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Kiss & Make Up
Emerson Taylor, a 16-year-old lip gloss addict with a secret she can read the mind of anyone who kisses her. Though puckering up with brainy boys to get test answers helps her grades, a scholarship competition and a new crush compel Emerson to stifle her gift and study the honest – if old-fashioned – way. With support from her family, including her aunt/guardian who is in the cosmetics business, Emerson discovers that true beauty always wins out
320 pages, ebook
First published October 2, 2012
182 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Katie D. Anderson
2 books15 followersKatie Anderson is a full time writer living in the literary mecca of Oxford, Mississippi where she believes she somehow inhaled the desire to write from the trees lining William Faulkner's front yard, or maybe ingested it in the sweet tea that flows around the city like a delicious amber river. Whatever the case, one day after stumbling upon Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, Katie realized she was not really 30, but 17, trapped in a 30year-old body. So what way to recapture her youth and embrace this new passion than to write for children!
Kiss & Make Up, her first young adult novel, is the result of this newfound love affair and will be released by Amazon Publishing in October 2012. Warner Bros. holds the film rights to the book and is producing a ground-breaking new webisode series set to lauch in early 2013. The full cosmetics line featured in the book and film will follow.
Prior to writing Kiss, Katie worked in other genres including screenplays, graphic novels, and picture books. And while she considers herself a novelist, she was recently asked by a celebrity event planner and reality tv stat to co-write a fun new series of picture books for children.
These days when she is not writing, she can be found doing laundry (which she hates), playing tennis (which she loves), or cooking something southern for her family – always a treat.
Kiss & Make Up, her first young adult novel, is the result of this newfound love affair and will be released by Amazon Publishing in October 2012. Warner Bros. holds the film rights to the book and is producing a ground-breaking new webisode series set to lauch in early 2013. The full cosmetics line featured in the book and film will follow.
Prior to writing Kiss, Katie worked in other genres including screenplays, graphic novels, and picture books. And while she considers herself a novelist, she was recently asked by a celebrity event planner and reality tv stat to co-write a fun new series of picture books for children.
These days when she is not writing, she can be found doing laundry (which she hates), playing tennis (which she loves), or cooking something southern for her family – always a treat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
June 19, 2018
Kiss & Make Up was at best a mediocre book. It was childish and juvenile, and annoyed me thoroughly. Emerson, the MC, finds out she can see into people's minds and read their thoughts and memories when she kisses them. At the same time, her grades are slipping, and because of that her aunt threatens to take her out of her fancy private school. So what does Emerson do? Instead of trying to pull her socks up, she goes around kissing all the Ivy League nerds in her school so she can get answers to upcoming tests. This snowballs eventually, as you can imagine. The twist is that Emerson unexpectedly begins to fall for an Ivy named Eddie, and is too ashamed to tell her friends about it.
To make things worse, Emerson is impossibly shallow, and this made the book read like a tween novel. There were so many things I didn't agree with, too: for example, the fact that the book said if you didn't put on makeup you were ugly (as a result, there was so much focus on her aunt's makeup business it got unbearable), or that Emerson's whole character development could have been forgone if she'd just stopped whining and sat down to actually study/revise from the start.
The story managed to keep my interest enough to finish it, but it was easily forgettable, and left a bad taste in my mouth. It is definitely cute and lighthearted, though, and good if you're looking for a quick brainless read.
To make things worse, Emerson is impossibly shallow, and this made the book read like a tween novel. There were so many things I didn't agree with, too: for example, the fact that the book said if you didn't put on makeup you were ugly (as a result, there was so much focus on her aunt's makeup business it got unbearable), or that Emerson's whole character development could have been forgone if she'd just stopped whining and sat down to actually study/revise from the start.
The story managed to keep my interest enough to finish it, but it was easily forgettable, and left a bad taste in my mouth. It is definitely cute and lighthearted, though, and good if you're looking for a quick brainless read.
October 7, 2012
Sixteen-year-old Emerson Taylor has never kissed a boy. Though this seems to be a big problem, a bigger one is brewing. Emerson's grades are slipping and her guardian, her Aunt Arch, is threatening to pull her out of the private school she attends. Emerson needs to turn things around fast. Luckily, Emerson learns she has the ability to read the mind of anyone she kisses. Emerson decides to kiss the nerdiest boys in school. Problem solved. But when she starts to fall for one of the boys, Emerson's life becomes a tangled mess.
Kiss and Make Up by Katie Anderson is a fun, YA story about friendship, first kisses, and first crushes. But it is also a story with deeper themes, and this is what makes the novel so wonderful. Emerson learns hard, and often humiliating, lessons about pre-judging others and true beauty.
Anderson has crafted a teen story without the typical cast of neglectful parents, rebellious kids, and uncaring teachers. Despite Emerson's clairvoyance, she is a refreshingly normal teen. This is not a story about vampires, zombies, death, addiction, bullying, divorce, poverty, or identity. Emerson's mistakes are her own, a result of her weaknesses rather than a response to the weaknesses of the adults in her life. And in the end, this is what I liked so much about Emerson. It doesn't take an apocalypse for her to change her ways, just a dose of good, old fashioned mother love.
