Day 8 of 12 Days of Christmas: What Light by Jay Asher

What Light by Jay Asher

Published: October 18, 2016

Publisher: Little Brown and Co.

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

My Thoughts

In What Light we met Sierra and her family who own a Christmas tree farm and every Christmas they go down to California to sell their trees. Sierra has had a double life of sorts since she splits some time between her Oregon life and her California life. She has two sets of friends but all of that is in danger when this might be the last Christmas her family goes down to California due to problems with the business.

When she is in California she focuses solely on helping her family and spending time with her friend, she rarely thinks of dating especially since she is never there long enough to think about getting involved with anyone. However all of that changes when she meets Caleb someone she never saw coming and of course, he captures her heart quicker than she could ever imagine. There is a chemistry between them that either can deny but there is a rumor out there that she soon finds out about that could end things before they even begin.

I listened to this on audiobook and found it to be a quick and easy going read. I really liked this story and found Sierra to be the nice girl who always played by the rules but when others don’t agree with her choice of guys she stands up for herself and her gut feelings about Caleb. She believed in him from the start despite what others think and was determined to get to know the real person behind the image and not just rely on rumors.

This was the typical tale of young love with that dash of Christmas magic that I love so much. The real stars were the romance between the two but also the tale of growing up and finding ourselves, finding who they are and what they ultimately what to become. There is nothing better than a coming of age tale but add Christmas time as the backdrop and well you have a winner of a read.

Mini Review: Untamed Hearts by Melody Grace

Untamed Hearts [Beachwood Bay # 1.5] by Melody Grace

Published: September 11, 2013

                                                       Format: Kindle read                                                     

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

It's the last night of summer in Beachwood Bay, but for Brit and Hunter, it's only the beginning …

She is: rebellious, wounded, free.

He is: handsome, searching, enchanted.

One night. Two restless hearts. But what happens when morning comes?

My Thoughts

In Untamed Hearts we meet Brit who is the sister of Emerson from the previous books Untouched and Unbroken. Brit acts like a tough girl who cant love since she feels she was never shown love at least from her parents. She doesn’t have any real guidance only that from Emerson but even that isn't much since he is trying to figure out his own life. Hunter comes from a family of privilege and he is expected to do certain things that come with the family name but all he wants is a simple life managing the family ranch.

He has always loved Brit from afar but thinks she would never give him the time of day much less even know who he is. While it isn't a secret what kind of girl Brit is Hunter knows she is more than just a girl who likes to have fun. He knows beneath it all lies a girl who has dreams and all she needs is a good guy to show her she is worth more than this little town gives her credit for.

Untamed Hearts is the beginning of a young love story and while nothing comes easy when it comes to love the budding romance between these two is so sweet. You want this to blossom and even though Brit and Hunter come from different worlds each offer something that the other is in desperate need of. I can’t wait to see what lays in store for these two.

Blog Tour: Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Jesse’s Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Expected Publication: July 7, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

About the Book (#musicismylife):

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow the Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

Order Links:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indiebound, Indigo, iTunes

About the Author

Growing up in Tennessee, MIRANDA KENNEALLY dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. Visit www.mirandakenneally.com, and follow Miranda @MirandaKennealy& www.facebook.com/miranda.kenneally.

** GIVEAWAY**

3 Prize Packs of Miranda Kenneally books

Click HERE to Enter

Excerpt:

As much as I love music, I am generally not a fan of country. I don’t like banjos. I don’t like sappy lyrics about trucks and hauling hay. Dolly Parton is my mortal enemy—my mom plays “Jolene” over and over and over and over, and it makes me want to chop my ears off like van Gogh. Yeah, yeah, I’m from Tennessee, where it’s a crime if you don’t love country, but I like deep, rumbling beats and singing loud and fast and hard. I do not like closing my eyes and crooning to a cow in the pasture. Yet here I am at a Jesse Scott concert, getting ready to meet him and to see if he’ll let me shadow him next Friday.

