Mini Reviews: Fluffy YA history and fashion

Confederates Don't Wear Couture by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Rating: 3.5 stars
Goodreads

Fun, fun, fun. This book had all the ingredients I needed for a light, fluffy, pick-me-up kind of book. I enjoyed the first book Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, but I think this one might have been even better. You also don't need to read the first book to enjoy the second (the only spoiler for the first book is who Libby ends up with romantically, and it's really no surprise in the first book).

Sassy gay best friend Dev is pretty much the reason for most of my enjoyment. He spends the entire book joyously reveling in crafting period-appropriate fancy dresses, appreciating the southern gentlemen in uniform, pining for quality coffee,  squealing in terror at the ghost, and coming to Libby's rescue repeatedly with sarcastic sympathy and pretty clothing. He was a delight.

I would happily read more books in this series, as long as Dev continues to steal the spotlight. Alas, I don't think more are planned.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista: On Board the Titanic by Bianca Turetsky
Rating: 3 stars
Goodreads

Overall, I liked this book and I plan on reading the sequels. I figured I should get that out right up front because there were a few things I was kind of meh on, but they clearly weren't deal breakers. So, the things I didn't love:

The pictures were...I don't know, kind of blah? So was the main character. She felt kind of distant, and I think that's because the writing just wasn't that great. There also wasn't any sense of urgency with the plot, which kind of just meandered along.

But, the pictures were also interesting to look at and they made for a really fast read because almost every other page has a picture of some sort on it. The chapters are also really tiny, so, again, super fast read. There were two side characters that really didn't play much of a role but I'm a sucker for the witchy, eccentric lady duo (think Hilda and Zelda in Sabrina the Teenage Witch or the two witchy aunts in Practical Magic) and these were fun. I wish they had more page time, but hopefully they will in the sequels.

I also learned a lot I didn't know about the Titanic, the famous people on the ship, and the fashions of the time. This in turn inspired an hours-long internet research binge after I had finished the book. Always a plus.



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Book Review: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
Pages: 204
Received: ARC from publisher, via NetGalley
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

Review

I'd make one of those lanyard friendship bracelets and give it to Libby

Libby is the type of girl who I would be total BFFs with at summer camp. She's fun, sweet, creative, peppy, and (best of all) she's a very girly, feminine history nerd! My heart is all a-pitter-patter at the thought of gushing over cute outfits and historical factoids with the same person.

Libby and I would do everything together at summer camp and we'd swear we'd write to each other during the school year. But then we wouldn't end up writing because, well, life. And, while she's a ton of fun to hang out with, Libby doesn't have the chops to be a real full-year, ups-and-downs kind of BFF.

Looking for a fluffy read?

That's also kind of how I feel about this book. It's fun and light and sweet and everything, but it didn't leave much of a mark on me. Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink is the perfect summer read. It isn't too serious (there are the usual messages about Lite Interpersonal Drama with Friends and Boys), and I did smile at a bunch of scenes (though no laughing out loud).

The plot moves at a fairly moderate pace and pretty much follows the script of your average romantic comedy. It's predictable, but in a book like this that's more of a comfort than a negative. The ending was over the top silly and not particularly believable, but who cares! It was fun and it made me smile.

The setting in a historical reenactment summer camp was pretty much a dream come true for a history nerd like me and was a welcome change from the more usual beach or traditional summer camp settings that populate this genre. I wish there were more historical factoids thrown in, but that's because I really am a super history nerd.

Also, the little girls Libby teaches are ADORABLE! 

Let's talk about what's important here: Boys!

There are three main guys vying for Libby's attention: A buff sailor who looks great with his shirt off, a somewhat geeky reporter who has a hate-turned-like thing going on with Libby, and a totally gay best friend who whips up historically appropriate dresses faster than Cinderella's fairy godmother.

All of them were just kind of ok for me. I appreciated the mental imagery of the sailor, but, well, you'll see. And, much as I love hate-turned-love, this one was much more "cute" than "swoony" for me. The gay best friend was good for a few laughs, but he was so over the top cliche that I had a hard time believing his character (but that doesn't really matter. He's funny, and that's what matters).

Bottom line

If you're looking for a quick, light summer read with a fluffy romance, then I'd definitely recommend giving Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink a shot. I will definitely check out whatever Stephanie Strohm writes next, but this isn't the type of book I would personally auto-buy.

I will be ordering a copy for my library girls, especially since I think this will work with some of the older tween girls as well as the YA readers. Good for Meg Cabot fans.

This is a standalone.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

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