Blog Tour: The Lipstick Laws - Amy Holder - Author Interview

Today, Amy Holder is stopping by with an interview for the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, The Lipstick Laws. Thank you for being here, Amy! You can follow along with the tour here. 

Also! Amy is giving away a signed copy of her book for every week of the tour. Anyone who comments is automatically entered, with one entry available for each blog that posts that week. 

If you were in the same circumstances as April, what would you do? How far would you go?

Hmmm… this is a good question. As an adult, I can definitely say that I would never be in the same circumstance as April because I would never agree to follow the Lipstick Laws. I mean, how could I? I like chocolate and sweatpants too much. However, I may have been susceptible to some of the lure of the friendship and popularity that Britney’s group promised as a teen…but I’d probably break some (if not all) of the Lipstick Laws within the first day or two of following them. Yes, I would have been a Lipstick Law reject… for sure!

What would some of April's favourite books be?

April would really be able to relate to THE KARMA CLUB by Jessica Brody, GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD by Eileen Cook, ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS by Alyson Noel, SOME GIRLS ARE by Courtney Summers, and GEEK MAGNET by Kieran Scott. Also, I think she’d enjoy the quirky humor of the Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison.

What is your favourite line from anything you've ever written?

Eek! Are you trying to put me in a writerly coma with this question? There is no way I can properly answer this without scouring through more than a decade of my writing in all different genres for various age groups. I’m indecisive enough as it is… picking my favorite line EVER may lead to some serious indecision-related-hair-pulling. And no one wants to see me bald - trust me. So, I’m going to take the easy way out (sure, call me an interview slacker if you want) and tell you one of my favorite lines from THE LIPSTICK LAWS:

I stamped, certified, and lipsticked my life in a package sent through priority mail directly to the devil herself…and there’s no turning back.

The above line is one of my favorites in the story because it’s fun, and it foreshadows the unavoidable doom that awaits April.

What would the front page headline of a newspaper say about you?

Author of THE LIPSTICK LAWS doesn’t wear Lipstick! Is she a Hypocrite or Hippie?

If you could meet a character from any book ever written, which character and book would you choose and why?

I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and would love to meet Dobby the House Elf because he’s cute, magical, loyal, brave and heroic… and when am I ever going to get to meet a house elf in real life? Plus, I’d like to warn him to duck and watch out for the knife. If you’ve read the last Harry Potter book, you know what I’m talking about. If not, what the heck are you waiting for?!

In answer to your question... my answer is maybe. ;)

I love all of your answers though, and I agree Dobby would be AWESOME to meet! I love your favourite line as well as April's book selections! :)
Thank you again for being here today, Amy! 

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At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her. For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity. But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

The Lipstick Laws - Amy Holder - Blog Tour Review

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her. For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity. But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: The Lipstick Laws

Author: Amy Holder

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Graphia

Publication Date: April 4, 2011

Format: E-book

Source: Netgalley. Many thanks goes to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for sending me an e-galley of this book. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Tour: Teen Book Scene. This review is part of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for The Lipstick Laws. You can follow along with the tour here. 

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository. 

My rating: 4/5


April Bowers is a little apprehensive. She's starting off a new school year without her best friend and she doesn't really have any other friends. She is pretty well invisible, but a chance encounter with the "it" girl, Britney, lands April solidly in the midst of popularity. Popularity comes with a cost and April is going to find out the hard way how much she is going to have to change to maintain her newfound image. The only question she might have is whether or not the cost is worth the effort, and is she willing to risk everything for it. 
April is a plucky character, one who has a pretty good moral code, but still gets drawn up in the excitement of popularity. She is catapulted to her newfound fame after she inadvertently helps Britney out by handing her a tube of lip gloss. That small act sets off a series of events that will help April realize the person she is, but she might lose herself along the way. Hilarity ensues as the girls differentiate between friends, and enemies. Though this has a "mean girls" theme, it also has some laugh out loud moments. April's cracks about "fake bake" had me laughing, as did some of the other odd phrases that came out of her mouth.
While first reading The Lipstick Laws, I found myself somewhat amused, but not all that invested in the characters. They seemed superficial, and I wanted to see April gain a backbone. However, roughly about halfway through, I found the story started to pick up the pace, and it seemed to gel more fluently. With the emergence of another group, I found myself enjoying the story even more. This additional cast of characters balanced out the conceited airs put on by Britney and company, and it was interesting to see how both groups interacted together. Though April enjoyed her newfound fame, it is heartening to see her growth as a character as well. 
All in all, a fun, light read. The antics that are pulled are reminiscent of those in The Parent Trap or Mean Girls, however they retain their originality and will keep the reader invested in the outcome to see how certain situations turn out. 


Just a quick note! Anyone who comments on any of the tour posts will be entered to win a signed copy of "The Lipstick Laws" at the end of every blog tour week.