My school requires every senior to “shadow” a professional for a day. It’s their way of helping us figure out what kind of career we want. Like, if you want to be president when you grow up, you might get to shadow the mayor. Want to be a chef? Have fun kneading dough at the Donut Palace. When I said “I want to be a musician,” I figured they’d send me to work in the electronics section at Walmart.

I certainly never expected to shadow the king of country music.

It turns out that Jesse Scott is my principal’s nephew. Jesse won TV’s Wannabe Rocker when he was ten and has gone on to become very successful. In sixth grade, every girl in class—myself included—took the Teen Beat quiz: “Would Jesse Scott Like Your Kissing Style?” (Obviously the answer was yes.) In middle school, I had a Jesse Scott poster on my ceiling. It’s hard to believe he’s only eighteen, because he’s already won three Grammys. When he was younger, his songs were about family, fishing, and playing baseball, but lately they’re about love and making love and all things sexy.

I wouldn’t say I’m a fan anymore, but I would never give up an opportunity to learn from a professional with such a gorgeous, pure voice. I want to learn what it’s like to perform day in and day out. Despite what everyone and their mom says—that I’ll struggle as a musician—all I want is to play guitar in front of a crowd and hear people cheer for me.

I can’t believe I’m backstage at the Grand Ole Opry! I bounce on my toes. Jesus, is that an archtop Super 4, the model Elvis played? I’ve never seen one in real life. It probably cost more than my house. I’m ogling the guitar when Jesse Scott comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. He pads across the room to the couch, wearing nothing but a pair of rugged jeans with more holes than Swiss cheese. The lighting is dim, and he doesn’t seem to notice I’m here, which is good, because I’ve moved from ogling the guitar to ogling him.

Who wouldn’t? He was one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People,” and it is a truth universally acknowledged that you should stare at people who’ve made that list. The guy’s gorgeous. Like in the boy-next-door way. His wet, wavy, brown hair curls around his ears and nearly hits his shoulders, and while he doesn’t have a six-pack or anything, his body is fit. I wish he’d look my way so I can see his famous brown eyes. They always remind me of those caramel chews Poppy gives me when I visit. Jesse has some sort of Gaelic symbol tattooed on his left shoulder blade. I want to reach out and trace the design.

God, get ahold of yourself, Maya. Don’t be a horndog. Besides, he’s so not my type. I don’t do pretty boys.

Review: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Expected Publication: June 23, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: via NetGalley

Challenge: 2015 NG/EW

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

My Thoughts

I just loved and adored this book! While the subject matter –kidnapping- might seem grim this read isn’t all about that. It focuses on the friendships and relationships that were put on hold for 10 years until the day Oliver is found and returns. We get to see and hear both sides of the outcome when Oliver is returned to his mother. Everyone seems to think that everything will get back to normal but to Oliver these people are the strangers. He comes back to a mother whom he thought abandoned him and a stepfather and twin sisters. He also has friends who have been waiting for him especially his best friend Emmy. She has been waiting and hoping that her friend would come back one day and never lost hope.

Oliver isn’t the only one who has suffered during his kidnapping. Emmy has been subjected to her parents being overbearing and fearing that she will be kidnapped as well. So what is a girl to do? Lie of course. However she lies about the simplest thing such as surfing and applying to college. When Oliver comes back there are a few bumps but their friendship comes back seamlessly. And of course friendship soon turns to romance, they are two pieces that just click together time nor could distance change that.

While the book is about Emmy and Oliver I love that we get the whole backstory of his kidnapping. I started out feeling one way about his father and by the end my opinion did change a bit. Loved that this read is just easy breezy and I mean that as a compliment. This is one of those books that you simply don’t want to stop reading. It’s cute funny and one I highly recommend to anyone who wants and needs a good read.

WoW [121]

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

Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts

Expected Publication: November 10, 2015

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR

Synopsis

First came love, then came marriage, and then...

