Love by Lacey Weatherford

Love by Lacey Weatherford
Series: Crush #3
Source: bought Kindle
Publisher: Moonstruck Media
Publication Date: April 12, 2014
Age Genre: New Adult (not explicit)
Challenges: Prequel-Sequel
Challenges: Contemporary
Challenges: TBR - Paid For
Find on Leafmarks! 

Living happily ever after has always been part of the plan for Cami and Dylan, but when strange things begin happening around the Wilcock household, Cami simply believes she’s becoming forgetful.
However, when the incidents begin to escalate, both are left feeling vulnerable. Unable to figure out what’s going on, Dylan delves deeper into the mysterious happenings. But when the truth comes out, he finds himself faced with the biggest decision of his life—how far will he go to protect the one he loves?

*To see spoilers, mark them with your mouse*

Love is the final book in the Cami x Dylan chronicles. We've watched these two since high-school (sort of), battling maniac after maniac, surviving and being even more in love after that. I enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Cami and Dylan happy together, in blissful matrimony. However, if I'm being completely honest with myself, I'm not sure if this book was 100% necessary.

I mean, as much as I love Dylan and Cami, I could've done without it. I didn't feel like there was a need to put them through all that - or maybe I should say THAT -  especially since it didn't add to their relationship. No need to strengthen an already unbreakable love, you know?

Writing this, after having read the companion novel Smolder, I feel almost like this book was written soley for Russ's story, so he'll have something traumatic to set everything in motion. And it was truly traumatic, I'll give it that.

I think I could've gotten over that feeling if the book was believable... but it wasn't. I mean, first of all - I watch ton of cops shows. It's not really that easy to move someone to witness protection. Sure, there is the fact that Dylan is a cop (or ex cop, whatever), but still. It was a bit too easy for my tastes.

Then there was SPOILER the way they've been found. It was a bit too arbitrary (and way too quick). And, again, way too easy - I mean, seriously, what are the chances the villain has been happening to watch tv about a fair held not in her city, and just happened to notice a couple of people in the background, after these two have changed their appearance? END SPOILER Give me a break.

However, they were adorable together. And their love for one another a bit overwhelming, and all inspiring. I wish I had a relationship like that (though, at this point, any relationship will do lol).

All in all, not Weatherford's best work, but still enjoyable.

Nitzan★

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Take Me On by Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits, #4
Source: Bought
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: May 27, 2014

Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means.

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

Take Me On starts out with a bang - the first meeting of West and Haley was pretty good, and I loved how we were thrown straight into the story, but I feel like this is weakest book from Katie McGarry so far. I can tell you right now that I didn't really ship Haley and West. They were okay together, but I didn't feel like their relationship was going to last through all of the tests and the struggles. I definitely didn't love this one as much as I loved it's predecessor, Crash Into You.

Not only did I think that the love story between Haley and West was weak, but I also thought that it was a bit cliched. Jaded girl falls for the boy who has everything - except a family that loves him. This was made better by the fact that for part of their relationship he was living in his car, but I really thought that Haley would run for the hills when she found out that he was a Young. So bonus points for her staying, even if I didn't really ship it.

I liked the continuation of Rachel's family story, with the dealings from her crooked dad and her 'perfect' mother, as well as the fact that no one really tried to pretend that they were okay. They all know that they're screwed up, and they just own up to it, which was interesting to see.

I also liked the fact that both Haley and West had a bunch of problems. Like, a bunch. But they never really tried to work out their own problems before trying to fix the others', which is why I felt like they wouldn't work together. I think that they should fix their personal problems and family problems before trying to work on each others'.

Haley's family was just crazy. I liked the fact that her brother and her cousin were always willing to fight for her, even if they weren't willing to stand up for her with their words. All in all, Take Me On was pretty good, but it's not as good as some of Katie's other work.
 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 8, 2014

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

"So you think most people bet everything, their whole lives, on hope. Just hoping that what they're feeling is real."

