Customer Reviews

How I Found the Perfect Dress

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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Morgan is back and the only thing that's different is that her hair is longer!

While quite a bit of time has passed since her adventures in Ireland, and she is now an ocean's length away, Morgan still feels like it was just yesterday that she was frolicking with the fairies and biking across Ireland. The worst part is she's away from Colin, the guy she fell for while on the bike trip. Yes, they've exchanged the odd email here and there, but their relationship has pretty much fizzled out.

Now all Morgan has to worry about is the upcoming Junior Prom. While all she really wants is for Colin to be her date, she knows that it's not going to happen. That is until she gets an email from him telling her that he's coming to the States. Of course, Morgan is excited, but the moment he steps off the plane Morgan can tell that something is wrong. Colin seems to be exhausted. Morgan soon finds out that the fairy folk cast a spell on Colin, making him dance with fairies every night. Any hope Morgan had of taking Colin to prom vanishes when she discovers this, as she knows he won't want anything to do with dancing, let alone have the energy.

The fairies better look out though, because Morgan is determined to have Colin as her date -- and she will find a way to break the curse!

When I finished WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT, I really didn't think it could get much better. Well, I stand corrected, because the sequel outdid the first book. I mean the first one was awesome, but this one was even better.

Morgan returns as funny as ever and definitely doesn't disappoint. This book is completely irresistible and unforgettable. Lately, I have found myself thinking about the events of this book over and over again; they seem to just be cemented in my mind and certainly have no intention of leaving! There was nothing that could've made me put it down. The fantastical mix of magic and romance is still great, but we also get a bigger picture of reality as Morgan returns to high school.

I highly recommend this book as it will take you into another world, but then snap you back into reality just like a good book should! For fans of fantasy, romance, and just plain good books, go and walk....no, run!, to your nearest library or bookstore and grab a copy. This book will certainly not disappoint and will take you on an adventure not even feasible in your wildest dreams!

Reviewed by: Tasha

The magic and adventure that Morgan experienced the previous summer in the novel Why I Let My Hair Grow Out are nearly forgotten as March drags on, and Morgan helps plan what will be the worst junior prom ever. Everything starts to look sunny again when Colin, her hunk of a tour guide from Ireland writes to say that he's coming to Connecticut.

But when he arrives groggy and bleary eyed, it doesn't take long for Morgan to realize that it's more than jet lag that's making Colin so weary...but the Fair Folk who invade his dreams and want to dance with him from dusk til dawn. They refuse to leave him alone, and it's going to take all of Morgan's brains to figure out how to get him away before he gives out in exhaustion.

How I Found the Perfect Dress is a nicely paced, fun, and magical read that tops its predecessor, Why I let My Hair Grow Out. It's full of sarcastic, witty humor, more hysterical magical beings, and meddling faeries. What makes it memorable are the Fair Folk--they're just as described in those old tales, but rocking a 21st century style. There's a plot twist that's building up suspense around every corner, and Morgan handles it all with flair. Wood has created an absolutely wonderful, sparkling read.

Review from [...]

Title: How I Found the Perfect Dress
Author: Maryrose Wood
Grade: B+
Ideal Audience: Girls, 12-16
Sequel to: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out

Summary: Morgan's been concerned that her long-distance relationship, if she can call it that, is completely disappearing, but her worries are washed away when he emails, announcing that he is coming to Connecticut for a school project, and will be able to see and hang out with Morgan while he's in the states.

Morgan's excited to see him, but quickly realizes that his visit will be far from normal. As it turns out, the faeries have put Colin under a spell! Now, he has to spend his night, when he should be sleeping, dancing with them, and during the day is completely exhausted. To make it worse, Colin has no idea what is going on, so Morgan has to fix the problem herself without alerting Colin to the faeries' existence.

Suddenly, Morgan's problems have doubled. Now she doesn't just have to worry about finding a prom date for herself... as it turns out, she has to find one for a leprechaun! And a prom outfit herself has taken the backseat to creating a pair of shoes for Colin, without which the dancing enchantment cannot be broken.