For seventeen-year-old Tam, running off to marry her musician boyfriend is the ideal escape from her claustrophobic high-school life on the island, and the ultimate rebellion against her father and stepmother. But when Tam becomes a widow just weeks later, the shell-shocked teen is forced to find her way forward by going back to the life she thought she’d moved beyond—even as her struggle to deal with her grief is forcing her to reinvent herself and reach out to others in ways she never imagined.

Why I Can’t Wait

Definitely something different and I’m curious to see how the story goes.

Feel free to link me to yours.

Review: Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Published: April 21, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: Edelweiss

Challenges: 2015 NG/EW

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

My Thoughts

In this novel all the story is laid out for you from the start. We know Quinn is trying to recover after the loss of her boyfriend Trent and that she has been trying to contact those who received his organs. All have contacted her expect one, the one who has his heart. She then learns that person in Colton and she sets out to at least see who he is since he doesn’t want to meet those in Trent’s life.

While this story could’ve been a loss since we know just about everything it isn’t by far! Although we know the main plot what we experience is...excuse the pun…the heart of the story. We learn what happened and we get to experience Quinn coming to terms with her loss, and maybe just maybe learning and wanting to love…again. And while all things don’t go according to plan for instance, falling for Colton and most importantly starting their whole friendship off with lies. But can both of them move on after everything is revealed? Or is all this just too much?

Things We Know by Heart is a wonderful written tale that will make you realize what is important in life and also shows us to love and live life to the fullest. Sometimes we are blessed to find that one love that we all dream of and if we are really lucky we find that again someday. Although this tale could have been tragic and sad it focuses on the healing power that is love.

Audiobook Review: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Published: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Format: via Hachette Audio
Challenges: 2015 Audio Book Challenge

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together - how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest College senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death - loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he's keeping doesn't destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

My Thoughts

This is one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks reads of all time! This was also my first venture into audiobooks and not knowing what I was in for I must say I was very pleased. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate but it was actually the opposite, I wasn’t able to let go. I loved that it was a dual story of sorts, the story of Ira and Ruth then the story of Sophia and Luke. Both are opposite stories but the bottom line is of course love. I also enjoyed how you never knew how the stories would come together until the very end. Not knowing made it so worth it because I truly became invested in all the characters. I personally felt this one was one of Nicholas Starks’s best stories in a while. While I love all his books I felt that some past reads were the same old stories recycled over and over. However with this one it is different and such a breath of fresh air this one reminds me why I fell in love with Nicholas Sparks books!

You will fall in love with both couples for different reasons each one showing us what love is all about and how real love should be. You will be taken on a journey that not will only touch your heart but also your soul. I was lucky enough to listen to the audio books and I loved everything about it. The voices of Ron McLarty and January LaVoy really brought the characters alive. They sucked me in and I couldn’t get enough of the story. The story will soon be brought to life to the big screen and while I know many books lose a lot in the transformation but I’m hoping the true essence of the book will come across. Not to mention I’m really feeling the chemistry of the film’s stars Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood. So do yourself a favor and read then watch the movie, Nicholas Sparks has blessed us once again with the tale of love and loss and no one does it better than he does.

                  

Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

Published: April 7, 2015

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Buy Links

Amazon * * Barnes & Noble * * iTunes * * Kobo * * Books-a-Million * * Powell's *                   * IndieBound* 

Synopsis

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

**GIVEAWAY**

5 Winners will receive a signed copy of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

Click HERE to Enter

About Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

Links

Website **Facebook**Twitter**Tumblr ** Goodreads ** Newsletter SignUp

Excerpt

When I walk past the music room, I hear something that stills me in my tracks. People push past; I've become a rock in the middle of a rushing stream, but I can't move. Then someone shoves me from behind, not on purpose, but the result is the same. I slam into the lockers past the classroom and bounce. The underclassmen who were wrestling don't even notice that my brain has stopped firing.

