Review: By Your Side

Title By Your Side
By Kasie West
Genre YA Contemporary
Format Print
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
When Autumn finds herself accidentally locked in the library over a holiday weekend her anxiety threatens to overwhelm her. So when she discovers Dax Miller, the school's bad boy, is locked in with her she's half panicked half relieved. As they get to know each other they'll find something in each other worth examining.

First Sentence
I was locked in the library trying not to panic.




My last attempt at one of Kasie West's romantic contemporaries didn't go so well. I liked it but didn't find it original or engaging enough. So it was with some hesitancy that I picked this one up. I did think it would be a good choice, though, since most of it takes place in a library. Can't go wrong there, right?

And I was right. I really like this one. I inhaled it in two days. Dax was adorable and sweet and is now sitting on the shelf with all my other book boyfriends.

I loved that while it was light and cute, it did discuss anxiety in a real light. I have anxiety and while it doesn't manifest like Autumn's did I could relate. Always a good thing.

I found the ending slightly too sweet and unbelievable but since I wanted a light romance it fit the bill perfectly. Now I'm not so hesitant to try her others.

Review: First Comes Love

Title First Comes Love
By Emily Giffin
Genre Adult, Romance, Chick-lit
Format Audio book
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Sisters, Meredith and Josie couldn't be more different. Josie is spontaneous, extroverted and goes after what she wants, Meredith is quiet, stoic and does what's best for everyone else but herself. When their brother dies in a car crash the two sisters deal with their grief differently and those differences drive them apart. Fifteen years later as they both are at a crossroads in their lives that tragedy will either drive them further apart or bring them closer together.

First Sentence
Time is a tricky thing, Daniel said to his mother when he was still very young.

And now I've finished all of Giffin's published books. After the last one, All We Ever Wanted, I wasn't so sure I wanted to ever read another one of her books but this one restored my faith in her storytelling abilities and reminded me why I love her books so much.

This one tells the story of two very different sisters. These characters were wonderfully flawed. There were things about each of them that drove me absolutely nuts and things I really loved too. Watching their all too relatable struggles puts you right in that understood and validated space. I love that about books.

I didn't expect to love this one as much as I did. It's probably my favorite of Giffin's books and I'm glad I didn't let that last one turn me off.

If you love stories about people and family struggles with flawed characters you can root for, you should read this one. I've been thinking about Joise and Meredith long after I closed the book. 

Review: Moonlight Over Manhattan

Title Moonlight Over Manhattan
By Sarah Morgan
Genre Adult, Romance
Format Audiobook
Rating ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Determined to conquer a lifetime of shyness, Harriet Knight challenges herself to do one thing a day in December that scares her, including celebrating Christmas without her family. But when dog walker Harriet meets her newest client, exuberant spaniel Madi, she adds an extra challenge to her list--dealing with Madi's temporary dog sitter, gruff doctor Ethan Black, and their very unexpected chemistry. (From Goodreads)

First Sentence

This wasn't how a date was supposed to end.

This one was recommended to me and it sounded rather cute so I decided to give it a read. 

And, well, it reminded me why I avoid romances. Now don't get me wrong, I like a good romance in a book but a ROMANCE book??? Not so much. And this book was the perfect example of WHY I don't like romance books. 

They start out really cute. Girl meets boy, sparks fly, silly yet seemingly insurmountable issue pops up and then, well, it becomes one big, fat, cheesy, cliche. 

There's just nothing new here. It's the same old story with the cute, naive girl and the handsome brooding guy. 

And even the steamy scenes were lukewarm at best. Sigh. I was just unimpressed. This isn't my genre though, so don't take my review too seriously. Other people love Morgan's books.  

Review: Geekerella

Title Geekerella
By Ashley Poston
Genre YA Contemporary Romance
Format Audiobook
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Elle lives with her step mom and sisters and works in a food truck that sells pumpkin flavored everything. She misses her dad and the bond they shared over Starfield, an old TV show with a crazy fandom. When Hollywood decided to reboot the old TV show into a movie and casts Hollywood's boy toy Darien Freeman, Elle is furious. What would a egotistical set of abs know about her beloved Starfield? When she sees a cosplay contest at the famous Excelsicon with a cash prize and a ticket to LA for the movie premier as the prize, Elle sees her chance to escape.