Kiss and Make Up by Katie Anderson is a fun, YA story about friendship, first kisses, and first crushes. But it is also a story with deeper themes, and this is what makes the novel so wonderful. Emerson learns hard, and often humiliating, lessons about pre-judging others and true beauty.
Anderson has crafted a teen story without the typical cast of neglectful parents, rebellious kids, and uncaring teachers. Despite Emerson's clairvoyance, she is a refreshingly normal teen. This is not a story about vampires, zombies, death, addiction, bullying, divorce, poverty, or identity. Emerson's mistakes are her own, a result of her weaknesses rather than a response to the weaknesses of the adults in her life. And in the end, this is what I liked so much about Emerson. It doesn't take an apocalypse for her to change her ways, just a dose of good, old fashioned mother love.
October 10, 2013
Ok. This book was bad on so many levels. I don't even know why I kept reading it except that it was free on my kindle through the "borrowing" library, and I have a lot of one-handed breast-feeding to do, so... I guess it was good for that. And I realize that as a 30-something women, I shouldn't really be reading and reviewing a YA novel for 12-year-old girls. But, with all that said, there are some really great YA novels out there, so the genre should not occlude a critical review, in my opinion.
This book was a mess. Plot devices all over the place. Blatantly sexist, stereotypical, racist tropes, and a whole slew of characters I couldn't give a damn about - not to mention the presumably important, but none-the-less-represented-as-incidental superpower Emerson possesses. Is the book about coming of age? Make up? Super power? Beauty? And then there was a line that actually said something like this: I wasn't wearing any makeup so my outsides looked as awful as my insides felt... or something like that. Seriously.
And then there were all these could-have-been-important concepts brought up that might have made for interesting, complex reading, like Emerson's father, her mother's mental illness, her sister's controlling boyfriend. Irresponsibly, the author ignores those more important social issues to talk about lip gloss so that she can name each chapter after a different one. But... it got me through a couple of days of nursing ... so... there's that.
This book was a mess. Plot devices all over the place. Blatantly sexist, stereotypical, racist tropes, and a whole slew of characters I couldn't give a damn about - not to mention the presumably important, but none-the-less-represented-as-incidental superpower Emerson possesses. Is the book about coming of age? Make up? Super power? Beauty? And then there was a line that actually said something like this: I wasn't wearing any makeup so my outsides looked as awful as my insides felt... or something like that. Seriously.
And then there were all these could-have-been-important concepts brought up that might have made for interesting, complex reading, like Emerson's father, her mother's mental illness, her sister's controlling boyfriend. Irresponsibly, the author ignores those more important social issues to talk about lip gloss so that she can name each chapter after a different one. But... it got me through a couple of days of nursing ... so... there's that.
October 15, 2012
The premise for this sounded really clever, but it just didn't deliver. I considered giving up on this every time I picked it up. I wish that I would have. I was hoping there would just be something more to explain Emerson's gift, but there just isn't. The writing annoyed me to no end. First of all, I felt that the author was dumbing it down to sound like a teenager, so it didn't sound sincere. The lack of description in parts was really weird, such as the hair was supposed to be such a big deal for the dance and there was actually no description of what this 1920's hair style looked like. I was confused by the dialogue as well because sometimes they spoke with Southern accents and sometimes they didn't. This Luke person was supposed to be a like a brother to her and he shows up in one scene early and then doesn't show up again until the second half of the book. Plus, I just couldn't take all of Emerson's whining when all she really needed to do was buckle down and study. I was trying to read this book for light teen romance, a genre I don't read enough to make recommendations in, but this was really flat and reminded me I don't like to read about girls who make stupid decisions over high school boys.
October 5, 2012
I was expecting to like this book some what but I didn't, I actually fell in love with it instead. It was so cute and funny, I found myself either grinning or laughing out loud while reading it!! I loved the good message it gave off as well with the use of make up as a power tool and not something to hide behind. I think I'll be reading this one again, it's found a home on my Kindle.
I'm gifting it to my younger sister because I know she love it like I did.
I'm gifting it to my younger sister because I know she love it like I did.
October 13, 2013
This was such a cute book! I purchased it on impulse on my Kindle and I'm glad I did. There were a few things I did not like about this book that I'll get to in a minute, but overall, I think this was a nice, light, fluffy read that younger (and possibly some older) readers will enjoy. This book is a particularly good read after reading something with a heavier tone. I had just finished reading two horror type novels before I started Kiss and Make Up so it was definitely a nice, sweet change of pace.
Kiss and Make Up is about sixteen year old Emerson Taylor, who is on the hunt for the perfect kiss. The only problem: she can see visions and basically read the mind of whoever she is kissing. This is both a positive and negative thing for her; mostly negative, but we'll get to that in a bit.
