Romance in high school, good friends and jerks.

books:


	• What's Happily Ever After, Anyway? Michelle Taylor Brown Barn Books, 2004 - 178 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Choices and consequences

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (1/07)

Miranda is awakened on the morning of her 16th birthday by her friend Tasha who informs her that she is going with her and her sister Carly to a concert that very night! Wildly excited about this fantastic turn of fate, Miranda doesn't realize that the concert will put into play a series of events that will change her and her life forever. Meeting Keith, a handsome artistic soul whom she falls in love with, is just the beginning of many changes ahead for both Miranda and Keith.

To say that the story is all pink flowers and sweet talk would be misrepresenting the book. It is more than that. It is a book that has its romantic moments which each young girl likes to read, but it also is a book that puts into words the difficulties and choices a young teenage couple must make as their relationship grows ever closer. Miranda is no innocent by any means within this book, nor is she a worldly wise young woman either. What she is, is a typical teen, caught between youth and adulthood and who makes one bad choice which later causes her to make another harder one.

From the beginning of their relationship, Miranda and Keith, meet in a semi-secret way, not telling Miranda's parents the whole truth about their meetings. Drawn into the plan for secrecy and innocent encounters is Mack, Miranda's brother and Tasha who find that they do in fact have more in common than they originally thought. The contrast between the two budding couples is interesting to watch unfold as both pairs learn more about each other and decide how to proceed in their relationships. The choices are as different as the couples are and the choices they make are ones that form a basis for what is to come next in the book.

The choice Keith and Miranda make to finally have sex is a common one for young couples, and one that they tried to put off for as long as possible. But the choice they make to have unprotected sex is one they soon find themselves regretting, for it is obvious that after one brief encounter, Miranda is in fact pregnant.

How Miranda handles this news, who she tells and how she tells them is a real part of this book as is her relationship with not only Keith and Tasha, but her brother Mack who is by now, not only her brother but her confidant too in matters of the heart. What the future holds for these two couples, the hard decisions they must make and how they come about their choices is what makes this book a "must read" for young teens. It is within the pages of this book that common teen problems are addressed and solved which change their lives forever. It is the type of book which you wish you could "rewind" parts of the story and make other choices for the characters but which you know, like in real life, is impossible to do.

I would highly recommend "What's Happily Ever After, Anyway?" for all young teens as it is well written, true to life and frank without coming off as "preachy." It is a book that will cause the reader to take pause and evaluate choices made and how those choices can change forever their lives. In reading this book, the reader cannot help but think long and hard about choices they will face and the consequences of each choice they do make.

for more information click here

Quite outstanding.

Miranda goes to a concert on her birthday with her friend Tasha and meets Prince Charming aka Keith Martin. He is the opposite of the boy she dated previously (jock Ryan). The book shows the blossoming of this new relationship and how it affects their family and friends. This book is so well written and so realistic that I kept wanting to read until I get to the end. Very believable characters with real issues teen sex, peer pressure and family values and etiquette. Looking forward to the author next novel.

for more information click here

Romance in high school, good friends and jerks.

My friends and I loved this book!
It reminds us of our high school. The romance is really great and boyfriend is so cool (and handsome). The ex-boyfriend reminds me of every high school mean jock who wears a varsity letter and is a true jerk. They think that every girl is in love with them. Give us a break!
Poor Miranda does get into a bit of trouble tho.....
If you like reading true romance, you'll love this book.
We do!

for more information click here

Do you believe in fairy tales?

Miranda comes face to face with Prince Charming, but things don't always work out the way they are supposed to. Or do they? Ms. Taylor is dead on with her characters and their angst. Miranda and her family and friends face some difficult choices. Yes, the book is edgy, but don't let that stop you. Once you start reading, you will want to finish in one sitting. Great choice for anyone looking for a realistic adolescent novel.
I can't wait for her next book.

A Great Book!

Michelle Taylor's What's Happily Ever After, Anyway? focuses on answering the title question in terms young adults can relate to. The characters she created are typical teenagers that readers can easily imagine having as friends, or perhaps representing someone the already know. She addresses important issues such as pre-marital sex, rape, abortion, dating, being a teenage Mom and even dealing with harassment in school. Taylor not only brings these topics to light but she does it in such a way that readers will be entertained, touched and informed all at the same time.

Miranda meets the boy of her dreams at a rock concert on her sixteenth birthday and quickly begins to believe she has found her Prince Charming. Though not a virgin, Miranda's disastrous relationship with a football star at her school has taught her to be more cautious with her body and more careful with her heart. Readers follow Miranda on a journey of self discovery as she talks to her parents about sex, deals with sexual harassment and an unexpected pregnancy. We suffer with her, agonize over her choices and hold our breath until the end of the novel.

Taylor does not preach to readers in this book. She manages to entertain readers while outlining all the options available to her heroine. There is no prejudice or judgment in this book. It is merely a look into the problems of an average teenage girl who makes a couple of wrong decision and provides a valuable lesson for young adult readers.

Through the magic of Taylor's storytelling Miranda's pain becomes their own, and her mistakes could possible become a life saving lesson for readers. More oriented towards girls, this book should be read by any teenage female who has questions about boys, sex or life in general for this book truly contains valuable life lessons. Recommended for readers 12 and up.

Reviewed for Flamingnet Book Reviews by C. Devilbiss.

www.flamingnet.com

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

For your 16th birthday, you get great tickets to a rock concert. And meet the boy of your dreams!

What more can you ask for? Well, you might want to erase last year's disastrous romance with a football star. Or you might want your guitar-playing new love to be Prince Charming from the fairy tales you heard as a child. You might want to live with him forever in a castle in the sky.

But sometimes real life intrudes.

And you might find yourself asking, WHAT'S HAPPILY EVER AFTER, ANYWAY? This book speaks to the soul of teens.

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Great Books for Young Adults (By Author, T)
BEST YA BOOKS EVER!!

happily

Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of ...
The Secrets of Happily Married Men: Eight Ways to Win Your Wife's ...
Disney Princess: Happily Ever After Stories (Disney Storybook ...
Our Appointment with Life: Discourse on Living Happily in the Present ...
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and ...

after

After Effects Apprentice (DV Expert Series)
After Modern Art 1945-2000 (Oxford History of Art)
Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects: Essential and Advanced ...
After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a ...
Just After Sunset: Stories

what

The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't
Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want
Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur: What It Takes to Win in ...
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the ...
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

search for books
what's happily, after, anyway, ever, happily, what

Impressum / about us