Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
250th out of 281 books
—
436 voters
The Jerk Magnet (Life at Kingston High #1)
When Chelsea Martin's future stepmother helps her transform from gawky and geeky into the hottest girl at her new school, Chelsea is pretty sure it's the best thing that ever happened to her. But her hot new look has a downside. She's attracting lots of guys who all have one thing in common: they're jerks. And stealing the attention of all the guys in school doesn't endear...more
Paperback, 217 pages
Published
February 17th 2012
by Revell
(first published January 1st 2012)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
588)
Melody Carlson...this my be my favorite book by you yet. It was just so good. I'm serious, guys, I was contemplating giving this 5 stars, but there was one plot element that I wasn't okay with. I'll get to those in a second.
This book handles teen issues from a Christian perspective. It's probably the edgiest novel I've ever read; I'm not saying that it IS edgy, I'm saying that I'm not edgy at all. Even slightly. I still stick mainly to the Juvenile section, honestly. But this book didn't bother...more
Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis: Chelsea Martins is a big time geek. When her dad announces he's remarrying and moving to San Jose in a matter of weeks, she thinks that her life couldn't get worse. But it actually takes an unexpected turn when she starts to like her step-mom-to-be, specially when she's making a make-over of her appearance. When Chelsea and her Dad get to San Jose, Chelsea makes a friend trying to act a different and more confident way than she's used to, becoming a Jerk Magnet. She th...more
Synopsis: Chelsea Martins is a big time geek. When her dad announces he's remarrying and moving to San Jose in a matter of weeks, she thinks that her life couldn't get worse. But it actually takes an unexpected turn when she starts to like her step-mom-to-be, specially when she's making a make-over of her appearance. When Chelsea and her Dad get to San Jose, Chelsea makes a friend trying to act a different and more confident way than she's used to, becoming a Jerk Magnet. She th...more
Synopsis: Chelsea Martin is a big-time geek. Not only does she focus on academics and other "nerdy" subjects, but she is very socially awkward, and guys don't really take notice of her. However, she is in for some big changes: Her widower father is getting married, and she is moving to San José, California! To prepare Chelsea for her new life, her fashionista stepmother-to-be Kate gives her a makeover, which causes her to be the belle of the ball at her new school. However, Chelsea's new-found g...more
Have you got an author that you love so much, that whenever they release a book - you just have to sit there and read it. For me , one of those authors is Melody Carlson. Ever since I read her book "Finding Alice" at 16 , I fell in love with her writing and since then plowed my way through her numerous series. So it was just natural, that when I saw she had a new series out that I purchase the book to read.
Her new series takes us to the world of Kingston High,and in Book #1 we meet Chelsea, eve...more
Her new series takes us to the world of Kingston High,and in Book #1 we meet Chelsea, eve...more
I met Melody Carlson at a book fair where she was selling her books. She was so nice and interesting to talk to, I figured her books would be the same. I grabbed one at random, The Jerk Magnet, having no idea what to expect. I was not wrong. Melody Carlson is an amazing writer. While The Jerk Magnet is probably not a book I would have ever picked up normally, being that it's aimed at YA girls, I'm really glad I read it. I found it to be entertaining and engaging from page one, extremely well wri...more
The Jerk Magnet
by: Melody Carlson
I read the jerk magnet this book is about a teenage girl whose name is Chelsea she lives with her dad because her mom recently got in a car crash about 5 or 6 months ago. Chelsea is a quit outgoing girl who is like a normal girl from school the acne sometimes braces but once all of this started happening and her mother died all the people from school started ignoring her. Plus her best friends have they only gone to her birthday party because they felt bad. The...more
by: Melody Carlson
I read the jerk magnet this book is about a teenage girl whose name is Chelsea she lives with her dad because her mom recently got in a car crash about 5 or 6 months ago. Chelsea is a quit outgoing girl who is like a normal girl from school the acne sometimes braces but once all of this started happening and her mother died all the people from school started ignoring her. Plus her best friends have they only gone to her birthday party because they felt bad. The...more
Review by Jill Williamson
Chelsea’s dad drops two bombs on the same night.
1. He has a new job and they’re moving! 2. He’s getting married!
Woah.
