WE ALL FALL DOWN By Natalie D. Richards

July 21, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

WE ALL FALL DOWN By Natalie D. RichardsWe All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/3/17
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Theo's always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He's obsessed over that decision. And it's time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death.

Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She's trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene―Theo's fist lands in her face.

All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember...and pay for what they each did.

Sweet and Short Review

Theo and Paige used to be best friends until there was a physical assault at a party and then they went their separate ways. Now Paige is taking a college course checking water sources and Theo is working with his uncle on the bridge where the altercation took place, Theo and Paige cross paths and now they’re both being haunted by memories of that night.

This book was a hot mess like I don’t even have words to describe how ridiculous this book is. Theo and Paige both have something going on, he has ADHD and Paige has severe anxiety and she sleep walks and they both blame these things on why they’re hearing things on the bridge. Paige and Theo both like each other but Theo is basically forced to stay away and Paige just makes things awkward by always bring up how bad they are for each other and she does it every time they’re around each other and it gets pretty old. Eventually Theo meets a kid Gabriel who seems to know about the bridge and who can try to help him figure out why he’s hearing. fragments of the argument from the night he got in the fight at the party. At this point Paige is losing her grip on reality and Theo just wants to believe what he wants so Gabriels input is basically irrelevant. The ending was welcome because I didn’t know how much more I could take. The explanation of the haunting made absolutely no sense. It would have been better if it was just a haunted bridge and the two characters had to figure out what happened, but no apparently Paige just carries around so much bad energy that she feeds the bridge its power to haunt people. That would have made more sense maybe if Paige was into voodoo but no she’s just a girl with bad vibes. Wouldn’t recommend this book and I’m just glad I don’t have to look back because these characters offer nothing but one more hummingbird in the cuckoo’s nest vibes and the haunted bridge plot didn’t work.

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SEE YOU YESTERDAY By Rachel Lynn Solomon

July 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

SEE YOU YESTERDAY By Rachel Lynn SolomonSee You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/17/22
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

Short and Sweet Review

Barrett’s first day of college isn’t going well, she thought she’d get a fresh start after high school but fate had other plans for her. First she gets called out in physics class by another student, botches her interview for the school paper, and ends up going to a party and setting it on fire. Obviously after the fire Barrett flees in embarrassment and finds that she’s been locked out of her dorm room so she just crashes on a couch in the common room. When Barrett wakes up its not a new day it’s the same day and she soon learns that the kid who called her out, Miles has been reliving this day for weeks. Now the two of them have to work together to set the time line straight.

I loved this book and the Groundhog Day style time loop. Barrett doesn’t trust Miles right away after what he did in physics class that first day but she has no choice but to work with him. I liked seeing how they would live the day out and see what they would do differently. I also liked seeing how the relationship between Barrett and Miles progressed after spending so much time together it was great seeing how vulnerable they were with each other. There’s also a little mystery surrounding a professor that no one seems to remember but she’s also Barrett and Miles only hope of getting back home.

Even though it was fun to see Miles and Barrett live out the same day and seeing what they did different I did feel for them when they wanted to go home and live the unexpected. This book was funny and cute and I couldn’t put it down. The characters are great and I love how they learn that sometimes the unexpected is okay and that life is meant to be lived. I would definitely recommend this book, the time loop aspect, the characters, and the romance will have you hooked!

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MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE By Alex Light

July 12, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE By Alex LightMeet Me in the Middle by Alex Light
Published by HarperTeen on 7/12/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Eden had her best friend Katie—she didn’t need anyone else. But then there was Truman.

Katie’s older brother, the artist. The recluse. The boy with the innocent smile and the dangerous eyes.

Eden had never really known Truman—not until the night of Katie’s accident. That was the night they’d finally let each other into their orbits—only to have the sky come crashing down on them.

With Katie in the hospital and Truman fleeing from his grief without a word, Eden is left alone to grapple with her own pain. But when Truman returns to the city, can Eden let him back into her life knowing that their first kiss is what tore their world apart?

Short and Sweet Review

Edens best friend is Katie and all Eden needs is Katie, but Katie is in a coma and now Eden needs to navigate life without her best friend. Truman is Katie’s older brother and after her accident he left for a couple of months but he’s back now and Eden is trying her best to avoid him. Both of them are dealing with guilt but what they really need is someone who understands. But can these two be in the same place long enough to talk about everything that flipped their world upside down? 