I'll start with the things I enjoyed the most about this book because there are a lot more things I did like than didn't like. First of all, Emerson Taylor is a self-proclaimed lip gloss addict. I love how the author incorporated that into this book. The chapters are often named after lip gloss colors and other various make up products. I love cute make up product names, so I adored this little detail! I'm a make up junkie myself, so this book was in a sense made for me. Whenever Emerson would talk about colors I often found myself thinking, "Oooh, I wonder if I can find that color." It's sort of a problem. I instantly related to Emerson because of her obsession with make up.
However, that's not the only reason I enjoyed her as a main character. I believe Katie Anderson did a great job at developing Emerson as a character. I laughed at a lot of the things she said and did because once again, she reminded me a lot of myself. With that being said, I felt like a lot of the other characters fell kind of flat. In the beginning of the book, Trina - Emerson's best friend - concocted a plan that this year would be "The Year of The Boys" (I'm not sure if that's exactly what she called it but I know it's something along those lines). Trina was a big part of the book in the beginning but then kind of fizzled out for a good portion of the book because of a fight with Emerson that never really got resolved. Trina just kind of ended the fight, and even after that, she still wasn't around as much as a "best friend" should have been in a book like this, especially since it was Trina's idea for the whole "year of the boys" thing and we really only see her crush over one boy in the entire book.
I also had a lot of problems with Trina's other best friend, Luke. Much like Trina, he barely existed in the book. He showed up for a few scenes, and that was it. In fact, I don't think he was ever really properly introduced. He just kind of... appeared. Trina and Luke seemed more like very vague, flat characters instead of ones that were supposed to be Emerson's very best friends. I also really did not like Emerson's sister, Piper. She was just weird to me. She falls head over heels for a boy that Emerson has a sketchy past with, and completely loses herself and turns into a character that I did not enjoy one bit. She was slightly more developed than Trina and Luke were, however, her development was that of a negative one. As with the fight with Trina, her issues never really get resolved and she remains a rude bitch for basically the entire book. I felt like a lot of the scenes in this book were glossed over. Get it? Glossed. Because Emerson is addicted to lip gloss.
No? Okay.
Moving on to the Ivy's, which was the school's judgmental way of labeling the smart kids. When Emerson realizes she can see homework/test answers after kissing these guys, she makes it a point to kiss all of them until she brings her grades up. After kissing one particular Ivy by the name of Edwin, she begins to realize how wrong kissing these guys for the sole purpose of benefiting herself is. I read a lot of reviews that said Emerson was shallow. Yes, she is, but I think it was the author's intent to make the main character shallow because we see Emerson start to grow and mature as a person. We also see her begin to realize her mistakes and her effort in trying to right the wrong, which is something I really respect. Emerson was an overall great character. I love how she was popular yet she wasn't that stereotypical popular girl that some authors seem to love writing about. I've said this before, but she reminded me a lot of myself when I was in high school. I clearly remember the pressure of just desperately wanting to fit in and feel accepted by the "in" crowd.
I sincerely hope there's a second installment because I felt like there was a lot of unanswered questions in Kiss and Make Up. But, overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, it was fun, it was cute. And can we just take a second to admire how brilliant the cover and title are? I'm very guilty of judging a book by it's cover, and I think that's the main reason I purchased this book on impulse. If you want a light, fluffy read that's not overdone with cheesy romance than I suggest this for sure. If you're one of those people who set high standards based on previous books you've read, I suggest you not read this. It was cute and there were certainly some lessons I believe the author was trying to teach, but it lacked a lot of development. I couldn't decide if I was going to rate this a three or four, but in the end I went with a four.
Kiss and Make Up is about sixteen year old Emerson Taylor, who is on the hunt for the perfect kiss. The only problem: she can see visions and basically read the mind of whoever she is kissing. This is both a positive and negative thing for her; mostly negative, but we'll get to that in a bit.
I'll start with the things I enjoyed the most about this book because there are a lot more things I did like than didn't like. First of all, Emerson Taylor is a self-proclaimed lip gloss addict. I love how the author incorporated that into this book. The chapters are often named after lip gloss colors and other various make up products. I love cute make up product names, so I adored this little detail! I'm a make up junkie myself, so this book was in a sense made for me. Whenever Emerson would talk about colors I often found myself thinking, "Oooh, I wonder if I can find that color." It's sort of a problem. I instantly related to Emerson because of her obsession with make up.
However, that's not the only reason I enjoyed her as a main character. I believe Katie Anderson did a great job at developing Emerson as a character. I laughed at a lot of the things she said and did because once again, she reminded me a lot of myself. With that being said, I felt like a lot of the other characters fell kind of flat. In the beginning of the book, Trina - Emerson's best friend - concocted a plan that this year would be "The Year of The Boys" (I'm not sure if that's exactly what she called it but I know it's something along those lines). Trina was a big part of the book in the beginning but then kind of fizzled out for a good portion of the book because of a fight with Emerson that never really got resolved. Trina just kind of ended the fight, and even after that, she still wasn't around as much as a "best friend" should have been in a book like this, especially since it was Trina's idea for the whole "year of the boys" thing and we really only see her crush over one boy in the entire book.
