Book Review Monday: The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet

Hello, my friends!

I have a review of a different kind of book for you today. I have known this author for a long time from her Go Teen Writers blog and Facebook group. Then, I happened to find out that we live pretty close to each other, and we are in the same local writer's group. I finally got to meet her at a book signing last month.

I finished reading The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill a couple days ago and absolutely loved it. Here's a little about it:

"Ellie Sweet is a lot of things—good girl, novelist, silent adorer of the new boy at school, Palmer. But when “outcast” gets added to the list, she decides it’s time to take reality into her own hands … and tweak it as needed.

In the pages of her book, she’s Lady Gabrielle, favorite of the medieval Italian court. Her once-friends are reduced to catty ladies-in-waiting, and the too-charming Palmer—who in real life never spares her a second word—gets to be nothing more than a rake wracked by unrequited love for her. She even has a perfect real-life villain in the brooding Chase, who hails from the wrong side of town.

But just when she’s getting along great in her fictional world, the real one throws her a few curves. With Chase pursuing her, Palmer wanting to date her—but in secret—and the details of her manuscript going public, Ellie suddenly receives more attention than she ever really wanted. And when her former-friends discover what she’s been writing, they’re determined to teach Ellie a lesson about the severe consequences of using her pen as her sword."

My Thoughts:

The Characters:

I absolutely adored these characters. Ellie Sweet is just like me, so I really connected to her. I'm also a teenage author who got published at age sixteen! So many details in her life were exactly like mine. The author did an excellent job letting the reader understand the mind of a young author.

Chase was a very well-written character. He was the "bad-boy" type, and yet he had many edges like a real person does. I liked him throughout the book, even if I didn't agree with some of the choices he made.

Palmer was very sweet, and I liked reading about him. However, he faced real issues that real people do, making him very believable.

The Plot:

I literally could not put this book down. I kept turning the pages, and one night I told myself I would only read one chapter because I had work to do. I ended up reading four. This book had an excellent plot that left me craving  the sequel.

The Setting:

I normally never read books in this setting. I am used to reading historical novels. However, this book was so good, and the setting was executed so perfectly, that it left me wanting to read more modern YA books. I really enjoyed this novel.

Overall:

I adored this book and recommend it. I loved every single page, never got bored, and adored the characters. 

About the Author:

Stephanie Morrill lives in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately she discovered a passion for young adult novels and has been writing them ever since.

Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers on her blog, www.GoTeenWriters.com.

You can buy The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet on Amazon.