Consuming Worlds: Paper or Plastic by Vivi Barnes {Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway}

Today I have the great pleasure of being able to participate in the blog tour for Vivi Barnes latest release Paper or Plastic. As soon as I heard of this book I was on board. I knew I was going to like it just by reading the blurb. Stick around and find out why I liked it and make sure you enter the Giveaway at the end!

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Paper or Plastic

by Vivi Barnes

Release Date: 2015

Entangled Teen

Blurb~

Welcome to SmartMart, where crime pays minimum wage... Busted. Alexis Dubois just got caught shoplifting a cheap tube of lipstick at the local SmartMart. She doesn’t know what’s worse—disappointing her overbearing beauty-pageant-obsessed mother for the zillionth time…or her punishment. Because Lex is forced to spend her summer working at the store, where the only thing stranger than the staff is the customers.
Now Lex is stuck in the bizarro world of big-box retail. Coupon cutters, jerk customers, and learning exactly what a “Code B” really is (ew). And for added awkwardness, her new supervisor is the totally cute—and completely below her social sphere—Noah Grayson. Trying to balance her out-of-control mother, her starting spot on the school softball team, and her secret crush on the school geek makes for one crazy summer. But ultimately, could the worst store in the world be the best thing that ever happened to her?

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon│B&N│Kobo

My Review~

The last place Lex wanted to spend her summer was the local SmartMart where losers worked. But when she steals a tube of lipstick, it becomes her only option. Now she has to juggle the things she yearns to do with the need to please her mother. But sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem.

When Lex starts her "punishment" at the SmartMart, she looks at it as exactly that... punishment. That is until she sees her cute Supervisor. Now she thinks she can survive. At least she has some eye candy. That is until she realizes who the eye candy is... Noah Grayson, the school loser.

When I first started reading Paper or Plastic and was introduced to Lex, I thought great, this book is about one of those uptight, high and mighty girls, who think they are better than everyone. Lex had money, yet there she was sitting in the managers office for stealing something that she could easily afford. But as I read I quickly realized that Lex was anything but the typical rich girl. She was rich yes, but she didn't act deserving. (okay, there were times when she did, but not as many as you would think) She was just a girl who wanted to hang out with her friends and play a game that she had worked so hard to play.

In the end Lex won me over. I found her to be fun, sweet, dedicated, and extremely hard working. She loved her family and didn't believe in having a free ride. I was definitely pleased with the way that Vivi Barnes portrayed her. I grew quickly attached to her and her struggle to balance her popularity, place on the softball team, her family, and her secret crush.

Speaking of crush.... the exact opposite of Lex, Noah Grayson is definitely not rich. He comes from the "wrong side of the tracks" and has to work extremely hard for the life he has. He isn't ashamed of working at SmartMart and is quick to remind Lex that she shouldn't be either. He is quick witted, fun, easy going, loyal, incredibly sweet, and smart. This boy has incredible dreams for the future and pushes Lex in every way. And he was my favorite. Everything about this boy will melt your heart.

In Paper or Plastic Lex realizes that things aren't always as they seem. By working with people she used to make fun, she discovers that everyone has a story and that some of those stories are hard and sad. In her experience at SmartMart Lex goes from what I thought was a spoiled rich girl with a woe as me attitude to a girl who saw things with a fresh lens. Who realized that life isn't always easy and that maybe she shouldn't judge before she knows a person's tale. Lex definitely walked away a better girl for her time at SmartMart.

Paper or Plastic was hands down adorable. It was exactly the read I needed... cute, fun, easy to read, and easy to get lost in. It had characters that I could attach myself to, a story that I cared about and made me laugh. It had everything.

Now I'm just hoping that Vivi Barnes is going to give me more. I for one have my fingers crossed that this story continues. You will too once you read Lex and Noah's story. Promise.

About the Author~

Vivi Barnes is the author of Olivia Twisted and the upcoming release, Paper or Plastic. She was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes.