Book Review: Being Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #1), Kelly Oram

Title: Being Jamie Baker
Series: Jamie Baker #1
Author: Kelly Oram
Published: 14/06/2010, Bluefields
Pages:353
Source: Amazon freebie
Format: Ebook
Rating: 4/5
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?

Being Jamie Baker was such an awesome read that I just couldn't put down. I found the premise pretty original, compared to what I've read before anyway. It's sort of a superhero origin story and it was so much fun to read.

I couldn't help but like Jamie, even though she is a bit of a bitch and has a temper that is just downright terrifying when combined with her powers. But, underneath that, she really is just a scared girl who doesn't know what is happening to her. She's terrified she'll hurt someone by accident and it's really no wonder when you think about her own accident and the twist revealed near the conclusion. So she tries to push everyone away. I just really felt for her.

Ryan is just the cutest. Sure he's super popular and very cocky, but I also thought underneath he was quite sensitive. You can't help but fall in love with him. He wants to help Jamie from the moment he discovers her secret and he doesn't run. I though he was just a nice guy in general. And I loved his relationship with Becky. It's so nice seeing such a strong platonic relationship between a boy and girl in a book. I mean they do have their differences, but they really care for each other and manage to resolve them. They just remind me so much of siblings.

I actually didn't find Being Jamie Baker predictable at all. I didn't expect any of the twists and this left me on the edge of my seat, especially during the action-packed climax. I did have some ideas, but I was just so wrong it's unbelievable. The majority of the plot threads are tied up too, so I felt this story concluded very well without the dreaded cliffhanger and could even be read as a standalone.

The one part of the story I wasn't as sure about was the logic behind how Jamie gained her powers. It is very out there and questionable, but then again I'm always a bit sceptical of how superheroes gain their powers anyway.

Being Jamie Baker is such a fun, quick read. I just had to keep reading - this book had me hooked. I would definitely recommend Being Jamie Baker to fans of YA paranormal fantasy, maybe even fans of superheroes. Although the story wraps up very nicely, it's the first book in a trilogy and as I need more Jamie Baker in my life I will definitely be reading More Than Jamie Baker as soon as I get my hands on it.

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