I also had a lot of problems with Trina's other best friend, Luke. Much like Trina, he barely existed in the book. He showed up for a few scenes, and that was it. In fact, I don't think he was ever really properly introduced. He just kind of... appeared. Trina and Luke seemed more like very vague, flat characters instead of ones that were supposed to be Emerson's very best friends. I also really did not like Emerson's sister, Piper. She was just weird to me. She falls head over heels for a boy that Emerson has a sketchy past with, and completely loses herself and turns into a character that I did not enjoy one bit. She was slightly more developed than Trina and Luke were, however, her development was that of a negative one. As with the fight with Trina, her issues never really get resolved and she remains a rude bitch for basically the entire book. I felt like a lot of the scenes in this book were glossed over. Get it? Glossed. Because Emerson is addicted to lip gloss.
No? Okay.
Moving on to the Ivy's, which was the school's judgmental way of labeling the smart kids. When Emerson realizes she can see homework/test answers after kissing these guys, she makes it a point to kiss all of them until she brings her grades up. After kissing one particular Ivy by the name of Edwin, she begins to realize how wrong kissing these guys for the sole purpose of benefiting herself is. I read a lot of reviews that said Emerson was shallow. Yes, she is, but I think it was the author's intent to make the main character shallow because we see Emerson start to grow and mature as a person. We also see her begin to realize her mistakes and her effort in trying to right the wrong, which is something I really respect. Emerson was an overall great character. I love how she was popular yet she wasn't that stereotypical popular girl that some authors seem to love writing about. I've said this before, but she reminded me a lot of myself when I was in high school. I clearly remember the pressure of just desperately wanting to fit in and feel accepted by the "in" crowd.
I sincerely hope there's a second installment because I felt like there was a lot of unanswered questions in Kiss and Make Up. But, overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, it was fun, it was cute. And can we just take a second to admire how brilliant the cover and title are? I'm very guilty of judging a book by it's cover, and I think that's the main reason I purchased this book on impulse. If you want a light, fluffy read that's not overdone with cheesy romance than I suggest this for sure. If you're one of those people who set high standards based on previous books you've read, I suggest you not read this. It was cute and there were certainly some lessons I believe the author was trying to teach, but it lacked a lot of development. I couldn't decide if I was going to rate this a three or four, but in the end I went with a four.
June 9, 2013
Kiss & Make Up is a sweet YA read to lift anyone's mood with its cute and funny storyline. It's the kind of book where you smile, laugh, groan, shudder and blush with shame from totally ridiculous and amusing moments that you'd wish to rather run a hundred miles marathon wearing heels than having to face them.
Emerson Taylor starts by being a very insecure girl, despite her popularity. She makes rash decisions using her unique gift, messing up a bit her life, but growing so much along the way by learning from her past mistakes. She goes from being an uncaring student to a dedicated one, trying to make up for her past behavior. Her love for makeup, especially lip gloss, is interesting and has an important role in the way she sees everything. Such is the way that she relates her feelings to the soothing names of her favorite products and uses her knowledge to see beyond the cover of a person, to appreciate the being underneath. Like Edwin for instance, who's very smart, very cute and a great musician with an appealing personality that he's the type worth crushing and rooting for.
Every chapter was named after a lip gloss too, which I thought to be odd at first, yet I came to like them since they fit perfectly with titles like "Melon Madness" "Shock Me, Stop Me" or "Reality Red". It's very clear this author has an obsession with lip gloss and it's a nice surprise the way she mixed this into the whole typical teen drama we face at that age, minus the superpower that is.
*This review first appeared at Book Travels*
http://booktravels.blogspot.mx/2013/0...
Emerson Taylor starts by being a very insecure girl, despite her popularity. She makes rash decisions using her unique gift, messing up a bit her life, but growing so much along the way by learning from her past mistakes. She goes from being an uncaring student to a dedicated one, trying to make up for her past behavior. Her love for makeup, especially lip gloss, is interesting and has an important role in the way she sees everything. Such is the way that she relates her feelings to the soothing names of her favorite products and uses her knowledge to see beyond the cover of a person, to appreciate the being underneath. Like Edwin for instance, who's very smart, very cute and a great musician with an appealing personality that he's the type worth crushing and rooting for.
Every chapter was named after a lip gloss too, which I thought to be odd at first, yet I came to like them since they fit perfectly with titles like "Melon Madness" "Shock Me, Stop Me" or "Reality Red". It's very clear this author has an obsession with lip gloss and it's a nice surprise the way she mixed this into the whole typical teen drama we face at that age, minus the superpower that is.
*This review first appeared at Book Travels*
http://booktravels.blogspot.mx/2013/0...
July 11, 2018
Kiss & Make Up....
I really enjoyed this book. A cute easy read. I loved the family dynamic. As well as the friendships.
The story is centered around Emerson. She has been lax on her education. Letting her grades slip. She goes to an expensive private school. Her Aunt threatens to pull her if she doesn't step up her game. She comes up with a plan and discovers she has a unique gift along the way. The experience changes her in unexpected ways.
I would definitely recommend this book to young adults. This book was taylor made for preteens and teenagers.
