Book Review: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Sweet

Author: Emmy Laybourne

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Synopsis: *People would kill to be thin.*

Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised—dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days—it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

*But will they die for it, too?*

Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

Review: If there was a chance you could take a magic pill or drink a magic sweetener that would grant you the ability to drop pounds with ease, would you take it? That’s the premise behind Emmy Laybourne’s latest, SWEET. It’s interesting, crazy, terrifying yet hilarious.

Laybourne gave up sugar a few years back, instead opting for a gluten-free, sugar-free type of lifestyle which has worked wonders for her health and I’m pretty sure that’s part of where the inspiration came from for SWEET. She was also inspired by B-movies and I can see the influences of that throughout the story.

SWEET follows Lauarel and her best friend Viv who are travelling on the Solu cruise—thanks to Viv’s mega rich dad fronting the bill—where for seven days they will get to hang out with B-list celebrities. The cruise is mainly to promote the new weight-loss sweetener, Solu, which will follow the success of the weight-loss of those on the ship by broadcasting it around the world. It’s supposed to be the answer to obesity but those on the cruise soon realize, you should be careful what you wish for—or in this case, what you put in your mouth.

Laurel was a refreshing read. She isn’t a rail-thin girl. She has curves and doesn’t see anything wrong with them. She tagged along on the cruise to support her best friend, Viv, who struggles far more with her body image. Laurel is SUPER loyal to her friend which causes her to make some fundamentally inept self-preservation choices later in the story but I can’t blame her. I’d TOTES fight just as hard for my best friend (even if she was going all cray on me). She is sassy yet shy and creative (she plays the guitar). Like any teen, she’s just trying to figure out who she is without giving in to unrealistic standards produced by the stardom around her. I liked that she stood her ground on not just how she looked but when she thought people were being wronged.

Tom—the hot, male protagonist of the story—used to be on a comedy sitcom when he was younger. He tried to make it into the movie industry, wanting to be free of his image as “Baby Tom Tom” but nothing’s worked out for him so far. All his movies have failed and that’s why he got stuck taking on the Solu job. He is acting as host to the cruise and spends his days filming and interviewing clients. Tom gives an inside look to how the Hollywood industry works and what people are willing to do to not only get in the limelight but stay in it for as long as possible. Tom starts off as one of those people, willing to do anything to stay apart of the biz, but after he meets Laurel he discovers maybe fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I liked him. He was funny, cute, sweet and an all-around good guy.

SWEET starts off just as its title suggest: a semi-luxurious cruise with former, lackluster celebrities who just want to party and have some fun in the sun. It’s a sweet life if you can avoid paying the ticket to get on the cruise. But that sweet life veers WAY left and everything starts to go dark, lethal and deadly REAL quick! Laurel and Tom find themselves stuck on a cruise from hell because Solu is making people go from losing weight to losing their minds. In true Layborune fashion, the story is gory, violent and horrifying. People are willing to go to murderous lengths to get their hands on Solu.

SWEET is one part humor, one part horror mashup with sassy characters, heartthrobs and the corny, best parts of B-movies—classic mean girl, wannabe celebrities and all out gore.

Definitely a fun read to start your summer with!

About the Author

Emmy Laybourne is a novelist, public speaker, screenwriter and former character actress. 

Emmy’s Monument 14 trilogy has earned critical praise ("Frighteningly real… riveting" - New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice) and has been nominated by readers to the YALSA Teens Top Ten in 2013 and won in 2014.!

Emmy’s new book SWEET tells the story of a luxury cruise to launch a new diet sweetener that goes comically, then tragically, then terrifyingly wrong. It got a perfect 10 from VOYA and hits the stands on June 2, 2015

Before her life as an author, Emmy performed original comedy on Comedy Central, MTV and VH1; and acted in the movies "Superstar," "The In-Laws" and "Nancy Drew," among others. Emmy loves visiting school and libraries.

