Serena Robar

16-year-old Spencer is a virgin, and is happy to be. She is happy to wait until she’s with the right person to have sex, rather than get obsessed about it like all her friends in her crew. But then Benjamin Hopkins joins the school. Gorgeous, funny, athletic, Spencer can’t help but go weak at the knees when she’s around him, and Ben starts giving her the right kind of attention. How far will she go to get her guy?

I really like this book! It reads a lot like it could be part of an show more American TV teen programme; the teens were so lifelike and believable. I found myself literary crushing on pretty much all the guys in the book, even the guys who weren’t so great. Ryan, for example; he may use girls a lot, but he was hot and funny, so it was easy to see how he could get away with it.

I loved how Spencer wouldn’t give in to the jokey “peer pressure” from her friends over being a virgin, that she was determined to have sex when she wanted to , when things were right, and not when others felt she should – before Ben arrived. It kind of annoyed me she went a little crazy over him, as I was thinking “pull yourself together, he’s just a guy”, yet it was believable, we girls do get a little “oh my god!” when it comes to guys. I also admired how she was still able to pretty much be herself around him despite it all, it was cool. I identified with her a lot when she wasn’t sure what she should do when things started to happen between her and Ben; very true to life.

What was also interesting was the sub-plot in the story; Spencer’s best friend Alyssa was determined to lose her virginity, a one-night-stand so she could get it out of the way, and planned and organised for she was going to get it done. It was a little disturbing how tenacious she was, and how she made it seem like some school project, like no big deal, but something that had to be done – with no feelings. It was great to see these two different attitudes and stories running along each other.

There were no actual sex scenes in this book, but there were some almost-sex scenes that were really well written. It was a great depiction of how Spencer was feeling AND thinking towards what was happening, and keeping those two things clearly separate worked well.

This was an awesome book overall dealing with a sensitive subject with great characters and a lot of humour. I loved it! show less

You know this book is going to be interesting when the opening scene is a trip to the ob-gyn!

The Good: This is a hilarious book! It's not the small chuckle once in a while type, but rather the laugh out loud, leaves you grinning from ear to ear! Does that make sense?

Also, it's really relatable. Unlike some books that make you think, "Are you effing serious, there is no way in hell that can happen", Giving Up the V makes you go, "Wow, that totally happened in my school" or "I know someone show more exactly like that!" Spencer could be any one of us and she faces the same problems that we all face when we're in high school.

This book is mostly character driven, and luckily for us, the characters are awesome! Spencer's friends a.k.a The Crew are a delightful cast of characters that have a certain quality that make you actually care about them.

I think the one thing that really makes me like this book is the fact that Ms. Robar shows both the cons and the pros of losing your virginity. There are only a handful of books that show both sides and I'm very glad Giving Up the V is one of them!

The Bad: It's a little crude (duh). I'm sure the title is a dead give-away because the V sure as heck, does not stands for vegetables (Giving Up the Vegetables... *snort*). Even though I'm okay with some of the things that are said in this book, some people might not. So, I would not recommend it to everyone. Basically, it's a quick and nice book that you pick up when you have free time, but that's it.

Overall: Giving Up the V is a great book that shows both ends of the losing your virginity spectrum. It's entertaining, believable, and just fantastic!

Grade: B show less

There is something about cheerleaders crossing over to the dark side that just gets me. This book was exciting! I loved reading about Colby and loved her attitude. She acted just as I thought she would and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The one thing about this book was that is was a fun, easy, quick, read. The plot and drama was good and nothing was overrated. Her maker I was definitely interested in. He was very intriguing. Also, I like how Colby was feeling attracted to the vamp counsel show more dude. Totaly ironic that she fall for a guy who is way out of her league.

Now on the other hand, I felt this book needed more. Although it was fun and easy, I would like to read more into the story and learn more abou the vampires. I did however buy the second book, and will read that one soon to see what more is in store.

If you like an over achiever cheerleader going vamp with all the drama read this. Its was fun and witty read and will satisfy your vamp side. show less

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Four months have passed since Colby was given permission to exist as a half-blood vampire. Not only does she have her license, but she has been given the added responsibility of Protector of all the half-bloods. Colby takes this title in stride and sets about making preparations.

The Vampire Tribunal, the governing board for the vampire community, makes it possible for Colby and the other half-bloods to blend in with society while still being show more together to train and learn about the vampire ways by securing land on the campus of a local university in order to create a sorority. Colby names it Psi Phi (Sci-Fi, get it?).

With the help of her boyfriend/Vampire Investigator Thomas, Colby expects no problems when it comes to dealing with the other half-bloods. In fact, she expects them to consider her a hero for "saving" them from execution. Instead, she gets a mixed group of girls from extremely different backgrounds who don't think much about her as a Protector.

When one of her charges is murdered right in the sorority house, Colby begins to doubt her ability, as well. With the help of familiar faces from the previous book, Carl and Piper, she begins to unravel the mystery and learns of a spy that is in their midst.

One area of irritation is Colby's attitude toward Thomas. While BRACED2BITE, the first book in this series, was appropriate for middle school and above, FANGS4FREAKS gets a little closer to the edge. The sexual situations are increased and cause arguments between Colby and Thomas. Colby's tendency to blow up in anger over his actions seem a little over the top and happen too often and take too long to resolve. These arguments usually stem from the fact that Colby is very frustrated that Thomas won't take their physical relationship past the make-out stage.

Overall, even though the resolution to the story was rushed at the end, the story leading up to the conclusion was enjoyable. While not as good as the first, FANGS4FREAKS is definitely worth the time to read. show less