I am very excited today to be a part of this fantastic tour, Uninvited is the first book in the South Hills Sidekicks series and you can read my review below. I really think the covers are cute too for this series. PLUS as always, a giveaway at the bottom.
Uninvited (South Hills Sidekicks #1) by Leah Spiegel and Meg Summers
Released: 11th February 2012
Genre: Young Adult Humorous Chick-Lit
Format: Paperback - thank you for the lovely card Leah
Source: via Xpresso Book Tours for an honest review during the tour
When Alley started her senior year at Upper East High in the South Hills area, it was supposed to be the usual drag of hanging out with people who spent more on one outfit than Alley did on her entire wardrobe. That was until Kirsten, a girl in their clique, suddenly goes missing and the only people who seem to care are her friends. All evidence leads to the new comer Shane, a cocky and self-pretentious person in Alley’s opinion, but the police seem uninterested so she and the rest of the girls start a little investigation of their own. But they are nowhere closer to finding Kirsten than when they started and now they had the police’s attention; just not in the way they expected. The girls have to start over and discover that maybe it wasn’t an outsider who took Kirsten, but someone within their own clique who has something to hide; a secret that just might have gotten Kirsten killed.
My Review
I absolutely adored this book and the beginning to the South Hills Sidekicks series. It was such fun and the characters were so fantastic that I couldn’t put it down. I had a little trepidation when I went to start the book, but as soon as I turned the first page I was hooked on the fun and unique world that these two wonderful ladies have created. The style of writing they have attributed to Uninvited was fabulous and like so funny.
Alley has started her senior year at Upper East High with her best friend since grade 3, Val. Since Val is in with the popular clique, Alley is automatically included as well. The rest of the group includes Kirsten the Queen, Kayla and Libby, plus a bunch of boyfriends. First day and Kirsten introduces the group to a newbie, Shane. It is quite unusual for a new kid to be included in the popular group, but Kirsten knows him from somewhere or other and gives him the recommendation to join them.
Kirsten was turning eighteen and planning to have a big party to celebrate, that afternoon, the girls were going dress shopping to help Kirsten find a dress for her party. Everybody turned up at the dress shop except Kirsten. Something is wrong, Kirsten isn’t answering her phone and nobody seems to know where she is. The girls just assume she is with her boyfriend and will talk to her tomorrow.
Tomorrow it is confirmed, Kirsten is missing. She didn’t turn up for school and didn’t go home last night; her car is still in the school parking lot. Now Val is extremely upset as are the rest of the group and after speaking with the police, they hope she is found soon.
Val and Alley have some suspicions about Shane being behind the kidnapping. He turns up the day Kirsten disappeared and they were acting a little weird at lunch, something just seems off with Shane. Val is determined to get to the bottom of it, when the police seem to push their ideas out the window. Val is scheming and has decided that the girls will help her uncover Shane’s secret and find Kirsten.
Val is known as a ditzy klutz and nobody seems to be taking her very seriously, but the girls follow along with her plans and get themselves into all sorts of mischief. The police seem to think it could be somebody at school and this puts more suspicion on Shane.
Will they really be able to find Kirsten? What is Shane’s secret? Is there something going on between Shane and Alley? Are the alibi’s true for the group’s boyfriends on that night?
Everything comes to a head when Val decides to have a party. Follow along with Val, Alley, Libby and Kayla as they try to solve the mystery of their missing friend. It is a lot of fun and I was laughing out loud quite a lot with the humorous outbursts from Alley towards Shane. I loved this book so much that afterwards I had to grab book 2, Confiscated and 3, Compromised so I can find out what antics the group get up to next. This is definitely a favourite of mine for this year. I highly recommend to all young adult readers that are looking for a light hearted, fun and intriguing read.
5 FANTASTIC FUN LIKE BOOKS
Other books in the series:
About the Authors
Although we moved down to North Carolina several years ago, we’re originally from the Pittsburgh area. (That’s why a lot of our characters either live in the Burgh or reference our hometown football team, The Pittsburgh Steelers.) And yes, we even have the Southern accents to show for it now. Although Megan’s is considerable thicker, Leah still can’t understand the locals.
We are known as ‘the sisters’ among our neighborhood; when actually we’re probably really known as ‘the sisters with the Yorkies’. Our pups, Skippy Jon Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow, were given long names to compensate for their small size but not their large personalities.
If Leah’s not glued to her electronic devices, AKA her Kindle Fire and various laptops, you can find her training ‘the attack dogs’, running on the treadmill while conceiving the next great book idea with the Dave Matthews Band, Muse, Florence and the Machine, The Lumineers, and Pink (just to name a few) blaring out of her earphones.
If Megan’s not glued to her electronic devices AKA her iPad and Nook Color, you can find her teaching fourth graders, swimming marathon style at the pool, or cuddling with ‘the attack dogs’ as she watches Duck Dynasty, Gold Rush, Scandal, Person of Interest, Morning Joe, etc.
Leah graduated from Edinboro University with a BA in Art Education. Megan received her teaching degree from Edinboro University and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Technology from Grand Canyon University.
Giveaway
One (1) eBook copy of Uninvited by Leah Spiegel and Meg Summers
Open Internationally
Ends Midnight 12th August 2013
a Rafflecopter giveaway