Find Emmy: Website/Goodreads/Twitter/Facebook

I HEART YA 2014: Top Ten Songs to Listen to While Writing by Author Emmy Laybourne

Hello friends,

It’s such a pleasure to be back here on Team Nerd Reviews! I love music and I use it every day in my work. So when Annabell asked me to come up with a Top Ten list, I knew just what to do:

Top Ten Songs To Listen To While Writing

Like Real People Do – Hozier: I use this song as a song cue – I’ll listen to it before I start writing, letting it create a mood in me that I wish to convey in the scene. And ahh, what a mood. I love this poetic and romantic song. I played it for Leigh Bardugo when we were out on tour with Fierce Reads back in June, because it seems like a song that Mal might sing to Alina. She liked it. Maybe even as much as I do.

North – Phoenix: God, I love this song. It sets a bleak, tense mood; a lonely, travelling mood – one I relied on in writing Monument 14: Savage Drift. Can you hear the train engine sound in the drums? And then the wolves come in. Literally, WOLVES come in. Fantastic.

Modul 42 – Nik Bartsch’s Ronin: This song is so suspenseful and creepy. This is the song you write to when you have a character being stalked down a dark alley (or superstore aisle, in my case!).

Lose Yourself to Dance – Daft Punk & Pharrel: I love this gentle, rhythmic song to inspire me when writing romantic scenes. I relied on this song when writing love scenes between Tom and Laurel in my next book, Sweet (coming to you from Macmillan in June, 2015). There’s tenderness and a little smuttiness in there – just how I like my romance.

(Nice Dream) – Christopher O’Riley: Christopher O’Riley’s haunting piano interpretations of Radiohead were my constant companions when writing the Monument 14 series. They are intense and brooding, without being too distracting. Check out his work – and his many albums, to find excellent writing music.

Divinere – Ludovico Enaldi: Hey, I’m going to mention Leigh Bardugo again, because she recommended Enaldi to me and I love him. This is fantastic music to inspire fantasy writing. Makes me want to write a fantasy series next. Oh, Macmillan…

Giving ‘Em What They Love – Janelle Monae and Prince: When I need a character, particularly a female character, to kick ass, I turn to Janelle Monae to set the tone. This track, in particular, has a disjointed, sucker punching bass line that inspires me to write fearlessly.

Sarabande – John Cage and others: This song is terrifying. I keep it in my back pocket for when I need to write a character who is criminally insane. Not. Kidding.

We Move Lightly – Dustin O’Halloran: I love Dustin O’Halloran’s sparse, poetic arrangements. They are so hypnotic and melodic. Listen to this song when you need to entrance yourself.

I’m Getting Ready – Michael Kiwanuka: This isn’t a song to write to, but one to pray to when you need encouragement. When I am feeling lost or discouraged, I listen to this uplifting song and I am renewed. I sure hope you enjoy it. It’s a gift from me (and Michael Kiwanuka) to you!

Thanks so much for having me here at Team Nerd Reviews for I HEART YA month! It’s always such fun to hang out with Annabell and her peeps!

About the Author

Emmy Laybourne is a novelist, writing teacher and former character actress. Emmy has recently finished the final installment to the MONUMENT 14 trilogy: SAVAGE DRIFT, which will be released in May 2014. She is now working on a new YA thriller, SWEET. Emmy lives outside New York City with her husband, two kids and a flock of 5 nifty chickens. 

Emmy began her writing career as a playwright. The first play she wrote and performed was called, The Miss Alphabet City Beauty Pageant and Spelling Bee. The New York Post said it, “restores faith in our country’s comedic future.” The Daily News called it, “hilariously clever.” 

Her next play, Smorgas-Bourne, landed Emmy a starring role in the Paramount feature film, Superstar, opposite Molly Shannon.

