"A Charmed Life" by Jenny B. Jones5 out of 5 starsRead from March 2014 to April 2014"A Charmed Life" by Jenny B. Jones is an awesome trilogy under one cover filled with adventure, mystery, romance, and a lot of action. I recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a laugh and a book that they will most likely love. Jones's use of funny phrases, teenage point of view, frequent mystery, and plot twists in "A Charmed Life" left me on edge and glued my face to the novel. I believe that Jones's purpose and theme while writing this narration was to teach a lesson that money is not everything. Being the reader, it is enjoyable watching Bella transform from a stuck up New Yorker to a Truman High mystery solver who settles for Target brand shoes, and does not cry over Jimmy Choos. Jones was smart; Bella did not lose her old self throughout the novel, but changed herself for the better, becoming more thoughtful and adapting to the new environment. Bella realized that she enjoyed watching Robbie, her little step brother, run around their small farm house in his red cape ten times better than going downtown to Club Via with her wealthy New York friends. Also, I believe another purpose for writing "A Charmed Life" was for pure entertainment. Not only were the characters unique, but throughout the novel, there was always something going on. For example, Bella could be attempting to make her best friend, Lindy, more feminine to impress their friend Matt, or that the Truman High Tribune's editor-and-chief and Bella's off-and-on boyfriend, Luke Sullivan, was saving Bella from a burning haunted house. While reading all three of the books combined in this novel, Jones managed to keep me engaged at all times. Another example of what kept me reading was Luke and Bella's relationship, which I loved. I loved their relationship because it was not only interesting with their contrasting personalities but their relationship was so back and forth that it kept the reader wondering what was going to happen next between the two love birds. A great example of when Bella and Luke's relationship kept me on edge was in "So Over My Head", the third book, when Ashley Timmons, Luke's ex girlfriend and preppy blonde, moved back to Truman, interfering with the couple's love life.I have never read such a novel as "A Charmed Life" with three books in one. In addition to that, I have never read a novel where I have loved almost every single thing about it. My love for Luke and Bella, and the action is already clear, but I also loved Bella's quirky and smart personality. Bella never gave up on anything; she was brave and once she started solving something, she could not let down on it, unsafe or not. For instance, Bella's mother and stepdad, Jake, forbid Bella to even be around the circus property anymore since it had become dangerous, though, that did not stop her, giving her the will to lie and sneak around to solve Betty the Bearded Lady's murder case as well as the creepiness lingering around the Fritz Family Carnival grounds. Two minor things I did not like while reading was that Jake became a pro-wrestler and I do not like wrestling, and I also did not like Ruthie at times, who was Bella's close friend and sidekick. Ruthie was very charming throughout the novel, but there were times where she was just plain annoying. I got annoyed with Ruthie when she would whine, try to be funny. I could definitely connect to Bella's curiosity and nosiness, because I am the same way. Also, I noticed that Bella and I share the same thought process, thinking of smart side comments in our heads and being sarcastic seventy-five percent of the time. "A Charmed Life" really spoke to me because I could not only connect to the characters but also to the theme and purpose of the novel since I believe in what Jones was trying to portray. I give "A Charmed Life" by Jenny B. Jones five out of five stars and I will most definitely read it again. This book is so cute and unique. It has its own style, for sure. Bella is so much fun and rather crazy. It was fun being in her head!And as soon as she described Luke as looking like 'that Clark Kent guy from Smallville,' let's just say I was sold. This book is so crazy. Literally things come out of nowhere, and it made me laugh and always kept me guessing. It got to the point where I wasn't surprised by anything anymore, ha! So much fun.I like how each book was unique, even though they all dealt with mysteries, they were all soo different it kept me pulled in and reading. Wonderful.
What do You think about A Charmed Life (2012)?
Laugh-out-loud funny with tons of fantastic zingers...and some great mysteries thrown in!
—Monica
3 books in 1. Very quick and funny read! I really like the style of this authors writing!
—Emelia
I would definitely recommend it to any of my friends! I love this series!(:
—melanie1350