First Sentence
The stepmonster is at it again.

I've heard great things about this one and I'm always up for a fairytale retelling so when this one came up on Overdrive on audio I snatched it up.

I like retellings but I always want the author to make the story their own with enough uniqueness to make it worth reading. While I didn't feel like this one was quite unique enough, I liked it.

It was cute and fun and just plain adorkable. I loved that Elle and Darien got to know each other before they met so it wasn't just stupid instalove. We all hate that, am I right? I also loved that the "coach" was a food truck. Did I already say adorkable?

The writing was good and the characters relatable but I do wish that the story took a few more obvious deviations from the original story than it did. Oh well. I'd still recommend it and don't regret reading it one little bit.

Review: Pivot Point

Title Pivot Point (Pivot Point 1)
By Kasie West
Genre YA Supernatural Romance
Format Print
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
As a Searcher, Addie can look into the future and see the outcome of her choices. But choosing whether to accept a date from the cute guy that asks you out or not is nothing compared to the choice she's facing now. Her parents are divorcing and she has to choose who she'll live with.

First Sentence
"Heads up," a loud voice called from my right.




I've been meaning to read this book since it's release five years ago. Whoops! I also wanted to read it because Kasie West now seems to be writing strictly YA contemporary romance. I read The Fill-In Boyfriend and liked it well enough but thought maybe since this one, and its sequel, have a supernatural element to them, I might like them better.

Sadly this one still focused a little too strongly on the romantic side of things. I could have happily accepted that considering I couldn't stop turning pages and had zero qualms about the writing style but the supernatural elements has some logistical problems that took away from my overall enjoyment.

I'm still going to read the sequel and sooner rather than later but I'm hoping it improves on the supernatural side of things. As for the romance?..Kasie West seems to have that down to an art.

Not If You Were The Last Man On Earth

I considered entitling this post: We Are Never Getting Together or You'll Never Be MY Book Boyfriend. That should give you a good idea about what I'm going to discuss in this post.

There are certain male characters we fall madly in love with and dub our book boyfriends and then there are those we don't like...to put it mildly.

You guys are all so polite. I usually hear things like, "he wasn't my type" or "he did nothing for me". Sometimes I try really hard to be polite like that too but there's a certain type of male character/ love interest I, well, hate!

And I find that this, so called, love interest is usually a fan favorite which I just do NOT get. I wouldn't date a guy like this if he was the last man on earth. So, what's this type of man I find so utterly loathing? Are you just dying to know? Not Really? Alright, fine but I'll tell you anyway.

 A perfect example of the type of man I hate is Edward from the Twilight books. I use him as an example because most people have read Twilight not because poor Edward deserves anymore bashing.  But that definitely gives you an idea, am I right?

Lets look at some of the qualities in a male character that gets my eyes twitching and my anger boiling.

• WAY too overprotective
• Like WAY. They act like the woman they love is a helpless moron who's as delicate as a snowflake landing on a hotplate. 
• Therefore, they are demeaning. It's insulting to watch these men defame the woman they supposedly love by insinuating she's so stupid she couldn't possibly make a rational, self preserving decision. 
• In fact, they are so over protective they actually LOCK UP these women or have someone guard them to keep them out of danger. What the hell?! 

And this is just the tip of the ice berg. I've read far too many books where the so called hero does something like the above mentioned and it makes me so crazy! You want examples?

Adam from the Mercy Thompson books
Akiva from the Daughter of Smoke and Bones series
Arin from The Winner's Crime trilogy
Edward from the Twilight series (of course)

I'll stop there. So, why? Please tell me what the appeal is? I'm not a feminist in the traditional sense. I obviously get riled up when men act all superior and smarter than women but I also think feminists today need to be careful or we'll be living in a world of amazonian, hard, heartless women and sniveling pretty boys who can't even use a screwdriver but that's a different topic for a different day.

But I do want to know why these types of men are so rampant in books today. Particularly YA books. Am I missing something? Is this attractive? Do some women just love being told every little move to make and that she's a helpless infant who couldn't possibly make a calculated decision about her own life?

Shout out now to the awesome male characters that let women be women and know damn well that she's capable of taking care of herself and kicking ass.