As an actress, Emmy went on to have featured roles in the films “Nancy Drew,” “The In-Laws,” and “Lucky Numbers.” She was a season regular on the NBC sitcom “DAG,” and performed original comedy on Comedy Central, MTV, and VH1. She has improvised with the Upright Citizens Brigade, Chicago City Limits and the Heartless Floozies. Emmy has performed original comedy material throughout LA and New York, including the song she sang with her brother, Sam, “We Can’t Make Love Because We’re Related.” 

Emmy graduated from UCLA with an MFA in screenwriting in June of 2006. While at UCLA, Emmy won the Eleanor Perry Award for Excellence in Screenwriting from Women in Film for her screenplay, “Tulum.”

Where to Stalk Emmy!

Website/Goodreads/Amazon/Twitter/Facebook

Check out the Monument 14 Trilogy by Emmy Laybourne!

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

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You can win a copy of MONUMENT 14 (Monument 14 Trilogy, #1) over on the I HEART YA 2014 Giveaways page! Go enter now!

Anticipated Reads: May 2014!

WE ARE SUPER UBER PSYCHED FOR THE MONTH OF MAY!! Why, you may be wondering? Well, not only are there FANTASTIC books coming out but the next installment in Annabell's Sons of Old Trilogy will FINALLY be released toward the end of the month!! *Eeeep* Can't wait!!

Coming May 6, 2014

Savage Drift (Monument 14 Trilogy, #3)

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Synopsis: The stunningly fierce conclusion to Emmy Laybourne's Monument 14trilogy.

The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.

But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.

Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.

Coming May 6, 2014

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Synopsis: Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

Coming May 13, 2014

Of Neptune (Syrena Legacy Trilogy, #3)

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Synopsis: Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms.

In this stunning conclusion to her bestselling Syrena Legacy, Anna Banks thrills fans with more action and romance than ever.

Coming May 13, 2014

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend (Broken Hearts & Revenge Series, #1)

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Synopsis: Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long? 

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Coming May 13, 2014

Free to Fall

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Synopsis: What if there was an app that told you what song to listen to, what coffee to order, who to date, even what to do with your life—an app that could ensure your complete and utter happiness? What if you never had to fail or make a wrong choice?

What if you never had to fall?

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is following what Lux recommends. When she’s accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn’t use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux’s recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore — a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

Coming May 20, 2014

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Synopsis: Some loves are cursed...others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she's a bad girl. She's Dark. She's a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she's around. Lucky for her, Wesley "Link" Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn't hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Coming May 20, 2014

Fissure (Chronicles of the Interred, #2)

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Synopsis: Baxter Jacobs just survived the worst Sweet Sixteen in history: buried in a coffin, hunted down by assassins, and losing almost everything that mattered to her. She’s ready for some normalcy, but “normal” won’t play any part of this Time Bender’s future.

Now that the immediate threat is over, Baxter learns just how much the English Council expects of the newest Interred. The pressure has her seriously considering her uncle’s offer to take her to New York, especially since she thinks it will keep her Healer, Jack, from overusing his abilities. Knowing the New York Council’s ranks are filled with beings using dark powers, however, makes her hesitate.

Before she can choose, the decision is wrenched from her. Fissures in Time result in a new battle with an old enemy. Someone she thought she’d lost reenters her life, and she’ll discover a web of lies woven into the fabric of Time…lies only she can unravel. Baxter will have to use her growing abilities to try and reveal the truth, even if it forever changes the reality she knows.

Coming May 20, 2014

V is for Villain

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Synopsis: Brad Baron is used to looking lame compared to his older brother, Blake. Though Brad's basically a genius, Blake is a superhero in the elite Justice Force. And Brad doesn't measure up at his high school, either, where powers like super-strength and flying are the norm. So when Brad makes friends who are more into political action than weight lifting, he's happy to join a new crew-especially since it means spending more time with Layla, a girl who may or may not have a totally illegal, totally secret super-power. And with her help, Brad begins to hone a dangerous new power of his own.

