Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe) (Sucks to Be Me #1)

Reader reviewed by MonieG

Minas always known that her parents were vampires. What she didnt know was that
The Northwest Regional Vampire Council didnt know about her until an unexpected visitor reported a non-vampire living in their household. Since the council states that
no human is allowed to know that vampires really exist, Mina now only has 5 weeks to decide if she wants to follow in her parents footsteps by becoming a vampire or have
her entire lifes memory erased.

In order to help Mina with her decision, The Northwest Regional Vampire Council has scheduled Mina for a 5-week introductory course where she will learn all about the vampire lifestyle. Along with Mina we learn about the vampire lifestyle and the truth about some of the more popular vampire myths (yes, vampires can go out in the sun, they just have to slather on the sunscreen and wear really dark glasses).

So now not only is Mina faced with the biggest decision of her life she still has to pass French, pick 1 guy out of 3 hunks interested in her, find a prom dress and keep the whole vampire secret from her best friend Serena.

Pauleys writing is full of humor and wit with a new take on the vampire phenomenon. The writing perfectly captures the teenage voice. She made me feel like I was right back in high school again. Im eagerly awaiting the sequel shes now writing. Both YA and Adult readers will love this story.

Reader reviewed by Taylor

Thsi book is about a teenage girl mina. Her parents are blood thirsty vampires who will live forever and will drink blood. Mina has to make a descision if she wants to become one to or not. But which will she choose her best friend Serna or her family? you'll find out in this well written funny book about mina hamilton teenage vampire maybe.

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

At the end of Mina Hamiltons junior year in high school, she is faced with the biggest decision of her life: whether or not to become a vampire. To make it worse, the only guidance she has comes from her slightly crazy uncle Mortie and a vampire class taught by good old Grandma Wolfington (okay, her real name is Ms. Riley) that Mina is forced to take. And just because she is named after a character from Bram Stokers Dracula doesnt make this enormous decision any easier.

This novel opens with an allusion to Stephenie Meyer, queen of all vampire novels, so I knew that Sucks to Be Me would be a fantastic read, which it was. Sucks to Be Me was a truly witty and original debut novel that I completely enjoyed. It was filled with many laugh-out-loud funny moments from the beginning to end and very rarely was repetitive. In a way, Kimberly Pauleys funny writing reminded me of Shakespeares comedies, because they both used comedy to mask important themes. I also really liked how each chapter started out with a myth and fact of vampires, especially because Mina usually inserted a sarcastic comment. Minas character is very lovable, and it was fun to read along as Mina dealt with her confusion regarding the vampire and boy issues in her life.

Anyone who is looking for a lighthearted and witty read should definitely check out Sucks to be Me in September when it hits shelves. I was very impressed with Kimberly Pauleys debut novel, and I hope she plans to turn Sucks to Be Me into a series or at least write another fantastic and witty novel in the near future.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by Angie

With an irresistible mix of hilarity and originality, Kimberly Pauley throws all the vampire cliches out the window and provides readers (like me) a fresh, energizing novel. Instead of the shadowy, rogue sort of vampires we usually get in literature (which there is nothing wrong with of course - I love me some hot vampires), Sucks to Be Me introduces an unfamiliar type: accountants. Not to mention the fact that there are rules and regulations and a Ministry of Magic sort of government for the blood drinking species.

Pauley's fun, entertaining novel doesn't try to compete with other types of vampire books - her's is on a different level. And the level is full of laughs! Mina is a teenager with a great sarcastic wit (but never mean spirited) who finds out that her parents weren't exactly supposed to have let her in on their immortal secret (she's known since forever), and she's suddenly faced with a decision: would she like to join their blood drinking ways or forget she's ever known?

My favorite thing about the book is that it continually throws you curveballs. Pauley has a clear idea of vampirism and it isn't what we expect, which is what makes it so exciting and refreshing. It's an unique idea. Plus, it has three hot guys in it. Yep. That helps.

Mina and the cast of supporting players are all likeable and interesting. Her friendships are believable and happily angst free (on the most part, at least). The prose keeps you turning the pages swiftly (I finished in less than a day and a half) - and if I didn't know that Kimberly Pauley has a sequel planned, I would be sad indeed. I'll be buying the next one the minute it's out, especially with the way this one ended (and no, I won't tell you!)!!!

Reader reviewed by Dominique

Mina Hamilton is your average kid&sort of. Normal except for the slight fact that her parents are vampires. Despite this minor technicality, Minas lived a pretty good life so far (sure, she has to remind her parents to get food now and then, and feed herself since vampires dont have to eat), that is, until the day the tax collector came (ah, those pesky people!). Now the Vampire Council know that Mina exists and shes forced to go to vampire informational classes and decide if she wants to chance or not. The worst part is, shes got to make that choice soon, and Minas not even eighteen yet!

What should Mina do? What would her best friend Serena think? But it would be pretty cool to live forever and see the world, right? But she has to drink blood to survive! Ahh!! The pros and cons are tearing Mina in two and the big decision is just weeks away!

At least theres a bit of eye candy during the classes which are taught by creepy Grandma Wolfingtona completely hottie, Aubrey. But George is kinda nice too, and Minas been crushing on Nathan since before she even met either of the vampire candidates! Ack! Now Minas having vampire problems and guy problems! As if she doesnt have enough to worry about!

Sucks to Be Me follows Minas bumpy road on the way to her big decision that includes much more than vampire-related stuff! But no matter what happens, Mina still has to make the choice and its much harder than she thought. And what happens if you pick no in the end anyway? Will the scary Vampire Council get rid of you, since you know too much?

