BookRix

I only read the first chapter so far, but I wanted to leave a comment. (If I am not mistaken, I think you posted the first paragraph in one of my threads about story starters? Because I recognize it, in any case.)

I really like this. It's written conversationally, and the main character is very sarcastic and not extremely poetic. And for some reason, I LOVE that. I mean, I tend to be a very poetic person (but I am sarcastic too, haha), but most people aren't. Most of my friends are not poetic, or even at all insightful. But you don't have to be poetic and insightful to be reflective. Shasta thinks a lot. She takes life as it comes instead of complaining about it unnecessarily. She's normal, but that doesn't make her boring. She (and you, as the author) is very aware of the commonalities and clichés of teen fiction, and she refutes that. Yes, she is a teenager, and her life revolves around school, but she doesn't feel about school the same way others do.

She reminds me a bit of myself in that way. I always hated school. I was bullied throughout elementary and junior high, but by the time high school swung around, nobody cared enough to bother me. I don't know what created that change, but my mood and personality had shifted because of my experiences with bullying. So by the time I was in high school, bullies could have no fun with me. My reactions were flaccid. My glare was forever present. My remarks were sarcastic—and possibly degrading—so nobody bothered me. Shasta reminds me of myself in that way. I don't know if she was bullied in the past, but she, like me, doesn't accept stupid comments from people. "Do you love me too?" I was so happy that she didn't take Dion's comment seriously, as I wouldn't have either.

Her friend is also a very accurate depiction of today's youth, my brothers (and even some of the people I attend college with) are prime examples: constantly sucked into their technology, and unaware of the world unfolding around them. In general, this first chapter was very realistic, and yet endearing, and held my interest for another chapter. The seemingly mundane has miraculously become interesting and novel. I applaud you for this. You have such a charming writing style.

Btw...love the cover. Leah is so photographeble...photographible, photographbel...photogenic.

How is A J Cole?

Just changed the cover - I realized that if I ever try to publish this, I won't be able to use an image from Google Images (even though I love it) without paying a copyright fee. So I used a picture of my older daughter that had started out as a photo, but was turned into an awesome watercolor by Laz. Her expression is the perfect embodiment of Shasta's overall attitude, lol.

I totally got that Richard joke! XD
Keep Going! <3

I saw the cover of the book and the only word that escaped my moth instantly was "awwww"! :)

Once again you cause me to choke on my own spit as I laugh,lol!

I just love the idea of it and I am still reading it, nice work Mrs. Colella...lol

This is considerably different than the visions of Vonnegut the title suggests, but well written all the same. (Chapters 1-3 so far). All of the broken writing rules exhibit the characters personality, a cleverly deployed voice.

On a side note, I used to wear my hair in thick spikes thus earning me the name "Sonic" from my manager.

Ch. 3

It's just...what's the word? Captivating. Seriously. Shasta and her wit in Chemistry. Smiley-face there. Shasta coming to real life in a physical way in Gym. I loved the pole dancer quip. But that hits at the heart of the matter. Shasta doesn't just walk through the story, it's her character and unique voice; witty as...well, as a seasoned writer can make her...that give such life to this story. Ten thumbs up, again!