The book goes back and forth between Eden and Truman’s POVs. I didn’t connect with either character, I think that was mainly due to how they talked to their friends and people who cared about them, Eden could have been a lot better to her roommate Ramona. I don’t feel like a lot happened in this book. We see Eden try to go through life day by day and we see that she’s either thinking about Katie or Truman. Truman on the other hand is back in town and he’s an artist so the book explores that.  The romance between Eden and Truman fell flat for me, it’s the basic girl has a crush on her best friends brother, but what made this worse is that after the accident Eden says she wants nothing to do with Truman but she can’t stop thinking about him. I didn’t like the back and forth between this relationship and there were too many negative feelings involved for this relationship to ever work out. Eden also works at a restaurant with a guy named Manny and that restaurant was one of the main settings. Manny and Ramona start a project towards the end of the book and I was upset to see that it wasn’t mentioned ever again. 

Overall this was an okay book. I feel like it covered the characters grief well and it was interesting to see how Eden dealt with Katie being in a coma vs. Truman. I just wish the characters didn’t feel so flat there was no character growth and the back and forth romance didn’t work for me. 

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RIDE WITH ME By Lucy Keating

June 25, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

RIDE WITH ME By Lucy KeatingRide With Me by Lucy Keating
Published by Clarion Books on 6/28/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 318
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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As a driver for her local ride share app, Charlie Owens loves what the open road gives her: freedom, extra cash for an epic road trip, and a path to getting out of her sleepy town of Chester Falls, Massachusetts. She’s seen her fair share of mysterious passengers and explosive break-ups in the backseat of her car, but Charlie lives a no-strings-attached lifestyle and never gets involved.

But when a routine post-party pick-up ends with Charlie crashing into Andre, her school’s notorious party boy, she’s forced to make a deal to drive him anywhere he needs to go, anytime, until his car can be repaired. Suddenly Charlie and Andre are stuck together, and they couldn’t be more different. But Andre’s charm wins over Charlie’s passengers, and she soon finds herself at risk of breaking her most sacred rule: don’t fall in love.

Short and Sweet Review

Charlie is a driver for a ride share company, she loves her job because of the freedom it gives her and the extra cash isn’t so bad either. But after a pick up ends in Charlie hitting someones car she has to think fast, which is when she offers the owner of the other car, Andre rides anywhere and anytime.

This book was not what I was expecting from the synopsis. I was expecting more car rides and learning about the passengers, but what I got was some car rides with Andre and Charlie’s other customers and a big focus on Charlie trying to impress an architect, and her obsession with leaving her small town of Chester Falls. So Charlie and Andre are very different I would describe Charlie as uptight and by the book, she’s been a ride share driver and one of the top rated but we learn she’s not very personable. Andre is a party boy and laid back, he on the other hand has the ability to relate and connect with Charlies passengers and even gives advice. Charlie and Andre buttheads a lot so I didn’t really feel the romance between the two especially towards the end where Charlie jumps to conclusions and wouldn’t even hear Andre out. The other subplot was Charlie trying to impress Ava and get an internship so Charlie try to find projects she can rework to show Ava for her portfolio. Charlie has great ideas its just that she doesn’t listen to what her clientele would want. Charlie is also obsessed with leaving Chester Falls because she doesn’t think there’s anything for her there, she even criticizes her parents for being there and basically not doing anything with there lives. When she blew up on her parents and Andre I just knew I didn’t like her. Honestly Charlie wouldn’t really listen to people and would come up with her own conclusions and that was her biggest downfall as a character.

Overall this book was okay, it was a fast read, it wasn’t what I was hopping for but it was enjoyable.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna Bright

June 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna BrightThe Song That Moves the Sun by Anna Bright
Published by HarperTeen on 6/28/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 462
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Best friends Rora and Claudia have never felt more like their lives are spiraling out of control. And when they meet Major and Amir—two boys from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs—they discover they’re not alone. There is a disruption in the harmony between the spheres, and its chaos is spreading.

To find the source of the disharmony, Rora and Claudia will embark on a whirlwind journey of secrets, romance, and powerful truths—about themselves, each other, and two long-ago explorers named Dante and Beatrice, who were among the first to chart this course toward the stars.

