Title: The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Genre: YA; Chick Lit

Publisher: Scholastic
Publishing Date: December 29, 2010
Hardcover: 320 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Why did I read the book: We were invited to be a part of the blog tour and we make a point to always read the book when we join a blog tour.

How did I get the book: ARC from the publisher

Summary: Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It’s a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there’s this certain boy she can’t help but like. . . .

Review:

Penny Lane, the daughter of Beatles’ fanatics parents is sick and tired of boys. After having her heart broken by her childhood sweetheart, she decides to stop dating until she leaves high school and concentrate only on school and her girl friends. She creates The Lonely Hearts Club and as the lone member keeps it a secret for as long as she can. But soon enough word starts spreading at school and more and more girls who are having boy-troubles join the club starting a huge movement and Penny becomes a legend, creating a myriad of problems with boys, the principal and other girls.

What starts as a very teenage-y read (the first few chapters had little crossover appeal to me), soon proves to be much more. In a genre that is replete of relationship-centric stories in which the girl falls hard for the boy and forgets about everything else and never looks back, The Lonely Hearts Club provides a refreshing turn of events. It may start as very boy-centric but as the story and the characters evolve the book becomes a girl-centric, empowering read, the answer to my prayer for more strong female characters in YA.

The point that Penny and her friends want to make is that yes, at one time or another pretty much every girl forgets everything because of a boy. But what happens if the relationship does not work? Friendships have been ruined, school grades have fallen and there is a vacuum in their lives. With the Lonely Hearts Club they try to pre-empt that threat by sticking together, and prioritizing themselves over boys.

Right at the beginning of the story there is a very important event when two of the most popular kids in school, Diane and Ryan break up and Penny observes from afar how unfair it all seems with Ryan being hailed as The Guy as though breaking up was his choice and Diane being pitied as a victim; This, even when they broke up out of common accord and remained good friends. This critical perception of High School’s silly behavior is another great thread of the novel.

Actually, this is one of the great things about Lonely Hearts Club, the fact that I was surprised by certain choices the author made. Ryan and Diane’s relationship is a very interesting one. Having dated for 4 years, they become really good friends after breaking up, showing the respect they still had for each other. It could have been easy to have made a point of maligning one or the other or to make Diane a bitch seeing as how she used to be Penny’s best friend but disappeared once she started to date Ryan. But the author makes both characters flawed, fleshed out people; Diane especially is someone who made a mistake, regretted it and tried to atone for it. And both girls, Diane and Penny try really hard to make their friendship work again. Penny is also friends with Ryan and their budding relationship becomes a bit more, adding tension to the story: he has feelings for Penny and they are clear, but what happens to the Club then if all of a sudden the founder decides to break rule numero uno?

The eventual realization that maybe not all boys are the scum of the earth and that it is possible to have both: boyfriends and girlfriends and remain a centered person is a very healthy outcome and one that I loved.

On the down side, quite a few of the secondary characters are not really fleshed-out , which is not surprising seeing as how there were so many girls in the club. But there is one in particular that has an eating disorder and I think this is an important issue that deserved more than being merely glossed over. It also sort of bothered me, how peppy some of the meetings of the club were and everything that they did was an overwhelming success. I like the idea of empowering girls to the point where they work together towards common goal but not everything can be so easy as to simply rally people and voila, all is fine in the world. I find it a bit unrealistic.

Still, overall the story really works , with its focus on friendships. I loved Penny, Diane and Ryan as characters and all the references to the Beatles. I heard on the grapevine that the author sold rights to a movie and should it happen I predict a success – as far as I know, there isn’t a lot of stories centered around girls and their girls friends out there and the author certainly deserves kudos for it.