Landline was a book that gave me several different conflicting emotions. I love Rainbow Rowell, because she can give me all of these emotions in such a simple way, but with this book it just seemed like they didn't fit together very well. Since this is the very beginning of my review, let me start with the ending of the book. It seems fitting, don't you think? To start with the ending?

Whether or not it makes sense, that's the way I'm starting. (Minor Spoiler, so skip over it to the next paragraph, if you'd like.) I liked the fact that Georgie and Neal get back together in the end, but it didn't really seem right. I kind of felt like it shouldn't have happened, like maybe they really would have been happier without each other. It seemed just a tad bit forced, and I don't like the idea of forcing romance where there isn't any. It just didn't fit for me.

But aside from that itty bitty problem, I actually enjoyed Landline while I was reading it. I liked the main character, Georgie. She was really sweet, and very depressed. Her prose just dripped with sadness and nostalgia, which I really loved. It seems amazing when you can feel the character's emotions just by the words that were used to describe them, so A+ for Rowell's writing skills.

I also liked the seamless way that the past and the present just blended together... like everything was happening side by side, in some kind of time loop. Which, in theory, I guess it was. The concept of the magical phone was really interesting - I didn't know how to react to it at first. But as I read on, I realized that it's not made out to be some sort of fantasy or anything, and Georgie thinks that she's totally crazy at first.

She's actually a bit afraid of the phone, and that was interesting. I liked her conversations with past Neal, but they really made me wonder about her current relationship with Neal, and at some times it just seemed really odd. It definitely raised a lot of fascinating moral questions; like was she pushing him to marry her in the past? Did she call him in the past as well, but this version of herself is just getting around to it? Is it inappropriate for her to talk sexually with the 25 year old version of her husband when she's forty now? Should she have told him about the time-traveling phone?

All in all, Landline was a pretty interesting read. I liked it, and it made me feel kind of nostalgic for the things I've never had. It was a good book.
 

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
Series: Broken Hearts & Revenge, #1
Source: Netgalley (Thanks, Fiewel & Friends!)
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Publication Date: May 13, 2014

Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

Let's just be honest here: doesn't this just look like the cutest summer revenge read? It does. But it really fell short of it's potential for me. For me it's sometimes just a little too hard to understand the motivation for revenge, and BHFaOTtM just didn't have a very plausible plot for me. Why spend most of your life plotting revenge for something that happened when you were a kid? You should just build a bridge and get over it!

Once I finished reading it, all I could think was "bleh, this is a series? Why?" Because it seemed like this all should have ended in the first book, since it was stupid to begin with. But I digress. BHFaOTtM was pretty cheesy on top of being dumb... which kind of upset me. It was easy to guess what would happen next, and I found myself predicting everything before it happened.

And don't even get me started on the characters! BLEH. First, we have the boy that Gemma is hopelessly in love with - Teddy. Who is a crunchy hippy who keeps all of his ducks in a row, does everything right, and is the perfect person. Except he's boring as all get out, is one of those people who has to be involved in anything (even things that don't concern him), and has to have the perfect, sweet, innocent girlfriend. Ick.

I like him already, don't you folks? Besides the debatable love interest, we also have Gemma herself. I'll tell you straight up that she's a liar, and that she has to have everything her way... which I just couldn't stand. She whines too much, schemes a lot, and doesn't really appear to be very smart. Not only is she decidedly not-smart, she's also extremely dense.

Basically, Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend was really not for me. I couldn't get into the plot or the characters, and the revenge angle of the story seemed very one-sided to me. But who knows, this just might be your cup of tea!

Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker

Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher for Review
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: July 1, 2014

The best songs come from broken hearts.

Sixteen-year-old Bird Barrett has grown up on the road, singing backup in her family's bluegrass band, and playing everywhere from Nashville, Tennesee to Nowhere, Oklahoma. One fateful night, Bird fills in for her dad by singing lead, and a scout in the audience offers her a spotlight all her own.