Short and Sweet Review

Claudia and Rora are best friends but lately something has been off in their lives. The girls meet Major and Amir at a concert and learn that the boys are from one of the secret cities of the spheres, which are ruled by the magic of the astrological signs. The group learns that there is a disruption in harmony on the spheres which is causing chaos to spread. The group teams up to find the disharmony by traveling the spheres and on this journey they all learn a little more about themselves.

This was an interesting but fun journey of a book. Our main characters are Claudia, Rora, Amir, and Major. We got the POVs from Claudia and Rora, and we also get one from the past that shows Dante, Marco Polo, and Beatrices adventures. Claudia and Rora are from Earth while Amir and Major are from other planets. When the girls learn that fixing the disharmony can possibly help fix what’s been wrong with them, they join the boys in a quest to fix what’s gone wrong. I liked the characters, Rora and Claudia are best friends but are also as close as sisters they care about each other and want the best. Rora has had a rough few months and she knows that music helps her for a short amount of time and it turns out she’s an amplifier. There is a romance between Claudia and Amir, and Rora and Major. The romance was sweet but it was obviously rushed. I enjoyed the journey through the spheres and seeing the other planets and learning that they had different songs, and seeing the effects that each planet had on other planets. I thought the boys were great travel companions for the girls. I loved seeing the girls take charge while they were in the spheres even though they weren’t from there they didn’t take a backseat. Claudia was probably the brains and was determined to figure out what was going wrong, while Rora was unsure of things but she eventually became more courageous. Claudia and Rora learn a lot about themselves during this journey and I liked seeing the character development.

Overall this was a fun book, the adventure and plot was great and I loved the inclusion of astrology and traveling the planets with these characters.

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THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY By Jenny Han

June 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY By Jenny HanThe Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Series: Summer #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/5/09
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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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 wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Short and Sweet Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty follows Belly. Belly spends her summers at a beach house with her mom, brother and her moms best friend and her two sons Jeremiah and Conrad. Conrad and Jeremiah have been like older brothers to Belly and they were also her first crushes, but now that Belly is a little older things have changed.

This book was a hot mess. I found Belly to be immature and childish and sometimes I even questioned if she was actually 16. Belly often acted like she was still a kid and maybe that’s because the boys have treated her like one for so long, I found it annoying. Anyway we basically follow Belly throughout the summer and see her trying to figure out which brother she likes more, its Conrad. She pines over Conrad and it was hard to read because he didn’t see her that way but then when she got a little summer fling her was jealous and everything about the dynamic between Belly and these brothers was messy! One day she likes Jeremiah the next she likes Conrad and everything about that is gross. The book also includes scenes from the past to show us what past summers were like at the beach house.

I did not fall in love with this book like I thought I would. I struggled to get through it and that’s because of Belly, I just didn’t connect with her, I found her to be selfish and too immature. I also don’t like that the love triangle is between brothers (that never works out well.) Anyway I’m still on the fence on if I want to read the next two books but this one was a big disappointment.

Filed Under: Reviews

PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN By Kasie West

June 15, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN By Kasie WestPlaces We've Never Been by Kasie West
Published by Delacorte Press on 5/31/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they'd talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems...like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.

An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?

Short and Sweet Review

Norah and Skyler were childhood best friends but after Skyler moved away their communication dwindled. Now that their families are going on a joint RV trip for the summer Norah can’t wait to see Skyler, but when Skyler arrives he seems like he wants to be anywhere else then on an RV for three weeks.

Spending three weeks on the road gives Norah and Skyler a lot of time to work through their issues. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the two because they have a lot of history and inside jokes. When we get a look into their past we see that they’re always there for each other and now there’s some tension mainly on Skyler’s part which makes Norah frustrated. Norah is interesting, she tries to put on a front to be perfect but everyone that knows her well sees right through it. I love that she’s interested in gaming and uses her art to come up with ideas for video games. On the road trip on of the stops is at a college where Norah has an interview. I did like reading about all the RV stops and some of the side plots one of them being Norah trying to find out what her mom was keeping from her. I did think the romance was cute once Norah and Skyler worked through everything that’s happened since they haven’t seen each other.