            Shane Cavendish plays like it's his reason for living.

            I don't write that on the Post-it, of course. That would just get him beaten up even harder. Instead I scrawl, You’re awesome on the guitar, because the jocks might think that’s cool and leave him the hell alone. It's a long shot, as I don't have any particular cred with their crew, but being a musician is pretty spectacular. I can't breathe for how good—how remarkably talented—he is. And I suspect that if he found out anyone was paying attention, he'd stop playing.

            Backtracking to his locker will make me late for class, but it's worth it. I stick the note just below the vents, as I always do, but this time it feels weightier, more somehow, like this is a turning point. Shaking off the odd sensation, I dodge into Econ with a mumbled excuse. Sadly, it holds no weight with Mrs. Palmer. Unlike the male teachers, she isn't impressed with talk of 'female problems', so I get my first detention of the year, only the second I've ever had.

            Since tomorrow is Friday and I have standing plans with Ryan, I ask, “Can I just get it over with tonight?”

            I calculate; school lets out at 2:45. An hour of sitting in silence, and I’m supposed to be at work at four. If I hurry, I can still make my shift at the Curly Q. Which sounds like a diner, but it's actually a hair salon. I'm not qualified to do anything but wash hair, sweep up, and answer the phone, but it's better than fast food. I work two afternoons a week from four to eight, which earns me spending money for the week. Since I'm under eighteen, I get paid fifty cents an hour less than an adult; that makes me a bargain.  After detention ends, I’ll just need to ride hard to keep Mildred from yelling at me.

            Mrs. Palmer glances up from scribbling down my doom. “Can you get a ride home?”

            “Yeah.”

I’ve always got my bike out front, and the town is small enough that I can ride anywhere I need to go from school. This is the one positive aspect of living in a tiny berg like this, especially given my opinion of privately-owned fossil fuel burning vehicles, which covers nicely for my lingering fear.

Late to the Game: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Since I’ve started blogging my TBR list has been growing by the day. So in honor of that I'm doing a feature called Late to the Game. This will feature books that just about everyone [but me] has read. Hey like they say...better late than never...right?

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Published: May 2009

Format: Kindle purchased

Publisher: Simon and Schuster BYR

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

My Thoughts

I was a little nervous when I first decided to read this novel. I had never read a Jenny Han book before and I’m always nervous when it comes to reading a book or series that so many people love and adore. I’m always scared that I won’t like it or even worse it won’t live to the hype, not so much the hype from others but the one I’ve built up in my head. Well I’m glad to say this has lived up to it and more.

I quickly feel in love with Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad. The summer world that Jenny Han built was near perfection. I totally envisioned myself at the beach right along with them. I loved the tale of these friends who were more like family who grew up together every summer. I also loved the flashbacks of the summers past; it gave us some insight on how everyone grew over time. Like any girl coming of age, Belly is dealing with the pains of growing up and figuring out who she is and her growing feelings for the boys in her life. While she has always loved more than the other she still feels torn and is trying to figure out if what she ever feels is even real.

In reading this it can’t help but bring back those memories of that first crush and trying to figure out if its love or not. That summer has been the hardest for Belly, dealing with her parents divorce, coming to terms with who she really wants to give her heart to and deciding wither or not just to declare her true feelings and let the chips fall where they may.

This novel is the perfect contemporary YA beach read. It has characters you won’t be able to forget and a storyline that captures you from the very first sentence. I honestly don’t know why I’ve waited so long to read it, and now that I have I can’t wait to find out how the rest of the series plays out.

Quotable moments…

*Moments when lost can’t be found again. They’re just gone.

*Sometimes it’s like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It’s like you see them through a special lens- but maybe if it’s how you seen them, that’s how they really are.

THE BOTTOM LINE... IT'S...

