Still Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley - Review

The Full Title - Still Sucks To Be Me "More All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith Teen Vampire" by Kimberly Pauley

Synopsis via Kimberly's Website -

Why It Still Sucks to Be Me

1. My parents and the stupid Vampire Council are still ruining my life unlife? death (ugh, whatever)
2. Not only did they make me fake my death and funeral (I didn’t even get to go!), but I had to leave behind my BFF Serena and move. Really far away.
3. Meanwhile my boyfriend George is off “reconnecting with his parents” in Brazil. Land of beaches, bikini babes, and the biggest party in the world. He’s probably going “Mina, who?”
4. Grady asked me to Homecoming and won’t take no for an answer.
5. Did I mention cute but oh-so-complicated Cameron, the only other bloodsucking teen in town? That’s because I’m trying not to think about him, thank you very much.
6. And ugh, Raven. Is she seriously stalking Serena?
7. But the absolute worst thing is that here I am, some all-powerful (ha), all-knowing (yeah, right), in-control (totally not) vampire and my parents still get to dictate everything I do.

Recently I read Sucks To Be Me, the first in this series, and I loved it, so when I saw that Around The World Tours had the ARC, I just knew I wanted to be part of the tour! I loved Sucks To Be Me and I was sure that Still Sucks To Be Me would not let me down – and I was right!

Kimberly Pauley has such lighthearted funny way with a story, she had me rolling. At one point Aubrey and I were reading together and she kept huffing at me, and asked me to go in another room! I just love her unique, not to serious take on the whole Vampire Craze! While other books with this theme are dark, complicated and what I might almost call sticky, this story is light, bright and terribly inventive!

Still Sucks To Be Me picks up right where Sucks To Be Me ends. Mina is now undead and with that come the complications! The first, Mina and her family are being relocated and while Mina is SURE they are only moving to LA (which is only a few hours from her current home) she's excited – who wouldn't be! The next, Mina's boyfriend George is leaving too, only he's not coming with her he's going to Brazil where his parents are to "reconnect" which Mina just does NOT get (after all they did abandon him, did he forget already?).

Things really get complicated when Mina finds out that they are NOT moving to LA, they are actually headed to a tiny, does not hardly even deserve a mark on a map, town in Louisiana – Cartville, to be exact! What the heck is she supposed to do in Cartville?

That is until she meets Cameron whom she's trying to forget, but as the only other undead teen it's kinda hard, I mean he is HOT, but not George kinda hot or anything! Though, when he offers to help Mina learn more about the tricks she can do now that she's undead, how can she refuse? After all she does not sleep and it gets VERY boring in Cartville with NOTHING to do at 1 AM.

But, it seems like Cameron is keeping secrets, and Mina is dieing to find out what they are, but when her best friend, Serena shows up followed closely by Raven...the sugar hits the fan, and all hell breaks loose!

The cast of characters is as charming as ever in It Still Sucks To Be Me, from the silly, witty and at times crazy Mina to the charming Cameron whom with his secrets and amazing smell draws you into him and makes you crave to know more. Mina's parents, just like in Sucks To Be Me are still present in Mina's life and try to help guide her in her new undead life, though when you have a daughter that, weather she is trying to or not, is keeping things from you – it's tough! Oh, and George, though he's absent for most of the book he does make an appearance and he's as sweet as ever, though frankly I got so hung up in the whole Cameron thing, I was kinda wishing that George would stay a no show (is that mean?).

As Still Sucks To Be Me wraps up, there's still so many questions I have! Though the story does not end in a cliff hanger, and I am not even sure the series will continue, I can only hope that it does...I feel satisfied but not totally, does that make sense? I guess it's kind of like eating the chocolate cake with out the icing, you love it, it's good, tasty and fills you up but you know in your heart there's something missing and you desperately want it!

Bottom Line - Kimberly has done it again, offering fresh characters and a unique "vampire" story that is far from the cliché! And while this is the 2nd book in the series, I think Kimberly does an amazing job "refreshing" our memories on book one, though if I were you I would want to read them both, because they rock, who does not love a refreshingly light book, with trendy, lovable characters and a plot line that will keep you turning pages?! I loved Still Sucks To Be Me, and I sure hope that there's another to the series! Still, Still, Sucks To Be Me LOL! Still Sucks To Be Me deserves 4 mushrooms, I can't wait for more from Kimberly!