Starstruck
Starstruck #1
Brenda Hiatt
Nerdy astronomy geek Marsha, M to her few friends, has never been anybody special. Orphaned as an infant and reluctantly raised by an overly-strict “aunt,” she’s not even sure who she is. M’s dream of someday escaping tiny Jewel, Indiana and making her mark in the world seems impossibly distant until hot new quarterback Rigel inexplicably befriends her. As Rigel turns his back on fawning cheerleaders to spend time with M, strange things start to happen: her acne clears up, her eyesight improves to the point she can ditch her thick glasses, and when they touch, sparks fly—literally! When M digs for a reason, she discovers deep secrets that will change her formerly humdrum life forever . . . and expose her to perils she never dreamed of. Yes, the middle of nowhere just got a lot more interesting!
Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Starstruck started slow. It was compounded with my irritation with Marsha’s voice and I continually reminded myself that she was at that age where we all were after our childhood and before we were legally able to drink. Furthermore, I dealt with stereotypes and clichés that about sums up half the plot:
- Socially-awkward, unpopular heroine, who
- Secretly has a crush on the most popular boy, who
- Had a cheerleader girlfriend before, who
- Torments the nerdy MC, who
- Turns out to be an extraordinary person with an extraordinary destiny.
- Enter gorgeous (this word is really overused in YA) boy who triggers the MC’s transformation
- Cue instalove
It was really not that bad once I got past all those and accepted for what it is. Goodness knows how many YA-clichéd books I’ve read.
What saved this book from sliding towards to middle of the fence and the two-apple rating was the sci-fi element.
Call off the posters featuring green midgets with large, exposed brains. Tell Natalie Portman that her father, Jack Nicholson, was mistaken about the origin of the beings that reenacted Independence Day. We were misled!
Martians are just like us! Humans!
Not something you see in every YA book, is it? That’s the best part.
No comments:
Post a Comment