Astley from the Need series
Lincoln from Attachments
Po from the Graceling Realm books
Dave the Laugh from the Georgia Nicolson books

Review: The Simplicity of Cider

Title The Simplicity of Cider
By Amy Reichert
Genre Adult Romance, Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis 
Sanna has lived on her families apple farm her whole life. She loves the life. Her cider making has consumed her life, so much so, that she's only just becoming aware of how badly things are going for the farm. With the arrival of the handsome Isaac and his son Bas, Sanna's troubles are just getting started.

First Sentence
Sanna Lund's thoughts of apple blossoms and new cider blends stuttered to an end with the grunt of her dad's snore.




My friend Kami discovered this author this year and loves her books. Since she and I have some similarities in our tastes for books, I knew I'd have to give this author a shot. This one popped up on Overdrive so I downloaded and started listening.

What a cute little book! When I need a comfort read I reach for Sarah Addison Allen or Emily Giffin but since I'm coming to the end of reading everything they've written I needed a new go-to author. Amy Reichert will be great.

I liked the setting of this book. I'm not a huge apple fan but I swear I could smell apples while reading it. I even bought some apples (rare for me) and snarfed them down because of this book. The setting sounded heavenly. A cute little touristy town with apple orchards, a lake, and yummy food, sign me up.

The characters were your typical small town characters. I wasn't blown away by them but I liked them and wished the best for them. Bas was adorable. I feel for that kid!

The story was great too. Not too heavy but it had plenty of substance. I struggled a little becoming emotionally invested but it got me in the end.

With just a touch of magic and a whole lot of drama and romance, I liked this one and can't wait to try more by this author.

  Should you read it
If this one sounds like your type, you should definitely read it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Mini Movie Reviews #12

Oi! I've fallen behind in movie reviews. Life is not going so great for me right now and blogging is becoming a last priority.  Still, I'm seeing movies so I thought I'd do my old style Mini Movie Reviews to catch you up.

Flatliners
I'm not sure why they felt the need to remake this one. There's not some amazing story here that's worth retelling but since I never saw the original I figured what the hell. I was more entertained than I thought I'd be. It was creepy and enjoyable enough but nothing special...or memorable.

Victoria & Abdul
I was really excited to see this one. It seemed like it would be cute and fun. And it was...to a point. And then it just got weird. I don't know how accurate this was to real history, I'm guessing not very. And while I wanted to just watch and appreciate the relationship between these two it just got a little "what's-the-point" and I was left slightly disappointed.

Made in America
This one was the husband's pick. I had no desire to see it. And, as usual when I don't want to see it and he convinces me, I ended up liking it. I know Tom Cruise isn't anyone's favorite anymore but I thought he did a great job. It was very entertaining to watch this guy's life. It does end sadly but you know it's coming. I'd actually recommend this one. I guess I should listen to the husband's recommendations a little more often, huh?

 The Mountain Between Us
Why I didn't realize this one was going to be a romance I'll never know. I thought it was going to be about these two completely different people surviving some horrible stuff together. And it was but...then romance came into it. And the romance wasn't bad but when you're not expecting it and have to adjust your perception mid movie it can be a bit jarring.  It was still very entertaining and emotionally investing, though. I'd recommend it.

Review: The Red Notebook

Title The Red Notebook
By Antoine Laurain
Genre Adult Contemporary Romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Laurent finds a handbag in the garbage on the street. There's no way to know who the bag belongs to but there are other things. Things that intrigue Laurent enough to search for the owner.

First Sentence
The taxi had dropped her on the corner of the boulevard.







I'd heard good things about this one and thought it sounded cute and romantic so when I saw it available on audio book I decided to give it a listen.

And it was cute and romantic but it was short. Really short. And there was absolutely zero conflict. The author is french and maybe they don't do conflict but I just didn't feel at all invested in the outcome of the story. It was just like hearing a cute little story of how two people met. So...I guess that's OK but it felt just a little too light for me.

Should you read it
If you don't mind the whole lack of conflict then, sure, go ahead.

Review: Invaded

Title Invaded (Alienated #2)
By Melissa Landers
Genre YA Scifi Romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Losing her heart to an Aelyx and choosing to go with him to his planet wasn't and easy choice but Cara did what she felt was right. But when Aelyx has to go back to earth and Cara is left of L'eihr things are going to be even harder. Especially when Cara starts sniffing around and discovers a plot that could end both planets.

