Review: We Can Work It Out (The Lonely Hearts Club #2) by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: We Can Work It Out (The Lonely Hearts Club #2)
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: January 27th 2015
Pages: 320
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought
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When Penny Lane started The Lonely Hearts Club, the goal was simple: to show that girls didn’t need to define themselves by how guys looked at them, and didn’t have to value boyfriends over everything else. Penny thought she’d be an outcast for life . . . but then the club became far more popular than she ever imagined it would be.
But what happens when the girl who never thought she’d date a good guy suddenly finds herself dating a great one? She doesn’t need a boyfriend . . . but she wants it to work out with this particular boyfriend. And he wants it to work it out with her.
Only, things keep getting in the way. Feelings keep getting hurt. Words keep getting misunderstood.
Penny Lane worked hard to declare her independence. Now she needs to figure out what to do with it -- and how to balance what she wants with what everyone else wants.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I really don't know how to write this review. I didn't love We Can Work It Out, but I don't think I can really blame the book for that. I really loved The Lonely Hearts Club when I first read it, but that was four years ago, and I think I've just grown up too much to enjoy the sequel as much. We Can Work It Out isn't any worse than The Lonely Hearts Club - they're really similar - but it just didn't work for me as well this time.

In The Lonely Hearts Club, I really liked Penny Lane and related to her a lot. But in the sequel, to be honest, I found all of her drama kind of exasperating. Not because she's more dramatic than she was in the first book; I just got more annoyed with it this time because I didn't relate to it as much anymore. The whole novel focuses on Penny Lane trying to balance her relationship with her dedication to the Club, but considering both are very understanding and she's really the only one putting all this pressure on her, I really just wanted her to calm down, and I didn't like her as much this time. The secondary characters are still pretty good, though; I really liked Ryan, who seems to be the voice of reason in all of this; the other members of the club; and Penny Lane's parents, even though their whole Beatles obsession is kind of exaggerated.

Considering Penny Lane's struggle to balance these things is basically the main plot and I was annoyed with this drama, the plot didn't really do much for me this time. I still love the idea of the club, but the whole thing is kind of exaggerated, which made it a little cheesy this time around. Some of the secondary storylines were interesting, though; I really liked everything relating to Bruce, the new exchange student, and to Ryan's problems aside from Penny Lane, with Todd and his family. And even if the way it was transmitted was too melodramatic for me, I do still really love the message of girl power, balanced with the new message that includes all people.

I don't really know what else to say about We Can Work It Out. It didn't really work for me because I was kind of annoyed by all the cheesiness and melodrama. But it's still a good sequel; it's exactly what I expected and has all the same qualities as the first book. So if you think you would enjoy The Lonely Hearts Club if you read it again today, you will definitely We Can Work It Out, even if it wasn't for me.

Review: Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: Better Off Friends
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Release date: February 25th 2014
Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance
Source: NetGalley - I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can't be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan's friends. They are platonic and happy that way.
Eventually they realize they're best friends -- which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep getting in each other's way. Guys won't ask Macallan out because they think she's with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can't help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

***This review includes slight spoilers. It doesn't give anything away that I didn't find completely predictable, but read at your own risk.***

This book frustrated me so much, even though I know it's not really the book but the way that it was marketed that is bugging me. I was really looking forward to a story that argues against the "guys and girls cant be just friends" bullshit; I wanted to read about friendship. But... Better Off Friends turned out to be a romance novel, and therefore plays into the "guys and girls can't be just friends" thing. It's not that I don't like romances - I love them! - but Better Off Friends just wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

I really enjoyed Macallan's and Levi's friendship: their banter is entertaining, and they had really good chemistry. I even liked them as romantic interests - I do think that it fit the story, and under different circumstances, I probably would have thought they were really cute. But because I was really, really hoping for a just-friends story, their cutesy behavior just annoyed me.

The novel felt a little tween to me, which didn't make me like the romance any more. We see the development of Macallan's and Levi's relationship from 8th grade to sophomore year, and I had been expecting them to be more in the older range of YA. Their young age made the romance even more frustrating for me - they keep going on and on about whether or not it's worth risking their friendship for a potential relationship, and having a happy ending that completely ignores the possibility of them not staying with their sophomore-year-in-high-school boyfriend or girlfriend just bugged me. But again, this is just my inner cynic that didn't want Macallan and Levi to be anything more than friends.

