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Magic Hands

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Cort, the high school senior jock seems to have it all -- except a summer job. When he lands one doing women's nails, his eyes are opened to the catty, back-stabbing world of females. Girls he thought he knew and trusted turn out to shock and use him. He gets to know Rachel, an elusive girl the others gossip about, a girl with secrets. From her he learns there is more to life than weekend partying and social status, and one of the secrets she shares with him will change his life forever.

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

35 people are currently reading
731 people want to read

About the author

Jennifer Laurens

16 books1,048 followers
Jennifer, aka JM Warwick was born and raised in Southern California and her hometown of Palos Verdes Estates flavors her books: A Season of Eden and An Open Vein. She doesn't limit herself to writing one genre, and was the first to author four romance novels centered around the popular sport of ballroom dancing.She has YA novels published under her YA romance name of Jennifer Laurens: Falling for Romeo, Magic Hands, Nailed and the Heavenly series: Heavenly ( 2009) Penitence (2010) and Absolution (2010) A Season of Eden (2011) and Overprotected ( 2011 ) Grace Doll ( 2012 ) .An Open Vein is under her JM Warwick pen name. Jennifer lives in Utah and has 6 children, one of whom has autism. Jennifer doesn't put stock in reviews - in fact she never reads them.

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5 stars
134 (19%)
4 stars
196 (28%)
3 stars
210 (30%)
2 stars
107 (15%)
1 star
38 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Princess Bookie.
960 reviews97 followers
March 2, 2010
Taken from princessbookie.com

My Thoughts: Let me start off by saying, I have been eyeing Jennifer's books for a while but I have not seen any store around here that sells them and I've looked on amazon for them but each one is a bit pricey. 10-11 bucks a piece and that adds up quick. First, let me say they are worth the 10 dollars!!!!! I think if they were 20, I'd still pay it! Sometimes you run into an author and you just fall in love with their words. Thats how I feel about Jennifer right now. I love her books. I love the stories. I love the characters and each one I read I feel myself falling more and more in love with the guys in them. So what if I'm a hopeless romantic and Cort just does it to me!!!!! This is one of those books that you want to know what happens so you want to read each page quickly but at the same time you need to read each word as slow as possible so you can devour it and enjoy each letter.I swear I read each sentence twice because I loved the sweetness of it! We are introduced to Cort who is the guy who has it all; popularity, girl's, he's the one the guys want to be. You know the type, jock, popular friends, the untainable cool guy that every girl dreams about but is too shy to talk too. But he's not just a pretty face, he's charming and real. We than meet Rachel who is a rich girl who is really smart and caring. Cort and Rachel have noticed each other over the years but Rachel says she will never date a jock and Cort has just kind of went through girl by girl and never had a real serious relationship. They start to notice each other more and more. Cort than gets a job at a nail salon because he is in serious need of money and its the only job in town. Of course it gets throughout the school and the girls start swarming in to get their nails done by the popular hot guy at school. Cort learns how girls really are; gossiping backstabbing girls. Cort has girls wanting him and Rachel has guys wanting her. I liked all the side characters. I loved Rachel's friends and I really liked Cort's sister. We learn that Rachel has a few secrets of her own, and Cort swears that he will show Rachel he's different from all the other guys. This story is romantic, heartfelt, wonderful, and amazing. What happens to Cort and Rachel? Do the sparks keeping flying between them or do they move onto their friends who want them? What happens with Cort's job? Is he good at nails? You need to go read the book now!

Overall: Loved it!! AMAZING!!! You need to read it now! Romantic!
Profile Image for Crystal.
545 reviews42 followers
March 6, 2010
This is my third Jennifer Laurens book and it's another book I enjoyed. However I did not like this one as well as Nailed or Heavenly.

The story was enjoyable - popular girl who stays away from jocks and really dating in general,catches the eye of the biggest jock and most popular boy in the school. Of course, she doesn't want anything to do with him, at first. Then she becomes intrigued by him, especially since he is doing a very non-jock guy job of doing nails. And he's good at it.

It's a cute story and I really like the characters of Cort and Rachel. The nail salon job also makes things interesting. I enjoyed reading the book, but just was left with a less than fulfilled feeling. The characters grew some but not a lot and everytime I thought the plot was going somewhere it went there but a little too quickly. Things moved the story along but nothing was really that consequential. I'm used to a little more meaning and meat to Ms. Laurens' stories.

That said I did enjoy the book and wish it could have been longer to develop things with Cort and Rachel more. I also liked that this book made virginity out to be a prize, without the characters seeming like saints.

