Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram Series: Jamie Baker #1
Published by Bluefields on 2010-06-14
Length: 353 pages
Reviewing eBook from My Book Shelf
Rating:
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, earning the title of Rocklin High's resident ice queen. But during a supercharged encounter with star quarterback Ryan Miller she literally kisses anonymity goodbye. Now the annoyingly irresistible Ryan will stop at nothing to melt the heart of the ice queen and find out what makes her so special. Unfortunately, Ryan is not the only person on to her secret. Will Jamie learn to contain her unstable powers before being discovered by the media or turned into a government lab rat? More importantly, can she throw Ryan Miller off her trail before falling in love with him?
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 Amazon OR free with KU) and read it asap. It won’t disappoint!
About Kelly Oram
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.
OMG, did you only just read this?? I LOVE this first book!!! And Ryan is definitely swoon, he almost surpasses Grayson for me…. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the rest of the series. Book 2 didn’t quite work for me as well, but the finale brought it all back!
Lenore Kosinski recently posted…Constant by Rachel Higginson
I did! Cinder & Ella was the first Oram book I read and I’ve slowly been working through them all. I still have the rest of this series, Chameleon, and Avery Shaw to read….also Joni. Man I need to a month and just binge her books 😜
Thank you for a great review:). This one sounds like huge fun…
It really is! Oram’s books are all fun, full of snarky characters and Easter eggs from other books.