Sucks to Be Me is a great YA novel filled with drama, romance, and tough decisions. Nathan seemed almost a little too nice for a high-and-up-there It kid, but I liked how things turned out for the main characters! I especially loved the little myths and truths at the beginning of each chapter! I wasnt entirely satisfied with the ending, and it felt a wee bit rushed, but thats personal preference. The writing there was as good as the rest of the book, its just that I dont entirely agree with the ending.

Im sure its been said many times now, but the number of books in the YA vampire genre is shooting up, yet some seem to miss the mark, since many of us have high expectations after reading Stephanie Meyers Twilight. However, there is one book that (for me) shot above many others and all I can say is, I could not put this book down! With that said, Id definitely recommend Sucks to Be Me to all vampire genre fans, or all those out there looking for a good read!

Reader reviewed by Reader Rabbit

Minas the stereotypical teenage girl. Well, she fits the criteria...kind of. Boy troubles? Check. Crazy uncle (that her family would like to keep in the attic)? Uh, check. Oh, and did I mention that her parents are vampires? Well, they are and theyve just confronted her with a question that could change her life forever. To be a vampire or not to be: a question that relentlessly plagues Mina in the four weeks that she has to make this crucial decision. Of course, according to the Council, her decision mustnt be influenced by her parents. Which is why theyve declared her the aforementioned crazy uncle to be her sponsor while simultaneously putting her in vampire classes. And as the four weeks draws to a close Mina is forced to weigh both sides and make the Final Decision.

Kimberly Pauley doesnt isolate the novel to things only directly related to vampires or her decision but branches it out, incorporating real aspects of teenage life which makes it easier for the average teen to relate to. Mina's voice is captured perfectly.

But probably the best thing about this book was the originality factor . There were so many places that the author could have gone down the clichéd road but she didnt-keeping the book not only original but also absolutely hilarious.

Also, I know we shouldnt judge the book by its cover but I think the cover was incredibly well-designed and reflected the book very well. The cover shows how Pauleys debut novel is the sort of book that reluctant and non-reluctant readers will enjoy. Basically, if youre looking for humour or really just a good read youll find it here.

Reader reviewed by Jessica

Mina( yes, she IS named after the Dracula character) is a normal teenage girl- albite her vampire parents and the fact that she now must choose whether or not she wants to join them in undead-ville. In this book you follow Mina as she has some ups and downs-some vamp related-some not.I liked this book. It was a nice, quick easy read. The characters where funny. The storyline was interesting. The pop-culture references where awesome( I am a sucker for pop-culture references) The book's main theme is Mina is unsure whether or not to become a vampire. She deals with not being able to tell her best friend, ect.

The most interesting parts of the book-are actually the human parts. Like Mina likes this guy Nathan, but Nathan likes her best friend, Serena and Serena likes Nathan. Mina also tries to set up a fellow potential vampire,George, with Serena-but he likes Mina-not Serena

All in all, a good read. Think Vampire Kisses meets House of Night and you get Sucks to be Me. I believe Ms. Pauley will be writing a sequel-which I think will get interesting-I won't give much away but the ending does leave room for other stories w/ Mina in them.

Reader reviewed by Deirdre

Written from the point of view of a might-be vampire, this book follows Mina Hamilton's adventure through pre-vampirehood.
Will she decide to live forever even if it requires her to drink blood? Or will she risk getting her mind wiped by a harsh vampire government? Will Mina pass English?
These are some very important questions that are answered in this amusing and well-written book.

The thing I liked about this book was the hilarious character of George. His jokes lighten the whole will she/won't she vampire drama.

Reader reviewed by Brenda

Sucks to be Me - the All-True confessions of Mina Hamilton Teen Vampire (maybe)

There are a LOT of Teen Vampire novels on the market now and I think I've read about 3/4 of them. This one is a worthy addition to the genre. Mina's voice is so clearly just a normal teen girl with loving parents (who happen to be vampires) and a best friend (who she can't confide in regarding the whole vampire thing) and a crush on a boy or two (one of whom is totally into the vampire thing, and one of whom isn't).

Mina is a 17-year-old girl who has known since she was 10 that her parents were vampires, but it hasn't really affected her average suburban life. True, they don't exactly love sunbathing, and they don't sleep, and they forget to eat, but Mina has adjusted to all that. But the Vampire Council didn't know that Mina existed, and now that they know, she has to attend Vampire Sessions and her weird Uncle Mortimer is her sponsor.
Worst of all, she has just 4 weeks to decide if she wants to become a vampire or not. She slowly learns all the things about the vampire life that her parents never told her, in order to give her a normal upbringing. On top of all that, there's a trio of cute to gorgeous boys that seem to suddenly be interested in her. This book is Mina's journal, and Mina never met a situation that couldn't use a good pro and con list along with little chapter header stickers of vampires myths and the truth as Mina sees it.

The most difficult thing about book about alternative worlds is getting the "rules of the world" in there without having a big boring chapter about how the world works. This is a clever way of doing that, we learn what the vampire rules are right along with Mina. The chapter headers of myths and truths with little drawings of bats and other pictures that illustrate the myths are really cute. All the characters are fully drawn, but Mina's voice is what really made me love this book. She's so typically a teen, who thinks a lot of this vampire stuff is TOO GROSS FOR WORDS. I laughed out loud at several places because of Mina's observations.

Light and funny - a GREAT beach read for teens and anyone who likes vampires in any guise!