It's a good book and an entertaining read for an afternoon.
Profile Image for Windy Aphayrath.
17 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2014
Cort may be a hot jock at Pleasant View High School, but that doesn't mean he's made of money. Desperate to find a job, Cort ends up working at the brand new nail salon in town and finds himself in the center of a world filled with cattiness and gossip. Rachel is the quietly popular, elusive girl that all the other girls gossip about. From Rachel, Cort learns that there is more to life than the heirarchy of popularity at Pleasant View High School.

On the whole, I liked this story. The main and secondary characters were pretty well developed and the pace of the story was good, there weren't really slow parts. The nicknames thing, Rachel and her friends giving the cute boys nicknames so they could talk about them in front of them, was amusing, but I don't think it was played up enough for it to be as entertaining as it could've been. Plus, I would've liked to see Bree through Cort's eyes before she became the catty-gossip he came to know her as from the salon.

Overall, it was a good book. Fast read.
Profile Image for Cindy.
817 reviews49 followers
May 13, 2011
The cover on this book had steered me away from it, not into the hole groping thing. In this case the old saying don't judge a book by it's cover is true. I had read Mrs. Laurens book "A Season of Eden" totally enjoyed it and decided to try another. This is a fun lite read, great escapism reading and I enjoyed every minute of it. The the main characters Rachel and Cort were fun, Cort's the jock, and Rachel is smart, and has depth. They both have liked each other from a safe distance. Each wonders how something more can ever get started since they each run in different circles.I also really liked the fact that this story is told from both Rachel and Cort's different perspectives. I find it's not that often that we get the guys perspective. You will quickly figure out why the title is called magic hands (it's actually quite funny). Oh, the things Cort gets himself into, but it is not as the cover implies. Great prose very quick read and totally fun romance!

very mild language
clean romance for adult. talk of hooking up/ wanting to hook up, sexual tension, not for my teen.
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,523 reviews333 followers
August 17, 2011
(3.5) First of all, my cover doesn't look like this. But...the title is kinda funny. It doesn't take long to figure it out. Cort is a super jock and Rachel is smart, and they both have crushes on each other. it seems unlikely that it will work out because their groups are so different.

I liked how the book was from both viewpoints. I also liked how Cort "grew up," realizing that there is more to a person than looks alone. I really, really liked that message. It was a light, funny, and cute story.

What I didn't like was how there was a big deal made over the fact that Cort hasn't "been intimate with someone", making it seem that he was alone in this. I don't really agree (my personal belief) with teens making that jump, but unfortunately, many do.

Although this is marketed for a YA audience, I wouldn't recommend it to any teens. There are a few mild swear words and talk of hooking up, although none of it is descriptive--just general.
2 reviews
December 12, 2009
This was an amazing read. The very premise - a jock working in a nail salon - is so original and funny that you know the story has to be interesting. As the story progresses, you begin to follow Cort and Rachel's developing relationship with girlish delight, no matter your age. The characters are realistic, the story fantastic yet utterly believable (to the point where you're at the edge of your seat wanting more), and it all truly speaks to the teenage girl in all of us, longing for a guy but not wanting to be hurt or disappointed - and shows us the side of a guy we all want to see. The only warning I have: Make sure you have enough time to read it all at once! If you have to put it down, you'll spend all the intervening time wondering what's going to happen next!
Profile Image for Preet.
3,386 reviews233 followers
October 8, 2017
3.75 stars!

This is a really cute YA read. I mean how often do you read about a hot high school stud working in an all female nail salon?

Cort is really sweet. I liked how kind he was. I mean yes it took to working in a different environment to learn about how complicated females can be, but he was dedicated to his job. I loved how even though his sister got on his nerves, he looked out for her. Most of all I love how patient he was with Rachel and wooed her.

Rachel is one cool chick. She knows what she likes and wants, but still has some preconceived notions about guys in athletics that Cort help her break. I loved how she took time out of her schedule to volunteer and how she made Cort work for her affections.

This is my first Jennifer Laurens book and I am definitely going to find the other ones I have and read them.
2 reviews
April 30, 2018
Loved it

Such great book and really relatable to me. Recommend to any one that likes teen Rom com books. 💝 💝
3 reviews
July 10, 2018
One of the best books that I read.

O thought that the book was awesome. I would recommend it to YA readers who love a good romance story.
Profile Image for Shawna.
415 reviews14 followers
November 4, 2012
I'm sorry but I just did not really enjoy this book. It wasn't very entertaining to me. I definitely couldn't relate to the female character Rachel. I don't know but constantly being reminded that she had this gaggle of boys constantly around her and following her was just a bit much. Not to mention seriously if all of those boys are following her around and she has never been kissed....doesn't seem real enough to me. I just felt like she was written to be perfect and I'm not a fan of perfect characters. I like mu characters to have actual flaws.