My thoughts: Although I don't think this quite lived up to the first novel in the series, Morgan's sarcasm and quick wit carried on, providing endless entertainment for the reader. Maryrose Wood also continued on her friendly, engaging style, providing comfortable consistency within the series.

This will be worth reading to fans of Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, and to any new readers interested in Irish lore, this is for you as well.

Imagine taking a trip halfway around the world, only to find out that you're half-goddess, then be sworn to secrecy. What would happen when you went back to your normal life in your boring American town with your non-magical family and friends? Readers first met Morgan, Connecticut teenager and unlikely half-goddess, in Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, which detailed her trip to Ireland. Morgan's story continues in the sequel, How I Found the Perfect Dress.

As the holidays approach, Morgan is safe at home in Connecticut, missing her Irish crush Colin and keeping her secret about being half-goddess Morganne. She's a little bored by her hum-drum life in suburbia, and she wishes Colin would get in touch with her. Then he does, to say he's coming to her state for a college program, and she can't wait. But when his plan finally lands, Colin's exhausted. He's not jet lagged - he's spellbound! Morgan discovers that when he's asleep, he wanders into a magical realm where he dances with the faeries until the wee hours of the morning. She does everything she can to break the spell - and get him to go to prom with her.

Maryrose Wood's contemporary YA fantasies are fun, quick reads with plenty of comedy and romance. Morgan is more punk-rock than princess, and her conversations with her wide-eyed little sister are classic. Lewis Carroll's Alice would definitely like the scene when Morgan goes through a dressing room mirror. I know I did!

I hope there's another book about Morgan. I'd love to see her get into more magical mischief.

How I found the Perfect Dress wasn't as good as it's predecessor. I know others say that the second one was better than the first, but to me it wasn't that. First-- I had to put the book down several times to try to get into it.And that's a bad thing. I like a book that makes me want to read it on one sitting. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Second--sure there was more fantasy in the sequel but it wasn't as good as the first one.The breaking the spell part was predictable. I knew what was going to happen 1/4 into the book. Third--Morgan was still sarcastic and funny but her voice wasn't the same as it was in the first book. She felt different. Fourth--The plot for me really wasn't that interesting. Sometimes it got boring. Other times I got sleepy.It just wasn't as good as the first book. All these factors kept me from enjoying the book. The writing was still good but there I just didn't enjoy this sequel.
-Carol
www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com

It was a very fast delvery and the book was in perfect condition, just like stated.

Things have been disappointing anticlimactic for Morgan Rawlinson after a pretty unbelievable summer--in more than one way. Last summer, she discovered that she was a half-goddess, not that she's got any cool magical powers or anything like that. Last summer, she fell for Irish hunk Colin, but all that's come of that is the occasional bland email--that is, until Colin announces he's coming to none other than Morgan's home, Connecticut. But things aren't so bright and cherry with Colin; he's mentally exhausted from being forced to dance all night long with faeries in his dreams. And when Morgan finds out that this fatigue may be her fault, this semi-goddess is willing to do whatever it takes to break this evil faerie spell. But with prom season approaching and faery mischief abounding, this is not going to be an easy task, not at all.

How I Found the Perfect Dress is a cute and thankfully just as original sequel to the fabulous Why I Let My Hair Grow Out. Instead of revisiting an old Irish legend, Wood essentially creates her own, and the effect is unique and fun with an interesting combination of faery and human worlds. Morgan seems much more mature and in control of her life, at least eh parts not involving Colin, than in her previous adventure, which I liked because it shows her character growth. I enjoy reading from Morgan's perspective because she's just a funny and entertaining narrator, just as she was in Why I Let My Hair Grow Out. I was disappointed that Morgan and Colin's relationship wasn't completely cemented, but hopefully Morgan will star in another unique story and their romance can continue.

I thoroughly enjoyed How I Found the Perfect Dress, though if I had to pick a favorite of Morgan's tales, it would be her first, Why I Let My Hair Grow Out. Readers who enjoyed that novel as well as Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst and Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs will also want to read this fun one.

HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS
MARYROSE WOOD
Magical Fantasy YA

Rating: 5 Enchantments

HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS is one of my absolute favorite books of the year. I'm anxious to track down the first book, WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT to see how everything started for Morgan/Morganne and the adorable Colin.

In HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS, Morgan's crush from Ireland is coming to visit for two weeks, while taking part in a program at UCONN. But from the moment he arrives, Morgan knows there's something wrong with the hottie, Colin. He's absolutely exhausted and he confides in her about these weird little notes he finds in his pockets when he wakes up every morning. Morgan makes it her mission to find out what's going on and does everything in her power, including playing matchmaker to a leprechaun to put a stop to it.

Ms. Wood creates a wonderful world, populated with truly great characters. From Morgan and Colin, to Morgan's younger sister, the gnomes, the leprechaun and everyone in between, I really enjoyed them all. They were all so unique, so lifelike, I found myself believing they could all actually exist.

One of my favorite scenes takes place after Morgan finds out she needs to find a leprechaun a date in order to help break the curse on poor Colin. Outside in the dark in the middle of the night, she finds herself wondering if there's more to the plastic and ceramic gardening gnomes her father's collecting than meets the eye.

If you're looking for a fun, hilarious fantasy read I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Ms. Wood's first novel for young adults, SEX KITTENS AND HORN DAWGS FALL IN LOVE, was published in 2006 and hailed as "an uproariously funny debut" (Booklist), "irresistible" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), and "an effervescent delight" (Common Sense Media). You can visit her online at www.maryrosewood.com

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
June 2008

I don't think this book was quite as good as the first one. We've still got our spunky heroine who gets into loads of magical and real world drama. we've still got the cute leading man who is witty, handsome, and has a delicious accent. And we've still got our energetic plot that's loaded with twists, which although far-fetched, add a certain charm to the story. The thing that's lacking is something that I'm not really able to put my finger on. I think it might be that this whole book is just a continuation of the last one. And to that you might say; well isn't that what the second book in a series is supposed to be? And I'd answer; well...to some extent, yes, but really it shouldn't be. I like it when a sequel keeps references and characters from the previous book yet still adds a whole new dynamic to the story. Like the addition of a new main character, or perspective would have been nice. I just felt like all of the magical fantasy, Colin is cute, Morgan is wacky, stuff was getting a little old. I wanted a new book that would bring something different to the table than the first one did. But yes, this book was good and enjoyable, and even though it might have been lacking something I would've liked it to have, I can't deny that it was still a fun and light book that will captivate you just like the first one did. I love my fluffy books so I'm hoping the third one will satisfy me a little more than this one did.

Morgan Rawlinson recently discovered she's the goddess Morganne. It led to a number of interesting adventures in Ireland, but she has not had contact with any faeries since returning to Connecticut. She's learning to drive, helping to plan the junior prom, and trying to explain to her little sister Tammy whether or not Santa is real. Then Colin, her guide and crush from Ireland, comes to UConn for a robotics competition. Unfortunately, Morgan's favor made him a target to the faeries.

Morgan immediately sets to work, wanting to free Colin before the faeries exhaust him to death. It's fun to watch her go for it because she's inventive and puts the pieces together quickly - no missing obvious solutions. At the same time, the riddles she's faced with aren't overly easy to solve. (Rereading the novel, I even discovered meaning to a clue I missed the first time! I love it when there's more to find the second time around.)

The fantasy elements blend well with the other story threads. They even work with her parents fighting over lawn gnomes! (I'm on the mom's side. Yard ornaments are not my thing.) Nor is it my thing when authors use magic in their novel when it serves no purpose to the story, so it's nice to see how Maryrose Wood makes it mesh well with a high school girl's ordinary life in Connecticut.

I'm also partial to faerie stories, and I like Wood's faeries. They don't really care what happens to humans but they aren't randomly vicious, and they've got a wicked sense of humor. Try not to laugh when Morgan meets them at the grocer's. She also finishes the book with a few revelations that make me hope for another book.

For those who haven't read WHY I LET MY HAIR GROW OUT and fear they'll be lost, don't be. Wood introduces past story elements clearly so that HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS can easily stand on its own. Of course, you'll still want to pick up the first book to read more about Morgan and Colin.

HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS is a light-hearted and comedic novel that works well as a faerie tale and as a school story.