Soon Bird is caught up in a whirlwind of songwriting meetings, recording sessions, and music video shoots. Her first single hits the top twenty, and suddenly fans and paparazzi are around every corner. She's even caught the eye of her longtime crush, fellow roving musician Adam Dean. With Bird's star on the rise, though, tradition and ambition collide. Can Bird break out while staying true to her roots?

In a world of glamour and gold records, a young country music star finds her voice.

I'll be straight up with you - I didn't know what to expect from Wildflower. I loved Aleica's debut novel, The Queen of Kentucky, but I didn't know if I would like this one or not. So when I got the chance to read this one, I jumped straight on it. I was expecting a story similar to Ricki Jo's, and while I didn't get that, it was actually just as good.

I loved Bird's voice! She seemed like a totally normal teenager, aside from the living in a travel trailer for the past ten years... (is it ten? I think so). She was pretty down to earth, and she was very set in her ways, which I found really endearing. She was a terribly sweet girl, and insanely enthusiastic. Which was really cute, but sometimes her enthusiasm ran the show, which caused some problems. But she never intentionally hurt anyone, even if she did accidentally.

I found the traveling thing to be so cool - it just seemed very fun and interesting. And it really strengthened the relationship between Bird and her siblings, whose relationship I found to be very true to life. They all had a very normal, joking relationship, which I just adored! It's not very often that you find a good sibling relationship within a young adult book.

Now I'll move on to the actual plotting of the novel. It was pretty good! I liked the way that it all played out. But I'm really not sure that Bird thought about the ramifications of the deal when she took it. It seemed like the record company tried really hard to change Bird, and I didn't really like that. But I did like the fact that they couldn't change her personality - she stayed the same old bubbly Bird throughout the book.

I will admit to thinking that Adam was going to break Bird's heart, though. It just seems logical, with all of the broken hearts make the best songs and such - and that's true, but it just kind of freaked me out. Fortunately, it didn't all go down the way I thought it would, and I liked that. I really had to reevaluate my opinion of Adam, which I rarely have to do, and it was a good experience for me.

Wildflower didn't have the ending I expected at all, and I just had to love that surprise. It was a tiny bit bittersweet, but I still liked it. All in all, I'd have to say that Alecia Whitaker still has it, even after her debut novel being such a winner. Four stars!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 15, 2014

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcisms. My letters set me free. Or at least they're supposed to.

I just have a little remark to say about the cover, before I get started with the review - I love it. I like the way the title appears to be written in Sharpie, and how the girl is writing in her diary, and the simple layout and everything. To me, this is just the perfect cover style. It's just too pretty.

Now let's get down to business - I actually really liked this one, a bit more than I thought I would... but also a bit less on some points. I enjoyed the actual letters a lot, and the bit of a side romance, but I'm not so sure about some of the side characters, such as Margot. She was such a jerk! I couldn't stand her, not even a little bit. But I liked Lara Jean herself. She was really quirky, and it was pretty cute. I also liked the fact that most of the time she was pretty even keeled. Which is always nice, in a more dramatic storyline such as this.

And I really, really, really liked the fact that I got to read the letters that Lara Jean wrote - those were such fun!

Throughout To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I will admit to having one question that plagued me - and was never answered. How did the letters even get sent out? I don't understand, and while there were several moments where I felt like the book was pointing towards one certain person, it was never truly resolved, and I'd be lying if I said that didn't bother me.

But in the end, I really did end up enjoying this one - it was a fun read, and as you all know - I really love Jenny Han, so it was great to read another book by her. I'd definitely recommend this one for your next contemporary read. :)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 24, 2012

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

To be completely honest with you, I didn't really think that I would enjoy The Selection. I only tried it because of the hype around it, but I actually ended up really enjoying it! I loved the writing style - it was done very simply, but it just kind of flowed, which made it beautiful. I also liked the storyline, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, I love romance, but I've never been a fan of those bachelorette type storylines - until this one.

