Blog Tour ~ Review: Barbie Girl (Baby Doll #1) & Barbie World (Baby Doll #2) by Heidi Acosta

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Barbie World tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Click here for the full tour schedule. 

Title: Barbie Girl (Baby Doll #1)

Author: Heidi Acosta

Published: November 1st 2012

Pages: 189

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Blog Tour organized by: Xpresso Book Tours

Source: Review copy provided for blog tour

My Rating: 4 / 5

~Book Trailer~

  

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~Synopsis~

The only thing that 17 year old Barbie Starr wants to do is graduate high school so she and her little brother, Everett, can get out of Alabama. She doesn't care about the rumors that are spread around about her like wild fire. Rumors are nothing new to her. Sure, maybe she could change her reputation, but why bother. She is leaving Alabama as soon as she can. That is, if she can pass algebra and graduate.

The only thing Dylan Knight would like to do is go through high school unnoticed; he has had enough of the drama that is high school. He took the whole of last summer to bulk-up: finally he is not being called names or being shoved into lockers. He wants to remain on the outside of the circle of constant rumors that surround the so-called popular kids who get all the attention. He would not, however, mind if his long time crush Katie took notice of him.

But it is Barbie who notices Dylan and she offers him a deal he can't pass up: if he helps her pass algebra, she'll help him get the girl of his dreams. Dylan agrees, but, as it turns out, nothing is simple when it comes to Barbie. Somehow, she can't help but draw attention to herself - and to him. Soon Dylan finds himself tossed into the whirlwind of rumors that seem to follow Barbie everywhere. Can he save his reputation and still get the girl of his dreams? Or will Barbie be the one to break through his carefully-built facade?

~My Thoughts~

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for this blog tour. 

I've been wanting to read this book since it came out last year, and I finally got the chance! Going in, I thought it would be a lighter read and was surprised when the story ran deeper. Barbie is a character that I immediately liked - witty and brave with a rebellious streak. No one at school really knows her - she doesn't allow them to - and so she's called all kinds of names and there are all kinds of rumors spreading about her. She doesn't care, though. All she wants is to graduate high school so she can take care of her little brother since their mother doesn't take care of them. Barbie has taken over the role of mother for her brother basically all of his life. Their mother is an addict. 

When Barbie approached Dylan about tutoring, it was incredibly funny, mostly because of Dylan's best friend, Third. She makes a deal to help Dylan get Katie, the girl of his dreams, to go out with him in exchange for tutoring her. I loved how Barbie broke through Dylan's preconceived notions of her. At first, I just really wanted to slap him at times because of the way he looked down his nose at her, but  it's such an accurate portrayal of the way high school is! I knew girls back in high school who had reputations like Barbie, and now I'm thinking everyone was wrong about them, though at the time the rumors were so rampant just about everyone believed them. 

The friendship struck up between Barbie and Third was so sweet and natural and made up for Dylan being a jerk. The dynamic between Barbie and Dylan reminded me of movies about high school where "the hot girl" makes "the nerd" so nervous he doesn't even know what he's doing because there was no doubt that Dylan thought Barbie was physically attractive. The only difference is that in this story, "the nerd" doesn't want to be seen with her.

This story surprised me with the plot going deeper than I thought it would, which I really loved. I loved how so many people were wrong about Barbie, but it also made me sad because she wouldn't show them who she really is. If her fellow classmates could see her the way I could, then they'd change their minds about her. I can't help but smile when I feel so protective towards a character, especially one like Barbie who's so tough she doesn't need protecting against the other high schoolers. If you're looking for a book with a lot of surprises, humor, and heart, you've come to the right place. 

~Purchase Links~ 

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble   

~About the Author~

Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she has lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida, in that order. Each place offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.

Heidi started writing as soon as she could spell. When she was three, Heidi's mother gave her a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her lifelong love affair with literature. 