First Sentence
I'm dreaming of a beige Christmas.




As I mentioned in my review of the first book in this series, I decided to continue with it because it was available on audiobook and I was interested enough to see what happens I know, not a glowing review or reason to read a book but I'm kind of glad I continued. Sure, the romance is annoying but the plot in this one thickened nicely.

It seemed like once the author got the romance under way she no longer relied on it to carry the story. And the story is what kept me entertained. Learning about life on L'eihr was fun and watching Cara adapt to that life while learning some disturbing things about some certain members of the alien race intrigued me.

Sure, the story is your typical YA romance with a few convenient plot twists that are slightly unbelievable but I ended up giving this one three stars because the plot got going and tickled my fancy. What can I say? Sometimes it just works out that way.

Should you read it
I thought this one was better than the first so I'd say, yeah, give it a chance.

Review: Alienated

Title Alienated (Alienated #1)
By Melissa Landers
Genre YA Sci-fi romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Cara has worked hard to be head of the debate team and valedictorian but when her school chooses her to be host to a alien exchange student from the planet L'eihr she'll struggle not to lose everything she's worked for...including her heart.


First Sentence
Winning.





This one has been on the old TBR list for awhile, it feels like. While I knew it was going to be your typical YA romance under the guise of a story, I was just sort of curious. When it popped up on Overdrive on audio book, I borrowed it and listened while doing endless yard work.

I always feel like audio books either make or break a story for me. This one, as you can see, I only gave two stars to but I don't blame the audio book this time. I kind of knew it wasn't going to work for me before I even read it. The whole YA paranormal/romance thing is getting on my nerves.

Before you just assume I hated this one and move on though you should know it has some good things going for it. The romance, for one, was not insta-love. It was a nice slow build up of friendship that turned to love.

The "Humanists" as they called themselves, felt real. I can just see a group of people protesting aliens that came to earth in peace because, well, they're different.

This one also had it's humorous moments that made me smile. I also liked the science. I doubt it's accurate but it was fun to read about.

I think I was expecting to hate it. Why I decided to read it then, I have no idea. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but I didn't hate it after all. In fact, I'm going to listen to the second book because it was available and, well, I'm curious what will happen next.  So I couldn't have hated it too bad, right?

Should you read it
We all know, I'm always in the minority with these books. And I didn't completely hate it so, yeah, give it a go.

Review: After Hello

Title After Hello
By Lisa Mangum
Genre YA contemporary romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Sara is spending the day in New York while her dad attends a business meeting. When she captures a picture of Sam leaving a bookstore there's just something about him that makes her follow him. Thus starts their adventurous day together as they both come to terms with their pasts.

First Sentence
I shouldn't have noticed him.

I've only read the first book of Lisa Mangum's Hourglass series and was not impressed. It came so closely after twilight I felt like it was too closely related...especially the whole romantic part, but when I stumbled upon this one at a thrift store and fell in love with the cover I decided to give it a go. I thought maybe paranormal romance wasn't Mangum's thing and a contemporary romance would be better.  I think I was right.

While some people might find bits and pieces of this story unbelievable, I only found one thing that had me raising an unbelieving eyebrow. Most of the other things were easy for me to suspend my belief and go along with the story.

I liked following the characters through their quest but couldn't quite connect to them.I felt like maybe the things that happened to them in their pasts was supposed to make me have sympathy for them and I sort of felt like the author only threw their pasts in to manipulate us.

But the overall story was cute and easy to read. If I think too long and hard about it I could probably tear this one apart but if this book had one thing going for it, it was that it didn't make me want to dislike it.

The back cover of this book has a small, simple blurb saying, "What if the first day of your relationship was the only day you had?".  I was worried the author would fall into peer pressure and not stick true to that blurb, but she did. Phew!

Should you read it
I think if you read Mangum's other books and disliked them you need to give this one a go. It's different and a much better read.

Review: My Lady Jane

Title My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)
By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
Genre Historical Fiction Romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
The (not quite true) story of Lady Jane Grey. Queen of England for only nine days.


First Sentence
The King, it turned out, was dying.

