The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

 From Goodreads.com
   According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and has to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

   I was required to read The Outsiders in seventh grade. For me, already a bookworm, it was no problem. At the time I mostly read R.L. Stine books and this was something completely different. My only problem was trying not to read ahead (which I failed at.) Since seventh grade I have read this countless times. I haven't tired of it and I don't think that I ever will. I have so many post-it notes in my copy it borders on ridiculous. Why?
   I don't know what made me fall so hard when I was 12 years old. Maybe it was Ponyboy's daydreamer thoughts, getting lost in books and sunsets, when the life he had wasn't quite everything he wished it would be. He's different from everyone around him, not quite fitting in.
   As I've gotten older The Outsiders has only sunk deeper into my soul. If you're looking for a love story, there isn't one here, at least not your typical romantic love story. This is a book about the love of family, about friendship.
   I recommend this book to everyone. Seriously, everyone. It may have been required reading for you in school as well, and if it was I urge you to read this again as an adult. If you've never read it, I don't think it's ever too late to fall in love with The Outsiders.

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

From Goodreads.com
   Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

    This is a cheesy YA book. Predictable? Sure. Did I care? Heck no. It was a great just-forget-the-world-for-a-few-hours book. I admit, I was hoping the ending would surprise me, but I wasn't disappointed. As the book was drawing to a close and I was reading what I now know to be the last paragraph, I was so wanting just one more chapter. I would definitely call this book a "guilty pleasure."
   The DUFF has some of your standard coming of age themes. I don't want to completely spoil the ending (as predictable as it was) but I like what the author did with the word Duff in the last few chapters. Words really only have the power you give them, they're just words after all.
      I recommend it to older young adults, maybe 14-15 years and older. The "enemies with benefits" thing...I'm just not sure how I feel about teens reading that, it really sends a poor message. Adults (probably women) who enjoy a light read would also have fun reading this I think.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

From the paperback:
   Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the  same places. Unfortunately, Lea is a little aloof, Gabe is shy, and it looks like they are never going to work things out.
   But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together.
   Fall in love with falling in love in this irresistibly romantic, completely original novel!

   The synopsis, once again, says everything needed to be said about A Little Something Different. It's a love story told from the outside, by people observing the interactions of two college students. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference on page seven. I felt like I'd won the geek lottery.
   This book is undeniably cute. Told from 14 different viewpoints, this book truly is "something different." I wondered how I would like so many different narrators and was worried it wouldn't work well, but I loved it. I liked getting to know the main characters through the eyes of different personalities and relationships. I laughed out loud every time the squirrel was narrating and even the cynical Victor was fun to read.
   I simply enjoyed reading this sweet book. I'd recommend it to anyone just looking for a light read.

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

From Amazon.com:
   In this Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower tale, narrator Anika Dragomir is the third most popular girl at Pound High School. But inside, she knows she's a freak; she can't stop thinking of former loner Logan McDonough, who showed up on the first day of tenth grade hotter, bolder, and more mysterious than ever. Logan is fascinating, troubled, and off-limits. The Pound High queen bee will make Anika's life hell if she's seen with him. So Anika must choose - ignore her feelings and keep her social status? Or follow her heart and risk becoming a pariah. Which will she pick? And what will she think of her choice when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, changing her forever? An absolutely original new voice in YA in a story that will start important conversations - and tear at your heart.

"...most of those people were just idiots. Sheep, following along. Remember that. Whenever you see everybody clamoring in one direction, do yourself a favor, go the other."

   I immediately thought of Mean Girls when I started this book. I enjoyed Anatomy of a Misfit. It is a quick read that still has important subject matter. I did have trouble getting used to the dialogue and was worried that it would bug me the entire book. I did get used to it after a few chapters. I love the dedication of this book, I believe it's one of the best dedications I've read.
   I like Anika, and kept hoping that she would realize it doesn't matter what other people think. Anika fights who she is inside and who she thinks she has to be. She feels like she's spider soup on the inside, when what she really is, is a caring individual who's afraid to show it. She is always worried that her choices will make her an outcast at school. And I really like Logan, who I felt bad for. He kept their relationship a secret with Anika, for Anika. I even like THE Jared Kline, the most popular bad boy that every girl wants. This book was full of likable characters (even if they all weren't well developed.)
   I recommend this book to people who like Mean Girls and The Perks of Being a Wallflower like the synopsis suggests, but also to other YA readers. If you don't normally read YA but you're looking for an easy to read, take me back to high school book, this is for you.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

From the hardcover:
   Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them.
   But three years later, at sixteen, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else - an even more unpredictable new force in her life.
   The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to each other, they'd have a chance to remake their world.

   This book is stunning. I read the majority of it on a partially devoted Sunday just finishing it up after work today. I could not put this book down. I knew I'd have to finish it immediately after struggling through my work day. I could only think of how this book could possibly end. A lot of the YA I've read lately have not-so-happy endings *coughthefaultinourstarscough* so I was mildly concerned about half way through, when I realized I loved both Noah and Jude. "Mildly concerned," ha! I was a worried mess.
   One of my favorite things about I'll Give You the Sun is the way Noah sees people. Bursting at the seams with light, floating, the animals inside. Sounds a little strange, but he's an artist, and it's truly amazing. I could picture each description as it would appear on canvas, a work of art. I wish I saw the world through his eyes all the time.
      I laughed, I swelled with emotion, I even had trouble breathing for a short time. I hope I'm not spoiling anything because this book needs to be read. It is such a gorgeous tale of loss, family, and being true to you.