Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope

       Book review number two goes to Little Blue Envelope #2! Maureen Johnson's, The Last Little Blue Envelope. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

       It's no secret that YA urban fantasy is, by far, my favorite genre. I love feeling like there could so easily be a layer of magic underneath the world I currently live in. That, in so many of the cases, the story-lines could be real. Who is to say that there is no Hogwarts out there off the map? Well, scientists are to say, and I know that they're right when I really think about it. No matter how much I secretly like to think that Jo Rowling is actually a squib chronicling a major piece of wizarding history for us muggles, I know I'm just being silly. It doesn't hurt to dream though, right? If so, I wouldn't have any ambition to write.

       What I love about YA contemporary novels, is the sense of adventure, of love and loss. The same themes of fantasy novels, only it's all real. You could, scientifically speaking, have an adventure just like the ones you read in contemporary novels. That's the point of them. That's what I love about them. It is also what I hate about them.

       I enjoyed reading about Ginny's adventures in London and Paris and Amsterdam and Ireland just as much, if not more, than last time. It's exhilarating to think I could actually do just what she did. I can go buy a plane ticket and fly on over to London to start having my very own adventure overseas. I can't, however, go tap on a brick wall with an umbrella/wand out back of The Leaky Cauldron to get to Diagon Alley. I think this is why I always have a real sense of disappointment in myself when I'm finished with a contemporary novel. It's not my fault that I can't go kick some death eater butt, but it is my fault that I live contentedly in a little safe bubble. 

       The only time I travel outside of New England is when I visit Orlando, FL to go to Disney World or Universal Studios. This is my extent of adventure. When I was still enrolled in college I had planned 100% on studying abroad in England or a similar English-speaking country (I felt as though I'd be really out of place at a college I didn't speak the primary language.) Now that I'm withdrawn from school and have no idea when I will go back, I don't know when I'll actually get the chance to go anywhere out of my comfort-zone. 

       Best Friend and I planned on visiting her relatives in Greece this summer for a few weeks, and I was very excited by the prospect. I had it all planned out. We'd even take trips to the countries close-by. We dubbed it, the Best Summer Ever. Sadly, Best Summer Ever needs funding. Funding requires having a job. I do have a job, but my 95% of my paycheck goes to my car payments. The only reason why I really have a car, is to get me to my job. It's a truly miserable cycle. The job also has limited days off. So, technically speaking, I need the job for money that will take me ages to actually build up, and even when I save up enough, I still won't be allowed to take more than a week off. A week is definitely not enough time to spend overseas if it is your first time visiting! The very thought of being stuck where I am makes me itch. I'm nineteen. Isn't this the prime time for traveling and experiencing life?

       So, in short, this is why I have a love/hate relationship with contemporary novels. I really do love any genre, really, because they take me away from my life. They let me live as someone else, if even for just a little while. The problem is that fantasy/dystopia/paranormal/scifi/steampunk/etc. leaves me feeling fulfilled, and contemporary leaves me feeling disappointed with my life. It's a love/hate relationship. I love them when I'm reading them, but I hate myself after them. *sigh*

       I apologize for the contemporary genre rant. I will now actually review the book for y'all.. seeing as though that is the point of a book review. Right? Right.

       As I briefly mentioned before, I think I might have loved The Last Little Blue Envelope even more than 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Seeing as though I gave 13LBE 5/5 stars, it only makes sense to give LLB 5/5 as well! :D 

       I think this review in particular will be quite spoilery, so you might want to look away if you have not yet read it! Please though, go out and buy it. Read it.

       The book starts out with Ginny trying to finish her college application essay:

       Describe a life experience. Well, how about this? How about coming back to England to find the guy you love dating someone else and some other random guy holding your dearly-departed aunt's letters and her art hostage. How about that, admissions committee?

       They would never believe her. They would think she was a fantasist. They would put her picture on the corkboard with a note under it that just read: PSYCO. DO NOT ADMIT.

       That small except alone pretty much describes the premise for the entire story. 

       I enjoyed all of the characters Ginny briefly spent time with in the first book, but I liked that there were constant companions for her throughout the entire second. I really loved the two new characters specifically, Oliver and Ellis, and I loved that we got to spend more time with Richard. 

