Review: Vanishing Girls - Lauren Oliver

Disclaimer:**I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara’s beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. 
When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it’s too late. 

In this edgy and compelling novel, bestselling author Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.
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When I first started reading this book I thought that this was just going to be another book about sibling rivalry. I was expecting to read about how these two girls were at odds with each other ready to pull each other's hair out. Especially once I realized there was a boy to fight over. Oh, how wrong I was. 
Nick is the more responsible, sensible older sister who is trying to keep it all together while Dara is the beautiful, wild, care-free spirit who is constantly sneaking out and getting drunk God knows where with God knows who. They couldn't be more different if they tried. And up until the accident happens, their differences don't matter. Nick, Dara, and Parker (Nick's best friend and Dara's sometimes boyfriend) are like the three musketeers; there for each other through life's up and downs. After their accident that all ends. Nick and Dara are no longer speaking to each other or Nick. Everything seems uncomfortable yet manageable until nine year old Madeline Snow disappears. 
The disappearance of little Madeline Snow takes Nick on a journey to the darkest parts of her town and herself. What she discovers is nothing that anyone reading this will be expecting. The accident involving Nick, Dara, and Parker really does change the rest of their lives. This book took so many twists and unexpected turns that I couldn't put it down. The ending hit me like freight train because I was looking for something completely different to happen. 
Lauren Oliver is an amazing writer. Her ability to make you feel like you are inside a teenage girl's head, invading their thoughts, is uncanny. Her characters are beautifully written and feel like real, genuine people that you might come across on a day-to-day basis. Nick was definitely my favorite character. I identified with her a lot more than I did with Dara. I understand her need to keep things under control and keep the peace as much as possible. Dara's impulsiveness and affinity for trouble was off-putting and made me not want to like her. I did not like either one of the parents because of their lackluster attitude toward their teenage daughters. It really bothered me that Dara was allowed to get away with the things that she was doing because their parents weren't paying attention. I do think that those parents are very real characters, though. Especially parents who are going through a divorce and are having a hard time getting along for the sake of their children. An unfortunate circumstance for everyone involved. 
My favorite part of the story is when Dara makes it to the lighthouse. I can't say much more without giving away the ending but I felt like someone was squeezing my heart as I read through that part. The pain in the story was palpable and I *ALMOST* got the "ugly cries". I highly recommend this book for anyone who's had a sister, or someone so close that they feel like sisters, and have let something silly come in between them. This book will really make you appreciate the people in your life a lot more and will make you look at how you treat others in a different light. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read more for Lauren Oliver. 
About the Author: 

Lauren Oliver is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Before I Fall and Panic and the stunning New York Times bestselling Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem. She has also written two luminous novels for younger readers, The Spindlers and Liesl & Po. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU’s MFA program, Lauren Oliver lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Review: For Real by Alison Cherry

**Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions about this book are my own.**

From Alison Cherry, author of Red, a novel PW declares “sparkles with wit,” comes a terrific new book about two sisters and one big question: how do you know who’s for real?

No parents. No limits. No clue what they’re in for.

Shy, cautious Claire has always been in her confident older sister’s shadow. While Miranda’s life is jam-packed with exciting people and whirlwind adventures, Claire gets her thrills vicariously by watching people live large on reality television.

When Miranda discovers her boyfriend, Samir, cheating on her just after her college graduation, it’s Claire who comes up with the perfect plan. They’ll outshine Miranda’s fame-obsessed ex while having an amazing summer by competing on Around the World, a race around the globe for a million bucks. Revenge + sisterly bonding = awesome. 

But the show has a twist, and Claire is stunned to find herself in the middle of a reality-show romance that may be just for the cameras. This summer could end up being the highlight of her life . . . or an epic fail forever captured on film. In a world where drama is currency and manipulation is standard, how can you tell what’s for real?

I was really excited to be able to review this book because I have a twelve year old and this book is aimed toward that age group. I am very much one of those parents who tends to censor what her child reads. You may or may not disagree with that, and that's okay, but I feel like my child sees enough bad stuff in the world every day; she doesn't need to read about it in her free time. And it's not that I want to "protect" her from the world but I think that a kid should be a kid for as long as they can and in my opinion there is no place for adult material in children/pre-teen books like the trend seems to be these days. That being said, if you're anything like I am about what your children read, I highly recommend this book! 

I was a little apprehensive about the way the book starts out because I wasn't sure how graphic the scene with Miranda catching Samir cheating was going to be but Alison Cherry managed to write in a way that she didn't need to be graphic for  you to get the point. From that point the book to a really interesting turn when they decided to go on the reality show. I'm a reality TV nut so I personally enjoyed the fact that Claire watched MacGyver Survivor, Speed Breed, and Obstacle Kitchen. I also loved that she was willing to step out of her comfort zone just to support her sister. 

Without spoiling the book, the reality show race was humorous and entertaining all the way to the very end. I was really impressed that Claire manages to learn several lessons along the way about herself and others and manages to bloom into a confident, capable young woman. The bond that she shares with her sister, Miranda, definitely gets tested throughout the show but Claire proves to the the shows producers and everyone else that she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her sister. The sacrifices they make for each other shows how much they care for and truly love each other and this story quickly goes from being a story about revenge to being a story about the bond between sisters. 

I loved Alison Cherry's writing style and her sense of humor. I was also very impressed that she managed to keep this book truly aimed at pre-teens instead of slipping in adult content. It was refreshing to read a pre-teen novel that wasn't full of foul-mouthed, disrespectful brats. I will definitely be recommending this to moms of pre-teens; as well as anyone else who is interested in a lighthearted, humorous story about what it means to love your sister even when she's acting like a complete jerk.