Vegan, Virgin, Valentine (V Valentine #1)

Reader reviewed by Hillary Krajewski

Mara Valentine is a senior. She has perfect grades and is fighting for the valedictorian spot with her womanizing ex-boyfriend. She's part of every important club and working at a local cafe to make her look like the best possible student. And with her college and AP classes she might even be able to enter college as a second year student. With Yale in her future and only one year of high school left, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, she could have V, her slutty sixteen year old niece, come to stay with her for the year. Or she might start to fall in love with her twenty two year old boss. Yeah, that might just cause a few problems. Will Mara make peace with V? Will she get eh Valedictorian spot? You're going to have to read the book to find out....

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was really easy to connect with the characters, especially Mara. The plot was really original and the book was full of excitement and interesting things. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone becuase it was so great. I loved the cover too. (The model's wearing dark jeans...yay!) Anyway, read it! It really was wonderful.

Reader reviewed by abscae

Mackler's style catches me by surprise, it's so nice to see such humor being placed in a story, where it makes you cry from laughing, and cry from knowing that someone else understand the whole confusion of the female sexuality.

Mara narrates this story, but there's also V- her niece. Just the overall story contains humor, and it doesn't end right there. The change of the characters, relationships, and how the parents are portrayed all casts light on how wonderful life can be, even if it is falling around you.

A definite read, it catches you, and doens't ever let you go.

Reader reviewed by Tammygurl

I would say that this book is good, though i read this quite a while ago and I dont remember much only it is kind of a crazy book, which makes it all the more exciting to read so I would say you read this book, and even if you are not that into fairy tales, I recommend you read the modern, spunky, and funny version of Cinderella called ELLA ENCHANTED cuz I never can put down that book.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Senior Mara Valentine has got the most well-put-together life. She got in early decision to Yale, is chairperson of numerous committees, holds down a steady job at a locally owned coffee shop, and is determined to beat her ex, Travis, in the valedictory race. In short, she's all set on breaking out of Brockport, New York.

However, in the second half of her senior year, Mara's niece (yes, niece), who calls herself V, comes to the school. V is a self-proclaimed slut and stoner. Mara hates her, mostly on principle, but also because she hooks up with Travis on the very first day of school.

But things are changing for Mara and V. V lands a leading role in the school musical, and Mara finds herself falling in love with the coffee shop's owner, James. With both girls shedding their previous masks and carefully carved facades, aunt and niece inevitably grow closer.

While not as impressive as her first two books, VEGAN VIRGIN VALENTINE is nevertheless an entertaining read. The characters lack depth, but Carolyn Mackler has got the teenage language down right.

Reader reviewed by K.W.

I loved the character Mara at the beginning-she's easy to identify with and very easy to sympathize with. The same can't be said of her "anything for attention" cousin V. V goes out of her way to be difficult and to make others uncomfortable. At first, I thought this was because she had problems forming bonds with people, but the book doesn't flush this part of the story out realistically. V defends Mara at times, but it never rings true. There is never any true motivation for her to do so, so that part seemed flat to me.

While I was initially into the Mara character, she "let me down" at the end by getting involved with the coffee shop owner, who seemd creepy for being into a high school girl, and for forgoing an great opportunity to spend time with her boyfriend. I wasn't sure why Mara had to do a complete 180-going from an academic-minded girl with her head on straight to a lovesick girl who puts "her man" first. Call me cynical, but that part of the story didn't work for me.

Reader reviewed by safia

Smart, straight-A student Mara Valentine can't wait to start college. She just wants to fastforward her senior year in high school and start Yale, possibly with enough credits to be a second year student. But her senior year does not go as smoothly as planned. Her obnoxious, slutty, pot-smoking, younger neice, named V, comes to live with Mara and her parents. She starts a whirlwind of changes, even making out with Mara's ex-boyfriend on her first day of school.

Mara manages to get to know and like V. In her senior year, Mara makes some big changes and finds out a lot about herself.