I really enjoyed this book. A cute easy read. I loved the family dynamic. As well as the friendships.
The story is centered around Emerson. She has been lax on her education. Letting her grades slip. She goes to an expensive private school. Her Aunt threatens to pull her if she doesn't step up her game. She comes up with a plan and discovers she has a unique gift along the way. The experience changes her in unexpected ways.
I would definitely recommend this book to young adults. This book was taylor made for preteens and teenagers.
June 1, 2018
such a fan of a great cover, love it!! I am new to Katie's writing. read this through Prime reading on AMAZON. such a quick read for me. I didn't realize this was a YA read. love all the humor. such a cute one indeed!! ( :
July 21, 2017
This was a solidly average book. It had a lot of cringy stuff between the folds of the pages and some problematic things too (like that almost rape part in the beginning of the book and sort of kind of toward the middle with Vance). I honestly loved all of the Ivy characters. They were so cool. Also, I love the poetry rep in this book. I personally love poetry and I love the power of words and how you can shape and mold them together in one short, concise piece of literature. One thing that really just struck a nerve with me though overall, was the writing. I found it to be choppy and not very immersive. Also, in general, I found some of the stuff Emerson says to be really out of touch with what any actual teenager says. I know this book is only 5 years old just about but as a teenager, I don't think I've ever heard fellow teenagers say "Good golly, miss Molly". I honestly closed my eyes to try and escape the cringe. Overall, I think I would give this a recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2013
Other reviews at The Book Babe's Reads.
Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.
Kiss and Make-Up was a fun read for me, but I expected more of it. I expected it to be about Emerson dealing with her mind reading and finding love along the way, but it seems that just wasn't in the cards for this one. First off, Emerson never really deals with her problems. It seems like all she really does is find ways around them. Bad grades? No problem. Just kiss answers out of the brainy boys. Her personality was nice, she was a funny girl and all, but I just couldn't get past the cheating.
At first I thought that she was going to have a ton of common sense, but well, that idea was a bust. She didn't even have the common sense not to cheat. And I don't only mean on tests, people. She may not of liked what she was doing, but that doesn't change the fact that she did it anyway.
Speaking of which, I didn't really feel the love between Emerson and the boy she's interested in. It honestly seems like they're "in love" way before they even get to know each other. The feelings between them just weren't developed enough, which was a bit of a disappointment.
All in all, Kiss and Make-Up just didn't live up to the standards that I'd set for it.
Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.
Kiss and Make-Up was a fun read for me, but I expected more of it. I expected it to be about Emerson dealing with her mind reading and finding love along the way, but it seems that just wasn't in the cards for this one. First off, Emerson never really deals with her problems. It seems like all she really does is find ways around them. Bad grades? No problem. Just kiss answers out of the brainy boys. Her personality was nice, she was a funny girl and all, but I just couldn't get past the cheating.
At first I thought that she was going to have a ton of common sense, but well, that idea was a bust. She didn't even have the common sense not to cheat. And I don't only mean on tests, people. She may not of liked what she was doing, but that doesn't change the fact that she did it anyway.
Speaking of which, I didn't really feel the love between Emerson and the boy she's interested in. It honestly seems like they're "in love" way before they even get to know each other. The feelings between them just weren't developed enough, which was a bit of a disappointment.
All in all, Kiss and Make-Up just didn't live up to the standards that I'd set for it.
December 29, 2012
this quick ya read is 3.5 to 4 stars. I thought it was a fun twist on the teenage years. the aunt was really wonderful character although a little too surfacey for my tastes. there was a lot to read between the lines (mother's story, piper's story) amongst the main story... maybe I am cynical but I feel like there was some darkness in the characters unmentioned ... that alone is pretty remarkable from a general ya "fluff" book!
I loved the jazz storyline and truly bringing outthe magicof makeup!!
cons: author tried too hard to talk young...felt forced to me ... and like I said my cynical side read a whole lot more into some subplots.
however looking back at my high school experience this felt right. there *were* all kinds of sad subplots that I wasn't privy to until much later in life and time moved so fast, you didn't have much time to catch your breath and catch all the nuances.
I think I liked it way more than I expected.
I loved the jazz storyline and truly bringing outthe magicof makeup!!
cons: author tried too hard to talk young...felt forced to me ... and like I said my cynical side read a whole lot more into some subplots.
however looking back at my high school experience this felt right. there *were* all kinds of sad subplots that I wasn't privy to until much later in life and time moved so fast, you didn't have much time to catch your breath and catch all the nuances.
I think I liked it way more than I expected.
April 22, 2013
Fun, fun, fun YA book! Emerson is such a fun and normal teen, except this one little thing... She can absorb things from people she kisses. Of course she doesn't know this at first because she's never kissed a boy.
She is a fun-loving teen wrapped up in all the teen angst but still a great kid. Loved the cast of characters surrounding her. The popular kids, nerds, band geeks, gamers and her BFF. Katie handles them all delicately and totally true to type.
