Review: I Want It That Way

I Want It That Way
by Ann Aguirre


book rate: ★★★☆☆


Brief Introduction:

Nadia Conrad is a 21-year-old with big dreams. Between college and her work at the local day care to be able to support herself, she couldn't be more excited to get out of the college dorms and  moves into a new apartment with her closest friends. That's when Nadia meets the distant yet irresistible guy in 1B…

Daniel Tyler has had his life turned upside down. As he tries to balance his personal life with a full-time job and night classes, all he wants when he gets home is silence. The last thing he needed were four noisy students moving into the apartment upstairs. But one night, these neighbors' paths cross and that encouter pretty much changed their lives.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens.


Review:

"I Want It That Way" was far from being either a great book or a terrible book so this review will be shorter than  usual.

Surprisingly I didn't dislike it as much as I initially thought I would. The storyline was predictable as well as the characters' backstories but there were some elements in this novel that did surprise... Nadia's girl friend and roommate relationship with one of her other friends was very refreshing to read about, the whole development and denouement was totally different from what I expected to read about when I pick "I Want It That Way" up.

Sam, Ty's son was another positive element of this book. HE IS ADORABLE, you don't get it, he's the ultimate embodiment of adorability! Sam was definitly one of the main reasons that kept me hooked on this novel.

I found everything else very predictable, the main characters, the plot, etc, etc. A 3-stars book for me. Would recommend only if you have nothing better to read.

Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed 

By Colleen Hoover

from goodreads:

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart

Review: 

A few months ago I read Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover and I loved it so much I stayed awake until 6 a.m. reading it! In fact, I have a 3000 words review expressing my feelings about it. 

Needless to say was pumped to read Slammed, which I've heard nothing but good things. I was expecting to love it, but then in the first chapters it happened, INSTALOVE HAPPENED!

And by instalove I don't mean insta atraction. I'm not talking about "He's hot, I don't know him but I wouldn't mind kissing him", I'm talking about "I've know you for two days, we've been on one date, we kissed once but I'm in love with you". I was so mad when that happened. She couldn't stop thinking about him and had barely had one conversation with the guy! It threw me off almost completely but I decided to give it a shot anyway. 

It did not get better! While thinking about what to write, I was trying to find words to describe Will and I came up empty. We never got a chance to get to know him. I mean Layken doesn't spend much time with him and when she does, they are either fighting about their situation or she's crying because of something.

On the other hand, we get to know Layken. She's selfish, childish and stupid sometimes. I understand she was angry and in denial and such, but she shouldn't have treated her mother and acted they way she did. I think she was a little empty. There's nothing remarkable about her personality, she's just there.

Therefore I didn't care about this characters, they were shallow. I  didn't feel anything, I was not hurting like they were which was what I was expecting after reading Maybe Someday.

Beside the instalove thing there's also the instafriendship. Layken and Eddie knew one another for a few weeks and they were already best friends forever. I mean, Layken didn't even make an effort to be her friend, they never hung out outside school and suddenly they were super close. It was just surreal. 

Now, moving on to the things I liked. Cauldron and Kel are just the most amazing kids ever. They were super weird but also funny and unique. Their relationship is super cute, I guess friendships are easier when you're a nine-year-old and like imaginary sword fighting! 

The writing style and poetry were the only thing that kept me reading. I usually don't like poetry, but I found myself fascinated with slam poetry, the expressiveness of it and how the author inserted in the book. I even liked some of the clichés attached to it.

To sum up. I'm not saying this was a bad book, I was disappointed, I was hoping for a different thing. Please, do not not read the book because of my review, your opinion my differ from mine, there are a lot of people who love this book, I'm the one going against the current.

Rate:

Have you read Slammed? If so, what did you think? Share your opinion of the comment section down below!

Review: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer

How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True

By Sarah Strohmeyer

from goodreads:

From Sarah Strohmeyer, author of Smart Girls Get What They Want, comes this romantic comedy about one girl's summer job from hell. Think The Devil Wears Prada set in Disney World.

When cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, they are sure they've hit the jackpot. With perks like hot Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?

Once Zoe arrives, however, she's assigned to serve "The Queen"-Fairyland's boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to survive the summer, much less win the money.

Soon backstabbing interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cut throat competition make Zoe's job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her dreams?

