The Elite Series by Jennifer Banash Giveaway

Hi guys! This will be the last giveaway for my blogoversary! I want to thank you guys very much for hanging with me until the very end! Hopefully you guys will stick around after this bash ends. I will go back to my book (and manga!) reviews starting tomorrow. (I may change my mind...)

So join all of the contests (check at the top of the blog) if you haven't already! They will end all on August 31!

Unfortunately, Jennifer Banash is very busy so there is no character post from her. But! She did offer the whole set of her The Elite series to one lucky person!

Prize(s): 1 set of The Elite Series
# of Winners: 1
Eligibility: US/Canada

How to get entries: (please put keep it in the format below when you comment!)
+1 Comment
+1 New follower
+2 Old follower
+1 Linking this contest once somewhere else around the web

Trailer Tuesday: Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash

Title: Simply Irresistible
Author: Jennifer Banash
Description: She's climbing the social ladder, to the dismay of her neighbor and rival, Madison Macallister. And Casey could end up as popular as Madison now that the two are set to star in their own reality show, 'De-Luxe.' But reality TV can be so unreal.

Madison loves the attention, but having every bit of her life caught on tape is often less than glamorous. Yet fame comes at a price - and she's willing to pay. Meanwhile, now that Casey and her almost-boyfriend Drew Van Allen are currently more off than on, she's beginning to wonder if everything in her life is just an illusion - and how much longer the illusion can last.

I can't wait to read Simply Irresistible! There's a contest of it with other goodies over at In Bed With Books!

In Too Deep by Jennifer Banash

Title: In Too Deep
Author: Jennifer Banash
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 246
My Rating: 4/5

Leaving off at from The Elite, Casey and Drew are now officially an "item". Madison is staying low, pretending that she is fine with the their relationship. But inside, she is scheming to get back at them both. No one humiliates Madison Macallister and gets away with it. All she needs is a little sweet revenge. And a modelling gig may be her key to do so...

Sophie discovers that all of her life has been a lie. Accepting the truth is hard. She decides for her sweet sixteen, she will hold a big party. A very big party. One that will be aired on T.V. If she is going to face reality, why not do it in an extravagant way?

Phoebe does not want to end up like her mother, a liar. But Sophie's brother, Jared, is just so... amazing. She can not help but to sneak out and meet with him every other day. As long as Sophie doesn't know, it's okay right? In the meantime, she finds out who her mother has been seeing behind her back. And if it's not already shocking as is, Phoebe receives a big surprise when the mystery man is unveiled.

Drew is over Madison. Completely over her...Right? Not! Drew is now confused with his feelings because he is still attracted to the beautiful model-to-be Madison. But with Casey now in the picture, what should he do?

Unlike The Elite, In Too Deep starts focusing more on the rest of the group instead of just Casey. Which I think is much better anyway because Casey's side of the story is not interesting. For everyone else, it is purely scandalous. I couldn't help but devoured the Gossip Girl-like affairs because everything that was happening made me gasped every other chapter. It made the story quite enjoyable.

The very first thing that surprised me when I started reading was the fact that Casey still hung around with Madison since the last novel. I mean, the last chapter of The Elite gave a concrete thought to any reader that the two would never talk to each other again. It didn't really make sense but I guess it played out. And another surprising thing was Madison's personality toward the modelling shoot. I expected her to be all confident about it and shockingly, she was not at all. In Too Deep shows a different side to your classic bitch.

A little disappointment for me was that the characters' relationships with each other still hadn't gone deeper. I was pretty annoyed because it would have been great to see how much more the characters would have grown then. Then again, I guess it would have been a little difficult to do that considering the story is focusing on so many characters at once.

Overall, In Too Deep is filled with more scandal and more drama than ever. It's a read where you can enjoy in your mind because it's like its own show! If you love Gossip Girl, yes, pick this up! But before then, check out The Elite first!

Won copy from Life, Words, & Rock 'n' Roll.

Author Interview: Jennifer Banash

So a couple of days ago, I put up my review for The Elite. Today, I give you an author interview with the creator, Jennifer Banash! Hopefully I will get to In Too Deep soon but have quite a stack to review. Her new series sound quite interesting, don't you agree?