But when they're pulled into a web of nefarious criminals, high-stakes battles, and startling family secrets, Brad must choose which side he's on. And once he does, there's no turning back.

Coming May 27, 2014

The Dark World

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Synopsis: Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.

Coming May 28, 2014

Michael (Sons of Old Trilogy, #2)

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Synopsis: Zahara Faraday looks like a normal eighteen-year-old and lives in a quiet neighborhood with her overprotective parents. She works at a bookstore and hangs out with her best friend Becca King on a daily basis. But underneath the normal lies a secret life filled with dangerous supernaturals. Zahara belongs to a world made of Light Witches, rogue Imagoes (supernatural creatures with super strength, speed, and silver skin when the moon is out), fallen angels, and Nephilim (hybrid children born half-human, half-angel). Where her father Solomon Faraday is human, her mother Mia and her Aunt Catalina are Light Witches. They help protect the human world by hunting down rogue supernaturals who commit heinous acts against humans. What they never expected was the possibility of having to hunt down the one rogue coven they had befriended and come to trust in their battle against Lucifer. Rekesh Saint-Louis is the leader of the most powerful Imago coven in Florida and now he’s the most suspected. Supernatural bodies are starting to pile up with an ancient ritual long forbade being used to murder them and the symbol, one large cross with four smaller crosses around it—which represents Rekesh’s coven— being left behind. Rekesh and the Elders of his coven set out to find who is behind the murders and clearing his name before a war between the covens begins. To make matters more difficult, Rekesh also has to deal with the return of someone he has been keeping a secret.

Meanwhile, Zahara and Becca are spending more time brushing up on their training, knowing an attack from Lucifer can come at any moment. Between patrolling neighborhoods and hanging at the boarding school created by Charles Stephens—a fallen angel who created the school to protect the children of rogue supernaturals—they are thrown into one battle after another. Zahara begins to develop a closer bond with Jason as they train and chase down clues to clear Rekesh’s name. What she doesn’t know is the very powerful secret Jason is keeping; a secret that will change the course of the fight with Lucifer.

But Rekesh’s coven being set up isn’t the only danger. A new powerful and lethal drug has emerged from the shadows of the supernatural world called Inferi. The drug has two deadly side effects: it leaves the supernatural hungering for blood—both human and supernatural—and grants them the elemental power they had once possessed.

Lucifer is on the move and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on Zahara and complete the first act of his plan. 

A battle is about to begin. 

One that may cost the Faraday family everything they hold dear.

Monument 14 Week: Girls Rule Friday: Josie Miller

Character Name: Josie Miller

Age:16

Why We Love Her: Josie is one tough and bold cookie! She is dependable, loyal and the moral compass of the story. She's the heart that keeps everyone's humanity in check when they start to forget it. There's such a great strength in her. Josie doesn't always get things right and she gets put into situations that test her character, her heart and her morals showcasing her vulnerability and humanity even more. Even though she's so young, she has a really good head on her shoulders and a really great sense of understanding and patience.

Get An Inside Look At Josie!

Alex won the last game of Monopoly, with his darn railroads and utilities and hotels on Connecticut, Vermont, and Oriental.

And when we went back to the Media Department, here's what I saw:

Six little kids in new sleeping bags on new air mattresses with new pillows in new pillowcases. All in a circle around Josie, who was sitting on the floor. Josie had a candle in front of her, and it cast a warm, golden circle of light on their clean, scrubbed faces.

Why hadn't I thought of an air mattress?

Josie had also (finally) cleaned herself up. She was wearing white pajamas and a pink robe and slippers. And her hair was back in its customary giraffe knots on top of her head. Her brown skin looked soft and glowing in the candlelight. The only thing that broke the spell was the big square of gauze taped over the gash on her forehead. But at least it was a fresh gauze.

