[ISE]⇒ Download Free Being Jamie Baker Kelly Oram 9780615377544 Books

Being Jamie Baker Kelly Oram 9780615377544 Books

Download As PDF : Being Jamie Baker Kelly Oram 9780615377544 Books

Being Jamie Baker Kelly Oram 9780615377544 Books

Finally, a romance novel where:

* There are *NO* love triangles.

* Both protoganists have two married, loving, sane parents who are generally supportive and don't have any major issues (no impending divorce, no financial problems, etc.)

* The male lead is not a jerk or a bad boy. In fact, the male lead is likeable from almost the very beginning.

* The female lead doesn't spend a significant amount of time agonizing over whether the male lead loves her.

* There are no comic misunderstandings -- ie, no walking in on "this isn't what it seems", no half-overheard conversations that cause problems, etc.

* I didn't feel like throttling any of the characters at any point in the novel. Amazingly, none of them did anything unexpectedly stupid at any point.

* There are no vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc.

And yet, it's a fun and interesting read, with a romance that builds gradually and naturally. The superpowers aspect was very down-to-earth -- no comic-book-style antics here! Yes, there was a villian that was exposed at the end, but they were just the final obstacle for the couple to face.

I'm looking forward to the two sequels! According to the author's blog, the first is expected to be released in late 2013.


Tags : Being Jamie Baker [Kelly Oram] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. An accident that should end in tragedy instead gives seventeen-year-old Jamie Baker a slew of uncontrollable superhuman abilities. To keep her secret safe Jamie socially exiles herself,Kelly Oram,Being Jamie Baker,Bluefields,0615377548,FICTION General,Fiction - General,General,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Being Jamie Baker Kelly Oram 9780615377544 Books Reviews

I’m a sucker for superheroes, and that's what drew me in (that, and it was free.) I think what compelled me most were the electricity motifs on the cover and in the blurb--a superhero with electricity-based powers would be really interesting to read about. But when I start reading a book that’s labeled “superheroes,” what I want is superheroes, not teen stereotypes, angst, and annoying, unrealistic high-school romance.

Which is pretty much all I got in this one. For example, here's a brief summary of the first portion of the book (potential spoilers ahead)
Jamie I can never be happy or have friends or get close to other people because I’m so dangerous and no one can ever know what I am.
Popular guys Jamie’s so hot. It’s too bad she’s such an ice queen. (Note This phrase is used approximately ten thousand times throughout the book.)
Popular girls Ugh, why is everyone all over Jamie? I don’t care how hot she is, she’s a freak. (Seriously, can the mean girls never think of anything more creative than “freak” to call protagonists with powers?)
Ryan Why are you so hot and mysterious, Jamie???

And then of the second part, after she finally gives in and gets together with Ryan
Ryan You’re my girlfriend, Jamie.
Jamie Ugh, no. You don’t understand. I am NOT your girlfriend. What we have is strictly platonic. I can’t let the same thing happen to you that happened to Derek.
Jamie’s thoughts Ugh, he’s just so cute and likable. I hate that. (The girl’s a veritable Grumpy Cat.)

And here’s what happens every time she uses her powers
Ryan That was awesome!
Jamie No! I’m a freak! I could have killed you! We can’t keep doing this!

And that’s basically the whole plot. Seriously. Electricity superpowers? Cool, but the only thing they really do for Jamie are making the power go off occasionally and turning her into a sulky angst monster. Seriously, nothing happens in this book, except for the bits with Carter. It’s mostly just about Jamie and Ryan’s angst levels fluctuating. She loves him, then she decides she’s too dangerous for him, and then back again. They’re stuck in that state of "We can't keep doing this, but I gotta have you" for pretty much the whole time.

And the plot and the bad writing aren’t the only things. I didn't find Jamie to be a likable character at all. She’s all angst and no self-esteem. She claims she’s really quite vulnerable, but it’s only shown in stilted and overdramatic ways—she’ll be completely snappish and cold until suddenly she breaks down crying over something. She has a very annoying “I HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM YOU TO PROTECT YOU” thing going on, which gets old fast. And has anyone else noticed that she doesn’t actually have any hobbies or interests (besides general angst)? Her love of books is referenced several times, but we never really see her reading, except in class. Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, her love interest Ryan is rather bland. At least he has more initiative and optimism than Jamie does. Pretty much all the girls in the school were uniform--in their snootiness, in their girly-girlishness, in their worship of the popular boys, and in their automatic dislike of Jamie.
(SPOILER ALERT)
The only character I actually found myself liking (at least a little bit) was her teacher Mr. Edwards, who seemed like a sensible, kind, and actually helpful adult. So, naturally, he turned out to be the villain. Ugh.