       From the moment I met Oliver, I knew I was going to end up liking him for some reason, even though his entrance to the storyline was very much the opposite of Keith's, the other potential love-interest. When we first met Keith, he was instantly likable. He was funny and goofy, passionate about his art, etc. Ginny liked him right off the bat, and we, as the readers, did too. From there though, it was all downhill for me with Keith. He definitely had some redeeming moments, but his personality and actions rubbed me the wrong way more than once. At the end of book one, when they were labeled as "sort of together" and I was happy because Ginny was happy, even though I would have liked it to end differently.        

       Oliver, on the other hand, we instantly dislike. He's pretty much blackmailing Ginny. He wants half the money from the art she is going to collect. Once this settled in though, I realized a few things. Oliver was kind enough to do a ridiculous amount of tracking down when he found her letters. He didn't have to contact her at all, but he knew they had sentimental value. That was kind of him. It really is only fair that he gets a bit of money for it, and he's not just being greedy. He desperately needs the money. That knowledge, paired with the moments throughout the book that show the redeeming qualities that made me (and Ginny) like him more and more, is what really put me solidly on Team Oliver. Oh, and when Ginny comes back to London to retrieve the thirteenth envelope from Oliver she pops on over to her sort-of-something's house, and discovers that he has a girlfriend now. It was kind of Keith to let her in on this little fact, right? Yeah, solidly Team Oliver.

       I liked Keith's girlfriend though, very much. Ellis is just so sweet and kind. I, like Ginny, had a hard time hating her for taking Keith away. The two end up being pretty good friends, I think. If there is a #3 (and I certainly hope that there will be) I'd like Ellis to stick around. I'd like to see Ellis and Ginny's friendship develop now that they can have a legitimate relationship. They were uncomfortable around each other at first, because of Keith, but at the very end they have a nice moment. Ellis is the reason why Ginny ends up sorting things out with Keith once and for all.

       This book, as you might have noticed, focuses a lot less on learning from Ginny's aunt and a lot more on the relationships she develops with others. Not surprisingly, the end of the last letter gives some very sound advice, comparing art to love. Due to her aunts last words, Ginny ends the book making all the right decisions. She ends up with Oliver. She ends up figuring out what to write in her essay. She ends up realizing where she wants to go to school. 

       It was overall a good read. I love Maureen Johnson's characters, and I've always been a big fan of character driven novels. It was hard for me to get through at times because Ginny spends the book trying to get over her aunt's losing battle with cancer, and I just lost my grandmother this past weekend. Some scenes touched on a soft spot, but it was almost good to have that in a way.

       In short, once again, I give 5/5 stars to The Last Little Blue Envelope!


Happy reading!

My Very First Post!

Hello all!


This is my very first post! (And quite possibly the longest post I will ever write, survey included.)


Okay, so, to be honest I originally created my LiveJournal account because I wanted to be able to friend other LiveJournal accounts. Specifically authors and such. It never actually occurred to me that I should probably make use of the space and write something once in a while, because I figured no one would read it. What's the point of sending words out into the world that no one will ever read? I decided today though, that I would start doing blog entries in the hopes that someone will actually want to go back and read all of these someday. (At which point I discovered that I like Blogger much, much better than livejournal.. and that is why you're here instead of over there!)


You see, my main goal at this point is to publish a book. Not just any book. THE book. The book that has been consuming my life for the past few months. The book that I have put my heart and soul into. I love my characters and my world, and I want to share them with others. I want my characters, that have become real to me at this point, to meet people! I realize this might sound crazy to some of you, but I am certain there is SOMEONE out there that feels the same way. I know it, because I've read the same thing from another post on another blog by some author at some point. I thought she was crazy. You think of your characters as real people? Psh. C'mon. No, really. I now get it. They ARE real. To me, at least.


So, in short, I have made a promise to myself that I would post in here once a week, preferably Wednesday, to give a general update of my writing journey and such. Maybe someday, someone will want to go back and read through my process, maybe even give hope to someone else. Kiersten White gave me hope. She started her blog as she was writing, unagented, and now she's a published author. I didn't read her blog from the day she started it, but once I read Paranormalcy (an amazing debut novel by the way. Please, PLEASE go out and buy it if you haven't already!) I looked her up on good 'ole Google, and I found her blog. I began reading through her posts, at some point I found myself reading some from the very beginning and saw that she was once at the point I feel that I am at now. Maybe someday, I could be in her shoes, giving support to others. I could only hope to be half as amazing an author as Kiersten, but that's just what I'm going to do. Hope.


I think maybe I'll try to make it a habit to answer a randomly generated question at the end of each post, too, for an excuse to talk about some non-related writing stuff. :)


That's all for now, I guess! Hats off to you if you actually read through all of this. ;)


Happy writing,
Shauna


p.s. I thought it might be fun to answer some survey questions I found on FB to give y'all an idea of who I am. :D Here are the answers!




SURVEY


What shall I call you?
Shauna Michelle Francesca-Rilynne Gallo. Just kidding, please don't call me by my full name. Shauna, Shau or Shaun works just fine for me. I also answer to "girl-who-has-one-too-many-names," as my little bro has so creatively dubbed me. :)


Why are you taking this quiz?
I want people to get an idea of who I am!


Promise not to get offended?
I will try my best.


Great! Any last words?
Et tu, Brute? -- Sorry, I can never refrain from telling a lame Shakespearian joke.


RANDOM:


What is the single largest item in your house? 
Geez, I have no idea. My couch?


How well can you write your name with your non dominant hand? 
Pretty well, actually. Fun fact: I can write pretty decently with my toes as well. Gross, right?


What color is your bedroom? 
The walls are white, but the theme is aqua & like-colors with a sandy-colored rug.


What type of computer mouse do you use? 
I work on a laptop mostly. So, touch pad.


What is your earliest memory? 
I think, being told my brother was born. I was 3 & 1/2 at the time. I totally wanted a sister at first, but that changed quite fast. Dave's awesome. :)


Do you like to color inside the lines? 
Always. I wonder what that says about me..


What do you have set as your home page? 
.. a collage of movie stills taken of Tangled, ha! Great movie.


Where would you hate to have to work? 
Anyplace where food is involved. Vegetarians generally don't like to be around meaty dishes..


Do you prefer lightbulbs or candles? 
Lightbulbs are safer, but there's nothing cooler than sitting around in candlelight because the power went out on a stormy night. :D


Would you ever get plastic surgery? 
Not unless there was a dire emergency. Say if I were in a horrible accident or something & the surgery could give me some piece of mind. *knocks on wood* I hope I never have to make that choice though.


What is the best halloween costume you have ever worn? 
In second grade, my mother made me a KICK-*SS Beanie Baby costume. Erin, the green bear with the clover on her chest. I had a tag on my bear-ear & everything. So freaking cool, man.


Can you snowboard? 
Not since I hurt my back. Herniated disks + physical activity = disaster. :\


What is sitting next to you right now? 
Um, my Cheshire Cat stuffed animal. Chesh says hi, everybody.


Do you own any really old video game systems? 
No. :( My brother gave our Nintendo-64 away, like, two years ago. I was devastated even though I hadn't played with it in years. Where else am I going to play Donkey Kong, people?!


Are you good at baking? 
Goodness, no.


Do you sneak into movie theatres? 
Nope, I'd be too worried I'd take up space and someone who actually bought a ticket wouldn't have any place to sit. That wouldn't be very nice. :(


Do you usually write in print or in cursive? 
A mixture of both.


What do you want to buy from an infomercial? 
Um, a snuggie. Who wouldn't want a backwards bathrobe?


Can you tell people honest things to their face? 
Yes. I think I'm kind of known for it.. But in a nice way, of course.


What do you think of clothing for pets? 
So annoying, unless it's necessary. I know they have special shoes for dogs that walk in the snow and such, as well as warm outfits for naturally furless animals. That kind of stuff is okay.


Do you tend to want things you cannot have? 
Don't we all?


Is it true that you can be anything you want to be? 
I couldn't be the queen of England if I wanted it more than anyone has wanted anything else in the entire world -- So I would say yes, but only to an extent, if you really work at it.


Would you ever dye your hair purple? 
I would. I dyed my hair blue today actually..


