor who accidentally landed himself on the wrong side of a drug lord. And it's up to me to get us all out of the country alive--even the annoying jerk with the green eyes who won't stop calling me "princess."

Oh yeah, what could possibly go wrong?

Personal Thoughts

You guys, if you're looking for a super cute and fluffy YA contemporary series, the Smith High series is perfect. With lovable heroines and cute boys, these are books that will charm you and leave you with a goofy grin on the face.

I was both very curious and very wary of Notable because it's Chelsea's story. Chelsea is the resident Regina George of Smith High, so I was unsure of how well I would be able to connect with her. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about because Marni Bates made me love this girl. Chelsea is a misunderstood girl and while she's naive and can act dimwitted at times, she does undergo some tremendous growth in Cambodia where her parents ship her off for a study abroad program soon after they announce that they are getting divorced. Chelsea acts like a total princess in the first few days of the trip, but we watch grow into a role of leadership and you find out that there's so much more to this blonde perfect girl. I did wish that the story with Chelsea and one of her exes was elaborated a little more because although I had a gist of what it was, I didn't get a clear picture from the book. As for the cute boy, he's Houston. He was a nerdy college guy who basically acts like he very much dislikes Chelsea, but we all know how entertaining their relationship was going to be once he began calling her "princess". Houston and Chelsea were so funny together. I loved the banter between them and there was this natural flow to it. Their relationship also developed very slowly. In fact, it takes them the entire book to get together as a couple, but the journey that endpoint was very enjoyable.

Chelsea also had great chemistry with everyone else on the Cambodia study abroad program. I loved watching her being able to make friends who actually care for her instead of her popularity. We also see some of the characters from the previous books pop up, which was nice. I'll admit that the plot involving Chelsea and her friends getting involved with a Cambodian drug lord was quite far-fetched and absolutely silly at times, but Marni Bates knows how to make silly seem like the funnest experience you'll have reading. There were some hilarious situations that these kids got into. Behind the almost unrealistic story line though is Chelsea's growth as a character. Watching her learn to know herself on a deeper level and that she isn't what people label her was a delightful journey. Plus, Marni Bates writing flows very nicely making it easy to oversee the plot's unrealistic nature.

Cute, charming and funny, Notable is a book to read when you just want to be left in a very good mood. Fans of adorable and fluffy romances will love Chelsea's story!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In My Mailbox (8)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accorda Summary (from Goodreads) When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking dow
Read more

In My Mailbox (3)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer Summary (from Goodreads) Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. The Alchemy Of Forever (Incarnation #1) by Avery Williams Summary (from Goodreads) Seraphina's first love made her immortal...her second might get her
Read more

In My Mailbox (10)

Image
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . Don't You Wish (Obtained From Net Galley - Big Thanks To Random House Children's Books for the ARC) by Roxanne St Claire Summary (from Goodreads) When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.  In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen. But on the insde, Ayla is still Annie. So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life a
Read more