Mini Review: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Published: October 1, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever... or is it?

My Thoughts

10 Blind Dates is a fun and cute holiday read that will definitely make you smile and give you the feels! We met Sophie who is ready to enjoy the Christmas holidays with her boyfriend but her boyfriend has other plans. He decides to break up with her and so she spends the holidays with her huge family who has other plans for her. They all decide to fix her up on 10 blind dates and they make a contest out of it. Sophie plays along and while some dates are better than others she likes spending time with her family and old friends including her grandparents’ neighbor. While she still has feelings for her ex she knows stepping back that he wasn’t the right one for her, she feels like there is someone better for her out there.

This was definitely a fun read, her family is something I can relate to. This read had me thinking of my own crazy family, in the sense how when we are together its so much fun and how we have each other backs in the time of need. The relationship she has with her grandmother is so sweet and enduring that it hit me in the heart. This is one read I highly recommend! If you want something funny and sweet this will get you out of any reading slump.

Review: Nantucket Red by Leila Howland

Nantucket Red by Leila Howland 

Expected Publication: May 13, 2014

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Format: E-Arc via NetGalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Challenges: 2014 NetGalley/Edelweiss

Synopsis

Cricket Thompson's lifetime of overachieving has paid off: she's headed to Brown University in the fall, with a spot on the lacrosse team and a scholarship that covers almost everything. Who knew living in the dorm cost money? An Ivy League education seems to mean living at home for the next four years.

When Cricket is offered the chance to earn enough cash to afford a real college experience, she heads back to Nantucket for the summer. But the faraway island challenges Cricket in ways she hadn't anticipated. It's hard to focus on earning money for next year, when she finds her world opening up in entirely new ways-to art, to travel, and, most unexpectedly, to a future completely different from the one she has been working toward her whole life. A friendship blossoms with Ben, the gorgeous surfer and bartender who encourages Cricket to be free, even as she smarts at the pain of seeing Zack, her first love, falling for her worst enemy.

But one night, when Cricket finally lets herself break all her own rules, she realizes she may have ruined her carefully constructed future with one impulsive decision. Cricket must dig deep to fight for her future, discovering that success isn't just about reaching goals, but also about listening to what she's been trying to ignore-her own heart.

My Thoughts

Nantucket Red starts right off where Nantucket Blue left off. Cricket and her boyfriend Zach have decided to break up and not do the whole long distance thing and she and her best friend are still distant with each other. Cricket is dealing with the struggles of growing up and having to make money for college plus deal with her feelings of being back on Nantucket. She makes new friends and enemies on top of everything else.

I was a little torn with this book. I mainly felt that way because I was so taken by Nantucket Blue that I couldn’t wait to read this one. I loved the whole Cricket and Zach romance and just wanted them to beat the odds and stay together. Yes I get that life isn’t always perfect and that sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes distance and makes the heart grow fonder. However I just didn’t like how their romance was played out. I didn’t really like Zach that much here, I felt at times he wasn’t whom I thought he was. Maybe it was on account on how Cricket treated him and their relationship, meaning she wasn’t always open and honest with her emotions.

The things I did enjoy were the returning characters. I especially loved Liz, she is a crazy and fun chick and I loved that. Cricket definitely needs her in her life, she totally balances her. My verdict is still out on Cricket’s best friend Jules. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt seeing how she was going through things but even when she was being semi nice to Cricket I always felt like she had a motive. I just never trusted her and I don’t know exactly why.

While I wasn’t super gaga over this read it was still very good. Maybe since I read the two books back to back and the first one was just so swoon worthy, I know I  shouldn't compare but I can't help it. I was happy however with how things played out in the end.

Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland 

Published: May 7, 2013

Format: ARC via publisher

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Challenges: 2014 TBR Pile

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she'll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn't.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it's the things Cricket hadn't counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

My Thoughts

I don’t know why it took me almost a whole year to read this wonderful book when I had the ARC for the longest. If I had known what a picturesque summer novel this was I would’ve read it sooner.  Just love how Leila Howland paints the perfect New England summer picture, I feel like I’m right there.

