"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Boy Is Back

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

I love Meg Cabot. I don't love each and every one of her books, but she has written far more hits than misses in my opinion. Her stories are funny and romantic with a touch of feminist edge.

Recently, she's been returning to old series. Next week, on October 18, a new book in her "Boy" series is coming out. This is one of her adult series, and I remember it consisting mostly of unrelated contemporary romcoms. (I read the last one when it came out in 2005; it's been awhile.)

I'm quite excited to read it, because I love a good cute romance.

Here's the publisher's blurb:

In this brand-new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a scandal brings a young man back home to the small town, crazy family, and first love he left behind.

Reed Stewart thought he’d left all his small town troubles—including a broken heart—behind when he ditched tiny Bloomville, Indiana, ten years ago to become rich and famous on the professional golf circuit.  Then one tiny post on the Internet causes all of those troubles to return . . . with a vengeance.

Becky Flowers has worked hard to build her successful senior relocation business, but she’s worked even harder to forget Reed Stewart ever existed. She has absolutely no intention of seeing him when he returns—until his family hires her to save his parents.

Now Reed and Becky can’t avoid one another—or the memories of that one fateful night.  And soon everything they thought they knew about themselves (and each other) has been turned upside down, and they—and the entire town of Bloomville—might never be the same, all because The Boy Is Back. 

Seriously, doesn't THE BOY IS BACK sound fun? I trust Cabot to make a romantic cliche shine.

Review: Remembrance

A Mediator novel
By Meg Cabot
Available now from William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Review copy

The sixth Mediator novel, TWILIGHT, came out when I was a sophomore in high school.  I remember eagerly devouring it to discover how Suze Simon and Jesse de Silva would make their relationship work, even though he was a ghost and she helped ghosts cross over to the other side.  I started reading Meg Cabot's books because of The Princess Diaries series, but I liked Mediator even better because of the paranormal element.

Twelve years later, Cabot has returned to Suze's story with REMEMBRANCE.  It's only been six years for Suze, who has graduated from college and is now interning as a counselor at her old high school.  Jesse is almost done with med school.  And Suze is being driven nuts by his old-fashioned refusal to have sex before marriage.  In walks Paul Slater, Suze's loathsome ex.  He's threatening to tear down Suze's old home, the building that Jesse haunted and still anchors his soul. 

Suze has quite a bit on her plate between her evil ex and a girl at the school being followed by a murdered child.  Luckily, those six years haven't dulled her edge.  Suze is fierce, and not to be messed with.  Her only power might be seeing ghosts, but that isn't going to stop her from delivering justice to those who need it.  Even though REMEMBRANCE is an adult novel and the first six books were YA, she (and the rest of the characters) feel like the same people.

The main difference is that there's a bit more swearing (although most of it is just referred to) and a darker storyline.  Suze stumbles across some stomach-churning crimes as she attempts to help one ghost achieve peace.  The way Paul re-enters her life by trying to blackmail her into sex is also pretty intense.  At the same time, I don't think Cabot edges it up too much.  The original fans are now adults, and there's nothing I don't think a new teenage fan couldn't handle.  (Especially not if they've been reading some of those dystopians.)

I loved getting a chance to reacquaint myself with Suze and her friends and family.  It's been ages since I read the original Mediator novels, but it felt like stepping back into a familiar place after a journey away.  REMEMBRANCE is a fun, vibrant read sure to satisfy fans.  I'm very happy Cabot went back to the well for this one.

Review: Underworld

Book Two of the Abandon series
By Meg Cabot
Available now from Point (Scholastic)
Review copy

I adore Meg Cabot.  Many of her books, both YA and adult, have a special place on my shelf.  But when I finished ABANDON, I was disappointed.  It's interpretation of the Persephone myth was dodgy and the plot kind of weak.

UNDERWORLD opens where ABANDON left off, with Pierce now willingly in the underworld having escaped her Fury-possessed grandmother with John.  Pierce almost immediately starts waxing Persephone.  Now, I'll give Cabot props for tackling a tough myth.  But instead of facing the undertone of rape in the original myth she sweeps it under the rug.  UNDERWORLD does get slightly more points for its handling of the original by acknowledging that Pierce doesn't know much more than the Disneyfied version despite how much she waxes on about it.  Both John and Mr. Smith, the cemetery sexton on Isla Huesos, correct her impressions of the myth throughout the story.

Honestly, I only pushed through the beginning of UNDERWORLD because of how much I like Cabot.  Usually I can read one of her books in about half an hour.  It's impossible to know how long I took on the first eighty or so pages because I kept putting the book down from boredom.  The plot finally kicks into gear when Pierce and John go back to the Isla Huesos to save her cousin Alex since she received a premonition of him trapped and terrified.  At the same time, there's the dark secret of Jack's past to uncover.

While UNDERWORLD had an actual plot that kept me entertained, it felt a bit pointless in the end.  (And, mild spoilers, everyone is very blase that a guy who is your average jerk transitions to straight-up murdering someone.)  Jack's past: not that dark.  To be very general, he tried to do a good thing and bad things happened, but nothing worse than if he hadn't acted.  Alex acts completely differently than he did in ABANDON, turning into an obstinate twit just to cause conflict.  Kayla, the best character in the series, shows up far too briefly.

I suppose UNDERWORLD is supposed to be carried by John and Pierce's romance.  But I'm just not feeling it.  Pierce reacts to everything before thinking.  She's tempestuous, but seems more overwhelmed by her confusion than passion.  John, meanwhile, just doesn't do it for me like most of Cabot's heroes.  He's overprotective in a bad way and uncommunicative.  Pierce might have less emotional whiplash if he'd just talk to her instead of making abrupt revelations that affect her entire life.

UNDERWORLD was a significant improvement over ABANDON.  But this series just ain't working for me.