I read this one for several different reasons. First: It's Utah Book Week and it's written by three authors, one of which is from Utah, Two: My book club was reading it for August's meeting, and Three: I wanted to. It sounded amusing. I liked the idea of taking a historically sad story and rewriting it to be humorous, romantic, and happily ending.

Somewhere between hearing about this one and buying it and actually reading it, I had gotten the idea it was going to be overly cheesy and badly written. I was  (blessedly) wrong on all accounts. It was written very well. We got three perspectives: Lady Jane, (written by Jodi Meadows) Gifford (written by Utah Author Brodi Ashton) and King Edward (written by Cynthia Hand).

The story was fun and adventurous with lots of romance and nods to pop-culture like The Princess Bride, Monty Python etc. With all that maybe you can see how I thought it was going to be cheesy too? Maybe not but I was worried. It wasn't bad at all, however, the writing was well done and easy to read and I liked the story even if it did end a little too happily? *shrugs*

My only real problem with the book was the length. It was nearly five hundred pages and easily could have been cut down to around 300 and not lost much. That, and it's overly happy ending made this one likable but not lovable for me.

Should you read it
Yeah, I'd recommend it just be ready for that length!

Review: Attachments

Title Attachments
By Rainbow Rowell
Genre Adult Contemporary Romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Burned once twice shy Lincoln still lives at home with his mother much to his mother's delight and sister's frustration. Endlessly getting college degrees has become a hobby and he's just landed a cushy job monitoring employee emails at a big newspaper. Content, eating his mother's delicious cooking and playing D&D on the weekends, Lincoln has no real motivation to make any changes but when he begins reading emails between two girls at his office he finds himself immersed in their lives and falling for one of them  but she's never be interested in a big oaf like him...would she?

First Sentence
"Would it kill you to get here before noon?"

After reading all of Rainbow Rowell's books but Carry On (didn't like that part of Fangirl so no thanks) and disliking most of them, or just not being wowed, I had very low expectations for this one. So it was to my great surprise that I ended up loving it. Not just loving it but adoring it! Like Madly, deeply adoring it. I want to buy a hard copy so I can lovingly hold it and read about sweet, shy, adorkable, Lincoln over and over again!

And it wasn't just Lincoln. Beth and Jennifer felt like long lost friends. I loved their emails to each other almost as much as I loved Lincoln. I felt like I knew them and could have joined right in a conversation with them. I've always loved reading books written in epistolary form and that mixed with Lincoln made this the perfect book for me.

I've been pushing this book on just about anyone who hasn't read it yet and had such a huge book hangover after reading it. Sigh! Don't you just love when a book does that to you?

While I did find the ending a bit fantastical I liked putting reality on hold and just embracing the magic of an attraction that strong. It was wonderful.

Should you read it
You haven't read it yet? Hold on, just give me your address and I'll send it to you so long as you drop whatever crap book you're reading right now and read this one instead.

Review: Blackmoore

Title Blackmoore
By Julianne Donaldson
Genre Period Romance
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Kate Worthington has longed to go to her childhood friend Henry's estate Blackmoore for as long as she can remember. At last her wishes are coming true. But making a deal with her meddlesome mother and dealing with the disdain of Henry's own mother, makes the visit to Blackmoore less than pleasurable. Can Kate escape her burdensome life and win her freedom, or is her heart already lost to Blackmoore and it's future heir?

First Sentence
A woodlark sings of heartache.



There's this funny little discussion that comes up at my book club occasionally about Julianne Donaldson's books and it basically comes down to this: Team Edenbrooke or Team Blackmoore. Those are her two book's (in case you didn't know). Everyone has their favorite and while I had only read Edenbrooke, and couldn't participate in the discussion, it was always assumed that I'd like Blackmoore better.

I finally got in the mood for a "regency romance" and cracked this one open. For some reason I thought it was going to have a murder in it or some other dark mystery. I was way off. Sure, because of the moors and the mysterious estate with secret passageways, it felt more Gothic and dark than Edenbrooke, but it really was and is a romance at heart.

And that romance is sooooo swoon-worthy! Donaldson sure know's how to capture your heart and squeeze the breath out of you! The relationship between Kate and Henry was wonderful. I loved the romance that simmered beneath the surface of their banter. I liked the emotions Kate's predicament evoked in me. Living back then as a woman must have been unbearable!

