Sloane Tanen

If you’ve been looking for the perfect, adorable, funny, smart YA beach read, I’ve found it for you. You can thank me later. In the mean time, I hope you’ll go take a peek at Sloane Tanen‘s YA debut, ARE YOU GOING TO KISS ME NOW?. It’s fun, fast-paced, and rife with wit, and I just know you’ll love it!

ARE YOU GOING TO KISS ME NOW? is the story of 17-year-old Francesca, who, after finding out her Dad is not only shacking up with his new, younger, yoga-loving girlfriend, but that show more he’s gotten her pregnant. In a particularly weak moment, she writes an essay for a Seventeen magazine contest, in which she discusses the horrors of losing her dad. As in, having a dead dad. As in, Francesca has just written something completely crazy and narcissistic and evil, but, whatever, it’s not like her essay is ever going to be read by anyone. Of course, when she gets the call that she’s actually won the essay contest, and will soon be flown to Madagascar to work with some celebrities to promote literacy, it’s kind of a mixed bag. Francesca sort of wants to just tell the truth to Seventeen. Sure, she’ll be giving up the college scholarship part of the prize — a part she kind of needs — but she’ll also be giving up being published in the magazine. Because, you know, Francesca would rather not have the world — or her dad — find out that she lied in the most karmically horrible way to win a contest. Really, it was just a literary purge. Then again, Francesca can’t resist the chance to hang out with celebrities. She doesn’t even know who’s going to be on the trip, but here’s the thing: Francesca has a secret addiction.

She’s not addicted to drugs or shopping or anything like that. She’s addicted to tabloids. PerezHilton.com. Celebrity gossip of any kind. She knows who’s pregnant and who’s breaking up and who’s had botched surgery. And she’d give anything to be up close and personal with celebs, and to write an article about them for Seventeen (another part of the prize — she’ll be recording everything from the trip for the magazine). So Francesca keeps her mouth shut. And before she knows it, she’s off to hang with the people she thought she’d only ever read about in the grocery store checkout.

Of course, meeting the rich and famous never goes the way you think it will. And in Francesca’s case, it probably couldn’t go worse. In a misshap, seasoned actor/liscenced pilot Joe Baronstein lands on the wrong island, overshoots the runway, and crashes their plane in the middle of nowhere. Now she’s stuck on a deserted island with Cisco Parker (Hollywood’s up-and-coming do-gooder and celebrated action hero), Milan Amberson (everyone’s favorite tabloid trainwreck), Eve Larkin (starlet-turned-maybe-arsonist desperately trying to stay out of US Weekly), Chaz Richards (snarky celebrity blogger), and Joe’s estranged son, Jonah Baron (Christian rocker and teen idol). Survival seems impossible with this motley crew, and while every second on the island seems one second closer to Francesca’s ultimate demise, she’s busy snarkily texting the deets to her BFF Jordan (well, pretending to, anyway…it’s not like she has service) in hopes that if she ever gets out of there she’ll have material for her article. And, uh, also just to maintain some semblance of sanity.

With epic sass and brilliant voice, ARE YOU GOING TO KISS ME NOW? is a sure hit for romcom fans. It’s like LORD OF THE FLIES meets GEORGIA NICOLSON meets US Weekly. How could this not be a fun read? show less

Reading this was just what I needed after all the serious books I have been reading lately. It was like the perfect palate cleanser. Not too serious and seriously funny! In any other situation this novel would be seen as utterly ridiculous because it was so over-the-top and overdone, but I didn't even think that once. What a madcap comedy!

I hated all the characters. Every last one, including the protagonist, but now after I think back on the book, I remember them fondly. I think my favorite show more was Milan. She was like a mash-up of Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. She was out-of-control but stupidly funny. While we are on that topic, I also enjoyed all the celebrity and pop-culture references. And this book is totally full of every celebrity and Hollywood stereotype there is. Are some of them true though? That's the magic question.

A lengthy review is not necessary. Put it this way. If you enjoy reading about Hollywood, the crazy Los Angeles lifestyle, or if you like to see ridiculous things happen to celebrities, you should probably read this book. Even if you think Hollywood and the paparazzi are ridiculous and disgusting, you should still probably read it, because secretly, I think the author does too. show less

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I laughed so hard reading APPETITE FOR DETENTION that everyone in my house thought I'd gone insane. (Okay, yes, they regularly think that anyway, but whatever.) This is one book where the pictures literally are worth a thousand words, even though there are words included.

The life of high school is rendered in all its glory (or, actually, its horror) by chicks. Yes, chicks, the fuzzy yellow things that hatch from eggs. It's really not as stupid as it sounds, show more I promise.

There's the Princess, the geek, the Jewish kid worrying about his Bar Mitzvah, the depressed guy, the girl obsessed with dieting, the horrible self-tanning accident, the Physical Education class, the lunch room, the football game - basically, it's all there. And it is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

The photographs are amazing. Each student is represented by a particular chick, and it becomes easy within the first few pages to identify who is who even without reading the storyline. Although the words make up the story, it's the photos, with their intricate and amazing details, that make this book a real winner.

And it's not just for teens. Any adult will find the fun in APPETITE FOR DETENTION, whether you're reliving your high school days or just looking for some really good entertainment. You really want to pick up a copy of this book, even if your entire family does end up thinking you're insane. show less

This was an unexpected fun read. I say unexpected because the title didn’t really snag me (and I still don’t really see the connection), but nonetheless, it was well worth my time. Such fun.

Nothing really earth-shattering in this novel about a Hollywood family whose flame has long since been extinguished, but the dialogue, the personal struggles that Ms. Tanen brought to life in such a way that I could actually ‘hear’ the people talking (or in this case going off on one another), was show more spot-on. I love a good family saga where miscommunication is at the root - it seems that is so often the case in life.

This is a feel-good, ends well story with a bit of a zing I didn’t expect at the end. Don’t misread that, I could tell it was all going to get sorted, it was the how that zinged me.

Well done, Ms. Tanen. I will look for more of your writing. show less