Title: Maneater (A Love in the 80's: A New Adult Mix)
Author: Cambria Hebert
Cover Designer: Mae I Design
Publisher: WaWa Productions
Format: Ebook Only – this is a Novella it comes in at about 34,000 words
Genre: New Adult Throw Back (it’s a contemporary)
Watch out, girls. Here she comes.
There’s always that girl. She’s popular, beautiful, and has everything together. The one with the perfectly teased hair, arms full of colorful (but coordinated) bangles, and expertly painted bright-pink lips.
A teacher’s pet. Daddy’s girl.
Everyone loves her.
Because everyone is afraid to challenge her.
Kelly Ross is that girl. She uses her powers of popularity for good… her own good. She doesn’t care who she hurts.
She always gets what she wants.
Including your man.
When she walks down the hallway in her hot-pink heels and ruffled denim miniskirt, all the boys’ heads turn. And all the girls start whispering.
Man-eater.
There hasn’t been a single guy Kelly hasn’t been able to chew up and spit out.
Until now.
Kelly has finally met her match. He’s been there all along, and he’s the exact opposite of everything you’d expect.
Eric
Do people change?
Or do they always stay the same?
That’s more of a philosophy question. I’m more of a science guy.
I like tangible theories that can be measured, questions with answers that have irrefutable proof. I’m not much for matters of the mind with no exact equation, therefore without exact answer.
I’ve heard it said that the more people change, the more they stay the same.
That statement is confusing. Whatever “great” mind came up with the saying probably was a philosophy major and had no knowledge of scientific reasoning.
It’s a false notion.
A mathematical and scientific fact. In an equation, a + b = c. If even just one variable is changed, the entire equation changes, the answer does not remain the same.
If math and science don’t give enough irrefutable proof, the world I live in does. In the universe of high school and growing older, everyone changes. It’s a natural evolution of life.
I see her every day. Even without my glasses, my eyes would still make out her shape.
She’s one of those girls the eyes must look at, just like the lungs must breathe oxygen. Her presence is loud in the hallways of Edward Little High.
Yet her reputation is quiet… at least the real one anyway.
Whispers. I hear them. When you are invisible, or thought to only think about equations and charts, people think you don’t listen. But I hear.
I listen.
It’s how one learns.
The Choice thinks they know everything, but the people who know the most in this school are the ones who are known the least.
I’m practically a shadow, practically a ghost.
“Beat it, losers!” Tad yells from across the hall. My friends and I look up, surprised he’s talking to us.
Okay, maybe I’m not as invisible as I thought.
I glance at Kelly as we scurry off.
Or maybe, I’m only visible when my presence is useful.
I knew Kelly once, a long time ago. Practically in another life. We aren’t friends. She probably doesn’t even remember my name. I remember hers.
I remember the way she used to twist her Oreos in two and hand me the side with the most cream. The way she would grab my hand and pull me off to play before who we were got in the way.
I remember when she was nice.
As I walk to class, my two friends by my sides, I tune out their conversation and wonder. I saw the way Kelly was looking at Tad, her best friend’s boyfriend. It was a sign. Kelly was gearing up to take down another one. It was a pattern. Patterns always repeat themselves.
This time, I wondered if she would go too far.
Kelly was the reason I was spending my time on an internal philosophical debate. Do people change? The theory was no.
I was seeing evidence to the contrary.
The girl I knew all those years ago would never act the way she does now.
But she does.
The whispers follow her around the hall.
People do change.
5 STARS
I LOVED THE 80'S
Even though I was only between the ages of 3-13 I still love everything about the 80's & this book takes you right back there. From the neon colours, the bangles, the gum chewing, the eye rolling, hair spray, music, the lingo and obviously the clothing, every bit of it will immerse you in this story. Maneater by Cambria Hebert is absolutely fantastic, usually its the jock who falls for the nerd girl so I really enjoyed this role reversal even though I wouldn't really class Eric as the classic nerd. This is a Novella so is a short read but oh so fantastic I could not put it down!
It's not very often you find a book with a heroine that needs to be brought down a notch or 2...but Kelly is that girl, and boy did she need a reality check! She was "miss popularity" "There are two kinds of people in this world. Me and everybody else." She's what would be a Mean Girl now.
Eric who everybody classes as a nerd is far more "alpha" than you'd think at first. He doesn't let Kelly push him around which I loved he wasn't intimidated by Kelly or the other people in the groups. “He smirked. “Don’t worry, Kelly. I won’t say a word. I don’t want anyone to know I'm here either.” “You don’t?” I echoed, surprised. I thought he’d be shouting it down the halls. I mean, him staying with Kelly Ross? He’d be instantly popular, and I’d be a laughingstock. “No,” he said, his voice flat. I felt my mouth drop open again. Eric let himself in his “new room” and before I could recover, shut the door in my face.”
You find out that Kelly and Eric where childhood bestfriends but lost their friendship and went separate ways. It's such a sweet story finding out about their past and finding their way back to a friendship. The planetarium being one of my favourite parts.
As their friendship grows you she them falling for each other, but with Kelly second guessing if it's worth loosing the popularity she has. This made me want to give her a shake. I loved that Eric wasn't a push over not just with Kelly but with everyone but especially with Kelly. "Too many people treated her like she was in charge. Too many people gave her all the power. Not me. Not this kiss. This kiss was mine. I'd share with her, but on my terms."
I would recommend Maneater to ANYONE. The whole novella will take you on one Totally Rad ride that you won't want to get off of. And will leave you smiling like the Cheshire cat.
Cambria Hebert is a bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn't pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favourite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: Text, Torch, Tryst, Masquerade, and Recalled.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
You can find out more about Cambria and her titles by visiting her
