The Reading Hideaway

Title: The Princesses of Iowa Author: M. Molly Backes Publisher: Candlewick Rating:  2 Synopsis (via Goodreads): What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland. Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash, everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can...

Title: Eleanor & Park Author: Rainbow Rowell Publisher: St. Martin's Press Rating: 5 Synopsis (via Goodreads):   Two misfits.  One extraordinary love. Eleanor ... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.  Park ... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.  Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.  Review: "There's no such thing as handsome princes, she told herself. There's no such thing as happily ever after. She looked up at Park. Into his golden green eyes. You saved my life, s...