While I did enjoy this one I did have issues, (are we surprised?) The ending of this one irked me. I felt Donaldson wrote our characters into a hole with no happy way out. There was really nothing that could have been done. And while desperately romantic, Henry's declarations were not okay with me. I don't want to get all spoilery so I can't go into detail but I will say this: Love between two people isn't necessarily about sacrifice and compromise. I might have said this once, maybe even as little as a few weeks ago but now I see it differently. Love is about living your dreams and letting your partner live theirs. And supporting each other in those dreams. OK, I'm done being all preachy. I just really was bothered by the ending of this one and it was a huge disappointment to an otherwise wonderful story.

Should you read it?
I'd still recommend this one. It's a beautiful romance that plays with your emotions and makes you swoon and smile just beware the ending.

Review: Me Before You

Title Me Before You
By JoJo Moyes
Genre Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages 369


Synopsis
Lou Clark used to have plans to see the world and go to school. Now she still lives at home in a small box room with no windows, dates the same man she's dated for 7 years and works at the local diner. In a small town known only for it's tourist attraction, not much happens. But when Lou loses her job and finds a new one as a companion for a paraplegic everything she has settled for is going to change.


First Sentence There are a 158 footsteps between the bust stop and home, but it can stretch to 180 if you aren't in a hurry, like maybe you're wearing platform shoes.
My Jarbeled Thoughts
I know I usually try to break up me reviews into "what I liked" and "what I didn't like" but with this book....nope, I just can't do it. I read this book for book club so I thought I'd get an early start. I was worried it would take awhile to read. It didn't. I flew through it. So I guess if you demanded I tell you what I liked I would tell you I liked that this book was so incredibly readable. The writing was practically flawless. So, there you have it. That's what I liked about it...sort of. Grrr!

This book was like driving in a snow storm and coming up on a red light, but when you tap on the break your car doesn't stop...and then everything slows down and you're just staring at the inevitable wishing you could open the car door and bail but you can't, you're are just sitting  there helplessly slamming the break to the floor and watching IT coming.

The funny thing is that somehow, as you're reading, you think that well, maybe everything will be OK. Maybe it will turn out, but you know it won't. You know exactly what's going to happen and it's painful and emotional and wretched and there's nothing you can do about it! Sigh! Honestly, I can see why this book was such a huge success. It's a great discussion book. I'm quite excited to discuss it in book club. Hopefully others felt the feels and will vent with me.

And the whole story is readable. It's interesting. You're into what's going on with each individual character. The story is interesting and funny and entertaining. See? It wasn't all bad.

On a side note, I found it highly amusing that the author writes chick lit and that some people referred to this one as chick lit. What?! I'd hardly call this chick lit.

So, bottom line, It's readable and draws up some interesting questions that make for great discussion, but it's so horrifically sad, in the guise of bittersweet.

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

Title The Fill-In Boyfriend
By Kasie West
Genre YA Contemporary Romance
Pages 352

Synopsis
Gia is in the IN crowd and she wants to keep it that way. But when her College boyfriend dumps her in the parking lot at prom she's devastated. Her friends have been hanging with a new girl who has it out for her. If her friends think she made her boyfriend up she'll never hear the end of it. Enter the poor sap she sees in the parking lot and convinces to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. Things are about to get complicated.


First Sentence
In some part of my brain, probably the logical part that seemed to be missing at the moment, I knew I should let go and walk away, maintain some of my dignity.

What it has going for it
I love, love, LOVE the fake boyfriend troupe. I really do. I know it's always the same but I just can't help myself. If I hear mention of a fake boyfriend in a synopsis the book might as well say, "free slice of cake with purchase". Done and done! So...yeah, this one had one of my favorite troupes in it and it had all the things that go along with that troupe that I enjoy.

What's lacking
Sadly, besides my enjoyment of the fake boyfriend scenario, this one kind of fell flat for me. Gia was the biggest beotch at the beginning of this one. Yeah, yeah, I know! That was kind of the point. We're supposed to watch her change, come clean and become a better person but, I don't know, it was just so so for me. See, if you're going to write a story with a been there done that plot it needs to pop! Either with humor or amazing characters or a fun twist. Something! I was just underwhelmed. I really wanted to like it. Sigh!