At first, Chelsea is overwhelmed in a negative way. Can’t say that I blame her! But her future stepmom starts to grow on her when she gives Chelsea a live-changing makeover. When Chelsea starts school, it’s like she’s a completely different person—at least that’s how people are treating her. She’s attracting all the wrong guys, and the one she really like...more
Chelsea’s dad drops two bombs on the same night.
1. He has a new job and they’re moving! 2. He’s getting married!
Woah.
At first, Chelsea is overwhelmed in a negative way. Can’t say that I blame her! But her future stepmom starts to grow on her when she gives Chelsea a live-changing makeover. When Chelsea starts school, it’s like she’s a completely different person—at least that’s how people are treating her. She’s attracting all the wrong guys, and the one she really like...more
"The Jerk Magnet" is the story of Chelsea Martin. Chelsea had been eleven years old when the death of her mother changed her world forever. Now it's five years later and it's still hard to think about it, so when her dad tells her he wants to marry his girlfriend Kate and that his job is transferring him to another town, virtually turning her life upside down. She isn't looking forward to starting her junior year in a new high school, but when her soon to be step mom decides to give Chelsea a ma...more
Chelsea Martin lives life as a wallflower.
That is, until her future stepmother turns into a "fairy godmother" and helps her transform from geek and gawky into a "hot" blond "popular" gal.
Suddenly, Chelsea is no longer living life from the sidelines.
But she finds that life as a popular, "hot" girl, has its disadvantages - especially when she discovers that she is a "jerk magnet." Attracting all of the wrong types of guys, Chelsea only has eyes for one guy - who decides based upon her looks, tha...more
That is, until her future stepmother turns into a "fairy godmother" and helps her transform from geek and gawky into a "hot" blond "popular" gal.
Suddenly, Chelsea is no longer living life from the sidelines.
But she finds that life as a popular, "hot" girl, has its disadvantages - especially when she discovers that she is a "jerk magnet." Attracting all of the wrong types of guys, Chelsea only has eyes for one guy - who decides based upon her looks, tha...more
Pretty girls don’t always get the good guys, high school junior Chelsea Martin learns.
A geeky frump, especially since her mom died, Chelsea suffers from awful teeth, hair and skin, and hides from her image. Worse than zits, her dad blindsides her with a double whammy: he’s getting married again and they’re moving. Chelsea barely knows her new drop-dead gorgeous stepmom2B and grudgingly accepts her advice for new clothes, skin and hair treatment and confidence-building exercises. Realizing she ha...more
A geeky frump, especially since her mom died, Chelsea suffers from awful teeth, hair and skin, and hides from her image. Worse than zits, her dad blindsides her with a double whammy: he’s getting married again and they’re moving. Chelsea barely knows her new drop-dead gorgeous stepmom2B and grudgingly accepts her advice for new clothes, skin and hair treatment and confidence-building exercises. Realizing she ha...more
The Jerk Magnet was a cute, interesting look at what happens when a young girl goes from a geek to a hotty, and how it changes her life.
Most girls, might say that if they could be as hot as the other girls in school, they wouldn't turn into those mean girls. We think we will be just like we were before, but it doesn't always turn out that way. Chelsea, always thought of herself as a geek, she even thought her and Dracula had something in common, they both hated mirrors. Then her soon to be step...more
The ugly duckling turned swan, the wall flower turned center attraction. What if you could become something that you never were before? What if you discover first hand that beauty really is more than just skin deep - because you are the transformed one - the overlooked that becomes the looked upon? That is just what unfolds in this teenage drama.
Chelsea Martin has long been the one to fade into the background. She has managed high school by just blending into the crowd, where no one notices her....more
Chelsea Martin has long been the one to fade into the background. She has managed high school by just blending into the crowd, where no one notices her....more
"The Jerk Magnet" is a young adult Christian general fiction novel. Chelsea was complex and Janelle was engaging, but we only got to know a few characters very well. To me, it seemed like the story moved too fast to really make the desired impact.