Emerson uses her gifts for evil (grades) but soon learns the consequences and tries to right them. I like how she learned some important lessons along the way. Studying will improve your grades. Don't judge others. It can be fun to be helpful. It's good to have goals, but it's not ok to hurt people to achieve them.
This is a YA I would recommend to anyone with a teenage daughter. Well done Ms Anderson!
She is a fun-loving teen wrapped up in all the teen angst but still a great kid. Loved the cast of characters surrounding her. The popular kids, nerds, band geeks, gamers and her BFF. Katie handles them all delicately and totally true to type.
Emerson uses her gifts for evil (grades) but soon learns the consequences and tries to right them. I like how she learned some important lessons along the way. Studying will improve your grades. Don't judge others. It can be fun to be helpful. It's good to have goals, but it's not ok to hurt people to achieve them.
This is a YA I would recommend to anyone with a teenage daughter. Well done Ms Anderson!
October 10, 2017
I am so disappointed in this book ! I hated the story line, I hated how it started so very juvenile. I only finished it so I could give a fully honest review. I hated it when I started it and I hated that I wasted my time finishing it. :(
August 1, 2015
While the ending of this book turned out okay, this book was fairly shallow overall and exactly the kind of book I wouldn't want influencing teenage girls.
May 11, 2016
Couldn't read it because my kindle version had a few pages missing. Weird, I know, but amazon didn't even care.
September 1, 2016
Can't say I liked the characters in this, as I found them quite annoying at points. The story wasn't one I could love either, but it was okay overall.
December 3, 2015
Silly but a nice distraction from your day to day life
October 23, 2020
Emerson Taylor knows how to pick out the right shade of makeup and lipstick or lipgloss. Academics? She's an average student at best. Or is she? One day,her and her best friend Trina declare this the"Year of the Boy",as Emerson has never been kissed. Their main goals? Improve their grades and find boyfriends. Seems like pretty typical high school stuff, right? It is,until Emerson realizes that she can read the mind of any guy she kisses, which honestly freaks her out sometimes. Will the two ladies find boyfriends? Will Emerson get her first kiss? How will she handle her new abilities? Will her grades improve? Read it and find out! A quick,fun and funny read!
February 18, 2019
OK, don't let my rating deceive you. I actually REALLY loved this book. However, there was just too many bad messages, offensive comments, bad words, etc, for me to give it a high rating.
Liked:
-Easy read
-Not boring
-Had SOME good messages
-Teen girls will love it
Disliked:
-Not quite sure what it was supposed to be about, i'm not sure the makeup plot was even needed. It took away from the actual story and really did nothing for the book.
-Sexist
-Bad words
-Said that if you didn't wear makeup, you were ugly
Liked:
-Easy read
-Not boring
-Had SOME good messages
-Teen girls will love it
Disliked:
-Not quite sure what it was supposed to be about, i'm not sure the makeup plot was even needed. It took away from the actual story and really did nothing for the book.
-Sexist
-Bad words
-Said that if you didn't wear makeup, you were ugly
August 23, 2021
For my summer reading, this is probably my most favorite book.
Emerson Taylor is interesting and quite charming. She is one of the most popular girls in school and yet unlike her best friend Trina, she doesn’t go out with any guys. Probably because she gets anxious that whenever she kisses a guy she basically can read their mind. She got that power from her mother who was depressed and killed herself. It was so hard to read the part because it must be hard living your life where your mother died, and your father abandoned you.
Anyway, I love the plotline of this story like it’s interesting to see how she lives her life trying to deal with this issue. So basically, she isn’t really studious and her aunt, who is her caregiver, Arch threatened her that if she keeps failing her classes that she will have to take her out of school. Which I can get because it’s a private and expensive school. Anyway, obviously, now she has to work hard to study. Meanwhile, Trina pushes her to go out of her comfort zone because of her major crush on a jock named Vance and Emerson realizes that after kissing a nerd in a studying date that she can read his mind and know everything that she needs to study for. She passes the test and oh gosh…now she decided she’ll kiss all the nerds to get good grades. I knew this was going to turn out so bad.
Some of the characters annoyed me and some of them I was rooting for. I loved all the nerds even though it was cringy that they literally were willing to kiss her even barely knowing her, just allowing her to use them. My favorite nerd was Oliver because unlike the others he didn’t seem to be interested in her and was good friends with Edwin who ended up being Emerson’s soulmate and love of her life. I thought it so cute that Edwin and Emerson turned into a couple. I just feared him finding out that she was kissing his friends to get grades. I was confused why it took him so long to find out because I mean the nerds were crazy about her wouldn’t they have like bragged about her or something. Anyway, I loved how as Emerson started to develop feelings for Edwin she stopped falling for Vance who was a jerk and annoying. I am so glad she could easily move on from that player. It is all about the inside that counts. At first, I didn’t know what to feel for Trina because I didn’t know if she was 100% genuine. I understood when she got angry because Emerson didn’t tell her about Trina’s crush Silas dating her sister Piper. I mean a friend should always have your back. But later, when they made up I realized Trina was a true friend and is always there for her. I was glad when she let Emerson love Edwin and move on from Vance.