Writing soon also became a form of therapy for Heidi, when she realized that no matter what was happening in her life, she could find emotional escape while writing. Some of her earliest stories featured her as a princess who explored new worlds with her horse Buttercup. If it sounds romantic, it wasn't, there was no prince charming in those fairy lands (boys were yucky). 

Heidi now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat.

~Author Links~

Website | Goodreads  | Twitter  | Facebook

Title: Barbie World (Baby Doll #2)

Author: Heidi Acosta

Published: Summer 2013

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Blog Tour organized by: Xpresso Book Tours

Source: Review copy provided for blog tour

My Rating: 3 / 5 

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~Synopsis~

"One night is all it took to change everything between Barbie and me. One night to potentially lose the girl of my dreams forever. How do I prove to her that she can trust me? That all I want to do is protect her carefully guarded heart. I need to prove to her that I want to be a part of her world. But how?"

Dylan lost Barbie once before, now he is determined more than ever to win her heart and trust back. Easier said than done, especially with the new hot guy in town who is in a rock band and is the complete opposite of Dylan.

Barbie has been hurt beyond repair or so she thinks. It would be easier for her to decide if she didn't have to protect her little brother. And if Dylan would just put on a shirt! Dylan is not making this easy on her. It helps to have the distraction of the new guy in town cute bad boy Kai. But even though her heart is damaged it still knows what it wants. 

When Barbie learns she has a family and with the help of Roxie and Kai, oh and Third and Dylan. They embark on a journey to help bring Barbie closer to a past she never knew existed. 

Heidi Acosta brings you the heart felt story of friendship, love and heartbreak in the second book in the Baby Doll series Barbie World.    

~My Thoughts~

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for this blog tour.

There are rarely times when I read a book and am glad I'm not the character - this was one of those times. As much as I love Barbie and Dylan, I wouldn't want to be in Barbie's shoes with everything she's facing. There's a tremendous amount of pressure on her, and I felt it, too. Things were so back and forth with Dylan and Barbie, which was frustrating to me because I could see it was all over misunderstanding after misunderstanding. I wanted them to tell each other how they were feeling and be honest, but I could also see why they didn't. They each had their own fears.  

With the level of emotional investment I have in these characters and this story, it was an intense ride all the way through. I was hoping things would start looking up for Barbie - I love that girl so damn much flaws and all! She takes on the weight of the world, and I don't feel pity or sympathy for her because of her strength. Instead, I empathize with her, which is different than sympathizing with her. I imagine myself in her shoes, and it isn't a pretty place to be. 

Now that Barbie and her brother are under the guardianship of Dylan's parents, I agree with Dylan's mom's decision that he can't date her while she's living in their house. That's what makes everything so difficult for them. They can't stay away from each other, yet Barbie has a lot to lose. She's constantly scared that she and her brother will be kicked out, leaving her to go to a facility for troubled girls and her brother to go into foster care. That fear is what tore me up the most throughout this book. I was on the edge of my seat worried she would go against the rules and mess everything up. 

I don't think Kai is a great guy for Barbie to be hanging around. I worried about her association with him throughout the book. She just wants to feel numb because feeling anything else is too painful for her. I can identify with her completely in that regard. I've had moments like that in my life. She does acknowledge that she and Kai won't be able to fill the void each feels, and I think that was very observant of her. She has an emotional intelligence that not many girls her age have, and that's just one of the reasons I love her to pieces. I wanted to adopt her as a little sister! 

Barbie is a survivor, and I always had confidence that she would work her way through any problems and issues she encountered. I do love Third, too - he's there for Barbie just about more than anyone else. He's a great guy! I'm not a huge fan of Barbie's friend, Roxie. I think the advice Roxie gives isn't what's best for Barbie. 

I have to say lastly that I'm sad this book is it for Barbie. I wanted more - I can't help it. I didn't want to say good-bye to these characters, but with the way it ended, I don't think there will be another book. I'll have to reread these two books, lol. 

~Giveaway~

Grand Prize Giveaway

$25 Amazon GC, a signed copy of Barbie Girl (Book 1) & some swag

US/Canada only

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