Who do you think should play you in a movie? 
I get told I look like Hayden Paniettere, Reese Witherspoon and Stacy Farber quite often, so maybe one of them. I used to get "Lizzie Maguire" a lot too.. ha!


What kind of super power do you wish you had? 
Teleportation would be lovely!


Are you afraid of snakes? 
If Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes, I think we should all be afraid of snakes.


Do you want to be bilingual? 
I've always wanted to speak French and Italian.. It'd be nice to understand Spanish, too.


Do you like to organize things? 
Very much so.


Are you going to have smile lines or frown lines when youre older? 
I already have smile lines, if you can believe it. I'm only nineteen! Sheesh.


Do you like the game red rover? 
Red rover is awesome, but nothing is cooler than freeze tag.


What stupid little thing really stresses you out? 
Bad drivers. Ohmygoodness the road rage I have while driving is very, very bad..


Which Disney parks have you been to? 
All of the parks in Disney World, repeatedly! I've been there 18 times, actually. I've never been to Disneyland in Cali, though.


What is the last cartoon you watched? 
Hmm.. Probably Phineas and Ferb. Ha!


What does your bed comforter look like?
It's turquoise and sea green satin-y. It reminds me of the ocean. :)


FAVORITES:


Food?
Nutella!


Restaurant? 
The Olive Garden or The Cheesecake Factory.


Non-alcoholic beverage? 
Water. :)


Song? 
Currently: Blinding - Florence + the Machine


Band? 
I'd have to say Florence + the Machine for that too..


Concert that you've been to? 
Paramore was AMAZING. Aerosmith at Fenway Park rocked too.


Season? 
I like the fall and the spring both.


Holiday?
Ah, tie between Halloween & Christmas.


Day of the week? 
Now that I work only on the days that USED to be my two favorite days of the week (Friday & Saturday) I have no idea..


Time of day? 
I like the nighttime. 


Color? 
Purple.


President? 
John Quincy Adams.. don't ask why.


Sport? 
Football & hockey are pretty tied for that one.


Hobby? 
Writing/reading, of course!


Number? 
Thirteen.


Board game?
Clue!


Book? 
Most. Difficult. Question. EVER. Probably Sorcerer's Stone though, because it really hooked me into the world of literature. Specifically fantasy fiction. :)


Poem? 
Daddy - Sylvia Plath.


Musical? 
Spring Awakening.


TV show? 
Ah, another hard Q. I'd say, right now, Misfits.


Movie?
I have a lot of favorite movies, but I think I'd say Shakespeare in Love is my all-time favorite.


Ice cream flavor? 
Tollhouse, or chocolate-chip cookie dough!


Genre of music? 
I like pretty much all kinds of music, but maybe alternative more than most.


Female singer? 
Florence Welch, Hayley Williams, Adele or Janelle Monae.


Male singer? 
Bruno Mars, B.o.B. or Frank Sinatra. (told you I like all types of music!)


Instrument? 
Ooh, the violin. 


Future career? 
Writer, perhaps? :)


Language?
Ah, I love the way French sounds. Can't speak it though.


Vacation spot? 
Orlando!


Amusement park? 
I would have to say Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure simply because of the Harry Potter section.


Actor? 
I'm a HUGE Johnny Depp fan. He's amazing. De Niro, Robert Downey Jr. & Harrison Ford are awesome too. :)


Actress? 
Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman & Helena Bonham Carter -- if one of these ladies is in it, I will watch it.


Comedian? 
Stand-up wise: Bo Burnham, Dane Cook, Daniel Tosh, John Pinette, Robin WIlliams, Ricky Gervais.. etc.


Store? 
Forever 21.


Perfume/cologne? 
I haven't worn anything other than my Juicy Couture perfume in years..


Jewelry that you own? 
The amethyst necklace I bought for inspiration. :)


Teacher in elementary school? 
Mrs. Wayland! She was so, SO cool. She used to dance on the desks every Friday afternoon & sing a song. That woman instilled in me that weekends were to be enjoyed!


Subject in school? 
English & history.


Junk food? 
Smartfood, probably.


Cookie? 
Peppermint chip.. They are AWESOME.