The secondary storylines had a lot of potential, but turned out to be underdeveloped. I really wanted to know more about Macallan's family situation: her grief for her mother and her relationship with her father, which is mentioned throughout the novel but never really explored. The other relationships Macallan and Levi have - both with friends and romantic interests - lack depth as well. I get that the relationship between Macallan and Levi is supposed to be the main focus, but I still wish these secondary storylines had been explored more.

Honestly, there's nothing really wrong with this book; it just wasn't what I was hoping for. If you go in like me, expecting a story that will defy the "guys and girls can't be just friends" stereotype, you will probably be disappointed. But if you're going in expecting a cute romance, you'll probably enjoy Better Off Friends, so I don't discourage you from giving it a try!

Review: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Point
Release date: March 1st 2013
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult contemporary
Source: Bought
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Don't mess with a girl with a Great Personality.
Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).
Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.
The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I've read The Lonely Hearts Club, and it was a cute, fun read. And from what I've heard, that's what you can generally expect from Elizabeth Eulberg's novels - nothing too deep or meaningful, but always entertaining. That's what Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality is, too, and sometimes you just need a quick, fun read that doesn't make you think too much.

There's two parts to Lexi's story: the family storyline and the high-school-drama storyline. I really liked the family storyline: the beauty pageant stuff is fun to read about, and I enjoyed getting to know the members of her family. (I guess "enjoy" isn't the right word, because there were times I wanted to punch each one of them in the face. But I definitely liked reading about them because they're well-developed characters.) Then there's the high school drama, which I'll admit is cliched and therefore wasn't always that great to read. But I didn't mind too much; Cam and Benny are good supporting characters, and for once, I actually liked the love triangle, if just for the unusual outcome.

Lexi is a very typical main character, which is both good and bad. She can be a little annoying in her typical teenager-y ways of thinking, but at the same time, that makes her easy to relate to.  Her narration is nice to read, keeping me entertained and making Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality a quick read.

The message, though, is something I was kind of confused about. At first, Lexi plays down her beauty, always in baggy t-shirts with her hair in a ponytail and no makeup. Then, she gets a makeover and dresses nice and wears a ton of makeup. The message is never really clear about whether or not that is supposed to be a good thing, though - in some ways, the book argues that you shouldn't have to change yourself to be appreciated by others. But Lexi not giving her looks any effort isn't portrayed as a good thing, either. I was confused about what message, exactly, the author wanted to convey about beauty and body image.

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality is an entertaining read, but not much more. I had hoped for a stronger girl-power message, a theme I have come to expect from lighter reads such as this one. Still, Elizabeth Eulberg's writing is good, and the story is fun, so if you're looking for an entertaining, lighthearted read that doesn't require much thinking on your part, give this one a try!

Review: The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Title: The Lonely Hearts Club
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: January 1st 2010
Pages: 290
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought
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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. . .

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


First off, I love the cover of this book! It's so cute, using the Beatles theme and giving it a feminine twist - fits the book perfectly!

Penny is a great MC. She's funny, endearing, and just plain easy to like. I could easily relate to her, and I just loved her voice. I admit there were a few times Penny's cluelessness and seeming incapability of just being happy irritated me, but overall, I loved her as our main character. I loved the rest of the girls in the Lonely Hearts Club, too, and I like how each of them has their own story - I would have liked to know even more about all these girls!


And Ryan. Ryan is just so adorable! I loved Ryan. He's not the best, most complex character ever, but he's just so cute, and Ryan and Penny are adorable together. Their cluelessness frustrated me a little, but it was also kind of endearing. And necessary, since there wouldn't be much of a plot without all the drama.


The Beatles references are fun, too. I don't know all that much about the Beatles because I'm too young, I guess, but I still liked that aspect of the story. Penny's parents are totally obsessed with the Beatles, causing for some very funny moments. Parts of it are a little exaggerated, but I didn't really mind.

The message in The Lonely Hearts Club is great. I thought it might get too preachy, but it seemed very natural and worked well with the story. Yay girl power!


The Lonely Hearts Club is just so freaking adorable. Really, that's the only way to describe this book. It's not the best-written, most meaningful book I've read, but it's pure fun. It's a cute, quick read - the perfect feel-good book!

What are some of your favorite lighthearted, feel-good books?