Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Lucky in Love

by Kasie West

Source: bought

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Can’t buy me love… 

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?

****

How can I not love a Kasie West book if she’s the queen of cute contemporary romances. I read Lucky in Love in one of those “sad days” and it amazed me how her books always make me feel better.

Even though her main characters are starting to feel too similar for me (I know, I’m going to hell for saying this), Kasie West brings to life Seth, one of the cutest love interest I’ve seen.

I loved Maddie and Seth’s relationship and how cute they were together and while I felt like Maddie was a little dramatic and sometimes even did not deserve Seth, I still loved how everything turned out to be.

You see, this book is about money and money is almost always a hard topic, because not everyone feels the same. So, half of the book I was really angry with Maddie decisions, they felt too childish and self centered, and sometimes I kept thinking it was unrealistic, but I can’t know for sure, because it obviously never happened to me (you know, to be millionaire). The other half, I kept feeling bad for her and I just wanted her to be happy.

While money stuff wasn’t my favorite part to read, the romance was EVERYTHING, I still haven’t found any other author that makes fall in love with a romance as much as Kasie West does. I want all her couples to live happily ever after.

Overall, I enjoyed Lucky in Love, it didn’t disappoint at all, and now I can’t wait to read what’s next from her! 

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My Thoughts On: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Turtles All the Way Down

by John Green

Source: bought

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

****

 

I’ve been a huge fan of John Green ever since I read Paper Towns, and I think I’ve loved all of his books, even when the language barrier made it hard for me to properly understand them. That’s why I’ve been anticipating Turtles All The Way Down since the day it was announced. I couldn’t wait to read, so of course I started reading it on the release week. 

Maybe because I’m a huge fan it’s hard for me to describe how I feel about this book. The thing is, I liked it so much, but I didn’t love it because I couldn’t feel John Green in it. For starters, since I didn’t read the synopsis, I was bit shocked to discover the book is narrated by a girl (yeah, I know TFIOS is narrated by a girl, too), but I was used to his male narrators (Quinn, Will Grayson, Colin, Miles), so I was kind of expecting a boy as a main character. But that’s my fault cause, like I said, I didn’t read the synopsis.

The second thing that bothered me a little is the romance, but even I don’t know why. I understand why it was the way it was, but I was expecting a little more when it came to it. 

You see, I don’t know what to think. I’m a mess inside. This book is about Aza’s (the MC) struggles with her mental illness and how she’s trying to overcome it, and at the same time, explain them to the people around her. Aza is such a great character and she broke my heart throughout the book and all I wanted was her happiness.

Aza’s journey is deep and heartbreaking, but John Green has the ability to capture the feelings of wonder with his words, so, at the same time, there were many times when this book made me feel happy!

And have I told you how good was the friendship between Aza and Daisy? In all honesty, that friendship was my favorite part of Turtles All The Way Down. 

So, overall, I enjoyed this book. I might not have loved it as much as TFIOS, but I still liked it and I’ll read John Green writes from now on.

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Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

What to Say Next

by Julie Buxbaum

Source: ARC provided for review. Thank you!

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

****

What To Say Next is one of the cutest stories out there.

This is my first book by Julie Buxbaum, but I’ve heard so many great things about it that I was dying to read it.

The beginning felt a little slow and confusing for me, but suddenly it became a page turner. I don’t know how to explain it, except that this book fascinated me.

I’ve read many, many book about “issues” or mental illness because with limited education and not a lot of free time, I learn through books, and What To Say Next is not only a beautiful book with a lovely romance, but a thought provoking read, too.

The main characters, David and Kit are likable and charming. Their lives are complex and hard, but I loved how they both are… well, nice. David is such a lovely, lovely boy.

Their friends-to-romance relationship was so cute and it happened naturally, so I shipped them hard.

There are so many great things to say about this book, but you know, it’s really hard to think about them individually because I loved this book overall.

The characters were all realistic and “almost” (except Kit’s male friends) all of them were likable. My favorite one was David’s sister. I loved how supportive she was!

The writing was fast-paced and enjoyable. And the ending was really satisfying.

If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read and a cute romance between diverse characters, add this book to your TBR right now!

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Waiting on Wednesday: A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

The line between best friend and something more is a line always crossed in the dark.

Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. While nobody notices her, she’s free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more curse than gift.

As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences.

When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.

 

 

 *****

Why am I waiting on this book? I've always wanted to read a book by Malinda Lo and I hope this will be my first one. This book sounds thrilling! I can't wait to read it! 

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What's New? Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June

 

Ok, I'm not really in for the Red Riding Hood re-telling, but the main character's name sounds latinx and I'm really looking forward to reading more latinx stories, as much as I can find. 
I'm not sure if it's my kind of read, but I want to give it a chance.
Check it out!

Expected publication:  May 1st 2018 by Blink

 

 

From author Christina June comes Everywhere You Want to Be, a modern retelling of the Red Riding Hood story.