Book when you were a child? 
Honey Bunny Funny Bunny. :)


Movie when you were a child? 
Beauty & the Beast?


Activity as a child? 
I liked to draw on everything.. walls, tables, you name it.


Candy? 
Peach rings, bullseyes, jellybeans.. :)


Flower? 
Calla lily.


Outdoor activity? 
Rollerblading. :)


Inspirational quote? 
To thine own self be true.


Song lyrics? 
Florence + the Machine's Howl lyrics. Ooh, the imagery. 


Song title? 
Drops of Jupiter.


Pen color? 
Purple.


Gum? 
Ice Breakers cube gum!


PERSONAL LIFE


How’s life treaten’ ya?
It could be better, it could be worse.


What could make it better, even if you are?
My grandmother would be cured of cancer. That'd definitely make things better for me.


Who do you live with?
My parents and little brother.


How do you feel about this?
I'm only 19, so I've never lived with anyone else to know the difference! Luckily, I get along great with my fam. :)


Do you have a history of traumatic events in your life?
Somewhat, yes.


How is school?
WELL! Since you asked.. I withdrew from an amazing university only a month and a half into the first semester (last fall) because my grandmother got very ill, very fast. I was having trouble really focusing on my work, so the school suggested I withdraw before my GPA got permanently affected, leaving the door open for me to return whenever I felt I was ready. I chose not to return for the spring semester simply because the time off made me realize that I needed the time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. If it weren't for the time off, I don't think if I would have began writing the way I did. I have always written (I was a Film major in college with a focus on screenwriting as well as directing) but I never actually had the guts, or the time, to let myself try to write a full-length novel. It has turned out to be the best decision I have ever made. The US puts too much pressure on high school seniors to enroll in college directly from high school. I truly believe that some people need to live first, to find themselves and find out what they want to do with the rest of their life, first. So many of my friends have already switched their majors and even their schools, because of their uncertainty. They're only stressing themselves out and wasting cash. I say, take a year off. Travel. Work. Do whatever you need to do to be sure. Maybe even take two years off. Or three. Not everyone is the same. Not everyone will be ready to take the same steps at the same times.


Do you have lots of friends?
I do indeed, but only a handful of BEST friends.


How do you generally perceive people?
It depends on the people I'm perceiving. ;)


Are you a bitter person?
I think not.


Do you easily get jealous of people?
No. Definitely no.


How do you channel your anger?
Scream into a pillow? :) Sometimes I punch inanimate objects.. Sorry, door! :\


How well do you trust others?
I usually get either a good vibe or a bad vibe from people, instantly. If I get a good feeling from a person, then of course I'm going to trust him or her. Maybe not with my LIFE or anything.. but still.


FRIENDS & SOCIAL LIFE


Let’s be vague. In general, do you like people?
No, I hate all people. I am planning mass destruction as we speak.


Why or why not?
Okay, so I don't really hate ALL people. I will admit that some people definitely suck though. -- Dear sucky people, Would it kill you to crack a SMILE once in a while? Love, me. (& Dr. Seuss, apparently.)


Are you acceptant of others’ beliefs?
If they're acceptant of others as well. There is nothing I hate more, than a narrow-minded person.


What do you think of the friends you do have?
They're pretty awesome. If they weren't, they would not be my friends.


Do you believe that ‘friendship is golden?
I do.


Do you have a best friend?
Yes.


How long have you known this person?
Longer than I can literally remember. Since we were in diapers, really.


Are they like a brother/sister to you?
Yes she is.


Are you shy?
I can be, but I'm working on it.


Are you outgoing?
If I'm surrounded by people I'm comfortable with.


Have you ever intentionally hurt anyone, physically or emotionally?
I will admit to knocking out a girl's front teeth in the second grade because she was making fun of a friend in a really, REALLY terrible way. Who makes fun of someone for losing a parent? I'd probably punch her again if I had the chance.


LAST QUESTIONS


Did this quiz make you uncomfortable?
Not really.


Were you honest?
NO. I LIED THE ENTIRE TIME. Now no one really knows the real me.. Muahaha! Okay, just kidding. Sorry, it's almost 2 AM & I'm feeling delirious, you'll have to forgive me.


That's all for now, folks! :D