I found the world to be pretty interesting, and I liked the idea of a caste type system and a monarchy used in a dystopian USA, but I didn't really understand how it came about. There was some explanation throughout the book, but it didn't give me enough information to really get it, if you know what I mean. To be honest, it was actually really confusing. Like, say, a six. How did they come to be slaves and servants, based on what their grandparents were? Because, well, how were they picked? We have people who cook and clean as a job, but no one who's really a servant for a living. (At least, no one that I know.) And the fives, the entertainment? The people who entertain for a living are usually not starving. Just, everything was so screwed up that I just couldn't help but question the very foundations of their caste system. Every single bit of it was questionable, in my opinion.

America was an okay character, and I liked how she was fierce, but there wasn't much else to her. And I can tell you right off, that if she goes for Maxon rather than Aspen, I just won't be able to respect her. Trust me, as much as she talked and thought about Aspen... I'd go for him.

I've seen a lot of mentions on the names used in The Selection, and I have to agree. They are pretty ridiculous. Aspens are a type of tree, and it's ridiculous to have a King Clarkson. Not to mention the fact that America Singer is in fact, a singer. And living in America. I'm so proud of the creativity employed here. *sarcasm*

But in spite of the goofy names, and the world-building flaws, it really was a good read, mostly for the light and fun stuff. It reads kind of like a contemporary romance book, and you all know how much I adore those. If you think you can get past those problems, I would give The Selection a shot.

Boy Swap by Kristina Springer

Boy Swap by Kristina Springer
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: October, 2013

Boy Swap: The secret to sisterly love and scholarly bliss.

Research shows that seven out of ten girl fights are over a guy. The Boy Swap Club fixes all that. In an effort to spread around male cuteness and minimize fights and backstabbing, they just share boyfriends. And Brooke Thomas, consummate band member, has been asked to join the super secret club because the president of the club has the hots for her guy.

Brooke doesn't want to share her boyfriend. I mean, who does? But how can she say no? She, a second chair flutist in the school band, finds herself sitting between the Varsity Cheerleader Captain and the Homecoming Queen at the first meeting. Her friends will never believe this in a million years. Too bad she can’t tell them. But she knows. This one event can change her entire life. What if she becomes actual friends with one of these girls? It might be worth sharing her boyfriend.


Besides, he'll always love her best, right?

I can honestly tell you that I thought I would like this one more. It had a super cute cover, and a really fun premise, but the end result of Boy Swap was just BLEGH for me. I was hoping for a fun romance, with a hint of revenge or something - but what I got was anything but that. Or maybe it was just an overload of revenge. Because that's all I really got from this book - "she stole my boyfriend, so I'll get hers", and then suddenly she's all in love with the boyfriend that she was stealing.

And I didn't feel Carter and Brooke, not at all. They had no chemistry, but that could be because Carter had the personality of a cardboard box. Scratch that - cardboard boxes have more character. And many more possibilities.

Don't even get me started on Brooke! I feel like she was way to self-centered (what with the "Boy Swap" club and all). At first I thought she might just be kind of confused, but turns out she just wanted to be popular. I mean, just ask yourself. Would you ever join a club to share boyfriends?

I don't understand girls like that, I guess. I understand wanting to be liked - but you really have to get over that in life. I don't care if people like me. And she shouldn't either! All that matters in life is being yourself, obviously. Not only was Brooke ridiculously self-centered, her "voice" was also very... hyperactive. She jumped from subject to subject with barely any pause in between, which made her read like a bouncy little kid.

She calmed down a little towards the end, though. Which brings me to my next issue - the ending. The ending was way too open, and actually a tad bit strange. It was odd that everything worked out in her favor, because I can honestly say that real life isn't like that.

All in all, don't let all my problems scare you off! It was an enjoyable enough read, I just have a lot of bad things to say about it.

Stripped by Brooklyn Skye

Stripped by Brooklyn Skye
Series: Stripped, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 14, 2013

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.
“Don’t... waste those words on me.”
He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”
“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman, Quinn Montgomery, will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made — killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Stripped was an okay read for me - I liked it. But it was very predictable, and the romance was just a tiny tad bit cliched. I liked the main character, Quinn. She had a bit of fire to her - I wouldn't be able to do the modeling thing, no matter how much I needed the money. So I respect her for doing what it takes to keep her spot at that school.