Notable Quotes -Parts: I absolutely LOVED this scene when Penny’s parents were called to the school because the principal had reservations about the Club and what is was doing to the school’s cliques:

“Mrs Bloom, I am not going to sit here and allow one girl to start running the school. Penny is getting way too much power at this school. Her influence with the female population is getting a little out of control.”
Mon started to tap her foot impatiently. “And I suppose you don’t have a problem with the fact that, just because some jock can throw a ball far, the entire male population worships him? Let me ask you a question, Mr Braddock. Have any of the Club members gotten in trouble for anything?”
“Well, technically no. But her little club is unsanctioned by the school, therefore – “
“Therefore,” Mom cut him off, “it really isn’t any of your business.”

The scene continues for about one page and by the end of it, I felt like giving standing ovation to Penny’s parents!

Additional Thoughts: I love The Beatles and it was great to see so many references. I found it was hilarious that Penny’s parents named their kids Penny Lane, Rita and Lucy and that they refused to see any cover bands of the group and their vacations were spent in Liverpool. Penny could have been a teenager that hated what her parents loved but she wasn’t: she respected their quirkiness and actually loved the Beatles as well. She says that the Beatles could have been her rebellion but they were her comfort. How cool is that?

And don’t you just love the Abbey Road-shout out cover?

Verdict: The Lonely Hearts Club is a fun, relatable chick-lit YA, where boys are as important as girl friends and the Beatles still rule the world in the protagonist’s household.
Rating : 7 – Very Good

Reading next: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Today, we welcome author Elizabeth Eulberg who debuted this month with The Lonely Hearts Club (to be reviewed tomorrow by Ana), a book about how disastrous dating leads a girl to vow not to date again until High School is over and to start a club which becomes an overnight success and girl-power Central.

Elizabeth is stopping by today to talk about her own dating disasters:

My first thought when I was asked to write a blog about a dating disaster: which one?

After all, I wrote a book about a girl who decided to swear off guys, so needless to say, I have a few stories about boys and disasters. On second thought, “few” is an understatement. This is unfortunate to me, but not to my readers (or my friends who enjoy hearing about my dating woes).

So do I go with the guy in college who I had scheduled a date with…then waited until ten at night to call me to meet up (um yeah, no thanks)? Or the loser who cheated on me (and was the semi-inspiration for Nate in The Lonely Hearts Club)? Or the guy who could only text (seriously guys, learn to use the talk function on your phones!)? Or the many horrendous blind dates thanks to an unnamed matchmaking site (you sit on a throne of lies!)?

Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult for me to choose because there is one particularly bad date that that tops them all. It is the reason I had to get caller ID on my phone. And for my sanity, I hope it will never be usurped.

I was out a few years ago with some friends and met a guy. Let’s call him Bill. I thought he was a nice enough guy, didn’t notice anything that should have given me red flags, so I was excited when he called me up a few days later to go out on a date. Although Bill really wanted to come over to my apartment and have me cook him dinner, I made us meet at a restaurant for two reasons: 1) I live alone so I don’t like guys knowing where I live when I first meet them. 2) Seriously? You think having me cook you dinner is a good first date for me? Maybe on a third or fourth date, but let’s put a little effort into the first date shall we?

He was late meeting me up (a BIG no-no) and then informed me he had to go across the street because he didn’t have any cash on him. Um, okay, last time I checked restaurants took credit cards, but whatever.

Then when we sat down for dinner I realized something, and I don’t know if I didn’t notice it before (although I don’t know how that was possible) or he was just extra nervous. But after he would say something he had a nervous twitch and would kind of make this noise (mmmmmmhhhhmmmmm….). “Yeah, my dinner is good. Mmmmmmhhhhmmmmmmm.” “I work in finance. Mmmmmmhhhhmmmmmm.” It was starting to freak me out. I felt like I was on Candid Camera. It got so bad that I just kept talking and talking so he wouldn’t have a chance to speak. I think he took my overaggressive talking as some sign that I was super interested in him. Which I was NOT.

Then the bill came. I ordered a sandwich and a drink. He ordered two appetizers, an entrée and a drink. I didn’t eat any of the appetizers. For some reason when the bill came he was surprised at how much it was. So I offered to chip in something. He asked for $20. Now, I don’t mind paying, but my portion of the bill was maybe $12. Maybe. But at that point I was willing to pay anything to just get out of there.

