Alienated by Melissa Landers

e-ARC, 265 pages

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Alienated, #1

Source: NetGalley (A huge thanks to Disney and NetGalley for granting me access to this e-galley in exchange for a just and honest review)

For fans of: Sci-fi, LOL, Paranormal, Romance, Sparkly Covers, YA

     Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.
     Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.
     Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.
But when Cara’s classmates get swept up by anti-L’eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn’t safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara’s locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.
     Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she’s fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

*MY THOUGHTS*

“People fear what they don’t understand.“
3% (e-ARC)

      When I heard about this book I was all on board. But unfortunately, as I started reading it, I was not really a huge fan. The writing style is extremely juvenile. It seemed more like an MG novel. I get some people are quirky and silly, but the entire school? Yeah it just seemed like too much. And for them to be so angry at her, with the rest of the book being so silly, I never took them too serious. It all just seemed like a huge joke.

“It’s common knowledge that shiny rocks are preferred among human females.“
21% (e-ARC)

     And then I’m upset because I really felt like there was absolutely no plot. I felt like I was just reading through this —————-. Yes I knew that it was semi pitched as a mystery, but geez, I knew everything as soon as it happened. And there was absolutely nothing to set it apart from any other YA novel I’ve ever read. Which is such a disappointment because I was really looking forward to this one.

“Sexual reproduction and food- human’s two favotite subjects.“
53% (e-ARC)

     Now the only thing I DID like was the humor in it. There were a couple of times I was happy that I read the majority of this at home because I laughed out loud so many times. There were so many quotes that I write down wanting to add to my review just because it was funny.

“How can we understand what we’ve never experienced and adapt without making mistakes.“
92% (e-ARC)

     But overall, there was nothing really “over the moon” about this one. (Pun intended.) It read like any other YA novel and the writing style took it from a “regular” YA novel to a “regular” MG one. I think I would’ve enjoyed this more had it been pitched as an MG.

Overall, I give this