The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren (Simon Romantic Comedies) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: band geeks, flute case, bureau mirror, Grandma Perkins, Zach Parker, Proud Crowd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Geeky to gorgeous in sixty seconds...

Roxy's about to turn sixteen, but life isn't so sweet. As a band geek, Roxy can barely get the cute guys to notice her, much less go out with her. Then, on her birthday, Roxy is transformed into a siren: seductively beautiful with the power to control all men. She thought sirens were an ancient myth, but suddenly Roxy can get any guy she wants with just a few notes on her flute.

There are only two rules: don't tell anyone about being a siren, and don't fall in love. When she starts dating Zach, the guy everybody's crushing on, Roxy realizes she could get used to this siren thing...but how can she keep herself from falling in love?

About the Author

Wendy Toliver has explored a variety of jobs, from impersonating Marilyn Monroe for singing telegrams to impersonating a computer geek at an ad agency. She lives in Eden, Utah with her husband, three sons, two dogs, a cat, several fish, and an occasional mole.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416950656
• ISBN-13: 978-1416950653
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #625,766 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, December 26, 2007

By	Anna R. Haze "AnnaR Haze" (CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Roxy's 16th birthday is like no other. She is a band geek and doesn't appeal to the boys she wants and then she is transformed into a Siren (in a very logical historical way). She suddenly has power over all men and as she discovers this power and as she begins to use it she creates chaos in her life and among her true friends.
Roxy and her friends speak as we do. They are just like me and my friends (of course with out the magical powers) but there is so much of this wonderful read that is magically like our lives. We can extrapolate and see the powers we have and know at the end of the book we have made new friends or at least better understand the friends we do have.
I loved the book. It was a quick read because you won't want to put it down. It is perfectly written with neat references to shopping and malls and a changing room from beyond the stars. This is a book that just begs to be a movie! Each changing scene is visualized so completely that I could just see the characters as they emerged and changed,
This is more than a coming of age story. It gives us insight into what is really important and lets us realize we each have magical powers without a flute but I love what Roxy does with her new powers. There is of course a love interest, dreamy wonderful and I won't say anything about that to spoil the wonderful dreamy ending.
On a scale of 1 to 10 it is a 15.!
Anna R 15 1/2

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who hasn't wanted to be siren?, December 24, 2007

By	KTBR (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I believe there comes a moment in every teenage girl's life when she wishes she could have all the boys around her fall in love and do as she asks - all by twinkling her nose. Or playing a flute - as it is with Roxy.

Roxy is a "band geek" and has great, true friends. But as it is with most teens - they all want to be a part of the popular "in" crowd. Roxy is secretly in love with Zach, one of the school's hotties and wishes that he would feel the same about her.

On her 16th birthday, Roxy unexpectedly turns into a siren. Apparently, it's passed down through the generations and her grandmother is there to help her with her transformation from slightly geeky - to drop dead gorgeous. Yeehoo! But, as it is in life, with the good comes the bad. What will Zach think of her now? Will she be a part of the in-crowd? Can her friends handle the new Roxy? Can Roxy handle the new her?

This is such a fun premise. There were a few times that I was scared Ms. Toliver would get too cliche, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book kept moving and there were enough twists to not feel overdone. I thought this was a great fun read and highly recommend it. I even got a little nervous while reading the climax of the book. hee hee -- so fun!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Its never what you expect..., July 6, 2008

By	The Book Girl (New York) - See all my reviews

Roxy has been crushing on the popular Zach for years. But there is one problem- Roxy is a Bee-Gee, a Band Geek, and there's no way Zach would even look twice at her. But all of that changes when on Roxy's 16th birthday she is transformed into a beauty queen in 60 seconds flat. Apparently she is a Siren, and there are some rules to be followed. With this transformation comes everything she's ever wanted. But Roxy's soon to finding out that everything she's ever wanted isn't worth the sacrafices she has to make to have it.

I really enjoyed reading The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren. The story is cute and original, the emotions and the characters are real. Roxy acted as most girls would when presented with their dream, even if the actions weren't so desirable. You want to hate her in the beginning for the things she does but as the story goes on you realize that's not her at all. In the end she realizes the meaning of true friendship and the importance of not judging people. The book was entertaining, funny, and a quick read. Fans of the other Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies will find this to be enjoyable. Great job Wendy!