My Review:

I found this book on goodreads by chance. I honestly had no idea what it was about when I started reading it. It was exactly what I was looking for.  A fun and easy read, a perfect in-between book.

The prologue caught right away my attention. It was funny and kind of confusing but I couldn't put it down right from the beginning. What I loved the most about this book was the setting. The princes and princesses, the castles and all the characters I've been familiar with all my life. A book with Cinderela, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty will always add magic to the story no matter how simple the plot is. 

If you've read more of my reviews you know that is difficult for a book to take me by surprise. It's not hard for me to figure out what the big plot twist is. So I was surprised with this plot. I was actually not expecting to happen what happened. I'm not saying it is a mind blowing plot twist, but it was surprisingly nice and unexpected.  I loved that this book, set in a magical world, had such a cute and magical touch. Honestly, it was kind of childish, but I loved it anyway. I'm a sucker for fairy tales.

About the characters, I can't say I cared much about or what happened to them but I still liked them. Zoe was funny, kind and the best best friend in this entire world! If every one had a friend like her the world would be a better place. Ian and Jess were also good characters, although we don't get to see much of them, which I'm sorry for, I wish they were more present. 

All in all, and easy and funny read. If you're looking for something smoothing, this is ideal for you. I honestly don't recommend buying it, but if you find it on a local library or have someone lend it to you, you should give it a go!

Book Rate:

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
By Maggie Stiefvater

book rate: ★★★☆☆ (2.5/5)
series rate: ★★★☆☆ (2.8/5)

If you haven’t read the first two book in the series, be aware, this review contains spoilers of the last two books. If you want to know more about the previous books read my full review of Shiver and Linger.

From goodreads:

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater.

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love transformed from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be hunted in one final, spectacular kill.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future will all collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

Review:

I'm going to be brief about this review since my opinion doesn't vary much than my opinion of Linger.

Forever, just like Linger, is written from four points of view, Sam, Grace, Cole and Isabel. I liked Cole in this book, his chapters were my favourites. He was funny and intelligent, the one who actually had something to do, he was trying hard to find the cure. However my opinion about Grace and Sam was the same, they were pathetic and only thought about one another most of the times instead of thinking about the real problem they had in hands. Isabel kind of acted like a bitch but, luckily she came to her senses at the right moment and saved the world.

This final book had more action than Linger, but I still found the book to be slow paced. There were too many chapters were nothing was happening, it was just Sam reflecting and writing songs, or Grace thinking, or Isabel being depressed. I found my self constantly losing focus, in one minute I was on a page and the other I was already on another page and I couldn't remember what I had read. 

One more thing I didn't like was the ending, the last chapter more specifically . I'm not going to tell you what happen because I don't want to spoil you, but if you read the book, you know what I'm talking about. I'm going to read Sinner someday just to see if the question I've been asking myself is answered, and also because I liked Cole and Isabel. 

All in all, a book I'd recommend only if you like books where nothing much happens but where there is a lot of thinking and reflections about life and all kind of things. 

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After

By Stephanie Perkins

book rate: ★★★★★ (4.5/5)

from goodreads:

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

Isla has had a crush on Josh ever since she laid eyes on him on their freshman year. She never thought she had a chance with him, but a late encounter in Manhattan changes everything. Months later, back in Paris Isla may have her dream come true. But not everything is easy. Hearts get broken, tears are shared and dreams become nightmares.

When I bought this book I had high expectations, but while I was waiting for it to be delivered I read some not so good reviews. It didn’t stop me for reading it as soon as I had it. And I’m glad I did, because I loved it! I can’t say what my favourite Stephanie Perkins’ book is; I loved all of them so much!

We had already been introduced to Isla and Josh on Anna and the French Kiss, but we really don’t see much of them in this first book. We know Isla has a crush on Josh and, although Josh appears often, he’s either drawing or making out with his girlfriend. Josh has always intrigued me, and I was so glad to get to know him better. He’s funny, sweet and emotional. He doesn’t hide what his feeling, he’s not afraid to cry or showing vulnerability. He knows exactly what he wants in life but sometimes he tends to be a little immature, but I liked that about him. It just makes his character more realistic. On the other hand, Isla is completely lost. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, she feels like a blank canvas. She has little confidence in herself and tends to over think pretty much everything.