Not to mention that I felt like there really was not pertinent information provided through out the series. I don't know I just felt like the book was just thrown out there with no realy character development and no real plot line other than he likes her and she likes him. Oh and not mention the whole...virginity thing felt kind of forced down my throat. Great for you dude you haven't had sex..you're popular and you haven't taken that step...neither have your popular hot friends either..good for you. i get it it's great to wait for someone you care about, but seriously there is more to life than that.

There was no real story to me, no true conflict that the characters had to face and overcome. I don't know I just found myself wanting much much more and never getting it. There was nothing throughout this entire book that I really liked. I didn't feel connected to the characters, didn't feel like we got to know them, and I felt like they written to be perfect. To me perfect characters aren't real and I can't connect to them therefore causing me to ultimately not enjoy the story.

What can I say I like my characters real, flawed, you know like we all are.
Profile Image for Tabitha (Bows & Bullets Reviews).
492 reviews76 followers
January 30, 2013
The review is also available on my blog, Bows & Bullets Reviews

I was pretty excited to start this because I really enjoyed Jennifer’s novel, Overprotected. But Magic Hands just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Cort is so desperate for a job that he ends up taking the only one he can find, at a nail salon. Definitely not an ideal job, but the longer he is there, the more he sees that some girls are so two-faced, you can’t tell which one is real. Rachel never lets guys get too close for fear of getting hurt, but when Cort starts to pursue her, can she resist his charm?

Sounds good, right? Guy doing nails? Hilarious and part of it was, but overall, it just felt like it was missing something. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t very invested in the characters. I didn’t like Cort much at all. He seemed sweet, but the writing didn’t come off very boy-like. Writing from a male perspective is something not a lot of female authors can do authentically, and I hate to say that this is definitely not a good one. And I don’t just mean because there wasn’t any swearing or explicitly sexual thoughts, he just felt girlish. Maybe it was just me, but I didn’t buy it. Then there is Rachel who came off as the stuck-up rich girl who has guys drooling over her all day but won’t give any of them a chance. It’s supposed to be because she is scared of getting hurt again, but there doesn’t mean she should lead them on like she does. Plus, I didn’t feel any tension or chemistry between the two.

I enjoyed enough of the story to give it three stars, but I almost feel like it doesn’t deserve it. There were just too many issues for me to really get behind it.
Profile Image for Anna Schroeder.
660 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2011
When I read this summary I was thinking: Wow, this book sounds like a great book. Something that's fresh and different that we haven't seen in the YA genre before... however, when I started reading it, I noticed that the summary makes it sound better than it really was.

For one, it was very cliche in the guy-going-after-popular-girl route. This wasn't a main theme of the story, but it was still there... and I was hoping that it really wasn't there. The characters in some areas were also quite cliched. Also, in some parts, what the characters did just did NOT make sense. I mean, a teenage, jock-type working at a nail salon?! Even if they really do want work... really? A nail salon? I can't picture any of the guys at my school working at a nail salon.

I sometimes lost the voice of the characters, too. I don't know if it was me, but I just didn't get a strong voice from them. The beginning is also a little bit slow, though by page fifty, it does pick up and you keep reading to find out what's going to happen.

I don't have a category for this, but I don't know if it was the author or the publisher, but there were a lot of grammar/formatting mistakes that I caught. I know this is a minor detail, but for me, it really took away from the book.

This book is still funny - if not all realistic - and if you still want to give it a shot, I recommend you taking it out from your local library.
Profile Image for Rasuna.
97 reviews
August 7, 2011
I grabbed this book while currently reading two paranormal books. I also have stacked of copies I haven't read, and you can guess, most of it was paranormal. Don't get me wrong, I really love paranormals, but I feel like I need a break. So I put down my current readings and trying to find something easy and quick read. I need cheesy high school story. First love and stuff. I may feeling a it nostalgic cause I'm heading to College this fall. Big moves and all.

I finally decided to read it. The synopsis intrigue me. Turns out the story is less surprising and the synopsis and review is a bit exaggerate, but I still enjoy this one. Probably given my current mood. I may have a different opinion at some other time, but I liked it.

Cort Davies is your typical high school quarterback star. He's popular, gorgeous, and has girls following him around like flock of doves. He think he has it all.But he needed job. And soon. He was desperate, so he agreed to do nails at new nail salon in town.
He soon find out shockings fact bout girls he taught he knew. And then there was Rachel... she's gorgeous, and he couldn't figure out why it's so hard to approach her.
He thinks Rachel is playing some kind of games, and Cort sure want to be part of it.