Nantucket Blue is the story of Cricket and her summer while working in Nantucket. She was originally supposed to spend it with her best friend Jules and her family. However just before they were to leave Jules’s mother unexpectedly dies. Of course Jules isn’t herself and for some reason decides to push Cricket aside and wants to deal with this by herself for the summer.

Now this is where I don’t get why Cricket doesn’t listen to her and decides to go to Nantucket anyway. Jules has made it clear she doesn’t want her there and when Cricket shows up isn’t very pleasant to her. Yeah I get Jules is mourning her mom and everyone deals with death in their way but she’s being a tad mean and a borderline bitch. Cricket wonders if she even knows who her best friend really is. This person she has become isn’t the one Cricket has known all her life.

In the meantime Cricket whose other main reason for going to island for the summer, her high school crush Jay decided he didn’t want anything to do with her after he heard something she said about his family. So Cricket is left by herself alone with no one until one day she sees Jules’s younger brother Zack. It doesn’t take long before Cricket doesn’t see him as just her best friends brother but as real guy. There is MAJOR flirting these two and soon a summer romance blossoms. While she feels bad for hiding her secret she can’t help but to truly fall for Zack, she knows when Jules finds out it won’t be good.

Is this the real thing between Cricket and Zack? Time will tell when they get back home. Or just a summer fling? Will she get her best friend back or will this just tear them further away? I won’t give the whole story completely away but I will say this is one book that is an ultimate summer beach read. So do yourself a favor and get this if you haven’t already. Oh and also while you’re at it get the follow up, Nantucket Red it will be coming out May 13, 2014. Keep an eye out I will reviewing that one soon, I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

BOTTOM LINE...

WoW [55]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

The Rules for Breaking [The Rules for Disappearing #2] by Ashley Elston

Expected Publication: May 20, 2014

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Synopsis...

Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom. But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down.

The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he's using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it's time to break all the rules-even if it means teaming up with the lesser of two evils.

Anna will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves and win her life back once and for all. But her true enemies are hidden in plain sight. Before long, Anna will learn that putting her trust in anyone may be the last mistake she ever makes.

Why I Can’t Wait….

I loved the first book and I can’t wait to see what happens since it left off on a great cliffhanger! Must find a way to get my hands on a copy ASAP!

What are you waiting on? Please link me up to yours. I’d love to see your picks!

Review: Hereafter [Shadowlands #2] by Kate Brian

Hereafter [Shadowlands #2] by Kate Brian
Published: October 1, 2013
Format: ARC provided by publisher
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

Rory Miller thought her life was over when a serial killer set his sights on her and forced her into witness protection. But a fresh start on Juniper Landing Island was exactly what she and her family needed. For the first time in years she and her sister hang out at the beach, gossip about boys, and party together. She's also made friends with a local clique--including a magnetic and mysterious boy named Tristan.

But Rory's world is about to change again. Picturesque Juniper Landing isn't what it seems. The truth about the swirling fog that rolls in each morning, the bridge that leads to nowhere, and those beautiful locals who seem to watch Rory's every move is more terrifying than being hunted by Steven Nell. And all Rory ever wanted was the truth. Even if it means learning that she can never go home again. From the best-selling author of the Private and Privilege series comes the second novel in a heart-stopping trilogy about a girl who must pick up the pieces after the only life she's ever known ends.

My Thoughts

I must admit I was disappointed in this sequel to Shadowlands. This book left me wanting way more. I honestly felt it was a filler novel. It didn’t tell me that much more than I didn’t know from the previous novel.

In this novel it picked up where Shadowlands left off. We learned that not everything is what it seems in Juniper Landing. Rory found out she was indeed dead and so was her family. She learned she is a “lifer” someone who will stay there and help usher in those who aren’t ready to move on. 