If you would like to learn more about Jennifer or her books, visit her at: www.jenniferbanash.com.

First, what inspired you to write The Elite?

I attended High School on the Upper East Side of New York, so it was a world I knew very well, and wanted to explore in a way that was more meaningful than the books I'd seen on the subject.

Did you plan on making it a series from the beginning or did it eventually become one as you wrote?

No, it was conceived as a series--I actually wanted 9 books total, but, well, that's not going to happen!

What was the easiest part about writing the story?

Once I really figured out who my characters were, the story just sailed along and was a pleasure to write--It really took on a life of it's own.

What was the hardest part about writing the story?

All the characterization I had to do in order to make the plot fly! And plotting out the three books--I hate plotting and would much rather just start writing and see where it takes me--but most editors won't go for that!

There are quite a bit of fashion references in The Elite. Did you research the clothing and brands or were you always into fashion and finally thought it was a good time to put your knowledge to use?

I was always into fashion! I generally look like I'm going out to a fancy dinner or a club when I'm really just doing something dumb like taking out the garbage :) So, I didn't have to do too much research--I'm pretty obsessed with fashion.

What themes/genres are you hoping to touch upon in the future?

I'm working on a paranormal series right now, and a novel loosely based on my experiences of being a club kid in the 80's in NYC.

Lastly, give us one interesting fact about yourself that not many people know of!

I can be really shy if I don't know someone very well. Since I'm so outgoing on the surface, no one ever believes me that I'm actually pretty shy and reserved, but I am!

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

Title: The Elite
Author: Jennifer Banash
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 251
My Rating: 3.5/5

Casey McCloy moves in with her grandmother from Normal, Illinois to the upscale New York City. Her first day there and she is already having a cultural shock! Considering that she haven't even left the country yet!

While trying to find her grandmother's complex, she runs into a beautiful trio of the It girls. There is Sophie, Phoebe, and the one and only gorgeous ringleader, Madison.

Casey knows she can never fit in with them. How can she? They are filthy rich and have killer features that are completely natural (talk about unfair). Their days are full of shopping sprees at places like Gucci and Prada and sipping on the finest wine. She on the other hand is this average, frizzy-haired girl who never experienced anything beyond the norm. She's not used to wearing expensive brands or attending sophisticated parties, but that is about to change.

When she becomes frenemies with the almighty Madison, nothing will ever be the same again. Especially now that Madison's hot ex-boyfriend (?), Drew, is taking interest in her. Casey's life can go into shambles if one of the most influential girls around decrees so.

Before I start, I would like to thank Jennifer for being the first author to request me to review their book. I am most honoured. You rock Jen!

When I first heard of The Elite, I automatically thought of Gossip Girl. You know, it had the whole rich-girls-can-do-whatever-they-want kind of idea. And I remembered I hated Gossip Girl after I completed it. (Never went beyond the first volume.) I'm happy to say The Elite was much better in comparison.

Every time I picked up where I left off in the story, I feel refreshed. I think it was the way the author described the settings and what everyone wore without missing a beat. Something about it gave the book a glow. I know, it's strange and you might not understand me but that was how I felt. It was a very nice feeling.

In terms of plot and character, they were definitely not the most original. Drew's and Casey's relationship should have delved in further upon. I found them liking each other right away was not so realistic. It went way too fast. It would be much better if the two got to know each other more before anything happened.

Instead of focusing on only one character, each chapter moved on to a different one. They started to learn new things as they were exposed to problems they never thought would arise in their life. It was a great way to add some more drama because none of them were flawless. But I disliked the fact that everything was about appearance. Apparently, everyone was instantly attracted to each other when it came to looks. If the characters were given more time to interact with each other, it would've been perfect. More bonding times = more meat to chew on.

Despite that, it was compensated through imagery. I loved how The Elite was almost like a show. The story was easy to visualize and was quite bright. (Yes, bright! Refer back to a couple of paragraphs before this one.) It is a great beach read and especially recommended for fans of Kate Brian and Cecily von Ziegesar. I look forward to see how it all develops in In Too Deep!

Review copy provided by Jennifer Banash.