Jahnna N. Malcolm

I'm not going to lie, Hart and Soul is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. This series is a fast paced book that's over thirty years old yet is still quite the interesting read. It's absolutely obvious that it was made many years ago, but that doesn't bother my reading experience in the slightest. There are some issues in regards to the types of behaviours and conversations that happen, but as for the thrilling read - it holds up (for the most part).

In book #4, Get the Picture, Pepper's photos are stolen. It's quite the dramatic opening scene with Amanda and Pepper all in a flurry. Of course they eventually get Mick to come help them, only for the group to learn that the plot behind the stolen pictures is way darker than previous instalments of this series has ever been before. This isn't just a petty thief...

The plot is over the top and not exactly believable, but I didn't mind. It was a very fast paced read and was a lot of fun. Since this book is older, I can't be sure how accurate the ending is (without any spoilers), but for the current years - it's a bit of a B movie ending. Either way, it was quite the read! I enjoyed it and it brought a smile to my face.

There is some fat phobia in this book which make me cringe. It's an old book from a time when there was a lot of fat shaming that didn't get questioned, but it still makes me feel icky. Once you get past that and the very intriguing ending... It's still a good book!

It seems like the "Will they? Won't they?" storyline with Mick and Amanda might be addressed soon... But who knows! I guess I'll have to find book five to figure it out.

Three out of five stars.… (més)

Oh man! I got so excited when I hit the jackpot and found a lot of books from my childhood at a local book sale. I found the first four books in this series and scooped them up instantly. I remember always wanting to read these from the library but I always maxed out the number of books I could have out. I never actually ended up reading this series even though my heart was set on them. So, fast forward many, many years and I finally get to experience the books that all of the 'popular' kids were reading.

This book was so pleasant and clearly written back in the eighties and nineties. AND I LOVED IT. It's so nostalgic for me, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.

Amanda Hart is a writer (and the editor-in-chief for her school's newspaper). She is going to release a series of stories about the sororities present in her city and someone is NOT happy. They are going after her with vicious notes and threats. When Amanda and her team call upon a courier service, along comes Mick Soul with his handy dandy bicycle. He gets attacked when trying to deliver a copy of their story, and suddenly Hart and Soul wind up working on the mystery together. Mick enrolls in her high school to help figure out who is threatening her... because what else is a bicycle courier supposed to do in his spare time? School? Pfft, no!

It's a "will they, won't they" sort of duo - like Bones and Booth, Ross and Rachel, Jane and Rafael, etc. Hart and Mick have so much chemistry for a middle grade (almost YA) novel that it's unbelievable. Seriously, I just need to finish the series to know if they end up together because they are super flirty in this book!

There's a good cast of characters filling up the typical high school tropes: Jason the nerd who wants his story in the paper, Pepper the best friend, Josh the tech geek, Whitney the mean girl, and so on.

My one big flaw is as followed: you can kind of figure out what's going to happen by the end but it's not really hinted at. I love when mystery books leave you little hints here and there, but there's not much until the end. I had a pretty good inkling of what would happen based off reading way to many mystery books and watching too many mystery shows, but I wanted to work my way through this mystery with Hart and Soul. It doesn't ruin the story by any means, but I'm a picky reader like that.

Side note, this is my FAVOURITE line in the whole book:
"What a slime!"

Seriously, that's a Briar insult from my childhood. Score 1 for that gem!

Overall, this book is cute and fun! I love a good throw back and I'm so glad I found this book. I will 100% be continuing this series, especially since I have the next three books on my shelf. Hopefully I managed to score the rest of the series! This book is an absolute delight and I 100% recommend it either for middle grader/YA readers or some of you as old as me who want a childhood nostalgia trip.

Three out of five stars!… (més)

I absolutely LOVE this series. It's a guilty pleasure of mine and one of the few series I want to binge completely from the moment I read it.

This time around Mandy Hart has turned seventeen! After her birthday event, she starts getting weird calls from a male voice. After her little fall out with Mick Soul, since he didn't show up for their date. Life also has been chaotic at school, since Chad the sports reporter isn't turning in his work and Keith is basically stalking her and demanding a date. Oh, and mimes have come to the school too! Is one of these boys the one trying to scare Mandy? Her, Mick, Pepper and Josh will have to find out!

I love this quirky, kooky group of kids! They're so much fun and always have goofy adventures. The ending is easy to see from a mile away, but I didn't care. The fun was in the ride! This book is written really well, is easy to follow and is addicting.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Five out of five stars!… (més)