But I don't respect some of her other decisions. I mean her "decision" to go "heartless" is ridiculous. It's not even a decision - I'm pretty sure that no one can just shot off their feelings like that, so I'm kind of tired of seeing the heroines who don't want to fall in love. Where are the girls who want to fall in love? I'm tired of this trope, especially in new adult. It's getting a little bit old.

In spite of that, though, Quinn was still an okay sort of character. I just wish she hadn't fallen into that group of characters.

On the opposite spectrum, I really liked Torrin. He was a freaking sweetheart, and he was very... innocent, I guess. His secret, though? It was very cliched. I had it figured out way before Quinn did - and it was obvious.

Their romance was okay, I guess. But I didn't feel like it was all that great - it could have been better, that's for sure. Maybe the next book will help that, though? All in all, Stripped was a likable read, but it's not the greatest new adult I've read. It's far too cliched for that.

Kiss Me Again by Rachel Vail

Kiss Me Again by Rachel Vail
Series: If We Kiss, #2
Source: Bought
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 5, 2012

Kiss Me Again, the sequel to Rachel Vail's beloved contemporary teen romance If We Kiss, follows Charlie (Charlotte) Collins as she struggles with her feelings for her longtime crush Kevin Lazarus after their parents marry and he becomes her stepbrother.

It was complicated enough when their parents were only dating and Kevin was going out with Charlie's best friend, Tess. Now, living under one roof, Charlie and Kevin are crossing paths and crossing lines, sneaking around at night and then sitting down to breakfast together as a family. It feels so crazy—exciting, confusing, impossible, and romantic. It can't last, not like this, but if anybody discovers their secret, everything could explode. . . .

Praised for her wit and realism, award-winning author Rachel Vail delivers a poignant tale of first love and powerful kisses, at long last answering the question of what happens when a crush so off-limits it has to be fantasy suddenly becomes very real.

I've been wanting to continue Charlie and Kevin's story for a long time - but what I didn't realize was that Kiss Me Again would leave me with just as many questions as the first book! I mean, really. I was hoping for this book to resolve their romance - but I just have more questions about how they're going to make it work! That ending honestly felt like a cop out to me.

Kevin and Charlie were absolutely perfect together - they're the greatest mix of awkward and adorable. Just like their situation. The story was super light and cute, with a just a couple of tense moments, which was pretty nice.

I enjoyed all of the character development that we got from Charlie in this one - I had forgotten that she was so funny! I love her sense of humor, and though she can be a bit immature, her heart is in the right place. I also thought it was cool that Kevin is color blind. And an artist. That's something that you never see in YA fiction, so it was awesome to have a main character with those issues. On top of that, Kevin is super sweet! I think that's adorable.

The introduction of Anya and Charlie's new job was cool - I enjoyed all of Charlie's coworkers and their quirks. And I love, love, love Kevin's dad! He's so very dense, and he's always interrupting the moment - and never even realizing it! I loved that. It made for some really fun awkward moments.

Let's talk about Charlie's best friend, Tess, though. I didn't care for her at all in Kiss Me Again. I'm 98% sure that the girl is a liar, and she's not a very good friend. I honestly wanted to beat her with a stick - she would have deserved it for some of the things she did.

All in all, Kiss Me Again was a fun, light book. A bit of fluff, to tell you the truth.

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 7, 2013

First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

I really expected How My Summer Went Up in Flames to be different. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but... for lack of a better choice of words, my ship sank. My OTP didn't happen. I feel slighted. I'm pretty sure this has never happened to me like this. I mean, of course my ships have sank before... but it's never felt this ridiculously off. Like, why did she even go for the other guy? I don't even understand the appeal, you know? But I've got to talk about something else for a bit.

