IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD

 By: Nina Kenwood

Genre: Y/A Contemporary Fiction

Year: 2020

Rate: 2 stars. 🌟🌟

“When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one
is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.”

 

It took me a while to understand how I feel about this book, and the best way I have to explain it is like a bouncing castle, all fun and emotion at first but then the bouncing castle starts losing air and then the excitement is gone.

The beginning of the book is great, I got lots of expectations about this girl that overthinks everything and creates multiples scenarios in her head just to be prepared, who had acne’s problems in the past that let her scarred physically and mentally, also she has to endure the separation of her parents, the idea of being the third wheel around her best friends and the new feelings for this guy. So yes, I was super excited!

But then everything was going in another direction; the writing and the narrative are fantastic, however, even when is good for the reader to be in the MC’s head, it took five pages or more of thinking between on line of dialogue and other, so much that in some point I needed to ask, wait, what was the conversation about?

The parents were terrible, something common in a Y/A story but these parents never made the effort to improve the situation, so there was this loose end in the story.

I loved that the protagonist confronted her friends and her parents, but she honestly never grew up enough. She was insecure all the time and she never talked about it with anybody. Also, I liked that she asked questions, but sometimes it was more like an interrogation by an FBI agent than by a girl with needs for answers.

Finally, there are some topics that I wasn’t comfortable with how they were handled, too easily too ‘whatever’ and I don’t think life is like that.

I usually post reviews of books with high rates in my blog, but I decided to post this one too, because honestly the concept of the story is great it’s the execution that didn’t reach my expectation.

 

Note: Image was taken from www.goodreads.com

WHEN YOU COME BACK TO ME

Author: Emma Scott

Year: 2020

Genre: Contemporary Romance.

Rate: 4,5 stars.

“At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys...

Holden Parish survived his parents' horrific attempts to make him "the perfect son." After a year's stint in a Swiss sanitarium to recover, he has vowed to never let anything--or anyone--trap him again. Brilliant but broken, he seeks refuge behind alcohol, meaningless sex, and uses his wicked sense of humor to keep people away. He only has to ride out one year in the coastal town of Santa Cruz with his aunt and uncle before he inherits his billions and can make his escape. Disappear.
Falling in love is not in the plans.”

 ***Sighs***

***Sobs***

***Sniff***

What a wonderful story about love and acceptance!

When you come back to me is a complex book, dealing with multiples sensitive situations, like, conversation therapies, addictions, death, mental health, sexual identity conflict.

It’s a story heartfelt to read, the tension is mixed with the slow pace making the reader to stand over the edge on every single page.

Both main characters are well done portrayed, they have and well constructed Arc, and as they grow up the reader has the chance to experience their changes from their teen years to adulthood (and this is one of the reasons why I don’t think this book should be labeled as YA.) Both characters have to endure so much in different ways, both are broken and both need to go deep in order to be able to resurface.

I loved the narrative, the mixture of anguish, beauty, and the poetic element, delivers an excellent description of every scene.

My two only comments are related to the absence of the lost boys at the end when they suppose to be the best friends, also after 70% of the book the story turns a little repetitive, I mean I understand the need to give the characters an open room to turn into a better version of themselves but there wasn’t need for the long dragging.

Aside from those two facts, the story is well done written and we an excellent concept and message at the end.

100% recommended

Best phrases:

“Thank you for loving me when I didn’t.”

“You deserve to be loved put loud.”

“We don’t make sense- like pieces of a puzzle that come from different boxes. Yet, we fit.

Note: Image was taken from www.goodread.com

ANNOUNCING TROUBLE

Author: Amy Fellner Dominy

Year:  2019.

Genre: Y/A contemporary romance

Rate: 5 Stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“That’s the trick. Forward movement. You can’t take a next step until you take the first one.”

 “I may know everything there is to know about baseball, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or like him. Garrett Reeves: sidelined player and the embodiment of everything I’ve learned to hate about baseball. He’s gorgeous, he’s cocky, he’s laser-focused on getting back in the game, no matter the cost.

When he convinces me to call games alongside him, our chemistry heats up the booth. We’re good together, whether I want to admit it or not. I’m finding that I like baseball again, but even worse, I’m liking Garrett. A lot.

But when he has to decide between our future and a new shot at his dreams, I know baseball will win out every time.”

This is a perfect example that we can’t judge a book by the cover. I mean, there is nothing really wrong with this one, but I have to admit sometimes a pick a book because a cover is better and prettier than this. However, this time it was more like a feeling. And thanks to God I was right.

Let’s start with the basics’ things I like in a good story: In this one, there is a great narrative, no repetitions, the story flows well, and descriptions are excellent. So far so good, right? well, it gets better. The plot is amazing, I love the concept. It seems a story about romance and healing but it’s more, much more. The story is about the future, what can we call dreams and what is real? Can we have both? Are dreams fair to us?