However some strange things start to happen and those who were supposed to go to heaven were indeed ushered to the “shadowlands.” Not to mention things that never had happen before suddenly do. Many wonder if it’s Rory that has brought this odd behavior with her. While I liked certain parts of this book, I just felt there were things missing. I just didn’t feel there was enough of a story for my taste. I didn’t feel a connection with this one as I did with the first.

I’m hoping that in the final installment we get more of a story and hopefully get more questions answered. All in all I thought this book was simply… alright. Not bad but clearly not as good as the previous book.

WoW [31]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

Hereafter [Shadowlands #2] by Kate Brian

Expected Publication: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Summary via Goodreads...

Rory Miller thought her life was over when a serial killer set his sights on her and forced her into witness protection. But a fresh start on Juniper Landing Island was exactly what she and her family needed. For the first time in years she and her sister hang out at the beach, gossip about boys, and party together. She's also made friends with a local clique--including a magnetic and mysterious boy named Tristan.

But Rory's world is about to change again. Picturesque Juniper Landing isn't what it seems. The truth about the swirling fog that rolls in each morning, the bridge that leads to nowhere, and those beautiful locals who seem to watch Rory's every move is more terrifying than being hunted by Steven Nell. And all Rory ever wanted was the truth. Even if it means learning that she can never go home again.

Why I Can’t Wait....

I’m actually so excited since I don’t have to wait. I received my ARC yesterday! I love this series. If you haven’t read Shadowlands please do, it’s a really great read and will have you gripped until the surprise ending. Can’t wait to dive in and sees how it all plays out.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Expected Publication: May 14, 2013
Format: ARC provided by publisher
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 4/5

Summary via Goodreads

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Thoughts

I’ll be honest I didn’t know if I would like or even get into the whole “Witness Protection” thing. Boy was I wrong. I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful novel. It has action and a real interesting storyline. It has you guessing and questioning any and everyone involved.

I also enjoyed the sub-plot of her friendship and eventual romance with Ethan. What can I say I love me a southern boy. What I liked was how his character never pushed Meg but at the same time knew there was something that wasn’t quite right. I loved how Meg finally realized she knew nothing would change if she didn’t at least try and trust people to some level. However the ending is what totally caught me off guard! I’m not one for posting spoilers on my reviews- but I never really saw it coming.

I can’t wait to see what author Ashley Elston has in store for us next. I enjoyed her storytelling and the twist and turns that she led me on. If I’m not mistaken I think I saw somewhere there is going to a sequel. I hope so I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.

WoW [19]

Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s Wow feature is:

Time after Time [Time Between Us #2] by Tamara Ireland Stone

Publication: October 8, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Summary via Goodreads...

Calling Anna and Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995 Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though they knew they shouldn't. And they found a way to stay together, against all odds.
It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work...until Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen (and certainly never expected to). Will the decisions he makes from that point on cement a future he doesn't want?
Told from Bennett’s point of view, Time After Time will satisfy readers looking for a fresh, exciting, and beautifully-written love story, both those who are eager to find out what’s next for Time Between Us's Anna and Bennett and those discovering their story for the first time.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT...

….Ok so I haven’t read the first one yet…but I will before this one comes out. It’s on my TBR list. I just love books especially series that give you the points of views from different characters. It seems like you’re getting the full story. Plus I'm a sucker for a love story.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Review: Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Shadowlands by Kate Brian
Expected Publication: January 8, 2013
Format: ARC from publisher
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 5/5
　
[Goodreads]: Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

My Thoughts

I wasnt sure if I was going to enjoy this I'll admit that. Boy was I wrong! I was sucked in from page one. I LOVE this book!
It's a fast paced book that will have you questioning everything and everyone in it. There was times when I didnt want to stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen next. Is Rory going crazy or is everyone around her? There were times when I didnt know if what I was reading was real or not. I'm all up for an author who can take me on a ride with all kinds of twist and turns. This book had me guessing and thinking until the very end and man was I suprised in the end. I read that this is the first book in a series. I hope so because I cant wait to see what happens next.