What my Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Review contains spoliers for What My Mother Doesn't Know

From Goodreads:
My name is Robin.

This book is about me.

It tells the story of what happens when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom, the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be a good thing, right? Only it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that.

Because I'm not gonna lie to you -- there are naked women involved. Four of them, to be exact. Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing. But the way things have been going lately, I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse than not getting what you want, is getting it.

Not only was I really please that we get a sequel to What My Mother Doesn't Know but I was really pleased it was going to be told from Robin's point of view.

The story starts of at the exact place What My Mother Doesn't Know finished and follows the aftermath of Sophie's decision. I really enjoyed seeing this from Robin's point of view as well as getting to see Sophie through his eyes.  I loved Robin in What My Mother Doesn't Know but I adored him in this. I loved how he is with Sophie and even though he makes a few mistakes it obvious that he's just a really sweet guy.

Another aspect that plays a big part in this one is art. I loved the way Sophie and Robin communicated through it - the whole story board make up was great!  I also liked how the two of them coped with the backlash over their relationship.  Having read the previous book I had a really good idea of how much it was hurting Sophie and I was really, really annoyed at her friends for behaving the way they did.  I'm not sure if I would be particularly forgiving!  But I loved the whole T-Shirt thing.  Very clever!

Again Sonya Sones infuses this story with great humour. Her books are just great fun to read and this time even the way the poems are presented on the page have meaning too. A couple of times these are hilarious! You'll understand what I mean when you read it.

I think this one will have to share the top spot with One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies as my favorites of Sones books. I loved it!

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

From Goodreads:
My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love too.

It's not that I'm boy crazy.
It's just that even though
I'm almost fifteen
it's like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don't seem to be able to agree
on anything.

This was a fun read.  When we first meed Sophie she is dating Dylan, a really good looking and popular boy from her school.  Things are great to begin with but then Sophie starts to feel differently...

I enjoyed taking Sophie's journey through her first experiences with love - discovering that it's not what someone looks like but who they are that matters. I absolutely loved her for her decision at the end (you will need to read it to understand what I mean) and it set's up the next book perfectly.  The story also explores Sophie's home life and her relationship with her mother and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.

I love how Sonya Sones manages to really capture life as a teen and to infuse it with humour.  She really captures relationships well too and reading her books are always great fun.  I really enjoyed it and as soon as I finished it I grabbed the sequel (which is awesome!).

Quick Q&A: Sonya Sones

Sonya Sones kindly took the time to answer some of my questions....

What is it about writing in verse that you really enjoy?

Poetry is such a good way to get to the center and truth of things. It's the only way I can say what I really need to say. I love searching for the words, not just any words, but the exact right words, to describe a certain feeling or a moment in time. Besides, the idea of writing a novel in regular prose scares me! Maybe someday, though...

How did you come up with the ideas for your books?
The idea for Stop Pretending came while I was taking a poetry class, taught by Myra Cohn Livingston. I'd only been writing funny poems, but then one day Myra asked us to write a poem using dactyl and trochee rhythms, which are really somber rhythms. When I sat down to do the assignment, something very unexpected happened - out popped a poem about how sad and scary it was to have to visit my older sister in the mental hospital on my thirteenth birthday. I was embarrassed to share the poem with my teacher, because it was so personal. But when Myra read it, she suggested I write more poems about my sister, and that's how Stop Pretending, my first novel-in-verse, was born.

Towards the end of Stop Pretending, there are some poems about my first love, a boy named John. I had such a good time writing about those first feelings of passion, that I knew I wanted to write some more about them. I wanted to explore all the firsts that happen to teenaged girls: first bra, first period, first crush, first kiss. That's when the poems for What My Mother Doesn't Know began bubbling to the surface.

The idea for One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies came to me gradually. I was interested in telling a story about a girl who moves from the east coast to the west coast, because that's exactly what I did. And I thought it would be fun to let my character experience some of the same feelings of culture shock that I did when I first moved to California. I wanted to explore the idea of things not always being as they seem, and Hollywood seemed an especially good backdrop for a story that dealt with that subject.

I didn’t get the urge to write What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know until a couple of years after I wrote What My Mother Doesn’t Know. It happened because I kept getting emails from fans saying: “OMG! What happened next! I’ve got to know!” And after hearing this question posed day after day, year after year, I realized that I, too, wanted to know what happened next. And that the only way for me to find out was to write the sequel.

What is a typical writing day like for you? Do you have any ‘must-haves’ before you can sit down to write?
Actually, my writing day starts at night, when I get into bed. I load up my brain with a question that needs solving. Then I go to sleep and let my unconscious mind begin working on it.

In the morning, I take a two mile walk, carrying a pad of paper and a pencil with me. I walk and I think and I walk and I think, and while I'm doing all this walking and thinking I try to look at everything around me through my character's eyes. After awhile it becomes like a meditation, and then, if I'm lucky, an idea for a poem begins to flow and I jot down some notes. Then I head home and type the notes into my computer. I know that once I fling that pitiful rough draft onto the page, no matter how atrocious it is, I'll be able to turn it in to something good.

I write until it's time to pick up my kids from school. Then I spend the afternoon and evening with them. That's one of the great perks of being a writer: I get to make my own hours! After they go to bed, I usually reread what I wrote earlier in the day. I find that having had a few hours away from it helps me to see the weak spots more clearly. Then, it's time to reload my brain and let my unconscious mind get back to work, while I drift into dreamland.

The only "must have" is silence.

----

Thanks Sonya!

