The Queen of One-Liners - So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

I'll admit...I went a little out of my comfort zone this time.  Not only did I pick up a chick-lit book, it was also a YA book.  Yep, this girl is taking the bull by the horns with this goal of reading something other than historical fiction in 2012.  :o)

So Not Happening is just fabulous!  At first, I didn't quite know what to think about this 16-year-old spoiled brat of a girl who was a New York transplant in Oklahoma.  I mean, Bella's a little self-absorbed, a little snobbish, but she's all kinds of snappy--as in the Queen of One-Liners--except when she says a little bit too much on a blog for the whole town of Truman to see.  Not that there's a lot of folks in Truman, but there's enough there that her friends scale slides to zero really quick!

So, while she recovers from all that drama (not to mention the drama at home), she makes one friend, then two, and then, she scores a spot on the newspaper staff with the most horrible editor on the planet.  (Really, this guy does NOT make a good first impression.)  While on her very first assignment for the paper, she overhears a sneaky conversation between a couple of guys, and her radar goes up fast.  And wouldn't you know...when she tries to take it to the editor that it could be a great tip for a story, he brushes her off!  But patience is key here, and before they know it, they are almost in over their heads with the story of the school year.

I never expected all the twists and turns that took place in this story.  First of all, it's down right hilarious in some places.  I cannot remember the last time I read a novel and laughed that much!  Secondly, there's a little mystery on the side that pops up about halfway through the book that had my jaw on the floor by the time it was solved!  Third, there were life lessons galore, and they fit in seamlessly through the whole story.  Not only were they for Bella, but for her mom, dad, new stepdad, and stepbrothers.  I highly recommend So Not Happening, especially for the older teenage audience.  And who am I kidding...this grown-up loved it, too!

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Overflowing!

Summary of So Not Happening:


New York's social darling just woke up in a nightmare: Oklahoma. Problem is, it's right where God wants her.

Bella Kirkwood had it all: A-list friends at her prestigious private school, Broadway in her backyard, and Daddy's MasterCard in her wallet. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When Bella's mom falls in love with a man she met on the Internet--a factory worker with two bratty sons--Bella has to pack up and move in with her new family in Truman, Oklahoma. On a farm no less!

Forced to trade her uber-trendy NYC lifestyle for down-home charm, Bella feels like a pair of Rock & Republic jeans in a sea of Wranglers.

At least some of the people in her new high school are pretty cool. Especially the hunky football player who invites her to lunch. And maybe even the annoying--but kinda hot--editor of the school newspaper.

But before long, Bella smells something rotten in the town of Truman, and it's not just the cow pasture. With her savvy reporter's instincts, she is determined to find the story behind all the secrets.

How can a girl go on when her charmed life is gone and God appears to be giving her the total smackdown?