Revenge of the Homecoming Queen (Aspen Brooks) Paperback – July 3, 2007

One of the main reasons I liked this book so much, I think, is that I didn't have to work too hard or wait too long to like and get a kick out of the heroine, Aspen. So often with books like this it takes forever for the heroine to have the epiphany that helps bring her around to tolerable range, but here you knew right off the bat that Aspen was made of good stuff.That frees you up to follow the mystery and to enjoy Aspen's little mini-dramas. It helps that many of the supporting characters, ( including especially the b/f/f, the crush, and the nemesis). get enough facetime and enough good lines to be interesting themselves. Indeed, all of the supporting characters bring something to the party, so no one player's shtick ever gets old.Unusual for a book like this, Aspen's parents get a good deal of attention, and Aspen's Mom is even at the center of the main sub-plot. Usually the parents are incidental characters, if mentioned at all, and it was sort of nice to have them involved and for Aspen to have a solid relationship with them.On top of all that the snarky/funny lines were actually witty and not just knock offs of the same old tired bits. The energy level was high, and any and all of the characters could spring surprises, so the whole effort was more upbeat and frothy than usual. No phony drama or dreary angst, this book came screaming out of the box and never let up. Great. This is the first book of a trilogy, and I'd be keen to read the other two, which I guess is the best recommendation you can give a book.(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale(Book #1: Aspen Brooks Trilogy)Source: PurchaseRating: 4/5 starsIs there anything worse than losing the run for Homecoming Queen? YES!! Losing the race to the biggest skank in school and then having to endure said skank spreading a rumor that you wear knockoffs. Holy Hell!! Can it get any worse? Absolutely For Aspen Brooks, the title and the crown for Homecoming Queen were supposed to be a lock: Aspen is beautiful, quite stylish (Dooney and Jimmy Choo, duh!), totally smart and, she knows how to run a campaign. And so, in front of the entire student body and looking her very, very best something goes horribly wrong and Aspen watches as her nemesis Angel Ives and her minions take the crown and court!! The only real consolation is the fact that the biggest nerd in the school, Rand Bachrach took the King crown. Now how did that happen?As if this first epic fail weren’t enough, over the next few weeks, Aspen’s life becomes a series of dramas, one after the next and all designed to turn her world upside down. First, the nemesis disappears (OK, not so bad!), her ridiculously stupid but totally popular boyfriend dumps her (kind of sucky!), she finds herself strangely attracted to the biggest nerd in school (turns out he cleans up reeeally well), her best friend begins acting quite strangely (more so than normal) and, she lands in the hospital. Huh? It sort of seems like someone just might be out to get Aspen Brooks. In order to figure out why the universe is out to get her and convince the now super-hot Rand that she is more than just a flighty and self-absorbed airhead, Aspen must sharpen her sluething skills and change her behavior.To be fair, Aspen’s sleuthing skills are quite good and in no time flat, she begins to unravel the mystery of her misfortune. With the help of Rand and some flat-out dogged determination, Aspen pulls all the evidence together and in one final and seriously dramatic showdown, she saves and/or improves the day, her nemesis (BLECH!), her mom, two morons and, her relationship with her bestie and Rand. The final reveal of the big bad and the motivation behind all the drama isn’t all that surprising but it also really doesn’t matter because the ride from start to finish is just flat out entertaining. Some of the things Aspen chooses to say are just mind boggling and laugh-out-loud funny!! I don’t think she has ever heard of either an inner monologue or edit button The Bottom Line: Yeah, Aspen is a bit self-absorbed and the tiniest bit clueless from time to time but at heart she is a good and well-meaning person. She is also a phenomenally well-dressed person  Though there were times when I just hung my head in shame for Aspen I also found myself, on more than a few occasions really rooting for her. Aspen has some truly fine qualities (the moments with her mom are great!) and once you get beyond the shallow, Aspen is a character worth knowing. In all, Revenge of the Homecoming Queen has a lot to offer including: light suspense, witty banter and generally good conversation, fairly well-developed characters, naughty bits that are kept to a respectable minimum and, a read that is smooth and entertaining. I can’t honestly say this book is going to make my top reads of the year list but I can honestly say that I have already purchased the other two books in the trilogy! Yes, I need more Aspen Brooks in my life!

I came across this book as a freebie on Amazon one day. I was looking for something more lighthearted to read, so I thought a little cattiness between girls would be the perfect remedy.Aspen Brooks, girlfriend to the star quarterback, was destined to be homecoming queen. Imagine her shock when the crown ends up on the head of cheerleader, Angel Ives. Even more shocking, the crown for the homecoming king ends up on the head of mega geek, Rand Bachrach. Then things begin to get even more weird. Aspen gets threatening messages, her boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself falling for Rand, and girls start disappearing. Aspen takes it upon herself to play detective when one of the ones to disappear is her own mother. Will she uncover what is happening, or will she become the next victim?I felt like there was too much pushed into the story. There was mystery, revenge, love and much more. We have the downfall of the reputation of Aspen, the disappearance of the girls, the transformation of geek into hunk, the discovery of sexuality of friends, a mother who is a shopaholic, and more. The story was so jumbled with everything, I had to keep pushing myself to finish. I didn't really feel a connection to the characters. In fact, I found Aspen and her mother annoying. They were both shallow and some of Aspen's actions made me cringe. Who has sex with their boyfriend after finding out their mother has disappeared? I just wanted to reach into the pages and smack her.I teetered between giving this book 2.5 or 3 stars. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a teen story, but with adult themes, younger adults, but not younger teen readers.http://bookyblurbs.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/revenge-of-the-homecoming-queen-by-stephanie-hale-review/