Perhaps because the story was so short, the focus was almost solely on how boys (and girls) were reacting to Chelsea's appearance. The story didn't really talk about the other struggles of going to a new school or deal with the changes that having a ste...more
Perhaps because the story was so short, the focus was almost solely on how boys (and girls) were reacting to Chelsea's appearance. The story didn't really talk about the other struggles of going to a new school or deal with the changes that having a ste...more
Sixteen year old Chelsea Martin’s life is about to get turned upside down. Chelsea’s father informs her that his job has transferred him and he is getting remarried. Chelsea wants to part of her dad’s plans and she especially does not want to get to know her soon to be step mother, Kate. Though, once Chelsea does get to know Kate she likes her. In fact, Kate takes Chelsea on a shopping spree for a new make over. The transformation is great. It seems that others have noticed Chelsea’s make over a...more
Jan 22, 2012
Laura
added it
Title: THE JERK MAGNET
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
January 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8007-1962-3
Genre: Inspirational/teen fiction
Chelsea Martin is a geek, and invisible. She is looking forward to getting out of school for the summer when she finishes her Sophomore year, so she can get away from all the cruelty at high school. But then her dad drops a bombshell on her. He’s getting married to a hot woman he used to work with and they are moving to California.
Chelsea’s new step-mom-to-be takes co...more
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Revell
January 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8007-1962-3
Genre: Inspirational/teen fiction
Chelsea Martin is a geek, and invisible. She is looking forward to getting out of school for the summer when she finishes her Sophomore year, so she can get away from all the cruelty at high school. But then her dad drops a bombshell on her. He’s getting married to a hot woman he used to work with and they are moving to California.
Chelsea’s new step-mom-to-be takes co...more
I don't know what it is about Melody Carlson's YA books published by Revell that I love so much, but it probably has to do with the relevant, timely subject matter and how well she puts everything together in a story that anyone can relate to. If the rest of the series is half as enjoyable as this book was, then I'm reading them all. In fact, I read this story through in one sitting. I didn't get out of the chair until I'd turned the last page. Not even to take a break. That's a great book if I...more
2.5 Stars
Reading the blurb on the back of this book makes it seem RIGHT up my alley.
Frumpy girl gets makeover, now she's suddenly hot and has to figure out how to deal with the new attention. Awesome! Right? Wrong.....
Suddenly, this fun, easy reading book turns into a preaching Christian religious book with a morality tale on every page. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, but I did NOT like having God shoved down my throat every other page.
Promote this book for what it is. Christian Fict...more
Reading the blurb on the back of this book makes it seem RIGHT up my alley.
Frumpy girl gets makeover, now she's suddenly hot and has to figure out how to deal with the new attention. Awesome! Right? Wrong.....
Suddenly, this fun, easy reading book turns into a preaching Christian religious book with a morality tale on every page. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, but I did NOT like having God shoved down my throat every other page.
Promote this book for what it is. Christian Fict...more
AHHH Melody Carlson ILOVEYOU you are one of my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E Christin YA Author Like ever!!!
OK! With that out of the way! I loved this book!! GAH! it was so, so unbeliveably Cute!!!
melody carlson's writing is so simple!! and i love that!!!! I love that you don't have to over think a chapter to get the message its just right infront of your face!!!!
Yes! this is a ' Christian YA' Book!!! But its not one of those " I'm going to shove this down your throat" Kind of thing! there is a message i t...more
OK! With that out of the way! I loved this book!! GAH! it was so, so unbeliveably Cute!!!
melody carlson's writing is so simple!! and i love that!!!! I love that you don't have to over think a chapter to get the message its just right infront of your face!!!!
Yes! this is a ' Christian YA' Book!!! But its not one of those " I'm going to shove this down your throat" Kind of thing! there is a message i t...more
So this book was free, it fit a monthly challenge and it was a quick read, but the Pros end there.
The plot was forced and the dialog felt fake and unnatural. The author beat you over the head with the Christian message of salvation rather than weaving it into the story.
The life lesson was not to judge people based on appearances, but the whole reason the protagonist got a make over was because her stepmother thought she was ugly on the outside, "(quote forthcoming)." And yet the stepmother is he...more
The plot was forced and the dialog felt fake and unnatural. The author beat you over the head with the Christian message of salvation rather than weaving it into the story.
The life lesson was not to judge people based on appearances, but the whole reason the protagonist got a make over was because her stepmother thought she was ugly on the outside, "(quote forthcoming)." And yet the stepmother is he...more
The writing was just plain and I seemed hard to connect with the main character. Not that she's annoying or something, but she's just sounded unreal. Too good to be true, even for a Christian girl.
I'm a Christian, don't get me wrong, and the main idea of the story is excellent. But here, when I'm reviewing it as a general YA genre seems, it's just not good enough.