I feel relaxed after reading this book. I maybe need to balance it a bit. Some paranormals, then chick-flick/contemporary. All in all it's a good book. And I like the cover.
Profile Image for Shanyn.
375 reviews140 followers
January 31, 2010
Magic Hands was a solid read. It was focused on the life of a high school boy (which was slightly odd because most books I've read lately are based on girls). The boy gets a job in a nail salon, which forms the basic plot. He, of course, has a love interest - this was a slightly annoying part for me for part of the book, because the girl tried to be so mysterious that it ended up driving me crazy. Thankfully, she finally gets a grip.
Another thing that was a little weird to me was when the author gave us a line or two from the opposing character's thoughts (for instance, if we were following the boy and his actions and ideas, a paragraph would be thrown in with what was running through the girl's brain). It was helpful to know what they were both thinking at some points, but the way it was laid out was not the best.
There were many elements of the book that gave the plot more depth than a high school romance, which gave me an overall good impression. I'd like to read other books by this author!
Profile Image for Kiki.
37 reviews1 follower
May 18, 2011
I liked the book. It didn't wow me, as I'd hoped, but it was an interesting look into a teenage boy's head.

The story is about Cort, a 17 year old boy that needed a job. The only job available is at the new nail salon in town. It made me laugh, the idea of a boy doing nails.

Yes, if you're the logical one, you know you must be a licensed tech to do nails. I knew it too, but hey, it's fiction! And it was lovely to see a boy's reaction to when those backstabbing girls you knew in high school drop their facade and show their true colors.

Another aspect of his life is Rach, the enigmatic classmate that captures his attention. How does he win her over?

The changes in Cort are something to read, but I really think the fringe characters seriously lacked depth and could've used some more face time. I don't know if it's considered grammar, but the placement of paragraphs and wording was strange. That could be because I read it on my Kindle, and that's sometimes messed up in the transfer process.

All in all, a nice read for the afternoon. I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Sara.
1,520 reviews131 followers
November 22, 2012
What? Really? It just finished like that? But...? I wanted to read more, about the dance and after... I just turned the page and... nothing. I was kind of disappointed.
The book though wasn't bad. It was kind of original, a guy doing nails. Not that I think he'd be the only guy in the world. There are many men who are make-up artists, hair-stylers etc. I guess there are some even doing nails. But still, it was obviously surprising for a teenage boy to like it.
Cort was a really nice guy, though at times I thought he was kind of weak. What with the way he let her employer treat him or even how he reacted around Bree's body even though he didn't like her as a person.
Rachel was okay, but I didn't partiularly like her. She was too aloof with Cort and didn't give him much chance to show her his interest and that he was different from the other jocks. But he still did. And she couldn't help but fall for his charmes. He was just too cute and hot.
Profile Image for Aimee.
765 reviews62 followers
October 21, 2011
I liked how we get to see Cort's side of this and his unusual job. I think the setting for this was really interesting, putting a jock into a female dominated work place. And then getting to see the true side of those girls he thought were hot. Turns out, he has a lot to learn about his female friends.

I'm not sure I really liked Rachel's stance on relationships. I don't feel it felt real, the breaking of her barriers while Cort tries to court her. She had her moments though, where I really liked her, but there were times I wasn't sure I really wanted Cort to keep trying with her.

I really like Jennifer Laurens and took a chance on this. I still think it is worth a read but the story felt short and maybe a little rushed. But it was still a good read. I love the way Laurens writes and this won't be my last book from her.
Profile Image for Leslie (That Chick That Reads).
303 reviews43 followers
Read
March 14, 2012
I love Laurens work. I mean her Heavenly series was the one that made me want to read more and actually join Goodreads back in 2009. This is def unlike her other series but it's super unique and cute. I loved how there was two perspectives. Both characters were so sweet and you would feel for them when things didn't go their way. Cort was def my favorite character. He's the one I think that had a lot of growing to do during the book. I just loved how working at a saloon changed his feelings and attitude towards the people he thought he knew. The thing that this book taught me was def to pay attention more and to just take a look around your surrounds. Sometimes you just don't see it in it's real light until you stand 20 feet from it.
Profile Image for Mlpmom (Book Reviewer).
3,199 reviews411 followers
September 13, 2011
This was a cute story and an easy fast read, however I thought the ending felt a little unfinished. Like the author just wasn't sure where to go from there so she just ended it.
I think I would have liked to see a little more. I don't want to give anything away but it would have been nice to know some more about them like, what happened at prom? Where they officially a couple after?
I am all for making your own ending and guessing what happens to them after but...I don't know, this ending just didn't sit well with me.
Overall though it was a nice read and it certainly won't detour me from reading more by Laurens. It was nice to read a YA book that was clean with little to no swearing, drinking or sex involved.
Profile Image for Mariah.
124 reviews49 followers
March 21, 2010
This book sounded really cute, and it was! I mean a story about a guy who works at a nail salon! I enjoyed how the story was told from both Cort and Rachel's pov's, which is unusual in this type of novel. I also liked the twist in the middle.