Now Silas triggered me. He is that monster dressed up as a jock. It sucks Emerson first kiss was with him and what sucks more was he forced himself on her. He sounds like an abusive character who lust for power. I was triggered whenever his name was mentioned, I hate that guys like him exist. I hate it, even more, when Emerson confessed to her sister Piper how horrible he was and she just sluts shamed Emerson. Piper got on my nerves 90% of the time. She was shallow, annoying and rude. She showed up late to Emerson’s project for her school play with kids and that was just so disrespectful. And obviously, she is in an abusive relationship with Silas. Who cheats on her and doesn’t care about her. I felt bad for her but at the same time, it just hurts how shallow and selfish she could be. In the end, when Emerson gave her kiss spell to Piper I thought that was the best thing to do…to show Piper how selfish Silas was and she didn’t deserve such a horrible guy. I hated how she got between Trina’s fight with Emerson and didn’t care for their friendship.
I love Arch (their aunt) she was their true mother who was kind, positive and was there for the girls. She made Emerson feel better when she confessed that she was using the kiss spell to get her grades up and opened to her and loved her unconditionally. I am so glad Emerson called her “Mom” because she deserves to be appreciated.
Luke was a cool guy, at first I didn’t like him hanging out with the popular jocks who were annoying. But when he fell for his own nerd, Mallory, I was so excited for them. Since Emerson started to date Edwin and Mallory and Luke dated, people began to accept the nerds for who they are and started making friendships.
Mr & Mrs. Willison and the teachers were very kind and respected. I admire how Emerson was always there for them and they even paid her tuition. It reminds me to be kind to people that sometimes true happiness is helping people.
I wished I knew more about her mother but other than that I really loved this book. Emerson may have had low grades but after falling for Edwin she starts to actually work hard and use her brain. She ended up winning for her decathlon and the nerds cheering her on was so cute. It really was a good message to send out that yes, everybody is smart if they work hard and even if you have a magic kiss spell it won’t solve all your problems. What’s also pretty cool was how each chapter had different lipstick flavors obviously because Emerson is obsessed with makeup and Arch job is related to makeup. This book made me realize that people wear makeup because they think it’s fun and add color to their life. I think if that’s what makes them happy then they are beautiful. Everybody is beautiful but it’s the inside that counts not the labels that’s given.
Emerson Taylor is interesting and quite charming. She is one of the most popular girls in school and yet unlike her best friend Trina, she doesn’t go out with any guys. Probably because she gets anxious that whenever she kisses a guy she basically can read their mind. She got that power from her mother who was depressed and killed herself. It was so hard to read the part because it must be hard living your life where your mother died, and your father abandoned you.
Anyway, I love the plotline of this story like it’s interesting to see how she lives her life trying to deal with this issue. So basically, she isn’t really studious and her aunt, who is her caregiver, Arch threatened her that if she keeps failing her classes that she will have to take her out of school. Which I can get because it’s a private and expensive school. Anyway, obviously, now she has to work hard to study. Meanwhile, Trina pushes her to go out of her comfort zone because of her major crush on a jock named Vance and Emerson realizes that after kissing a nerd in a studying date that she can read his mind and know everything that she needs to study for. She passes the test and oh gosh…now she decided she’ll kiss all the nerds to get good grades. I knew this was going to turn out so bad.
Some of the characters annoyed me and some of them I was rooting for. I loved all the nerds even though it was cringy that they literally were willing to kiss her even barely knowing her, just allowing her to use them. My favorite nerd was Oliver because unlike the others he didn’t seem to be interested in her and was good friends with Edwin who ended up being Emerson’s soulmate and love of her life. I thought it so cute that Edwin and Emerson turned into a couple. I just feared him finding out that she was kissing his friends to get grades. I was confused why it took him so long to find out because I mean the nerds were crazy about her wouldn’t they have like bragged about her or something. Anyway, I loved how as Emerson started to develop feelings for Edwin she stopped falling for Vance who was a jerk and annoying. I am so glad she could easily move on from that player. It is all about the inside that counts. At first, I didn’t know what to feel for Trina because I didn’t know if she was 100% genuine. I understood when she got angry because Emerson didn’t tell her about Trina’s crush Silas dating her sister Piper. I mean a friend should always have your back. But later, when they made up I realized Trina was a true friend and is always there for her. I was glad when she let Emerson love Edwin and move on from Vance.
Now Silas triggered me. He is that monster dressed up as a jock. It sucks Emerson first kiss was with him and what sucks more was he forced himself on her. He sounds like an abusive character who lust for power. I was triggered whenever his name was mentioned, I hate that guys like him exist. I hate it, even more, when Emerson confessed to her sister Piper how horrible he was and she just sluts shamed Emerson. Piper got on my nerves 90% of the time. She was shallow, annoying and rude. She showed up late to Emerson’s project for her school play with kids and that was just so disrespectful. And obviously, she is in an abusive relationship with Silas. Who cheats on her and doesn’t care about her. I felt bad for her but at the same time, it just hurts how shallow and selfish she could be. In the end, when Emerson gave her kiss spell to Piper I thought that was the best thing to do…to show Piper how selfish Silas was and she didn’t deserve such a horrible guy. I hated how she got between Trina’s fight with Emerson and didn’t care for their friendship.