Matilda Castillo has always done what she was told, but when she gets injured senior years, she watches her dreams of becoming a contemporary dancer slip away. So when Tilly gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the summer with a New York dance troupe, nothing can stop her from saying yes--not her mother, not her fears of the big city, and not the commitment she made to Georgetown. Tilly's mother allows her to go on two conditions: one, Tilly will regularly visit her abuela in New Jersey, and two, after the summer, she'll give up dancing and go off to college.

Armed with her red vintage sunglasses and her pros and cons lists, Tilly strikes out, determined to turn a summer job into a career. Along the way she meets new friends ... and new enemies. Tilly isn't the only one desperate to dance, and fellow troupe member Sabrina Wolfrik intends to succeed at any cost. But despite dodging sabotage and blackmail attempts from Sabrina, Tilly can't help but fall in love with the city, especially since Paolo, a handsome musician from her past, is also calling New York home for the summer.

As the weeks wind down and the competition with Sabrina heats up, Tilly's future is on the line. She must decide whether to follow her mother's path to Georgetown or leap into the unknown to pursue her own dreams.

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What's New? This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter

 

I haven't read anything by this author because, and even though this book sounds like the kind of sad book I love, I'm not sure if I'll end up reading it. Anyway, it sounds really good.
Check it out!

Expected publication: February 27th 2018 by Wednesday Books 

 

 

A new heart saved her life—but will it help her find out what really happened to its donor?

Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was — a boy from her school — and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.

Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living, took more courage than dying?

This Heart of Mine is a haunting, poignant tale about living and dying, surviving grief, guilt, and heartache, while discovering love and hope in the midst of sadness.

 

 

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This is How it Happened by Paula Stokes

This is How it Happened

by Paula Stokes

Source: ARC provided for review. Thank you!

My Rating: 3.5 - 4 stars

Goodreads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

When Genevieve Grace wakes up from a coma, she can’t remember the car crash that injured her and killed her boyfriend Dallas, a YouTube star who had just released his first album. Genevieve knows she was there, and that there was another driver, a man named Brad Freeman, who everyone assumes is guilty. But as she slowly pieces together the night of the accident, Genevieve is hit with a sickening sense of dread—that maybe she had something to do with what happened.

As the internet rages against Brad Freeman, condemning him in a brutal trial by social media, Genevieve escapes to her father’s house, where she can hide from reporters and spend the summer volunteering in beautiful Zion National Park. But she quickly realizes that she can’t run away from the accident, or the terrible aftermath of it all.

Incredibly thought-provoking and beautifully told, Paula Stokes’s story will compel readers to examine the consequences of making mistakes in a world where the internet is always watching…and judging.  

****

I love Paula Stokes’ books, she’s such a great storyteller and her stories are awesome. Maybe that’s why there’s a war in my head because of this book.

I’m going to start with: What I liked.

This Is How It Happened was a fast-paced and thought provoking read. I was shocked with how realistic and emotional it was. The main plot twist was revealed early in the book, which was surprising, until I realized that wasn’t the point of this book. This book was about choices the consequences of what we do or hide.

Paula Stokes has the ability to make you feel like pages fly. I read this book and two days, and that’s really fast for me, but that’s because I was dying to read the end.

I really liked the characters, too, especially the parents. I loved how Genevieve’s parents, mom or dad, were always present in the book and how not everything happened behind their backs.

And I adored the mention of American Ninja Warrior! I’m a huge fan of the show and this is the first time I ever read about it in a YA book.

Now. What I did not like.

This will be weird, because I give it a high rating, but I feel like there are more things I didn’t like than things I actually liked.

For starters, I didn’t like Genevieve. I understand her, and I felt bad for her, but I felt like everything was just too easy for her. She did many cowardly things throughout the book and even though I knew why and I -again- understood her; I simply couldn’t feel sorry for her. I couldn’t connect with her at all, and that was even before I read the plot twist.

I’m not going to lie here. I read the last chapter and I STILL felt bitter that nothing more happened to her. And no, I’m not one of those people who write cruel things online and I don’t judge other when I don’t know their stories. I just didn’t like Genevieve.

I also disliked the romance.

That’s might be because the two books I read before this one didn’t have much romance, but I felt like this book didn’t need it. I felt like this boy presence (please forgive me, I already forgot his name) was just convenient.

I didn’t like the ending, either. This is mostly because, like I said, I didn’t like Genevieve and how good everything turner out for her… 

Would I recommend this book?

Yes, even when there were things I didn’t like, this book has such an important message about a really important topic and we all should be aware of it. 

****highlight for SPOILER**** Even if drowsy driving isn’t a crime where Genevieve lives, it’s still a crime in my country and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read horrible stories or known some people who died or ended up terrible injured after a crash provoked by drowsy driving, so it really and personally bothered me that Genevieve didn’t face any legal consequence after they knew she caused the accident and then kept it for herself, especially because of what Bradley Freeman went through. I found it really unfair.

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