Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com

Mina Hamilton has a major life (or death) decision to make, and only a few weeks in which to decide. Should she, or should she not, become a vampire? It seems like a no-brainer. I mean, Buffy would know in, like, a split second. But, having vampire parents sort of complicates matters.

This highly humorous novel puts a new spin on the teen vampire tale. Mina is a typical high school student whose extra-curricular activities are no more exciting than hanging at the mall or pizza place, until her undead parents break the news that she has to start attending vampire information classes twice a week. Apparently, they never told the Regional Vampire Council that they had a child, and the situation has caused major drama. Now, Mina must make a decision about her future (and exactly how long that future will last) pronto!

This light read is worth five stars just because it literally made me snort lemonade through my nose. Pauley dares to go there again and again, with topical references and jabs at modern-day vampire lore. Her main character is a self-described closet girly-girl who has kick-butt tendencies and an attitude that readers will love.

Totally entertaining, with a top-of-the-line teen voice! ( )

Who would have known that a vampire story doesn't have to be scary? Yes, Sucks to Be Me is a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What you will find is a barrel of fun... vampire style. Kim started with a list of the myths and legends about vampires, tossed away the obvious ones, and had some fun with the rest. For instance, What if you could choose to be a vampire or not? Do Vampires have a code of ethics?

Mina Hamilton is a typical teen with a best friend and all the usual worries about hot boys, prom night, and keeping secrets. Humans aren't supposed to know about vampires, but Mina has known about her parents for many years, and now she needs to make the choice. The only thing is, she can't tell her best friend about any of the strange things happening... and those things get stranger by the minute.

Mirrorstone has done an awesome job in producing this novel. The cute litte vampire bat on the back cover, the pages of Mina's notes and lists that she writes while she's trying to make her life-changing decision, those Myth versus Truth snippets at the head of each chapter, all add to the appeal of this book, while Mina's sweet voice and personality captivate the reader and make you want to know how it all turns out in the end. Well, you'll just have to read the book.

Recommended for readers age 12 and up who are in search of adventure and a little something different for their reading enjoyment.

This review was previously published on Dragonviews ( )

A book that came out last year and isn't nearly as well-known as it deserves to be: Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley, in which Mina Hamilton's parents want her dead. Well, undead. Maybe. They're vampires, and now Mina has to decide if she wants to be one too.

There are boys and dates in it for you Twilight fans, but I'd never say it's a Twilight read-alike or even "like Twilight." It's funny, and touching, and realistic, and there's no wangst. And did I mention how funny it is?

The book starts off sort of boring and pop-y, but hang in there for two or three chapters. There are a lot of pop culture references but they're relevant, the ones I was actually thinking of rather than trying to hard to work them into the narrative in an attempt to be hip. The vampire references are updated and modern: Be honest, when someone says "vampire" you probably think of Twilight and Buffy now, not ghastly specters clawing their way up from the ground. Pauley layers both ideas, and you can tell she really likes the genre she's writing in and she's conversant with it.

There are a lot of great, quirky, realistically deep characters, and the plot is straightforward but detailed. I loved Mina and I think I'd love her just as much if she was a real person, along with all of her friends and family. I'd love to hang out with her and she's an amazingly loyal person to the people she loves.

Let me say one more time that this book is HILARIOUS. It was just under 300 pages, but I wouldn't've minded if it was 3000. Luckily there's a sequel in the works for next year. (Humor isn't something that can be explained easily, so check the book out for yourself. :) ) ( )

This was a fast, fun read about a teenage girl who must make the life changing decision of whether to become a vampire or not. Mina is a very likable girl with a good sense of humor who doesn't make this decision lightly.

I liked Mina's lists and journal entries scattered throughout the book, as well as the little 'myths vs truth' snippets at the start of each chapter. Didn't really care for the oh-so-hip name dropping here and there as it seemed a little forced and unnatural, but that was my only quibble with the story.

Her best friend Serena plays a large part in the story, as well as forever-crush Nathan. Then there are the other vampire candidates she meets in Vampire 101. Okay, it's not really called that, but bet you didn't know they had classes you needed to take before you turned! All in all, this was a lighthearted, funny teen romance that just happens to include vampires. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because it was a cute, well-done story that I think would make a great beach read. (Plus, I really, really liked the title!) ( )

Sucks to Be Me is a funny take on the vampire novel fad. Mina (named after the character in Dracula) is a lively, humorous character who is forced to decide between turning into a vampire (like her parents) or remaining human. The text is interspersed with her lists of why it sucks to be her, and her pro and con lists between turning or not and the different boys in her life. Recommended for boys and girls, grads 7-12. ( )