I love Arch (their aunt) she was their true mother who was kind, positive and was there for the girls. She made Emerson feel better when she confessed that she was using the kiss spell to get her grades up and opened to her and loved her unconditionally. I am so glad Emerson called her “Mom” because she deserves to be appreciated.
Luke was a cool guy, at first I didn’t like him hanging out with the popular jocks who were annoying. But when he fell for his own nerd, Mallory, I was so excited for them. Since Emerson started to date Edwin and Mallory and Luke dated, people began to accept the nerds for who they are and started making friendships.
Mr & Mrs. Willison and the teachers were very kind and respected. I admire how Emerson was always there for them and they even paid her tuition. It reminds me to be kind to people that sometimes true happiness is helping people.
I wished I knew more about her mother but other than that I really loved this book. Emerson may have had low grades but after falling for Edwin she starts to actually work hard and use her brain. She ended up winning for her decathlon and the nerds cheering her on was so cute. It really was a good message to send out that yes, everybody is smart if they work hard and even if you have a magic kiss spell it won’t solve all your problems. What’s also pretty cool was how each chapter had different lipstick flavors obviously because Emerson is obsessed with makeup and Arch job is related to makeup. This book made me realize that people wear makeup because they think it’s fun and add color to their life. I think if that’s what makes them happy then they are beautiful. Everybody is beautiful but it’s the inside that counts not the labels that’s given.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2021
This was really cute and (if I'm going to be honest) had a lot more substance than I anticipated. I loved the little magical twist with Emerson being able to read minds only when she kissed someone. I'm really glad I picked this up.
January 3, 2022
this book seemed very young at times, even though I'm only a year older than the main character, but other than that, i loved this book. there was the perfect amount of drama and tension between the two leads. it felt really good to finish a book within a day again.
April 10, 2018
Yeah
This book was Amazing.It has all the drama u could ask for and more.plus so many different and diverse characters with different personality’s.
This book was Amazing.It has all the drama u could ask for and more.plus so many different and diverse characters with different personality’s.
June 23, 2018
Cute!
I wasn’t expecting to like this book, but I actually liked it a lot! The plot was interesting and it definitely kept me hooked!
I wasn’t expecting to like this book, but I actually liked it a lot! The plot was interesting and it definitely kept me hooked!
September 3, 2018
Could not put it down
This book was a classic teen romance novel with a twist. Slightly predictable at times but I loved it. Definitely recommend !
This book was a classic teen romance novel with a twist. Slightly predictable at times but I loved it. Definitely recommend !
February 6, 2020
such mindless babble but honestly so cute and well written
January 5, 2021
Hey this book was pretty good! I thought it would be stupid but i am pleasantly surprised
July 7, 2018
Spook cute!!
Loved this book! It was so adorable and I can't wait to read another book written by this author! Highly recommended!
Loved this book! It was so adorable and I can't wait to read another book written by this author! Highly recommended!
November 2, 2013
Emerson Taylor, a student at Haygood Academy, needs to pull her grades up soon before she is forces to go to public schools. While kissing a friend at a party Emerson realizes she can suck memories right out of people and devises a plan. Emerson plans to kiss all the “Ivy League bound” guys in her grade desperate to bring her grades up. During “Operation Lip Lock” Emerson starts to fall for an Ivy, Edwin McNeely, ashamed to tell her friends Emerson finally realizes that there is nothing to be ashamed of and embraces her new relationship with Edwin. Edwin is in fact “’completely adorable, swords and all”’ (307).
My favorite character was Emerson Taylor because throughout the novel she was searching for her inner self. At the beginning Emerson was self conscious and cared about what her friends thought about her falling for Edwin McNeely. Emerson even feels guilty about thinking about Edwin, “And then there’s the problem of Edwin and how I still can’t stop thinking about him” (192). I think the author intended for teenage girls to feel this connection with Emerson and her search for her inner self.
I think this novel is perfect for the traditional “girly girl” because of its wide use of guys, makeup, and the relevant high school drama. This novel is dramatic, suspenseful, and will have any reader dying to turn the page. So, if you are a makeup fiend with a taste for guy drama this book is definitely the perfect pick.
My favorite character was Emerson Taylor because throughout the novel she was searching for her inner self. At the beginning Emerson was self conscious and cared about what her friends thought about her falling for Edwin McNeely. Emerson even feels guilty about thinking about Edwin, “And then there’s the problem of Edwin and how I still can’t stop thinking about him” (192). I think the author intended for teenage girls to feel this connection with Emerson and her search for her inner self.
I think this novel is perfect for the traditional “girly girl” because of its wide use of guys, makeup, and the relevant high school drama. This novel is dramatic, suspenseful, and will have any reader dying to turn the page. So, if you are a makeup fiend with a taste for guy drama this book is definitely the perfect pick.
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