The tension in the story is excellent, I love that there is not intrigue, not lies, not misunderstandings. Instead, the conflict belongs to characters, their personalities and their need to grow up. I particularly enjoy Josie, she is a unique character, witty, smart, sweet, and I love how she finds the path to discover herself. Honestly, she makes me believe in strong heroin again.

Also, I loved Josie and Garret’s interaction, I don’t know how many times I burst into laughter or tears. Reading their dialogues felt magical. But not just with them, all the characters are great, every single one is well done portrayed, even the ones that are just mentioned.

And finally, I’m so grateful to the author for finding a way to explain baseball and makes it interesting and funny and not overwhelming with at all.

 I was craving a book that makes me happy, which make me believe in good stories and that leaves a smile on my face even days after reading. Announcing Trouble did that.

“A game where a bunch of guys spends their lives trying to get home. I press closer to Garret and smile. It Makes sense now that I’ve found mine.”

 

Note: Picture is taken from goodreads.com

HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH

Author: Amy Fellner Dominy

Year: 2020

Genre: Y/A Contemporary Fiction

Rate: 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Mai Senn knows Anthony Adams is no good for her - no matter how hard she might crush on him. She’s valedictorian; he’s a surf bum. She’s got plans, he’s got his art. Complete opposites in every way. Vinegar and baking soda, they once joked. A chemical reaction that bubbled.

Yeah, they bubbled. Maybe still do.

Good thing Anthony’s got the perfect plan: two weeks to prove just how not good they are together. Whoever can come up with the worst date—something the other will seriously hate, proving how incompatible they truly are—wins.

Like taking a snake-phobe to the Reptile House at the zoo (his idea).

Or a cooking class where they don’t even get to eat the food (her idea).

It’s all about the competition, and it’s meant to help them finally crush their crushes. But it wasn’t supposed to be so hot. Or so fun. And when Mai’s future becomes at stake, will she be able to do the right thing and quit Anthony forever?”

How to quit your crush is my first book by the author, and as standalone, I didn’t have any trouble understanding the story even without reading the previous one.

The story is sweet and lovely, perfect for those afternoons when you are looking for some relaxing time. Although the beginning is too slow, there is too much dump info about how the romance starts. The three first chapters are mostly flashbacks, and I think it would be nicer if the reader would have the chance to live the experience with the characters, instant of being told. Also, the sense of time seems odd, when the characters talk about the time passed it feels like it was years ago when it was just days or weeks. However around 15% into the story the plot is unfolded, and everything starts making sense.

I liked the sensitives topic explored in this story, both main characters are struggling with fit in, in their own way. One of them after the death of a parent and the other is trying to belong to the family who adopted her.

The sense of growing and the message to be yourself despite being different from what everyone is expecting of you is well done developed especially at the end of the story.

Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is Anthony. He supposes to have a touch of rebel status, but for me, he’s just funny and adorable, He’s just trying to hide the idea of missing so much his dad. On the other hand, I’m on the fence with Mai, she’s so judgemental and it was hard to feel sympathy for her because of that.  Her arc is really flat through the story, not showing any sign of growing, thankfully almost at the end she has her moment of revindication.

Overall, the story is well written, with a strong plot and great concept.  Once I got hooked, it was impossible to put it down until I was done with the last page.

Give it a try and you’ll not regret it.

100% recommended

Note: I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing, LLC. Through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another Note: Image was taken from www.goodreads.com

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER

BY: Sarah Dessen

Year: 2004

Genre: YA, Contemporary Fiction.

Rate: 3,5 stars⭐⭐⭐✨

“Don’t be afraid, Be alive.”

This is my fourth attempt with the author’s works and the first book I get to finish it without DNF.

There is something appealing about the narrative and the writing in Sarah Dessen’s books. She writes with so much passion and emotion, and maybe that was the reason I kept trying. People are right, there is wonder in her books. Actually, I never had a problem, following the story, to admire the writing or the plot.  

However, no matter how beautiful the narrative is, sometimes it is too much of on and on with the same topic. In this particular book, I found myself lost in a conversation after reading three pages of one thought about one single idea. Also, there are some repetitions, at first, I thought it was part of a character’s attribute, but then it was all over the story.   For example, I don’t think to repeat ‘you know’ it works the way it should. It’s a little distracting a least for me.

Another thing I have trouble to understand are the characters, after fourth tries, I found that there is so much unexplored potential in the characters, they could have been great, and in my opinion, they didn’t reach the point of to be likeable, or to care about them. I get it, a character needs to have flaws to be real, and more important to show how it grows in the story. But I’ve always thought that a character needs to be strong, to communicate their changes, and I didn’t find any of those qualities, in any of the protagonists or other characters I’ve read so far in any of the writer’s books, the low self-esteem, the silent, is too much to handle. Except for Kristy, in this story, she’s the new friend, the loyal, the hopeful, the crazy, the honest, the romantic, the optimistic, the soul. She’s everything that it should be spread among the characters in any kind of story. And she’s one of the reasons I keep reading and why this book is good.