Once more, Stephanie Perkins creates characters that are both amazing and realistic.

The plot is adorable, the setting amazingly described, the relationship between the characters, whether it is friendship, romance or family is portrayed in a realistic and perfect way. Isla and the Happily Ever After did not disappoint! It was everything I was hoping for, and more! I wished the scene where the characters from the previous books appear were bigger, but other than that I was happy how everything turned out. I highly recommend Stephanie Perkins’ books to every contemporary fan out there. 

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Book rate: ★☆☆☆☆

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill was a disappointment.

I did a read-along of this book with Isabel (so we exchanged more opinions than usual) and we both completely agree at least in one point: the main character is a pain in the guts.

I will leave a very short synopsis (shorter than the usual synopsis) so you can keep up with this review in case you haven’t read the book. If you did read the book you can skip the next paragraph if you like!

Meant to Be follows an American girl named Julia who goes on a school trip to London with class mates she despises. Jason is the worst of them all and, unfortunately to Julia, she is paired with him for the next 10 days by their teacher. Instead of this being the school trip Julia expected, with lots of learning and absorbing culture, it ends up being the craziest adventure she has ever been in. Between meeting news guys and reencountering old crushes and almost being kissed more than once, the most unexpected thing happens. Julia falls for Jason. Madly.

Or at least, that’s what’s supposed to happen… and I couldn’t disagree more! But that’s the second point of this review. Firstly I would like to talk about miss Julia Pain-in-the-guts.

As I was reading Meant to Be I kept getting the feeling that Lauren had tried too hard to make Julia the high school girl with the perfect GPA, who can’t stand to break rules or have her purse any other way than carefully organized and spotless. This results in both Julia being a royal pain and an inconsistent character. Initially she can’t stand to break a single rule and then, all of a sudden, she’s stalking Jason all over London when she was supposed to be with the rest of the class (and this was a decision she made on her own, with nothing or nobody pressuring her to do it).

Now the second point of this review – the oh-heck-no-you-can’t-call-this-a-love-story. As soon as I finished Meant to Be my first thought was “She’s so not in love with Jason”. In the last few chapters she realizes she’s in love with Jason and then goes off to meet some other guy and only when she realizes she he’s not exactly her type does she look for Jason. From where I stand, love would be trying to find him as soon as I realized I had fallen for him. I was left with the impressed Julia was in and out of love (not only with Jason but with the other guys too) as she found convenient.

Now moving on to something most of us do every day: texting. NO REGULAR TEENAGER SIGNS EVERY SINGLE TEXT MESSAGE THEY SEND NOW-A-DAYS. NONE! Throughout the book we are presented with all the Julia’s and Jason’s texts and every single one of them was signed. I know this is just a detail but it bothered me a lot as I moved through the book… But the worst part really was that each chapter begins with a text message sent or received by Julia (and sometimes Jason, I’m guessing, although you can’t really tell). As little problematic as this may seem, it becomes very confusing once the story develops and I found myself in constant need to go back and reread every text message at the beginning of each chapter… something I considered a slightly annoying and boring thing to have to do.

I can’t, however, finish this review without mentioning a few things I found very positive. Phoebe, Julia’s best friend (she couldn’t make it to the trip so that’s why I didn’t mention her in the synopsis, but Julia exchanges a few texts messages with her throughout the book), is an amazing character. She’s described as someone more relaxed than Julia and that was one of the things that encouraged me to continue reading Meant to Be.

I would also like to add that, in my opinion, each character had the amount of time in the spotlight they deserved. With this I mean the reader didn’t get unnecessary and unimportant information about the secondary characters. That was definitely a positive side to the mess I found myself in while reading Julia’s thoughts.

All in all, I think anyone can find better contemporary YA books to read… Would not recommend.

Please take into account that this review is simply based in my opinion while reading the book and you’re free to disagree and leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to discuss it with you guys!

Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday
By Colleen Hoover

from goodreads:

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her; and she's forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

It’s her birthday, Sydney find out her boyfriend is cheating on her with her roommate, she loses her job and is now homeless. She’s lost and heartbroken, she definitely is not expecting Ridge to offer her shelter, after all, they had only known each other for two weeks. The inevitable happens and they start developing feelings for each other. But Ridge has a girlfriend, Maggie, who he loves very, very much.