I wasn't sure I would like Rosie in the beginning. Sometimes she seemed okay, but other times she was just out of nowhere impulsive and kind of annoying. She was definitely 900% high strung, that's for sure! She could be hard to deal with, even for me.

I love love loved the character of Matty, who was a my ship. I freely admit that I wanted Matty and Rosie to happen - because the guy she chose is nothing in comparison to Matty, who was super sweet. He could also be super nerdy, and he was just ridiculously adorable. He seemed like a little kid sometimes, but then others he acted like an adult. It was part of his charm.

Logan and his brother were okay, but they didn't really stand out as characters. They had a few moments, but most of the time they were kind of in the background. All of the boys were super endearing, though. As a group, they really worked well together, and I liked the dynamics of it.

The road trip was fun too - it's always fun when you squish a group of people in a car for a trip! I always love road trips. The time progression was a bit weird, though. It felt like the trip went on forever, and that everything that happened was months old. Which is not necessarily a bad thing!

All in all, How My Summer Went Up in Flames would have totally been better if my ship had sailed, but it really wasn't a bad book in spite of it. Just a bit sad.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Headline
Publication Date: April 2, 2013

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

In all actuality, I have next to nothing to say about This is What Happy Looks Like. Sure, it was super cute and sweet, but it wasn't much more than that. It was an ultimately forgettable, fluffy kind of book. Which is totally okay, because I've been in a really fluffy mood lately.

Ellie and Graham were both okay kind of characters, but nothing really stood out about them. It was fun to read the alternating points of view, and to see how two completely different people handle their lives, but the reality is that neither of them was very unique.

I liked the romantic tone of the story, but I feel like most of it was just filler. There wasn't any real angst to speak of, and the story kind of trotted along on one hind foot. The ending was super sweet, but this is really all I've got. It reminds me of one of those chick flicks that are okay, but just don't live up to their full potential.

All in all, it was a cute read, but I didn't love love it like I hoped I would.
 

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: August 27, 2013

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now... not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...

Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.

I'm in a book-tearing-apart kind of mood. And it's all The Infinite Moment of Us's fault. I want to paste every single line of the synopsis down into this review and state every single reason for why it isn't true. But I am mature. So I will not do that. Though I am, at this very moment, fantasizing on doing that very thing.

I WILL CARRY ON AS IF THAT THOUGHT HAS NOT ENTERED MY MIND AT ALL.

Let's start with the length. Normally, if the writing is good - length is not an issue for me at all. But this one was just ridiculous. It was like a hundred pages before anything even remotely related to the romance happened. And while that's okay in a lot of books, it is NOT okay when that's what the entire storyline is based around. I mean, really.

When something finally did happen on that front, it was like an instantaneous kind of love. No feelings developed, nothing. Suddenly they're just falling all over each other in love, with none of it being shown. All we got was a lot of telling, which as you all know is the worst thing you can do in a fictional relationship. Words mean little to nothing, actions mean everything. And their actions were screaming "we're not ready for a relationship".

I didn't think that Wren and Charlie were good for each other at all. They didn't communicate enough, and their relationship really focused more of the physical than the mental. Why couldn't they talk to each other? Really. Their relationship was... gah I promised I wouldn't do this, but here!

Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.

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But oh-so-true-to-life? No. Just no. If anything, it was nothing like real life. (It wasn't romantic, either. But we're skipping over that for reasons.) In reality, teenage relationships don't work like the one in this book, unless both people are irrevocably screwed up and over, with no chance of redemption. This relationship read more like a new adult book - and we all know how those go. There are some true diamonds, but most NA is all sex.

And in reality, that is not what an entire teenage relationship revolves around. Teens talk and hang out too. Not to mention the fact that the ending was completely too-good-to-be-true. Real life doesn't work out like that.

All in all, The Infinite Moment of Us just wasn't for me. I didn't like the characters all that much, the ending was a grotesque parody of life, and really the romance was just ridiculous. I was conned into reading it by the pretty cover. Can you really blame me?