There is nothing worse than saying goodnight to a guy on a bad date. Especially when he has no clue that it was a bad date. So I quickly said goodnight, turned down his offer to walk me home, and gave him a hug. Then I bolted. Done.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t done. I kept getting numerous calls at home, but no messages. I wasn’t picking up because I usually screened my calls, plus the phone was ringing every 5-10 minutes and I was starting to get concerned. I should have picked up the phone and confront him, but at this point I was completely freaked out. Then a few days later, I went to the bank and noticed that I was being followed. Yep, I was being stalked. By him. Fortunately, a couple friends lived nearby so I went to their apartment and hung out until the coast was clear.

I ordered caller ID the next day and fortunately, the calls finally stopped and I wasn’t followed anymore. To this day I still don’t tell a guy my address on a first date (although I do have a funny story on why I don’t!). And I learned to trust my instincts more (if I’m dreading a date there is usually a reason why).

While I fully enjoy being single, it can be exhausting dealing with all the frogs on the way to finding your prince. It can also be entertaining (mostly at my expense). Good thing I know about a club I can join if I want to take a break from boys…

A big thank you to Elizabeth! Next stop on the tour is at Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelves on the 13th.

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our review of the lovely The Lonely Hearts Club!

We’ve got a special, unexpected treat for you today – we’re kicking off a long-awaited Richelle Mead Book Blog Tour, in honor of her most recent release, the fourth book in her ongoing Vampire Academy series, Blood Promise!

Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

For the duration of the tour, six blogs will be participating in an interview with author Richelle Mead, asking her our burning questions about her Vampire Academy books.

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, we give you our questions with Richelle!

The Book Smugglers: You have a thing about putting your heroines through hell and back – both Georgina in your Succubus series and Rose in Vampire Academy have to deal with some major heartache. What’s with the Angst? Will Rose have some relief in the future?

Richelle: I’m not a cruel person, but I do believe characters have to work for their happy endings. It’s also unrealistic to write a book in which everything that happens to the character is happy and wonderful. No one would want to read it! We like to go through the ups and downs. And as for Rose, well…that’s not something I can give away. You’ll have to keep reading to see what happens next.

The Book Smugglers: Your take on vampires is really detailed, with careful and thoughtful delineation between Dhampir, Moroi and Strigoi. What were your inspirations for your particular take on vampire lore and hierarchy? Did you do any specific mythological research for your world building in the Vampire Academy books?

Richelle: When I sat down to write a vampire book for teens, I had no idea that that genre would be so big. I knew the adult market was going strong, though, so it was important for me to do something very different from those books. So, I tried to stay away from the ‘standard’ vampire stories in our culture and see what else was out there in the world. Interestingly, almost every culture has myths about some type of vampire. I’d taken Eastern European folklore classes in college, so I jumped into research about those myths first and found the Moroi and Strigoi stories. There wasn’t a lot there, so I’ve had to improvise a lot in the series with how I best think a world with two vampire races would live. Dualism is a big part of Russian and Romanian myths, which is why the balance of light and dark is always so key in the Vampire Academy universe.

The Book Smugglers: What are your future writing plans for the Vampire Academy books? When can we expect (and what can we expect from) the next installment to this fabulous series?

Richelle: There are going to be eight more VA books coming out over the next few years. Two of them will be about Rose and will finish off her story. The next six will be a “spin-off” starting a whole new story that takes place in the same world but follows different characters (whom we’ve already met).

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths. She received a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan, an MA in Comparative Religion from Western Michigan University, and a Master in Teaching (Middle & High School English) degree from the University of Washington. In the end, she decided writing was the way for her but believes all of her education prepared her for it.

Visit Richelle Mead online at her website http://www.richellemead.com/ or her blog, Even Redheads Get the Blues.

So there you have it! Make sure to check out Frenetic Reader for the continuation of this interview…

Also make sure to check back in on Monday, when we’ll have a review of Blood Promise and a giveaway to boot!