Customer Reviews

Plan B

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've read Jennifer O'Connell's chick lit books ('Off the Record' and 'Dress Rehearsal') and really enjoyed them so I knew I'd have to read 'Plan B' her latest book.

It was everything I expected and more. Vanessa and Reed, half brother and sister only 3 months apart, find out about each other. Reed is the son of a Hollywood celebrity and has gotten into trouble so his mother sends him away to live with his birth father's family. Vanessa is shook up about all this and has to get used to life with a famous star for a brother.

Any fan of O'Connell's writing or fans of teen chick lit will enjoy this book.

Vanessa receives a shock one day when the phone rings and she finds out she has an older brother. There is another catch though not only does she have a brother she never know about but he is a Hollywood it boy. She has to also deal with her Hollywood obsessed best friend and a boyfriend who is away at Yale while she is stuck in Chicago. I thought the brother and sister angle was very entertaining but I also thought what happened between her and her boyfriend was very predictable. That is why I am giving it four out of five but I look forward to more books by Jenny O'Connell in the Young Adult field.

Plan B by Jenny O'Connell features Vanessa, a high school student who has always been a do-gooder and a planner. In other words, she has a few itsy bitsy neurotic tendencies and the need for order. When her parents tell her that she has a half-brother close to her age, she is surprised. When she is told he is Reed, a television actor who is popular with her peers, she is shocked. When she discovers that he's coming to live with her family and attend her high school, her entire world turns upside down.

In the past year, there have been many novels that feature a hip, famous teenage actor trying to live a "normal" life. Plan B by Jenny O'Connell could have been just another of those stories - been there, read that - but thanks to a storyline that was more about family than fame, it is memorable and meaningful. Put this book in your plans!

The writing is very good. The pace is fast. It held my attention from beginning to end.

Story wise, I think most people who've had a boyfriend could relate to Vanessa's boyfriend dilemna, and understand how difficult it is to breakup with someone you're in love with, even though you know they're no longer right for you.

The book was more about Vanessa than Reed's adjustment to non-celebrity lifestyle. I expected more about Reed and wanted more on his celebrity lifestyle, but there wasn't much at all. He actually appeared to be a decent down to earth guy doing his best to adjust to a new lifestyle. Vanessa at times behaved like a spoiled brat who wouldn't give her brother a chance. She was more like a 'diva' than Reed.

Vanessa Carlisle has the next year of her life planned. Coast through senior year. Graduated salutatorian. Spend the next summer in Europe with her best friend. Come back from Europe in time to make orientation at Yale, where she'll be joining her boyfriend, with whom she'll live happily ever after. The End. Except that it's not. Right before school starts, the Carlisle's get a shocking phone call. Vanessa's half-brother is going to come live with them for the year. Yes, brother. Who no one even knew existed. Well, they didn't know he was a relation. Everyone in America has heard of Reed Vaughn, Hollywood bad-boy who needs to get away from that scene or he'll end up in therapy forever. Oh, and Reed's a senior. Starting at Vanessa's school. Suddenly, Vanessa's plans are shattered. She's never been good with change, and now she's scrambling for a Plan B... one that will still end with happily ever after. Though the plot is a little far-fetched, the writing style and characters makes it seem absolutely realistic. The reader, who will probably be smarter than Vanessa, will also want her to find happily ever after, but maybe not the way she sees it.

i absolutely could not put this book down. everything about it was great and i luv'd vanessa. this is my second MTV book and i hope they're all as good as the two i've read so far. definitely pick this one up.

This book was awesome and I couldn't wait to finish it to find out what happens. I hope there's another book that let's us find out what goes on with Vanessa and Reed next. This book is at the top of my favorites.

"Plan B" is a really cool book that teens will enjoy. In this age of "Jerry Springer" and "Maury" teens have to deal with real life surprise. Vanessa, the main character in "Plan B" has to deal with her own mini-trauma. Everything in her life is going just the way she wants it to be. She is now attending the Cabot School, an educational institution that fosters her academic needs as well as her artistic ones. When she hears her parents arguing she fears someone has died. Finally, they break the news to her--she has a brother. Turns out during a brief separation a child was conceived. So Vanessa goes from only child to sister in seconds. Things really get interesting when her half brother comes to live with her. He isn't your average guy, Vanessa's half-brother happens to be young Hollywood hot shot Reed Vaughn. This is an interesting read for teens or college age readers.

Plan B is an unexpectedly charming, funny read. It was refreshing to read a novel focused on family instead of romance (though Vanessa does have a boyfriend, so romance factors in a little).

Both Vanessa and Reed are fun characters with realistic, believable problems. I really liked how each of their expectations of each other are based on stereotypes, and yet both are wrong and end up helping each other grow as people. I found Jenny O'Connell's portrayal of Vanessa completely accurate for a teenage girl: entirely irrational. She constantly goes off on these flights of fancy about boys, college, etc. She makes mistakes and has to deal with the consequences, even if it takes her a while to admit she was wrong. I thought her growth as a character was extremely well done.

One thing that did bother me a little: Vanessa's relationship with Patrick. I knew what was going to happen between Vanessa and Patrick from almost the first sentence that mentioned him. It was entirely predictable and almost a little cliche. However, since the romantic relationship was not the focus of the novel, it did not detract from my overall enjoyment.

If you are searching for a fun, light read, you'll find it here!

This was a good story. I didn't really know what I was getting into, I had read The Book of Luke first and decided to get this one, even without really knowing what the premise was. I wasn't disappointed.

I found myself glued to the pages for the most part. Neither Vanessa or Reed were happy with the situation and both would have rather things stayed the same instead of change.

Vanessa seems to have hit lots of problems in this book. Not only does she have a half brother who is coming to stay with them, he's also famous. And that doesn't help when everything else hits the fan. But it was a good coming of age story and seeing Vanessa grow up a bit and make choices that would result in change (which she is terrified of) it was a book that was a pleasure to read.