Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Source:  own paperback

My Summary:

Elise is starting a new school for her junior year in a new city with her older sister Julianna, a senior.  Too bad her mom is the new principal.  The exclusive prep school isn't really what she's used to and making friends is proving to be a challenge.  Not for Julianna though.  She's caught the eye of the adorable Chase, the best friend of Derek, prince of the school.  Thrown together with Derek, Elise isn't sure she wants to be his friend.  What is his story?  Then she finds Webster Grant, a funny attractive guy that is hated by Derek.  Maybe Elise is better suited for Webster.  But first impressions are sometimes wrong and there is almost always more to the story than anyone wants to admit.  The pride and the prejudice that fills the cliques of a high school always get in the way of true love.
 
My Thoughts:




3 1/2 stars - a great read

So I've been on another paranormal reading binge and I really needed a break.  I love just standing at my bookshelf looking at the books I haven't read and choosing whatever I want to read.  Last Sunday, I did just that.  I picked up several books, mostly stand alone contemporary romance.  I consulted friends on twitter but I finally settled on this one.  I sat down to read and five hours later, I finished the book.

It was so nice to be so enthralled with a book that I just kept turning the pages.  There were no supernatural creatures to keep track of or paranormal worlds to figure out.  No, it was a high school love story.  I devoured it.

I liked the characters.  Derek was this brooding gorgeous guy whose parents were famous movie stars.  He didn't like people wanting to be around him because of his parents.  But after you cut through his protective walls, he is this great guy with a fun sense of humor.  His strong dislike of Webster is intriguing.  I figured it out pretty quickly but that doesn't take away from the story.  Elise is a strong responsible junior whose is trying to balance family and friends.  She falls for some of the prejudice traps but when she discoverers her mistakes, she's quick to forgive and forget.  Both characters are great fun people that I enjoyed reading about.

The story is strong and has some parallel to the original Jane Auston novel.  I will never get tired of reading stories based on that classic.  I did find a few inconsistencies and a couple of plot points that I felt should have been resolved but I just needed to read a fun book like this so I didn't care.

If you're looking for a quick romantic read that doesn't take any real thought on your part, then check this one out.  It's a great read.

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