Plus, there's a bunch of smaller annoying things, such as
-Various superheroes are name-dropped throughout the book, probably in an attempt to establish geek cred. This makes me slightly angry because it fails so miserably. Jamie has virtually nothing in common with any of said superheroes (except for the fact that they have powers), and this book offers virtually nothing for geeks.
-There is a reporter named Carter. He is stalking Jamie, for increasingly confusing reasons. I'm still not entirely sure why he's there.
-Jamie routinely uses her super speed to zip off to places like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore. The author is probably trying to add interest to the scenery while showing off Jamie's powers. To me, though, it was just plain gimmicky and not at all believable.

I'll end with just one simple question, not just about this but about the genre as a whole Why can’t YA heroines ever have any fun? They’re always angsty. They consider themselves losers (and so does everybody else.) All they do is hole themselves up in their rooms and bury themselves in their angsty thoughts, except when they are with/thinking about their perfect boyfriends. I’m pretty sure authors do this because they feel it’s more relatable, but even introverts have fun sometimes (and in ways that don’t involve boys), and the “100% angst teenage heroine” trope is wearing rather thin. Just once, I’d love to read about a YA heroine who actually enjoys her life AND doesn’t have to think about boys all the time. Please, just a little bit?
Have you ever read a book that just left you smiling at the end? Or a book that you had a goofy grin the entire time reading it? Yeah, that’s pretty much every Kelly Oram book for me. This author has a way of writing a story that I immediately fall in love with. Being Jamie Baker is no exception. Until this book, the only stories by Kelly Oram I had read were all contemporary romance, both YA and some cleanish new adult. Being Jamie Baker falls in the realm of science fiction (which I make no secret of loving), YA and a little romance.

Jamie Baker was a normal teen girl before an accident that should have killed her left her instead with superpowers. Now she lives a life in a new town, dying her hair almost daily to cover up it’s new neon color, wearing contacts to cover the scary eyes that she now has, and keeping to herself by maintaining an “Ice Queen” reputation at her new high school. All she wants is to be normal and act normal, but nothing about what happened to her is normal. I really like Jamie. She’s made a new normal for herself, not taking a day for granted with her very understanding and protective parents. She’s okay with not having friends, at least she thinks she is until Ryan.

"Most superhero stories start with a meteor shower or a nasty insect bite, but mine actually starts with a kiss. Whether it was a kiss of life or a kiss of death I still haven’t decided, but it was, surprisingly, a really good kiss. Not that I’d ever tell him that."

Now that 👆is how you start a story!!! Every story I’ve read by Kelly Oram I’ve said none of her boys could surpass Brian Oliver (see Cinder & Ella for more info about him)….but Ryan Miller just might 😉 Ryan is every cliché all-star, play boy from high school. Except the playboy isn’t such a player. In fact, he’s annoyingly sweet, especially when Jamie just wants him to go away. He’s also arrogant, confident, and a total swoon-worthy addition to the Kelly-verse. After the above encounter with Jamie, he knows there is more to the school’s “Ice Queen” than she lets on, and he is very persistent in his pursuit of her. He wants to be her friend, if nothing else, and that in itself is so endearing to me.

The story truly revolves around Jamie and her powers. It’s been a year since her accident and she is still coming to terms with what happened to her. I like how the story evolves. Jamie starts out a little bitter, hard to stomach, and sassy. Her sass doesn’t change, but the bitterness eases into acceptance and a hero is born….thanks to Ryan’s persistence.

Overall, I really loved this story! I started it before bed and finished it in the wee hours of the morning….I really should have learned by now not to start one of Kelly Oram‘s books so late but alas I couldn’t resist. If you enjoy contemporary YA romance, science fiction, and superheroes, I highly recommend you grab a copy (only 99 pennies on OR free with KU) and read it asap. It won’t disappoint!
Finally, a romance novel where

* There are *NO* love triangles.

* Both protoganists have two married, loving, sane parents who are generally supportive and don't have any major issues (no impending divorce, no financial problems, etc.)

* The male lead is not a jerk or a bad boy. In fact, the male lead is likeable from almost the very beginning.

* The female lead doesn't spend a significant amount of time agonizing over whether the male lead loves her.

* There are no comic misunderstandings -- ie, no walking in on "this isn't what it seems", no half-overheard conversations that cause problems, etc.

* I didn't feel like throttling any of the characters at any point in the novel. Amazingly, none of them did anything unexpectedly stupid at any point.

* There are no vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc.

And yet, it's a fun and interesting read, with a romance that builds gradually and naturally. The superpowers aspect was very down-to-earth -- no comic-book-style antics here! Yes, there was a villian that was exposed at the end, but they were just the final obstacle for the couple to face.

I'm looking forward to the two sequels! According to the author's blog, the first is expected to be released in late 2013.