The Half-Life of Planets aftermath craze.

A month ago, I posted a review for The Half-Life of Planets, here.  Much to my surprise as I was perusing Facebook the other day, I found Brendan Halpin's page (co-author of The Half-Life of Planets) and noticed a shout out to my review! From there, I discovered his website and the extensive list of his previous novels.

Let's just say I'm hooked.

I absolutely loved The Half-Life of Planets, and am eager to read more by Halpin; one of his other novels that caught my eye is Dear Catastrophe Waitress. 

The description from Amazon --

Philippa Strange, a fresh-out-of-high-school punk rock girl, divides her time between an alcoholic mother in Cincinnati and a rocker boyfriend in London and becomes unfortunately notorious after her boyfriend immortalizes her cheating ways—and her name—in a popular song. Meanwhile, shortly after Mark Norris finishes college in Philadelphia, he finds himself the victim of "premature ejaculation libel" when his ex-girlfriend cracks the Top 40 with her hit song, "Two Minute Man." Mark stumbles his way through toxic relationships as a pregnant Philippa, back in the States for good, fakes her death and assumes a new identity to escape from a violent boyfriend.

No idea when I'll get around to actually buying the book, since where I'm staying is devoid of any book stores, but I'm looking forward to reading it. It's a must.

Halpin also has another new book out, titled Shutout.
The description from Amazon --

Best friends Amanda and Lena have always been an unstoppable pair on the soccer field. Although ninth graders rarely make the varsity team, they are hopeful. But a recent growth spurt has caused Amanda to develop Sever's disease, a temporary disorder that causes significant heel pain and that has affected her game. It's still an unexpected blow, though, when Lena makes the cut and she has been relegated to JV. As much as the two girls try to pretend that their friendship won't be affected, it is; in addition to the different practices and games, Lena is socializing more with the juniors and seniors. Things come to a head when she asks Amanda to accompany her to a party so that she can meet up with a guy she likes. Unable to deceive her dad and stepmom, Amanda comes clean about the evening's activities, and Lena's parents find out where she really was.

Seems as if it borders along the lines of Middle Grade and Teens, but I think I might still give it a shot.

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Of course, after finding so much about Halpin, I had to search for Emily Franklin (the other co-author of The Half-Life of Planets). I found her website and a list of her novels as well. I'll definitely be checking out At Face Value; it's another must.

The description from her site--

In this modern love story, Cyrano de Bergerac is reinvented as a brilliant and funny seventeen-year-old . . . girl. A tennis champion, straight-A student, and editor of the school paper, Cyrie Bergerac has learned to live with her (ahem) peculiar proboscis. And she's got an armory of witty retorts for every schnoz joke that comes her way. But despite her talents and charm, Cyrie is convinced that no guy—hot or otherwise—would deem her crush-worthy. Certainly not Eddie "Rox" Roxanninoff, who's gorgeous, smart, and genuinely nice to boot!

There's someone else smitten with Rox, too. It's Leyla, Cyrie's pretty yet tongue-tied best friend. Helping Leyla seduce Rox through email provides a wonderful way for Cyrie to express her true feelings. But watching her crush hook up with Leyla may be more than she can take. Will Cyrie find the strength to risk it all—nose be damned—and confess her love?

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Point is, if you still haven't looked at or read The Half-Life of Planets, you're missing out! And if it doesn't seem like your cup of tea, I hope you'll take the time to look at both Brendan Halpin's and Emily Franklin's other novels.



REVIEW! The Half-Life of Planets.

The Half-Life of Planets
Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin



FROM THE COVER:

Liana is a girl with a reputation. She’s also an aspiring planetary scientist. So one summer Liana, the kissing addict, decides to conduct an experiment. She’s going to refrain from locking lips and use her mouth for talking instead. She’s pretty sure it will be easy. That is, until Hank comes along.

Hank is a boy with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s funny – sometimes without intending to be – and more than a little awkward. So he can tell you all about bands called Love and Kiss, but not about loving or kissing. He also may have difficulty closing his mouth long enough to kiss anyone.

It would appear that Hank and Liana are in for an interesting summer—if the planets align.


My rating: 5 stars.


MY THOUGHTS:

A true page turner: Franklin and Halpin create perfect balance between entertainment and insight. Yes, perfect.

Liana is, surprisingly, far from the one dimensional “Smart & Pretty Girl” Mary Sue you might peg her to be. There’s more to her than brains and being a kissing addict; it takes a short while for that to become apparent, but in the end, it makes sense. It fits her just right. She’s the character you want to hate but can’t, because she recognizes her own flaws – she just doesn’t know how to correct them, or if she wants to. And you can’t help but give her credit.

On the other end of the character spectrum, there’s Hank. You can’t help but adore him. He’s comic relief, but also genuinely funny and straightforward – whether he means to be or not. He’s incredibly different in comparison to the male main characters in other novels, but in the best possible way. His personality is transferred from the pages to the reader. Essentially, Hank is more than a character; he may as well be real. True to himself and his quirks, he’s the one to admire.

The writing relies heavily on the dialogue, and less on description, but it works. The dialogue is both sharp and fun. And frankly, while the plot works nicely, Liana and Hank are so likable, real, and overall a great duo, that I feel as though I wouldn’t mind reading about any specific event, so long as they’re both involved.

Bottom line is, The Half-Life of Planets is a great new novel, with vivid, unforgettable characters and a plot that - although predictable - allows them to shine.