I read these back-to-back, so I'm going to review them together.
Ellie Sweet is a high school junior who feels like an outcast even with her friends. Instead of trying to fit in, she uses her feelings to fuel her writing.
When she begins pitching her book, reality takes over. As others begin to hear about her work, will her secrets, including her crush on Palmer and her true feelings about her "friends," come out?
I enjoyed this book. Ellie is a good character--a little too good, which makes it fun to watch her fall for the bad boy Chase.
What I liked best was the "lesson" on the writing world. As Ellie chases her dream, the author includes behind the scenes peeks to how books go from a writer's mind to the readers' hands.
This part of the book ties into the author's website, goteenwriters.blogspot.com.
I recommend this to fans of Christian YA, especially those who love writing.
Okay, I loved Chase from the first book. Palmer, the guy Ellie originally liked is nice but a tad boring in book 1. However, not everything works out like it does in a book. (Pun intended)
As Ellie and Chase figure out how to balance their two very different backgrounds and outlooks, Ellie is also dealing with her debut novel releasing and its effect on her relationships.
I loved seeing Ellie grow in this book. My heart hurt for her, but I found the ending satisfying as she's learning to balance fiction and reality.
I think the author did a great job with the relationship between Chase and Ellie--very authentic.