I was hesitant to pick up this book. 

I’ve heard amazing things about Colleen Hoover but I’ve been so disappointed with New Adult lately, I haven’t found a book I actually liked in a long time. I was utterly surprised to have enjoyed this book as much as I did. I read it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down and ended up staying awake until 5 a.m. so I could finish it.

The plot itself was something I was not expecting. This is not a cutesy contemporary, there’s so much hurt, self-doubting and confusion that I’m having trouble putting it into words. It portraits heartache and love in such a way that I could feel it like it was me in that situation. I was so emerged in this story that I was hurting alongside the characters.

Both Sydney and Ridge are confused. They don’t know how to deal with the feelings they have for one another. Ridge is loyal to his girlfriend and feels guilty for developing feelings for Sydney. Sydney doesn’t want to be a Tori, she doesn’t want to hurt other people like Tory hurt her. They soon find themselves trapped in this bubble of love, confusion, guilt and desire, and this is what makes these characters so real. Sometimes in books the characters have it all figured out, there’s no doubt or confusion. They know exactly what they want, who they want and what they need. Yet, that’s not how it works in real life. In reality we are all like Sydney and Ridge trying to make sense of something nobody really understands.

I am making this book sound really depressing. And although it does have its depressing moments, there are also fun ones. Ridge’s roommates are always playing pranks at one another and making stupid jokes. I loved Sydney and Warren’s (Ridge’s best friend and roommate) relationship. Warren was such a reliable and strong character. He was always there when things went wrong, supporting whoever needs him.

The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars and not 5 was because of some of the cheesy moments. I’m not a cheesy person, and there are some moments that are too cheesy for me. I could never find certain moments that are presented romantic.

This heartbreaking novel will definitely tear up your heart, make you cry and laugh and take you into an emotional journey you will never forget. I recommend this book to everyone who likes contemporary. Although it is considered new adult, there’s not as much mature content as the NA books I’ve read so far and I think it is appropriate to anyone who is 16+.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

book rate: ★★★☆☆

I picked up The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight as a book to read during a day spent by the swimming pool. I thought it would be the typical contemporary young adult novel with the oh-so-predictable plot. It turns out I was wrong. But I only figured this out when I was half way through the book…

My first impression was that the main female character wasn’t very bright and this thought immediately set my mind to a negative perspective. I kept finding flaws whether in the characters or the storyline or the relationships stablished. But as I advanced in the book I began to realize the storyline was not as simple as I had imagined it (not that the plot is very complex, but it turned out not to be as predictable as I had initially thought).

Something else that struck me as different, and a positive change to what the usual contemporaries bring to the readers I might add, is that The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight does not only adresses the topic of love but also of acceptance and forgiveness.

On a less enthusiastic but still satisfied tone I would like to add I really grew fond of the male protagonist. I thought he was funny, smart and very relatable to.

On the other hand I also feel obliged to highlight my distaste for the main female character, as I’ve already mentioned (even though she didn’t bother me so much in the second half of the book), and the way the relationships between the characters developed so unrealistically.

All in all I considered this a good book. Not life changing but quite entertaining and easy to read. Perfect for a day spent travelling (preferably by plane)!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

book rate: ★★★★★

We Were Liars is that type of book I’ve had in my TBR list for so long I had already forgotten the synopsis. Therefore, when Isabel read it and texted me right away telling me I had to read it too, I had the sudden urge to reread the synopsis in order to remember what this book is about. Luckily Isabel also told me this was the kind of book I should go into knowing nothing about and so I did. I have to admit: I do not regret it at all!

As many of you book lovers out there must have noticed already, after reading quite a few books you begin to be able to guess the end of the storyline before even reaching the middle of it. We Were Liars will not be your typical read from that perspective.  It will keep you on the verge through the whole book, you won’t be able to put it down until you solve its mystery.  And I have to say… it’s quite a big mystery.

The characters are very relatable and the relationships between them are very consistent. The story takes place in the perfect location, if you ask me and no, I won’t tell you where it is because that’s a big part of the story.

I won’t say much more because there really isn’t much to say except: read it. Read specially if you want to keep your mind off something because once you start you won’t be able to think of anything else.