Josie was weaving an outrageous, preposterous, totally absurdist fairy tale. It went like this:

"When Mrs. Wooly comes, she's going to have a big, new yellow school bus. And she's going to open up the door and say, 'Come on in, guys, time to go home!' Henry and Caroline will get on first, of course, because they are the youngest."

"I'm older by fourteen minutes," Henry volunteered.

"Yes. Caroline will be first, then Henry. Then Max, then Ulysses, Batistie, and then Chloe, because she is the oldest of all of you. And then Mrs. Wooly will drive down the road. The sky will be so blue and the sun shining. She will drive on down the road to your house. Yes. And your parents will be there waiting.

"Oh! Imagine how worried they have been. No matter. Now you are safe. Now you are home. And Mrs. Wooly will take you by the hand and lead you up the front walk and in you will go."

"And will you be in the bus?" Chloe wanted to know.

"Of course!" Josie said. "It's my job, too, to make sure you get home safely."

"And will you come in?" asked Caroline.

"Yes. If your parents invite me, then I will stay for dinner. Won't that be nice? I wonder what we will have."

"My nana makes a lasagna that's out of this world!" Chloe proclaimed loudly. "Everyone says so."

"If we go to my mom's, she'll get us Popeyes," Maz conceded. "If we go to my dad's, he'll get Mickey D's. Wendy's is his favorite, but he don't go there anymore because one time, me dad, he went through the drive-through at Wendy's in the middle of the night and you'll never guess what happened because this lady was working there and he says to her, 'You're too pretty to work the graveyard shift,' and she goes, 'You bet your sweet ass I am,' and he puts his arm out and she grabs on and he pulls her right outta the window, through the opening and she gets in his truck. And now she's my auntie Jean. She sleeps over. And she has a gold tooth."

"My goodness," Josie said.

Then there was a pause.

I imagine Josie was trying to compose herself.

"Is it real gold?" Chloe wanted to know.

"Yep," Max answered. "But it doesn't come out. Anyways, I like Popeyes better, anyway."

"Whether it's Popeyes or McDonald's, I think it will be a great feast," Josie said, smoothing down Max's unruly hair. "We will all be so happy, when Mrs. Wooly comes to take us home. And now it is time for rest and sweet dreams."

Josie tucked Henry's sleeping bags in around his shoulders and kissed Caroline on the forehead.

Josie was a natural.

Where Astrid had that kick-ass camp counselor thing, Josie was a mom. A sixteen-year-old, middle-aged mom.

Make sure to check out more of Josie's story in the Monument 14 Trilogy by Emmy Laybourne on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and Amazon! 

Find out more about Emmy Laybourne on her Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon!

Monument 14 Week: Dark and powerful book trailers!

Monument 14

Savage Drift

Monument 14 Week: Swoon Worthy Wednesday: Dean Grieder & Niko Mills

Name: Dean Grieder

Nickname: Booker (Because he loves to read)

Age: 16

Why We Love Him: Dean narrates Monument 14 and does so with vulnerability, sarcasm, and truth. He is such a nerd with his obvious gawking at Astrid and his inability to cook anything without burning. But don't let Dean's nerdiness fool you. He can hold his own in a fight if he has to. There's a sweetness to Dean but also a reckless side to him despite how observant he is. Dean's very protective of his brother and his intentions to do the right thing don't always work out well but he never gives up which just makes me all the more endearing.

Get An Inside Look At Dean

My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon-painted letters that spell out MANIFEST. The idea was if you thought and dreamed about the way you wanted your life to be-if you just envisioned it long enough-it would come into being.

But as hard as I had manifested Astrid Heyman with her hand in mine, her blue eyes gazing into mine, her lips whispering something wild and funny and outrageous in my ear, she had remained totally unaware of my existence. Truly, to even dream of dreaming about Astrid, for a guy like me, in my relatively low position on the social ladder of Lewis Palmer High, was idiotic. And with her a senior and me a junior? Forget it.

Astrid was lit up with beauty: shining blond ringlets, June sky-blue eyes, slightly furrowed brow, always biting back a smile, champion diver on the swim team. Olympic level.