One problem I had with this book was that the romance was too short in my opinion, and was not developed enough.


But overall it was a fast read with well developed characters.



COVER: I don't like the cover, it kind of goes against the book.
Profile Image for Mana.
318 reviews8 followers
August 1, 2011
Had been looking to read this for quite a while. Was a bit dissapointed with it actually. While the premise of the guy working in a nail salon was new, a lot of situations seemed were explained off a bit too easily. Possibly this was due to the length of the book (too short). Why would Cort listed to the stories Bree makes up about Rachel when he has experienced her bitchiness towards other girls earlier? The guys (Sam, Chris and Todd) go from being hostile to ultra friendly within the space of a couple of pages.A sweet story but not "substantial".
Profile Image for Annette.
407 reviews36 followers
September 3, 2012
this books was really cute. well paced, nothing too rushed, I loved it!!
The realtionships grows so well and the events in the story were so well taled that it felt very real.
A guy who can paint nails and do massage?? that is so awesome! any girl would be lucky to have a guy like Cort. He wasn´t perfect, but he was a jerk either. A learned a thing or two in this book (I actually did not know you had to have a license to do nails).
a very light lovely reading. Jennifer does it again! I love her books!
Profile Image for Heather.
127 reviews31 followers
February 14, 2011
I thought I would like this book more than I did because I love this author's Heavenly series. But this book just fell a little flat for me. I couldn't get into caring about the characters and couldn't relate. It was a cute story but just seemed to be lacking depth, and it didn't seem to go anywhere. Maybe would be a better book for young teens to get into. **Update: My 13 year old daughter has read this now and gives it 4.5 stars so I'll change my original 3 stars to 4.
Profile Image for Shruti Fatehpuria.
Author 4 books28 followers
June 3, 2012
The book is extremely intriguing and totally un-putdownable.However, there is so much more that you would itch to know. The book fails to clear all the mystery behind the stories. How i wish there would be a sequel to it. The central characters are magical and the book lives up to the tile as well.Not just magical hands, it is definitely a magical story that you are sure to fall in love with. However, it would kill to clear some more mystery which persists even after the end!!
Profile Image for Sarah.
65 reviews5 followers
July 30, 2012
Jennifer Laurens has done it again! Another amazing book! I must say I love this book. A man finally put into a woman's world. What girl wouldn't want to read that one! I love how the relationship between Cort and Rachel blooms. This book was very well written! It made it me going "Oh my god he didn't!" at certain times. I loved the ending! It was extremely sweet. Bravo Jennifer Laurens!!!
Profile Image for Court.
94 reviews
June 7, 2010
This was very original and different. I liked it, althought there were a few little things that bothered me. I think the book seemed a little rushed. If this was made into a movie, I think cory monteith and lea michelle from glee would be perfect for cort and rachel
Profile Image for Taffy.
983 reviews62 followers
September 17, 2011
Cute, quick story about a jock who needs a job, likes an untouchable girl and tries to be cool.

He gets a job doing nails in a salon and because of his popularity he brings in more business than the little Asian women can handle.

The characters were fun.

Rating: PG

V: None

S: None

L: None
Profile Image for Kerri.
440 reviews10 followers
April 10, 2011
This was a fun quick read for young adults. I found the main characters a little to unbelievable, specifically the male lead Cort who yeah it would be great if there were guys like that in the real world - but I've yet to see one. But sometimes that's exactly why we read books isn't it?
222 reviews
October 25, 2011
Sweet romance. Well written with likable characters. The narration divides between the two main characters and it was also interesting to see things from the boy's point of view. Definitely worth your time if you like a clean but romantic story.
Profile Image for Maria.
64 reviews59 followers
March 24, 2012
This book was ok...I guess I had set my expectations too high due to raving reviews on it. I should know better than to do that. It ended pretty abruptly & the romance was a little bit off. I was a little disappointed in the plot,the characters and the timing of everything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

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