A Review for Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend (Confessions #2) by Louise Rozett

Posted by Donna
Release Date: June 18th, 2013 
Finished Date: April 19th, 2013

Publishers: Harlequin
Source: For Review 

Format: Kindle 
Pages: 288

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Rose Zarelli has big plans for sophomore year—everything is going to be different. This year, she’s going to be the talented singer with the killer voice, the fabulous girl with the fashionista best friend, the brainiac who refuses to let Jamie Forta jerk her around...

...but if she’s not careful, she’s also going to be the sister who misses the signals, the daughter who can only think about her own pain, the “good girl” who finds herself in mid-scandal again (because no good deed goes unpunished) and possibly worst of all...the almost-girlfriend.

When all else fails, stop looking for love and go find yourself.

The Review: "His kiss ricochets throughout my entire body in a nanosecond. He grabs my arms and turns me, practically lifting me off the ground as he backs me up against his car, pinning me to the driver's-side door with his body as his tongue lashes across my lips and into my mouth. It's like he's been waiting for this to happen again as long as I have."

I fell in love with Louise Rozzet's novel; Confessions of an Angry Girl when I read it last year, and once again, she's wowed me with the sequel; Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend. 

This time around we see Rose Zarelli dealing with her drama filled lifestyle. Her relationship with her mother is still as rocky as ever, and so is her relationship with her brother because of his new girlfriend. But most of all, Jamie Forta, the guy she's in love with, is still messing her around.....and Rose doesn't know where she stands with him.  In order to forget about all her troubles, Rose decides she wants to become a singer, so she tries out for the school musical. But has she really got what it takes to be a singer? And will her feelings for Jamie Forta ever go away? 

I loved Rose in Confessions of an Angry Girl and I love her even more in this time around. When we first meet her she's a teenage girl, struggling with the death of her father and dealing with high school drama - mainly sex. But now, she's that little bit stronger and older, she finds different ways and better ways to deal with her pain, frustration or anger. I wasn't sure what to expect in the sequel but Rose really does have an emotional life and for a teenager her age, she sure does have to deal with a lot. I'm pleased she has friends around her and by the end, even more friends that she can confide in, because without them, I'm not sure where she would be.  I also loved that Rose wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted, okay, well she was a little bit but, she overcomes her fears. I was proud of her and was constantly rooting for her! 

Rose's mother is a stronger fixture in this story and while I kind of liked her in the first book, I couldn't stand her this time around. She handles things so badly with Rose, she can't control the things she says and it's sad to see a mother-daughter relationship like this. I know the family are still trying to overcome their loss, but I believe Rose's mother could try listening to Rose more, instead of just telling her what she should do. She was definitely my most hated character for this series, so far. 

And Jamie, Jamie Forta! He's a YA version of a NA jerky boy who I can't help but love. When I finally thought I'd figured him out, he would do the complete opposite. There were many times I wanted to strangle him and tell him to get his act together but then, the nice version of Jamie would come out, and I would be sighing like a teenage girl. He's a unique character, one that comes with many struggles and I honestly believe it was going to happen for Jamie and Rose this time around, and you can imagine my surprise when I finished the book, and was like huh? There's a third book? How did I not know this wasn't the end for Jamie and Rose? I'm glad though, I want more of Rose and Jamie. They need their happy ending and I'm hoping they will get it. 

In all, the Confession's series is easily one of my favourite contemporary reads around right now, because Louise Rozett writes Rose's life very realistic and with so much passion! I adore this series and I can't wait for more.

Blog Tour for Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett; Review, Q&A + Trailer

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 4th, 2013

Finished Date: January 3rd, 2013

Publishers: Mira Ink on Facebook / Twitter
Source: For Review  

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 288
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

This is a story about ROSE. About the occasional panic attack and being fourteen in the suburbs without a mobile phone. Read it and weep Rose's first year at Union High isn't exactly going to plan. 

Her family's broken, her supposed best friend's going boy crazy and Rose is so far behind socially that she might as well be moving backwards. Until her brother's friend Jamie offers her a ride home - and a way into the world of his popular clique - if only it weren't for his perfect cheerleader girlfriend. 

Now Rose is learning how to climb the wobbly high-school social ladder, while struggling to hang on to what matters the most...

The Review:4.5 stars!