A friendly warning: this book might break your heart. Repeatedly.

Review: Trying Not to Love You by Megan Smith

Trying Not to Love You

By Megan Smith

book rate: ★★☆☆☆ (1.5/5)

goodreads

I know I go against the current by giving this book such a low rating. I don’t like to write bad reviews, but I need to share my thoughts with someone about this book. I've mentioned in previous reviews that what I consider the most important in contemporaries is the journey of self discovery the characters go through, the characters’ personality and the way it’s written instead of the plot itself. Obviously, in my opinion, there’s a lack of character building in our main character, MacKenzie. I also found the writing to be nothing special.

MacKenzie’s life has always been controlled by her overprotective older brothers. She could not have a boyfriend because his brothers wouldn’t allow it and would threat any boy who went near her. But then Dominic stands up to them and they start dating. However, when they go to college Dominic starts changing and MacKenzie is not sure if she can trust him. During this troubled times she grows closer to Hunter, their brothers’ best friend, and the long time hidden feelings they have for each other began to resurface. Her brothers will never allow their relationship. Hunter must choose between his best friends or the girl she loves.

The plot sounded promising and I was enjoying the first 20 pages or so of this book, until we were told how far their bothers were able to go to protect their sister. Beating up kids three years younger than them just because they broke Kenzie’s heart, following her around everywhere she went, always demanding to know what she was doing and who she was with. I think they overreacted in almost every situation and that most of their actions were unnecessary. Another thing that threw me off was when there was a problem involving Kenzie, they would “take care of it”, which meant kick some guy’s ass behind her back.

Maybe this book wouldn't have been so bad if we had a good main character, but MacKenzie was a disappointment. She was supposed to be 19 years old but she was so childish and naïve that I kept imagining her as one of those annoying 15 year old girls. She was so naïve she could not see what was right in front of her, something that everybody could see except for her.  I also hated how she kept pitting herself and how she refused to listen to what people were saying, like she knew better than anyone else. Instead of seeing her character grow I felt like she kept getting younger! There was no character development whatsoever. 

Hunter was a slightly better character, he was nice, charming and knew exactly how to deal with Kenzie, he was always there for her no matter what. Of course he made mistakes and had his jackass moments but at least he didn’t act like 15 year old boy.

To sum up, a bad reading experience. If you’re never certain which NA book to pick like me, I wouldn't recommend this one. I'm actually considering giving up on NA all together since this is not the first NA book that I've read and loathed.

If you've read this book, feel free to share your thoughts down below.

Review: Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins

book rate: ★★★★★ (4.5/5)

from goodreads:

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

After finishing Lola and the Boy Next Door, I missed Anna and Étienne so much I had to reread this book! Just like the first time, I found myself flying through the pages, excited to get to my favourite parts! I read this book in less than 24 hours (I regret nothing!). On the 14th, the first thing I'll do when I wake up is buying Isla and the Happily Ever After!

I think everybody who likes YA has heard about this book, but I still wanted to share my feelings about it.

The plot in this book is very like the plot in other contemporaries, girl meets boy, they fall in love, but for some reason they can't be together. We all know, when we start reading a contemporary, that the characters will, most likely, end up together in the end and live happily ever after. So, in my opinion, what really matters in contemporaries is the journey, the characters and their development.

When we start Anna and the French Kiss, Anna is crying so hard that the girl living next door hears her, she is afraid to order food and to leave campus. By the end of the book she is going to the movies and visiting Paris all by her self. 

Étienne's life has always been ruled by his father and he's to afraid of changes, but then he grows up and stands for himself. 

Once again, Stephanie Perkins creates fantastic characters. They are likeable, you can't help not loving them but they are not perfect. They make mistakes, sometimes they say things that shouldn't be said, others, they don't say enough and they may not always have the best attitude towards some events, but that's what makes them so realistic.

The amazing characters, the simple (but great) plot and the funny writing make this book wonderful and worth reading! If you're a fan of contemporaries you probably heard of Stephanie Perkins already. If you haven't, I assume you've been living in another world and if that's the case you have to pick on of her books right now!

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door
By Stephanie Perkins

book rate: ★★★★☆ (4.25/5)

from goodreads: 

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.




