Wow. Talk about lame books! I generally don't read YA books, mainly because there are so many other, better books to read and as a middle-ager--time is running out for me to read them, but when I saw this title "Laguna Cove" in the free bin and read the description, curiosity got the better of me. A word of explanation. I grew up in Laguna Beach, went to elementary school, junior high and, yep, graduated from Laguna Beach High. Granted, this was a couple of decades ago, back when Laguna was a sleepy little beach town, boring as all hell, except when summer came with its art festivals, Pageant of the Masters, and tourists. I couldn't wait to leave. By the time I was in college, Laguna had started getting a ritzy reputation. My parents still live in the same modest little house I grew up in, but boy has the town changed. Nothing but boutique stores and way over rated restaurants. In the 90s a reality tv show was made featuring kids from Laguna Beach High. I watched it to see how it measured up with my time in high school. Well, first off, all the 'kids' were from very, VERY well-off families. They drove huge brand-new SUVs, they ate in fancy restaurants, they threw a party at a hotel that cost around $700 a night. I had to laugh. When I was in high school, there were rich kids of course--kids who lived in gated communities such as Emerald Bay or Monarch bay on the North and South ends of Laguna, but they never flaunted their (family's) money the way the kids in this show did. Of course I know that "reality" tv is all bs, and all that, but it was hard to see anything redeeming about the lifestyle or people. The show, though, is the image of Laguna Beach, that the book "Laguna Cove" uses as its setting.
What can I say about the book. The story is about a girl from NYC, whose parents are divorcing and she is moving to Laguna Beach to stay with her movie producer dad. She lives in a make-believe part of town in South Laguna called "Laguna Cove" and meets up with a group of surfers, both male and female. Jealousies abound. All the characters are flat and unconvincing. Everyone surfs, everyone's house is steps from the sand, they all do excellently in school, but they never study or even open a book. The plot, if you can call it that, is basically who will end up with whom. And frankly, who cares?! There is no "feel" for the town at all, or the high school surf culture. It ends rather abruptly with the new girl entering a local surf contest and finding out her mom is getting married because she is knocked up. The other characters' story lines, such as they are, are just left hanging. What a total waste of time and paper. Ick. ( )

I liked this book, really I did. But I also feel like there were a lot of loose ends. I know many authors leave things open at the end for several reasons, but this was slightly more unfinished than I personally like books to be. Besides that the story's point of view constantly switches leaving me feeling a little lost and like I'm not getting the full story.

If these sort of things don't bother you then I really do recommend it. The writing in general was clear and flowing with a brilliant plot that keeps you guessing at whatever will come next. ( )

Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

Anne feels like she is being punished by her parents by being forced to move in with her dad. Her mom and dad are in the process of a divorce because Anne's mom has been cheating and is in love with her boyfriend. Anne is being pulled from the life that she loves; her amazing boyfriend, Justin, all of her friends, and her beloved diving team, which she was just crowned the captain of.

Laguna Cove, where Anne's dad lives, is a rich neighborhood where the houses share a private beach. Her dad is never home because he is a big movie producer and she's in Laguna Cove for about a week before her dad even decides to come home.

She is picked up at the airport by Jake, her dad's errand runner. He leaves her at the house to go surfing, which she quickly learns is the sport of choice in LC. Before Jake leaves, however, he introduces Anne to Chris, his best friend.

Her first day of school is rough because she is way over-dressed and she doesn't know anyone. Except Chris.

When he sees her before school, Chris calls her over to his group of friends, and introduces her to all of them. Everyone seems really nice, except for Ellie.

Jade and Lola become her friends, and Chris her boyfriend, who even teaches her to surf. No matter how nice everyone is to Anne, though, Ellie is still really mean to her. And Anne has no idea why.

Can Anne and Ellie ever be friends? And can Anne learn to surf well enough to compete in the Surf Fest competition?

LAGUNA COVE is a super-easy, fast, fun read. All you need to enjoy summer is this book, a pool, and a cold drink! ( )

Anne has to move from Connecticut to the exclusive Laguna Cove resort – a world so totally different to the one she is used to , away from all her friends. She eventually makes friends with Jade and Lola but can’t win over the competitive Ellie who is in love with Chris (the guy who teaches Anne to surf) To make matters worse for both girls they not only like the same guy but they are competing against each other in the local surf event.
p.12-17 Ellie and the pressure her Dad puts her under ( )