Also, there is one situation that in this book, it didn’t work for me. It’s true, life and the world aren’t perfect, but they are moments of perfection. For example, if I need to buy a dress and I find one in the first store I enter, in my size, and it fits greats, that is what I call a moment of perfection, and it will make me happy, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I get it organization and chaos need a balance, but if a person is happy with organization, let them be. The problem for what I see, it isn’t about to be or no to be perfect, to like or not to like chaos, the thing here is to be happy whatever the way a person wants to be, and not just the way a protagonist says it should be.  And even when there are hints about ‘it’s okay to be yourself’ in the story, I think there is still something missing.

Anyway, I’m happy that I insisted on the Author. I knew that eventually, I’d find one that I’ll enjoy it, and I did. But I don’t think she’s the kind of author for me, maybe I’ll try again, maybe not. Still, I’m grateful for the experience. It was worth it.

Best phrase:

“This felt right Not just leaving, but how I was doing it. Without regret, without second guessing. And with Wes right there, holding the door open for me as I walk out into the light.”

Note: Photo was taken from www.google.com

FOR DAYS OF YOU AND ME

By: Miranda Kenneally

Genre: Y/A.  Contemporary Romance

Year: 2020.

Rating: 4 stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟

“Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.”

Even though this book isn’t entirely about a sport, like every other story by the author it has his magic. To be honest, I had to force myself through the first couple of chapters to get into the book, but once it got me, there wasn’t any way I couldn’t put it down until I finish it.

‘Four Days of You and Me’ has all the whole package of an excellent Y/A story, friendship, romance, growing up and learnings, with a particular concept, that I think is the key for this story’s success, It’s told through entire high school experience. No one year, no one season, with this book, we have the opportunity of living the life of the characters and their adventures for four years.

I love the writing, it’s so powerful, I feel everything, anger, depression, sadness, euphoric and happiness. Lulu and her gang are fantastic, I laugh and cry with them. Alex, on the other hand, gets on my nerve more than once, but with every page, I start to understand him and kind of like him. Still, the author has created better male characters in the past.

Another thing it doesn’t convince me well, it’s the idea of the antagonist comforting the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good example and great learning, but for a reader like me, that it needs to feel everything like it is real, this situation doesn’t work, maybe with some more explanation. And what about children deciding on their healthcare over teachers, the only thing I could think at the moment was a liability. However, those are small details that anyone can overlook and just appreciate a well-done plot.

I really enjoyed the reading, especially when it helped me to bring those memories of my high school years, the feeling of having the best time of my life, the longing at the end and those friends that I might or might no seeing again, but that always were going to be important in my heart.

100% Recommended

Best phrases:

“When I was younger. I wondered if happily-ever-afters were realistic. Were they a myth? I still don’t know the truth. A friend could choose a different path. A lover could leave. Family can change their minds, there’s only one thing I know for sure. … No matter what we’ll find our way back.”

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Picture was taken from www.goodreads.com

ECHOES BETWEEN US

By: Katie McGarry

Genre: Y/A Contemporary Romance

Year: 2020

Rate: 5 stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“He’s right beside me. Patient, kind, and doesn’t once try to do it for me. He encourages, but he lets me fight on my own.”

A little about the book:

“Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother's ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it's something more...

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose--can they conquer their demons together?”

My review:

I read this book a few weeks ago, now I’m sitting in front of my computer, closing my eyes and I’m feeling exactly the same I felt when I read the end. My heart is swollen with wonder.

I’m a huge fan of Katie McGarry’s work, and in my opinion, this story is completely different from her others. Yes, of course, we find the signature elements but, this book is more human, more realistic and scarier because there is nothing scarier than life. 

The plot is unique, adding a supernatural element which gives some intrigue touch to the story.

Echoes between us tell the story of Veronica and Sawyer, and their journey to live a life against the odds, to support each other, and to break the vicious circle, to help each other to be free.

The narrative is outstanding, Veronica and Sawyer’s voices are sincere and vulnerable, sometimes I just wanted to get inside the book and hug them.

 As usual the author also includes sensitive topics, and in this particular case, some issues that make the reader think a lot about life choices. Or at least it did for me.

There’s friendship too, the one that was born a first sigh, the occasional one, and the one that reborn after ashes.

Every character has its own personal touch to the story, they’re well done portrayed. I would love to read more about Scarlet and Jesse, but I understand this isn’t their story.

I love the romance. It isn’t instantaneous. At first, they don’t even like each other, it’s built slowly, piece by piece and when they realize the like each other, still they decide they need each other more as a friend.

Finally, I have to say that with every book not matter what Katie McGarry finds a special way to make us get inside the story, to live and feel like every character, to makes us love and hate with so much passion and always to want more.

This book is perfect for everybody especially for those who need to learn how to trust.

100% recommended.

Note: I received an ARC from Tor/forge through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Photo is taken from google.com