Lola and the Boy Next Door is one of those cute contemporaries that grabs you right from the beginning and you can't stop reading it! 
I did enjoy this book but not as much as  Anna and the French Kiss. I was so happy to see Anna as Lola's co-worker! I felt like reading Anna and the French Kiss all over again. And I think I will, before Isla and the Happily Ever After is released.

One thing that is constantly present in contemporaries is lack of communication, however, in this book, Cricket is straightforward with Lola right from the beginning.  The main problem was that Lola was not honest with herself.

I loved the characters. All of them, except for Max (Lola's boyfriend) he was an idiot, and Lola was the only one who could not see that. She did annoy me sometimes, she could not see what was right in front of her and she was rude sometimes. But I guess that's what makes this character so realistic, she has flaws and she knows it, she tries to correct her mistakes, and eventually she is able to!

It's an enchanted forest, I'm sure of it. Amid the trees are devilish wood sprites and red mushroom caps with whit spots and faeries tempting mortals with golden fruit. (chapter thirteen)
I loved how Lola described the Muir Woods. It revels so much about her character. She has such a creative way to look at the world and it is reflected in the way she acts, dresses and describes things like the woods. She is such a unique character. I don't think I will ever forget her.

I loved this book and I'm super excited to read Isla and the Happily Ever After! If you like contemporaries you have to read this book, if you haven't already.

Love is a Thief by Claire Garber

book rate: ★☆☆☆☆

"Kate Winters might just be ‘that’ girl. 

You know the one. The girl who, for no particular reason, doesn’t get the guy, doesn’t have children, doesn’t get the romantic happy ever after. 

So she needs a plan. 

What does she like doing? What didn’t she get to do because she fell in love? What would she be happy spending the rest of her life doing if love never showed up again? 

This is one girl’s journey to take back what love stole"

The reason I rated this book so low is the synopsys on the back. SEIROUSLY, the synopsys is so good! I was aching to read it as soon as I picked it up from the local library. And then... the story line happened... and I wanted to hit someone... badly.

I had so high expectations for this book, I thought it was about how you don't need love to be happy, how one can be happy with all the other wonderful things life has to offer! But no, no. Right from the beginning of the book the guy shows up. You know, "that" guy, the one she falls madly in love with and can't live without and so they end up together and super duper happy.

I think maybe if I had dived into this book knowing that it would be the regular love story where girl meets boy or, in this case, girl re encounters long lost childhood crush, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. Who knows... I certainly don't as I was seriously mislead by the synopsys!

Ugh, sorry if this review is too harsh on "Love is a Thief" but this book brought me nothing but frustration...

I'm not going to say I don't recommend, all I will say is: read it if you're into adult romances. I'm not, so I didn't enjoy it much, but maybe some of you will... Anyway, if you read it let me know what you think by commenting below.

Last Summer by Rebecca A. Rogers

book rate: ★☆☆☆☆

For me "Last Summer" was the typical YA novel about two troubled teenagers who  find themselves in each other and fall deeply in love except... IT WAS SO EXAGGERATED!

Rebecca A. Rogers creates a beautiful set for this story which makes you really excited as soon as you start reading this book... but then, little by little, you  start to notice how unrealistic this story is. Everything happens too quickly and too intensely.

Chloe's (the main female character) relationship with her dad changes from "oh pumpkin pumpkin" to "let me throw a vase of flowers to your head and see if I can kill you" in a heartbeat. Personally, I know how it is to have problems with yoour dad and you don't just go from one extreme to the other like this... just no.

To be completely honest I was impressed by how Rebecca dealt with the beginnig of Logan's (the main male character) withdrawal from heroine, it felt very real to me! But then again, as I advanced in the book Logan's addiction became more and more far away from reality.

The storyline started do well and then just stopped being coherent... I felt this book actually had potential and I was very disappointed by the end of it.

Would not recommend... unless you're very bored and have nothing else to read.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

book rate: ★★★★☆

Emily and Sloane have been best friends for two years. They talked all the time about everything and nothing at all. Emily had always been shy and introverted, but that was before Sloane became her friend. Suddenly she had somebody to hand out with, to go to parties with and to help her talking to strangers, something that has always been difficult for Emily. However, in the beginning of the summer Sloane disappears leaving a list for Emily with ridiculous tasks she would never do, not even in a million years. But what if doing them is the only way to find Sloane? She doesn't think she can accomplish that, but then, unexpectedly, Frank Porter comes into her life and together they try to cross off that random list. 

