Mini Reviews: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True + Transparent

HOW ZOE MADE HER DREAMS (MOSTLY) COME TRUE
Sarah Strohmeyer
Contemporary Young Adult
320 pages
Balzer + Bray
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, they are sure they've hit the jackpot. With perks like hot Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?

Once Zoe arrives, however, she's assigned to serve "The Queen"-Fairyland's boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to survive the summer, much less win the money.

Soon backstabbing interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cutthroat competition make Zoe's job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her dreams?

MY THOUGHTS
How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True is an extremely fun read; not "fun" in a more vague “I'm don't know what else to say about this book” kind of way, but rather in its fundamentally truest sense – a genuine joy to read from page one to three hundred. Brimming with humor, sweet summer romance, and a ridiculously over the top boss who still manages to charm us despite her utter absurdity, this story is the perfect read for anyone in the mood for something light but still completely engaging. Be prepared to set aside a couple uninterrupted hours when picking it up though, as once you enter the hilariously cutthroat world of the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, there's simply no going back until all its craziness is experienced.

Zoe is a wonderfully amusing protagonist, her initial awkwardness with the Queen as she attempts to acclimate to the bizarre whims of a woman with a monstrously inflated ego (and vocabulary) delighting us right off the bat. She handles the Queen (who by all appearances is a type of fairytale Frankenstein, made up of all the strangest and most outlandish characteristics of villains and stepmothers everywhere) with ease, finding entertainment in the sheer ludicrousness of it all while also giving her job the same dedication and importance as she might any other that was accompanied by less silly drama. While some readers may wince at the mention of an over the top character, the Queen and all the other secondary fairytale characters who fill out the summer intern staff are never irritating in their exaggerations, instead they're a vital component in what makes this cute and heartwarming read so successful.

Rating: 4/5

Find Sarah:

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TRANSPARENT
Transparent #1
Natalie Whipple
Paranormal Young Adult
350 pages
HarperTeen
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.
 
MY THOUGHTS
Transparent is a lighting-quick read; one of those stories we tease ourselves with in the late evening hours, repeating again and again that we're going to read just one more chapter before bed but yet we prove ourselves to be liars each and every time. One of the most refreshing aspects of this tale of an invisible girl–aside from the engaging characters–is the world itself, where special gifts and unique abilities are commonplace and out in the open. As a result of this setup, Fiona, even with the extremity of her gift, is able to interact with others rather than being hidden away hoping for the moment when she'll find someone who can see her. We then have the pleasure of not only watching as the relationship she has with her family changes with their arrival in a new place, but also of delighting in the myriad of new friendships as they form, chasing away the cruelty and uncertainty of her former life and replacing it with kindness and stability.

Fiona is a fascinating young woman, someone truly invisible who has never seen more than a basic outline of her shape thanks to the assistance of clothes and accessories. Her gift combined with the emotional manipulation of her father has her constantly questioning the person she is, and we can't help but feel for her as she tries to find something solid about herself to latch onto. While her friendships with a group of gifted kids and a budding romance with one boy in particular don't change her invisibility, they do her one better by proving to her that though her expressions and mannerisms go unseen, her feelings are still visible and important. Overall, Transparent is a paranormal story that reads very much like a contemporary one, the characters facing very relatable problems in the middle of the more fantastical ones to keep us glued to the pages as they give Fiona the shape, form, and value she's never had before.

Rating: 4/5

Find Natalie:

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These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.