It was great for me to listen to this novel on audiotape, cringing and laughing along with it. I really got into the book and watching Mara's senior year transformation. I recommend this to fans of Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings by Megan Mccafferty.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Mara Valentine is an overachiever. In addition to being a virgin and a vegan, she's a straight-A student, and her parents "good" child. She has the rest of her senior year completely planned, from beating her ex-boyfriend for valedictorian to entering Yale as a second year student.

What Mara does not plan is the arrival of her sixteen-year-old niece, yes niece, to come and stay with she and her parents for a little while her mother jets off to Costa Rica. V, as her niece is a called, is a pot-smoking whore, and Mara wants nothing to do with her. What Mara also does not plan is dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches and her twenty-two-year-old, un-college-educated boss. But soon Mara's plans start falling apart, and she has no idea what to do about it.

If you've ever felt stressed out-- which most young adults have-- you'll be able to relate to Mara and the trials she undergoes.

Reader reviewed by Jersey

This book is absolutly hilarious. You won't put it down til you are done. Mira is a vegan, a virgin, and her last name is Valintine.Her life is perfect until V, her juvinal delinquest neice who is her age shows up and moves in to her house.

Reader reviewed by justesourire

Vegan Virgin Valentine was a GREAT book! I loved it. I could sometimes relate to Mara when she felt so out-of-place around V. I would love to have a job at a place like Common Grounds (where Mara works.) I stayed up til like 1:00am reading that book!! You'll looooove it!

Reader reviewed by lookwaticando08

In Carolyn Macker's new book, "Vegan, Virgin, Valentine" is a good, easy read, perfect for an airplane flight or just another book credit for school. This book is perfect for teen girls ages 13 - 16 looking for a contemporary teen story about love and the discovery of what you really want and need. The story is set in Brockport in New York State, where the biggest thing to do is go to Rochester, which is 45 minutes away. The story starts with Mara Valentine (the main character) explaining her life to us. She's 17, a high school senior,a vegan, a Yale-bound, straight-A student and her parents pride and joy. Mara has an older sister, Amy, who is eighteen years older than Mara and has a daughter, Vivian, known as V. V is only a year younger than Mara. Amy moves around often, so Mara and V don't see each other often but neither seems to mind, since they are complete opposites. As much as Mara is a girl who isn't dating anyone, studies all the time and does extracurriculars, V is a girl who is, let's say, rather "popular" with the boys, doesn't seem to care much about school and enjoys the after-school activity of doing nothing. So you can imagine how Mara felt when her parents told her that V was coming to live with them, at least until the summer. Mara doesn't know how she'll be able to survive. When V gets to Brockport, she instantly starts setting off rumors about herself and making out with many of the boys at school. Mara can't stand it. Mara is also in the running for valedictorian against her ex- (and only) boyfriend, Travis Hart. The two are usually only separated by a decimal point or two and the competition is fierce. Travis was always pressuring Mara to have sex and after they broke up (Mara still a virgin), she used all her pent - up anger to will herself to make him the salutatorian of the class. Mara also has a job at a coffee shop called Common Grounds, which she loves. She soon falls in love with the owner of the shop, James. The only problem is, he's 22, never been to college and is not the kind of boy Mara's parents want her to be with. So, she hides their relationship from her parents and makes up lies to cover up the time she's spending with James, saying she's with friends she hasn't spoken to in a year. Meanwhile, V has been teaching Mara to lighten up and enjoy herself and Mara is starting to take her advice. But Mara is also starting to learn about herself - what she wants, not what her parents or principal or friends want. This book contains a plethora of character versus self conflict, with Mara rebelling against everything - she even starts to eat cheese, a food definitely not allowed if you are a vegan. V and Mara also begin to understand each other and start to become good friends. Finally, Mara tells her parents about James, that she is going to skip the college prep class she was going to take that summer. What she didn't tell them is that she and James were planning to go camping for a weekend in the summer - she figures they might not have been able to handle that, since the previous news came as quite a shock to them. When graduation time comes, Mara decides to skip it, which was bound to happen due to all the things Mara had been thinking and doing leading up to (and during) her "rebellion". Instead, she convinces V to drive with her to the beach. V pleads with Mara to make her parents and everyone happy by at least going to the ceremony and giving her valedictorian speech and everything, as in fairy tales, ends happily ever after.