If you haven't checked it out yet here is the link to my 'Guide to Verse Novels: Sonya Sones' and you can read my reviews for Stop Pretending and One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.

Reviews for What My Mother Doesn't Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know will be posted tomorrow:)

*Photograph Credit: Ava Tramer, taken from the Sonya Sones Website.

Guide to Verse Novels: Sonya Sones

Sonya Sones has written four verse novels for young adults:

Stop Pretending

From Goodreads: It happens just like that, in the blink of an eye. An older sister has a mental breakdown and has to be hospitalized. A younger sister is left behind to cope with a family torn apart by grief and friends who turn their backs on her. But worst of all is the loss of her big sister, her confidante, her best friend, who has gone someplace no one can reach.

In the tradition of The Bell Jar, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, and Lisa, Bright and Dark comes this haunting first book told in poems, and based on the true story of the author's life.

2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) and 2000 Quick Picks for Young Adults (Recomm. Books for Reluctant Young Readers)

You can read my review here and read a preview here (HarperCollins Browse Inside)

---

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

From Goodreads: Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born.


You can read my review here and read a preview here (via Simon & Schuster Browse Inside)





----

What My Mother Doesn't Know
From Goodreads:
My name is Sophie.
This book is about me.
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love too.
It's not that I'm boy crazy.
It's just that even though
I'm almost fifteen
it's like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don't seem to be able to agree
on anything.

You can read an excerpt on the Simon & Schuster Website here

-----

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know
From Goodreads:
My name is Robin.
This book is about me.
It tells the story of what happens
when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom,
the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.
That seems like it would be
a good thing, right?
Only it turns out to be
a lot more complicated than that
Because I'm not gonna lie to you --
there are naked women involved.
Four of them, to be exact.
Though not in the way you might think.
Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing.
But the way things have been going lately,
I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse
than not getting what you want,
is getting it..

You can read a preview here (via Simon & Schuster Browse Inside)

---

Three of her books have all recently had new cover designs with I think are fab! Check them out below:

Places you can find Sonya:

Website
Goodreads
My Space
Facebook

Check back later for a quick Q&A with Sonya:)

Reviews for What My Mother Doesn't Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know will be posted tomorrow:)

Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones

From Goodreads:  It happens just like that, in the blink of an eye. An older sister has a mental breakdown and has to be hospitalized. A younger sister is left behind to cope with a family torn apart by grief and friends who turn their backs on her. But worst of all is the loss of her big sister, her confidante, her best friend, who has gone someplace no one can reach.

In the tradition of The Bell Jar, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, and Lisa, Bright and Dark comes this haunting first book told in poems, and based on the true story of the author's life.

I'm not at all surprised that this book won the award for Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) in 2000. Based on true events, it comes across as a very honest depiction of a family dealing with the aftermath of a mental breakdown - and I applaud the author for writing about what is obviously a very personal subject.

Written as a collection of poems it is a quick, but very satisfying read. I found myself seeing the distinction between stories that are told through a series of poems or verse, and a collection of poems that tell a story. There were many poems in this book that really stand out on their own - Hospitalized being one of them. According to the Author's Note at the end of the book this is the poem from which Stop Pretending was born and I can see why.

The story is told by Cookie, and through her we get to see her families grief. I felt a strong sense of isolation - her friends are no longer her friends, her parents are obviously struggling to deal with it themselves. And then there is her sister - who has become a stranger - and Cookie's worry that she too may develop a mental illness. One saving grace though is John. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story - very sweet and a great way to show life does go on - even when it feels as if it's falling apart.

I don't want to give too much away - I think it's one of those books you need to discover for yourself. I've got to say though, that I thought the ending was perfect and one that made me smile (albeit through tears!) I would also recommend reading the author's note at the end - to realise this is based on her real life experiences made me really think about how we view mental illness in society. Perhaps this story will help break down the walls and make it less of a taboo - something that we become more understanding towards.

One Of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

From Amazon:
My name is Ruby.
This book is about me.
It tells the deeply hideous story
of what happens when my mother dies
and I'm dragged three thousand miles away
from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray,
to live in L.A. with my father,
who I've never even met
because he's such a scumbag that he
divorced my mom before I was born.
The only way I've ever even seen him
is in the movies,
since he's this megafamous actor
who's been way too busy
trying to win Oscars
to even visit me once in fifteen years.
Everyone loves my father.
Everyone but me.

I really enjoyed this. From the title I was expecting a sad story - which in some ways it was - but it was also injected with some great humour. We first meet Ruby after her mother has died and she is on the plane to California to live with her father in LA. She doesn't want to go and still resents her dad for not being involved in her life until now. She also doesn't want to leave her boyfriend Ray or her best friend Lizzie.

Sonya Sones really hits the mark with Ruby's voice - snarky and very much a teenager. You really get a sense of who she is and a glimpse of who she could be in the future. I could also really feel the longing in her words for her mother and the life she'd left behind.

There are many different aspects to this story. Ruby has to deal with her grief over her mother's death, moving away from her boyfriend and best friend, trying to find new friends, and building a relationship with her father. It's here that I felt the story excelled. I completely understood Ruby's reasons for disliking her father but I warmed to him straight away. I also adored Max - and loved the relationship that developed between him and Ruby.

Some of the big revelations towards the end were not much of a surprise - I guessed them early on - but it was still enjoyable watching it all unfold. I was really looking forward to Ruby working one of them out and loved her reaction when she did.

This is another verse novel I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read more - I am finding them very addictive! And on the basis of this one I am really looking forward to reading many more by Sonya Sones.