Lately I read a brilliant book with the same religion topic and I really liked that, so I don't think the Christian issue was the pro...more
I'm a Christian, don't get me wrong, and the main idea of the story is excellent. But here, when I'm reviewing it as a general YA genre seems, it's just not good enough.
Lately I read a brilliant book with the same religion topic and I really liked that, so I don't think the Christian issue was the pro...more
3.5 stars
Review posted at Amaterasu Reads
Does first impression really last? Not always.
Looks can be highly deceiving, and some teens in this book learned it the hard way as seen through Chelsea's experiences when she transformed from an ugly duckling to a beautiful teenage girl.
Chelsea is a character that was as dynamic as any teen could be. What's amazing is I find myself responding to Chelsea because I can relate to her. You can only take so much time blending with the rest of the crowd and b...more
Review posted at Amaterasu Reads
Does first impression really last? Not always.
Looks can be highly deceiving, and some teens in this book learned it the hard way as seen through Chelsea's experiences when she transformed from an ugly duckling to a beautiful teenage girl.
Chelsea is a character that was as dynamic as any teen could be. What's amazing is I find myself responding to Chelsea because I can relate to her. You can only take so much time blending with the rest of the crowd and b...more
I liked this book anand the way the character finds herself in it... but i dont like the way the character was unhappy with herself... she made herself seem so insignificant and hated the way she was origonally created.... it was a great story but its not a great to show girls jow they should see themselves. of corse its nice to look pretty but you dont have to you change yourself just inhance the nateral beauty of God
Short Review: The characters, mainly the main one, were hard to like and not very appealing. The circumstances were not very realistic either, at least in my teenaged opinion, although I don't go to public school so I don't know what everything is like. The end was my favorite part, though, because it was a great morale and it really challenged readers, not just the characters, to re-evaluate how to view things.
Mar 15, 2012
Katelyn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
females
Recommended to Katelyn by:
saw it in bookstore
The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson really hit me emotionally. It is not a sad story, but the reality behind the main characters life and thoughts relates to me so much. I'm a cheerleader, but you could never tell just by looking at me. I get judged based on appearances and connections every day, and so does Chelsea, the main character. This is definitely a chick lit book, and I'd gladly read it over and over again.
I wasn't expecting this book to be good at first. I downloaded the book on my nook, because it was free. I was afraid this book would be a major disappoinment. The last book i downloaded for free was just filth! Jerk Magnet was a very good read. I found myself up late reading this book. The book reminded me of Cinderella's story. Even though the book was typical, I would recommend it to others.
I'm not sure what I thought this book was going to be about, but what it ended up being wasn't quite it. It was a little deeper than I expected, not so frilly and silly, and that was a good thing. Also, it was a bit religious, and I wasn't expecting that either, but it didn't bother me. Not bad for a book I got for free on my Kindle. I liked it. 3 1/2-4 stars.
Mar 13, 2012
Dawn Turner
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
My teenage nieces - without qualms
Recommended to Dawn by:
Michelle Sutton
Shelves:
young-adult
This story captured my attention from page one. Not only does Melody do a fabulous job of nailing down the way a teenager thinks and reacts to their circumstances and peers, the "lesson" in this book is something that is, sadly, so overlooked today. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I look forward to passing it along to my teenage nieces for their enjoyment.
I absolutely loved this book! I think that most teenage girls can somehow relate to this story. Learning not to judge people based on what they look like is a valuable lesson, an this book proves that people are not always as they appear to be. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially teenage girls. Very inspiring!
I've always enjoyed reading Melody Carlson and this one I'd give 3.5 stars. It's a great book for teen girls as it's a wonderful example that beauty is not just skin deep; to not judge a person by their appearance- as the experiment Chelsea and Janelle shows towards the end of the book.
I really liked reading this book. You can't tell from the back cover or anything, but it's teen Christian fiction. It's written in the third person and the narration is a bit disconnected, but the story is fun and intriguing. It would be a great story to read on vacation or if you need a break. :)
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.
She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.
Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspi...more
More about Melody Carlson...
She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.
Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspi...more
Share This Book
“Girls can be so petty and jealous. I swear they're worse than guys sometimes. Except they're all quiet about it. They sugarcoat it or else they talk behind each other's backs. It's seriously twisted.”
—
18 people liked it
More quotes…