This was a cute and fast read, its perfect for a summer read!


Filed Under: Reviews

THE ONE By Kiera Cass

June 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE ONE By Kiera CassThe One by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #3
Published by HarperTeen on 5/6/14
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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America Singer searches for her happily ever after in this swoon-worthy YA dystopian romance, perfect for readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, or Renée Ahdieh’s The Wrath & the Dawn.

Entering the Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she arrived at the palace, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen—and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

Short and Sweet Review

After everything that happened in The Elite, America is now sure that she wants Maxon to be hers but now she has to fight for it and show him that she’s serious.

This book was more political in that it showed more attacks from the southern rebels and we also saw the northern rebels. We also saw Maxon and America negotiate and try to align the northern rebels views with there’s. Maxon is still unsure of America because of how much she’s pushed him away in the past and America does revel that she’s been keeping Aspen around as a safety net. I liked this book because it was more than just a competition at this point and we see America freely express her ideas and even though its not well received by some it just shows what kind of princess she would be. I will say that Maxon’s temper did get the best of him and some of the things he said to America were cruel. I also liked seeing the girls finally bond in the end and let down their walls and just enjoy each others company. This was a good ending to this trilogy I liked following America and seeing her journey she grew as a character, I wish she realized sooner that she wanted Maxon but I guess her indecision was needed for the plot. Otherwise this was a good series and I’m excited to see what The Heir has in store.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE ELITE By Kiera Cass

May 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE ELITE By Kiera CassThe Elite by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #2
Published by HarperTeen on 4/23/13
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection, and to win Prince Maxon’s heart. Now six girls remain, and the competition is fiercer than ever—but America Singer is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—that she wants? Or is it still Aspen, her first love?

Short and Sweet Review

The Elite picks up right where The Selection left off. There’s six girls left and the competition is fierce. America still isn’t sure if she should pick Aspen or Maxon. Maxon on the other hand is sure about America and would end the selection to make her his one. This book was entertaining but also had it’s moments where America’s indecisiveness got annoying. America would decide that Maxon was the one she wanted to choose but then she would find something wrong with him any little reason to push him away. Honestly if I was Maxon I would be annoyed because America was just playing with his feelings. When America saw that Maxon was interested in Kriss, she got jealous and realized that she needed to fight for him and stop playing with his emotions. I liked how we saw more of the rebels and found out what they wanted. We also got to see the girls learn about important things like philanthropy. I’m interested in seeing how things play out in the final book, because America isn’t a front runner and she’s walking on thin ice. I liked The Elite it was a fast read and made me realize I would never want to be in a competition like this, but it is fun to see how things play out.

Filed Under: Reviews

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER By Casey McQuiston

May 25, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER By Casey McQuistonI Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Published by Wednesday Books on 5/3/22
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair and square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe―probably not, but maybe―more to Shara, too.

Short and Sweet Review

Chloe Green has been in a fierce academic competition with Shara Wheeler ever since she moved to Alabama from California. Chloe wants to be valedictorian and the only thing in her way is Shara. But a month before graduation Shara kisses Chloe and disappears. Now Chloe is on the hunt for answers and learns that she isn’t the only person Shara kissed, she kissed Rory the boy next door and Smith her longtime boyfriend. The three of them have to solve the cryptic clues that Shara left behind for them in order to find her.

Well it started out with a kiss and then Shara’s disappearance and Chloe Green’s obsession with finding her. I liked the scavenger hunt aspect of the book and how Chloe became friends with Rory and Smith people she wouldn’t normally interact with. I also like how the letters brought Rory and Smith together too. Anyway that’s the extent of what I liked about Shara leaving the clues behind. Chloe becomes so obsessed with Shara that she starts to ditch her own friends and she starts to say it’s because she wants to beat Shara so bad to become valedictorian but it is a toxic obsession with trying to get Shara first and having Shara admit she likes Chloe.

There’s not much else going on in this book, it basically centers around finding Shara and graduation. We also see a lot of LGBT relationships which was nice seeing the representation. But I don’t think this book was what I expected, the scavenger hunt part was entertaining but once I got to the end I realized how creepy Chloe’s interactions with Shara were and how demanding Chloe was. Anyway this wasn’t the best book and it wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t for me.

Filed Under: Reviews