Anna and the French Kiss, That Summer, and XVI

I have started three books within the last week that I decided not to continue reading.  They were Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, That Summer  by Sarah Dessen, and XVI by Julia Karr.  Below are my reviews of the books and why I decided not to finish these books.

General Analysis of Anna and the French Kiss

Book Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publish Date: December 2, 2010

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Plot:  For Anna's senior year, her dad decides that Anna needs to attend a boarding school in France.

Why I Started to Read this Book: It seemed like an interesting young adult book.

Why I Stopped Reading this Book: The main character was very self-centered and annoying.  The writing style was not enjoyable.

General Analysis of That Summer

Book Title:  That Summer

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publish Date: April 6, 2006

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Plot:  After reading half the book, there did not seem to be much of a plot.  The main character's father got remarried after cheating on his wife with a coworker.  The main character, Haven, also had a sister who was getting married for the first time.

Why I Started to Read this Book:  It was on a book club reading list on GoodReads and I wanted to read a Sarah Dessen novel because I have heard that she is a good author. 

Why I Stopped Reading this Book:  There was not much of a plot after reading more than half of the book.

General Analysis of XVI

Book Title: XVI

Author: Julia Karr

Publish Date: January 6, 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

Plot:  At the age of 16, everyone gets a tattoo on their wrists (XVI).  At this age, you are considered legal.  The main character, Nina, does not want to become legal.  This is because at the age of 16, you are expected to have sex with any guy that asks you.

Why I Started to Read this Book: The book seemed interesting and I when I picked up the book, I did not know that the book revolved around sex.

Why I Stopped Reading this Book: First off, the writing style was not very developed.  The author kept repeating herself and kept using acronyms for things that the reader does not know the meaning for.  It gets very annoying not knowing what all the acronyms mean.  Secondly and most importantly, the book seemed to revolve around the idea that you were expected to have sex at the age of sixteen.  The main character stated several times within the first 4 chapters that this is the reason she did not want to become sixteen.  Her best friend did want to become 16 for this exact reason.

Future Reviews and Reads

I am continuing to read Everyday Deserves a Chance by Max Lucado and Come Thirsty by Max Lucado.  I am enjoying both of these books greatly.

I plan on starting The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong, Breathless by Jessica Warman, and The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.  As always, I am open to suggestions on books that I should read.