Hell, Astrid was Olympic level in every possible way.

And I wasn't. I was one of those guys who had stayed short too long. Everyone else sprang up in seventh and eighth grade but I just stayed kid-size through those years-the Brayden-hair-gel years. Then, last summer, I'd grown, like, six inches or something. My mom delighted in my absured growth spell, buying me new clothes basically every other week. My bones ached at night and my joints creaked sometimes, like a senior citizen's.

I'd entered the school year with some hope, actually, that now I was of average-even above-average-height, I might rejoin society at an, um, higher level. I know it's crass to talk about popularity outright, but remember, I'd had a thing for Astrid for a long, long time. I wanted to be near her and working my way into her circle of friends seemed the only way.

I thought my height might do the trick. Sure I was skinny as a rail, but still, my inventory of looks improved: green eyes-good assest. Ash-colored hair-okay. Height-no longer a problem. Build-needed major improvement. Glasses-a drag, but contacts gave me chronic conjuctivitis, which looked a lot worse than glasses, and I couldn't get Lasik until I stopped growing, so that was out for a while. Teeth and skin-fair. Clothes-sort of a wreck but getting better.

I thought I had a chance but the sum total of our communication to date were the two words she'd said to me on the bus: Help me.

And I hadn't.


Name: Niko Mills

Nickname: Brave Hunter Man (Because he was apart of the Boy Scouts and is always so stoic) 

Description:  Perfect posture, thin, wiry frame, brown skin, brown eyes, brown hair, carries himself with a stiff sort of pride

Why We Love Him: Niko is also a fellow nerd. Unlike Dean who is pretty straight forward and can say what's on his mind, Nike is more of an introvert. He keeps to himself, observes the world around him with sharp eyes. He is strong and steady, someone you can depend on and trust. Niko is definitely shy which we can totes understand and relate to, especially when it comes to crushing on someone and not being able to act remotely normal around that person. Niko has a good heart and even though he makes mistakes, he always aims to learn from them and grow through them into a better person. He's also the best person to have during times of disaster! Niko would most likely survive a zombie apocalypse and rebuild the world and become President. We totes be by his side all the way!

Get An Inside Look At Niko

"Hey guys," Niko began. "It was a really cool idea to come in costume. I wish I thought of it. Though I don't know how cool you would think it was if I came in my Scout uniform . . ."

He looked up.

Niko was trying to make a joke, I realized too late.

Someone needed to work with him on his delivery. 

"But, you know, maybe Boy Scouts isn't cool to some people, but the training I got as a Scout has really helped me here. And all of us. You know, I know first aid and I helped us to get out of the bus and stuff."

Brayden whispered, "Yo!" to Jake and held his hands out. Jake passed him the ball.

"If you pick me, it's not going to be all games and playing," Niko continued. "I think we need order and structure. Everyone's gonna have to work if we're going to make it. That's just what I think."

The kids were looking down at their laps. A couple were starting to fidget.

Niko's eyes glanced over to Josie and I saw her make a little motion with her hands, like Give us more.

Niko took a deep breath. Then he seemed to pull himself together. He stood up straight. He looked out at all of us.

"I am not good at making speeches. I'm not the most popular kid at school."

Brayden snickered off to the right.

"But I know what needs to be done here," Niko continued. "I know how to organize and delegate. I know how to ration food, we we'll be able to stay well fed for as long as possible. I know how to keep my head in a crisis. I think you all know that about me already.

"I know how to survive and I'll teach you all how to survive. That's what we need to learn now. I think we are all a lot luckier than pretty much everyone in this part of the country."

He looked out and his gaze traveled over each of us. His posture, his straightness, seemed  to magnetize us somehow and we all sat up taller in our seats.

"We are going to honor those who have died by surviving. All of us. That's my promise to you. If you elect me, we're all getting out of here safe and sound."