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for a few weeks now and it’s one of them books that I keep seeing mixed reviews about. So, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book before I picked it up. Now it’s not often that I read a book that surprises me but that's just what Confessions of an Angry Girl did, and I absolutely fell in love with everything about it.

I can’t remember the last time a read a book like Confessions of an Angry Girl – one that I believe sends out the right message to teens who are considering becoming sexually active. With the characters only being fourteen to sixteen, most would think that it's possibly too young for them to be even thinking about sex or drinking alcohol, however, if you look into the society we live in, kids nowadays, seem to experience things much earlier in life. They’re exposed to sex and drinking one way or another and I highly believe that there should be more books like this available to teens because, it might get them to think about the choices they’re about to or are going to make. That’s what I loved about Rose – the main character. For a fourteen year old girl she was very level headed regarding sex and drinking, she knew what she wanted and wouldn’t let anyone pressure her – especially her best friend Tracy. Rose is supposed to come across as an angry girl – hence the title of the story and I think Louise Rozett did a great job portraying Rose as an angry girl. She’s wasn’t crazy angry but, she was angry enough at her father’s death, at losing her best friend to the popular girls and at her brother not coming home for thanksgiving to pull this story off. 

Now, I wasn’t sure how much romance would be involved with the story – or if any, but it was another factor that surprised me. Yes, there’s romance but it a complicated one but it's so, so good. Rose has had a crush on Jamie for years, however there is a slight age gap between them and also, Jamie has a girlfriend - the mean popular girl, Regina. I so wanted Rose and Jamie to work together, but the author really keeps us in suspense, but it works so well with the story because yay, there’s going to be a sequel – Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend. I have to say, I cannot wait! I want more Rose and I want more Jamie with swoon-worthy moments. The moments where they were together in this book though, were perfect and they honestly made me melt. And my favourite scene between them was this;

"He finds his way up the side of my neck, biting me just a little, moving lightly back and forth, like he's searching for a special spot. When he finds it, I make small sound I've never heard myself make before, like a gasp. He traces his tongue in slow circles around that spot. I realise my hands are just lying in my lap, doing nothing. I concentrate on lifting my arm and reaching for his face, but he catches my hand and holds it tightly at the wrist. His lips leave the spot and find their way back to my mouth, which is waiting, hoping for his return. He plants a gentle kiss on my lower lip and then whispers in my ear, "I just got lucky, Rose."

Louise Rozett creates the perfect read – one full of teenage angst, drama, loss and young love. I adored everything about Confessions of an Angry Girl and you simply have to read it!

 

Mini Q&A with Louise Rozett.

What provided your inspiration for Confessions of an Angry Girl?
The character of Rose came into my head one day when I was writing a book for adults. The book’s chapters alternated between the present and the past (high school), and I realized that I was really drawn to Rose when she was 14, more so than when she was 30. So I pulled out the high school chapters and strung them together to see what I had. And that’s when I realized that I had an Angry Girl on my hands.

I’ve always been fascinated by how girls feel and express anger, probably because it took me a long time to understand that I was allowed to be angry. I think girls are somehow subliminally—or maybe not so subliminally—taught that they are supposed to be nice, quiet and accommodating, and while those things have their place in certain situations in civilized society, they shouldn’t automatically overrule the expression of emotion. Girls should be able to feel and express their anger without being told that they aren’t being polite.

What was your own high school experience like? Did you face the same pressures that Rose does?
I’m very lucky in that, in general, I had a great high school experience. I had smart, fun friends, and I was very active in school. I also had a supportive family. But like most people, I had some bad experiences that were difficult to process, and I carried around a lot of anger about them for a long time. What I appreciate and admire about Rose is that she—unlike me at her age—is not afraid to express her anger. So often I feel like girls are not really allowed to be angry—we somehow get the message that we’re supposed to be good, and nice, and accommodating at all costs. And that’s not a great way to go through life. It’s important to express your thoughts and feelings because keeping stuff in can really backfire on you and you can end up hurting yourself, or other people.

About Author: 

Louise Rozett is an author, a playwright, and a recovering performer. She is making her YA debut with Confessions of an Angry Girl, published by Harlequin Teen. Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend is due out May 2013. She lives with her boyfriend and 120-pound dog Lester in one of the world's greatest literary meccas, Brooklyn. 

Visit www.Louiserozett.com for more info.