Holiday Reads: [Review] The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Marie Landry

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Marie Landry
Published: November 5, 2013
Format: Kindle purchased
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, right? At least that’s what twenty-year-old Ginny Bailey’s grandmother always told her, and Ginny believed it until Grama died. She even put on a brave face the following two Christmases, carrying on Grama’s traditions and decorating her house and café with Grama’s favorite decorations. But Ginny can’t pretend any longer. When she finds out she’s going to be alone for the holidays this year, her Christmas spirit goes out the window, along with her luck. Everything that can go wrong does, and Ginny just wants to spend the holidays hiding under the covers...until Dean Riley comes back into her life. With their shared past, old feelings begin to resurface almost immediately, and Ginny thinks Dean might just be the Christmas miracle she’s been waiting for to help her remember why Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.

My Thoughts

Now this is what I call a Christmas read! It’s everything you will want in great holiday tale. It’s sweet, heartwarming and has just the right amount of romance. Am I the only one who thinks that some of these holiday reads have a huge amount of sex in them? Don’t get me wrong romance is a good thing but I want true romance not sex in my holiday reads.

I truly enjoyed the romance and spark between Ginny and Dean. It’s sweet and there’s just something about first loves reuniting that is worth rooting for. Ginny is still trying to recover after the lost of her beloved Grama when things just seem to get worse over Christmas. She’s left alone while her teen crush moves back in next door. With his help she starts to feel like her old self again, enjoying the holidays again and just wanting to do her best. While this is quick story it reads like a full read. You get the whole experience of great detailed story of love, hope and the magic that is Christmas. I can’t recommend this enough. This my friends is a book you must read over the holidays!

I’m quickly becoming a huge fan of Marie Landry. I read her previous book Waiting for the Storm and loved that book as well. Do yourself a huge favor and curl up under a warm blanket and let yourself fall in love with this awesome read.

WoW [52]

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:

How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark

Expected Publication: May 6, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis...

Lucy can’t wait to spend the summer at the lake with her best friend, Mikayla. But when Jackson, the boy she’s been avoiding ever since he rejected her, reappears in her life, Lucy wonders if this summer to remember is one she’d rather forget.

Mikayla’s never had much luck talking to boys, but when she (literally) runs into the cutest guy she’s ever seen, and sparks fly, she thinks things might be looking up...until she realizes the adorable stranger is the same boy who broke her best friend’s heart.

As things begin to heat up between Mikayla and the one guy she should avoid, will Lucy be able to keep her cool or will the girls’ perfect summer turn into one hot mess?

Why I Can’t Wait....

If this doesn’t look like the perfect summer read then I don’t know what does. Great story and who can resist a cute summer romance?

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

DNF: How to Love by Katie Cotugo

How to Love by Katie Cotugno
Published October 1, 2013
Format: E-ARC provided by Edelweiss
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Rating: DNF

Synopsis

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

My Thoughts

I really debated if I should even write a review for this book, for the sole reason I simply didn’t finish it. It really did pain me since I always finish things I start. Even if I don’t like something I usually just push through it and be done with it.

I was so pumped up wanting to read this book when I first heard about. Then I saw so many people talking about it and saying so many amazing things that I was like yes I can’t wait!

So why couldn’t I finish? Honestly I just couldn’t connect with the characters, plain and simple. Do you know the thing that bugged me the most? Sawyer! I honestly didn’t and couldn’t see what Reena saw in him. He seemed like a guy who was toying with her when he wanted. Granted I only read halfway through the book but I hated him so much. I couldn’t for the life of me see what she saw in him. I just couldn’t buy into their "love story."

Maybe in the future I will revisit it and see if I can finish it. I might be one the few who didn’t get it but this is just my opinion.

WoW [46]

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:

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

Expected Publication: February 25, 2014
Publisher: Point

Synopsis...

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

Why I Can’t Wait....

This seems like a great rom com read. I like the whole best friends should or shouldn’t they cross the line aspect. Debating the age old question: can guys and girls really be just friends?

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