Yea or Nay
Uh, sure. Give it a read. Just don't expect it to stand out or stay in your memory for long.

Review: Eleanor and Park

Title Eleanor and Park
By Rainbow Rowell
Genre YA Contemporary Romance
Pages 328

First Sentence XTC was no good for drowning out the morons at the back of the bus.

Synopsis
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. (From Goodreads)

What is has going for it
This was my first Rainbow Rowell book and, guys, wow. Rowell sure knows how to write. The way she describes romance....total bologna but she sure can make a girl swoon. I had to just slide down in my seat and hold the book to my chest and sigh happily, staring off into space over this romance. The twist that sends the whole ending into play definitely took me by surprise and overall this book played with my emotions and for that I won't say I outright disliked it...however....

What's lacking
Nothing happened for way too long. That was my biggest problem with this book. I actually set it down for awhile because, at first I was enjoying it but when nothing happened...and more nothing didn't happen, I gave up on it for awhile. I also thought, that while I understood WHY Eleanor was so without hope, her bitterness and despairing attitude really started to get on my nerves.  

Yea or Nay?
I seem to be in the minority (once again) on my feelings for this one. So, yes, go ahead and read it. Just remember it's more of a romance that an actual story. 

Review When You Were Mine

Title When You Were Mine
By Rebecca Serle
Genre YA Contemporary Romance
Pages 334

First Sentence "This is so not how it was supposed to go."


Synopsis
Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance. (From Goodreads)



What is has going for it
Alright, you should probably know, and could probably guess that I really hate Rome and Juliet! Seriously, I think it's the stupidest, overrated "love" story of all time. But when I saw this book and saw that, yes, it was a retelling but that it was from Rosaline's  perspective, I was very interested. However, I only recently picked it up. And, guys, it wasn't too bad. Now don't get me wrong. I didn't love it it. I did however enjoy reading it. The writing was fair and I liked Rosaline (Rose), she was far too nice and forgiving but it made her likeable. I liked Rose's friends and thought they were realistic and supportive. Mostly I just liked the silly drama with the (moral of the story) ending.

What's lacking
Rob's inexplicable attraction and instant relationship with Juliet was completely unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, it's a retelling of Dumb and Dumber's...er Romeo and Juliet's relationship but I was hoping for a more modern realistic reason Rob would just instantly be madly in love with Juliet. Or, better yet, a longer drawn out attraction that resulted in their ending up together. I also thought, while the ending wasn't pretty, it was still a little too neat.  

Yea or Nay?
Whether you're a fan of Romeo and Juliet, or not, I think this one is worth a read. It's not amazing or anything but I enjoyed it. 

Review: Elevated

Title Elevated
By Elana Johnson
Genre YA Contemporary Verse
Pages 300

First Sentence April rain sinks in sheets, forces me to squint against the chaos in the sky, makes the WALK signal blurry, almost invisible.



Synopsis
The last person Elly wants to get trapped in an elevator with is her ex Travis. She hasn't told him why she broke up with him or why she hasn't talked to him for five months. But her secrets are about to come out. When you have nowhere to go, you can't hide from the truth.



What it has going for it
Let me just start off telling you two very important things about this book. One, the cover and synopsis make it look just adorable and fluffy. It's not. Two, I hated this book the whole way through until the end...and then I loved it. With that out of the way let me tell you a little about why I loved it without spoiling too much. This book, though it looks light and fluffy, is anything but. There's not one single piece of fluff in this one. It's sad and depressing and seemingly hopeless...seemingly. It has that beautiful writing a verse novel has and Elana pulls out all the guns on the feelings department. In the end, if you can make it through the poor decisions and MC's guilt trips, you'll find a beautiful and important message. A message so important that the whole sad story made it worth it.

What's lacking
It's very hard to read this one and agree with the choices being made and to see the things these poor characters have to deal with. It's gritty and real and painful. I really didn't like Travis. I'm sorry but he was just so broken and there was no fixing him. The ending made it worth it, though.

Yea or Nay?
Yes, I'd highly recommend it. It's a verse novel, as I mentioned and so a fast read. It's also too real and beautiful to miss.