Be Strong & Curvaceous : A Review & Giveaway

I'm trying to remember what kind of books I read when I was a tween. I think Sweet Valley High was a pretty popular series in the early 80s. But what else? Anyone...? Anyone....? Yeah, it was too long ago.

What I do know is that I never found a series like the All About Us novels by Shelley Adina. I got to read the third book in the series, Be Strong and Curvaceous, and I can only say that I wish this has been around when I was in my teens and struggling to fit in.

Granted, I was never in a place like the elite "Spencer Academy" but I can completely understand the longing to fit in, trying to hide just how poor we were and crushing on a seemingly unreachable guy. I also really appreciate the powerful but subtle way the author brings faith to the forefront of the characters' lives.

Though this is a tween/teen novel I found myself engrossed in the story and read it in one evening (I was up way past my bedtime). I really wanted to find out how it ended...

Here's the overview from the back of the book:

After spending spring break in Mexico with her grandparents, Carly Aragon can't wait to get back to school at Spencer Academy in San Francisco. With Lissa Mansfield and Gillian Chang by her side, she's ready for anything . . . except a new roommate.
Lady Lindsay MacPhail, flamboyant daughter of the Earl of Strathcairn, quickly becomes Carly's worst nightmare. "Mac" not only swoops in and steals Carly's privacy, she's also dating Brett Loyola--Carly's biggest crush!
But when Mac starts receiving strange, threatening e-mails, she and Carly must come together to figure out who's behind them and why. In the end, the fate of one girl will lie in the other's hands. Will the two learn to trust one another and trust God?

Although I haven't read the first two books (I'll have to see if my local library has them) I'm going to say this is a great series for tween/teen girls. Shelley Adina's tag words on her website are "Friendship. Fashion. Faith." I tended to think of the book as more "Trust. Trust in yourself, your friends and God". But, however you look at it, it's a fun read with values.

I want to thank Miriam at Hachette Book Group for letting me review this book. Thanks to her generosity I am passing on my book to one lucky reader. It's like new- I have a crazy respect for books.

To qualify visit Shelley Adina's bibliography and tell me which of the other All About Us novels you would want your tween/teen/granddaughter (or yourself!) to read. Leave your response in the comments.

For an extra entry subscribe to Iowa Geek (you can do this near the top of the page in the left column) or take my button. Leave another comment telling me which you chose.

For a third entry either blog or or retweet this contest (if RT copy & paste this: RT@ iatraveler Win a copy of Be Strong & Curvaceous at Iowa Geek! http://bit.ly/pne1 ) Leave another comment with the blog link or your twitter id so I can confirm this entry. And be sure to follow me on Twitter for contest info & giveaways!

International entries welcome!

Only three entries per person, please. Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Friday, January 9 at 10am. I will draw the winner shortly after that time. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.