Review: Anything To Have You - Paige Harbison

Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison, published by Mira Ink on 7th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever.  Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies.  Brooke is the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens - one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget.  Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.

Review:
I really wanted to read 'Anything To Have You' because I've enjoyed both of Paige Harbison's previous YA novels and I thought this would be an interesting exploration of friendship between two best friends.  It started off well but while I liked the idea for the story and the way it developed throughout the book, I really struggled to connect to either of the main characters. 

The two female protagonists have completely contrasting personalities, which makes them an unusual pairing.  I identified with Natalie in the beginning because she is much keener on staying home and baking or watching old movies, than she is of going out and partying.  Brooke, on the other hand, is a bit of a wild child and likes nothing more than to go out to parties and to get drunk.  She flirts with other boys but she also has a long-term boyfriend, Aiden.  Although I liked Natalie in the beginning, I couldn't help but feel like she allowed herself to be led quite easily at times and should have stood up for herself more.  She ends up going to a party where things get out of hand and wakes up the next morning in a bed with Aiden beside her...but with no recollection of what actually happened. 

From them on, the book alternates between the perspectives of the two girls as they cope with the changes in their lives and in their friendship.  However much I tried, I just couldn't find anything to connect me with Brooke who seems intent on self-destructing.  I also found that the constant jumps in the narrative and time-frame, sometimes made the story feel a bit disjointed.    

There's a big reveal near the end which I assume was meant to be unexpected, but within a few chapters of the book I could see the direction in which the plot was going to go and I quite easily guessed what was going to happen to the characters.  I was slightly surprised by the outcome for Brooke but she still didn't seem like the type of girl that I would have wanted to know. 

There was also quite a lot of swearing throughout, almost excessive amounts I thought, which I didn't think was particularly needed.  Not all teenagers talk like this. 

Although the book was no where near as good as I was originally expecting, I'm still a fan of Paige Harbison's work and I'll continue to look out for new offerings by her in the future. 

Review: New Girl - Paige Harbison

New Girl by Paige Harbison, published by Mira Ink on 4th May 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderley Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

Review:
'New Girl' by Paige Harbison provides a clever twist on one of my all-time favourite books, 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier.  The action is set in a boarding school called Manderley where a nameless girl is about to start her senior year.  Although I wasn't sure if Harbison was going to be able to capture the magic of the original, she did a pretty good job of recreating some elements of the original but with her own spin.

The story is told through a dual narrative and is shared between the new girl (who as in Du Maurier's tale) is nameless until the very end, and the enigmatic Becca who has gone missing from the school.  This was a clever way of allowing the story to unfold because it provided first-hand insight into the new girl's experiences at the school, as well as some important flashbacks contrasting her with fun-loving and popular Becca.  The links between the two gradually became more obvious as the story progressed.

I really admired the courage of the main character being able to stand-up to those who bullied her and talked about her behind her back.  She could have gone home and admitted defeat but she didn't and actually ended up gaining a valuable experience and learning some important life lessons which put her whole future into perspective.

Some surprising revelations come to light about Becca and what really happened to her and I thought the author created a high level of suspense throughout surrounding the mystery of where she was.  I started off having one opinion about her character but this gradually changed as I learnt more about her and discovered insights into her personality and her past.

I definitely want to re-read 'Rebecca' again now and I hope this book inspires others who haven't come across it before to go and pick up a copy.  I never would have thought of transposing the plot onto a school setting so loved Paige Harbison's idea.  Although I didn't particularly connect with the characters and I'm not always a big fan of books about mean girls, I enjoyed the twist on a classic and found the story entertaining and on the whole enjoyable.

Review: Here Lies Bridget - Paige Harbison

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison, published by Mira Ink on 17th June 2011 

Goodreads synopsis:
Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she’s wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she’s inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget’s about to learn that, sometimes, saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough.…

Review:
‘Here Lies Bridget’ is the debut book from new YA author Paige Harbison, daughter of best-selling author Beth Harbison. I didn’t know much about it beforehand except that it was in the same vein as ‘Before I Fall’ and was about a teenage girl trying to make amends for her mistakes so that she could earn another shot at life.

The main problem I had with this book was the same complaint I felt at the end of ‘Before I Fall’. I just didn’t like the main character of Bridget, which meant that I found it difficult to empathise with the situation she was experiencing. Although she had admittedly grown on me slightly by the conclusion of the story, it was hard to feel any genuine sympathy for her and sadly, I didn’t wholly believe in the reversal of her character.

The first half of the book focuses on establishing Bridget as a figure who often evokes fear in the other students at her school. She’s disruptive in class and rude to her teachers, she makes snarky and belittling comments to the people who are supposed to be her friends, she shows no respect at all towards her step-mother and never ever thinks about the consequences of her actions. Although the book attempts to explain how Bridget has become like this, I still didn’t find that this made it any easier for me to connect to her and I never really fell in love with her personality.

I enjoyed the second half of the book more which involved an interesting concept whereby she gets to literally walk in other people’s shoes and share their experiences and feelings. This certainly helps to open her eyes to the way her behaviour has affected those around her.  I particularly liked the storyline with her step-mother which I thought was handled well and actually did leave me feeling quite emotional.

Although the content and subject matter of this story didn’t win me over, I nevertheless thought that Paige Harbison’s writing was sharp and intelligent and I shall keep a look out for future titles from her.