This book got my full attention as soon as it started. I could relate with Emily, maybe because I used to have a friend like she had Sloane, who also disappeared from my life out of nowhere, or because I used to be as shy as she is in the beginning of the book. 

I loved how Emily developed and grew up through the book. She proved to be brave by standing up to her fears, something most of us couldn't do. I also loved all the characters, specially her young brother, he is so funny and different from most 10 year old boys. The plot is also creative, entertaining and addictive.
I had so much fun reading this book. I found my self laughing out loud in so many parts. I couldn't put this book down, and I kept reading until it was super late!

This is a book about friendship, love, finding yourself, coming our of your shell and overcoming your biggest fears. I highly recommend it to everyone who is, not only, a fan of contemporaries, but to who had a bad moment in her/his life and thought it couldn't be overcome. 

After reading Amy and Roger's Epic Detour and Since You've Been Gone, I can officially say I'm a fan of Morgan Matson, and I intend to read more of her books soon.  

Charade by Nyrae Dawn

book rate: ★★★☆☆

Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne has the perfect life. A hot boyfriend, great clothes and a smile always on her face. That's exactly what she wants people to think. However, on the inside she is broken.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted to go to college, but when her mother is dying and that's her only wish, he has no choice but make it come true. 

After Cheyenne walks in on her boyfriend with another girl, her pride is wounded. So in a desperate attempt to keep her reputation intact she asks Colt to pretend to her boyfriend. 

Rapidly, their charade is replaced by another and another, until they realise they may not me playing a game any more.  

I've been reading a lot of New Adult books lately, and I thought this would turn out to be just like the others. However, I was slightly surprised. 

Both main characters develop throughout the book, they grow up and manage to face life instead of hiding in the shadow of their games, and their pasts. The plot it self is not a cliché like we usually come across in some new adult contemporaries. It is, indeed, an emotional read for those who are soft hearted and share tears easily.

I didn't cry though. But I enjoyed this book, it was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. 

I would recommend this book to all people who are looking for a light and emotional read. 

The F- It List by Julie Halpern

book rate: ★★★★☆

The "The F- It List" is a contemporany novel about two best friends, Alex and Becca. At the beginning of the book we, along with Alex, find out that Becca has cancer, but the two girls had a big fight at the end of the previous school year and hadn't talked all summer. This meant Alex was only awarebof Becca's situation when her best friend didn't show up for school in September.

Alex rushes to Becca's house and there she is asked for one favour only: to help Becca fullfilling her Bucket List or to fullfill it herself if Becca wans't capable of doing some itens on the list.

With this Hello Kitty written paper in her pocket Alex is about to start a bigger adventure than she could imagine. An adventure to learn how to live ajd enjoy life's little pleasures.

In my personal opinion the "The F- It List"'s plot was not very different from the typical contemporany novel. What really blew me away in this book were the characters and the relationships developed between them, this was all so genuin, their flaws were so real and their stories so down to earth... I could not possibly dislike this book or decribe as mainstream because it trully isn't.

Lastly, I also grew very FOND of the maind character. Once more Alex is not the typical teenage girl we usually see PORTRAYED in books, she has quite a negative personality but is also a very LIKEABLE character, at least from my point of view.

All in all, I highly recommend the "The F- It List" to anyone who is looking for a light and realistc contemporany.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

book rate: 2/5

synopsis from good reads:

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?



Review: 

Unfortunately, this book was not what I was expecting. It started out pretty well. Ellie is different from most teenage girls, she doesn't care about famous people, or about having a movie being filmed in her small town, where nothing ever happens. She's very down-to-earth, and I like that about her. Graham is also a good character, he's sweet and funny, and not what people expect a famous teenage boy to be. But, that's pretty much what I liked about this book. 

I was enjoying reading this book until the second part started. The first part was okay, it was funny and we get to see Graham's and Ellie's relationship develop. However, I found the second part boring, I just wanted to finish this book so I could start another one. I didn't like the ending, I think the way the "big conflict" was resolved was not satisfying. I wish we had seen more of Graham and Ellie's relationship, and if they made it work out.