Mini Reviews #25

After an extended blogging break I'm finally back with a new mini reviews post. 17 FIRST KISSES by Rachael Allen, THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE by Leslie Connor and THROUGH TO YOU by Lauren Barnholdt  are June and July 2014 releases and all make for great summer reads.

17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

Claire and Megan are best friends and they are completely boy-crazy. When a new boy moves to town Claire is determined he could finally be her one true love but she has to risk her friendship with Megan in order to test her theory.

Claire and Megan's friendship was always presented like it couldn't coexist with their dating life. Her list of kisses, which Claire often talks about like trophies or inanities, is long. And so I couldn't help thinking that her emotional world felt very limited. Or maybe I just  couldn't see any sense in the fight she has with her supposedly best friend Megan over the new boy Luke. 

Luke and Claire's love story could've been something to enjoy if he really were the one boy who she truly cared about. But with all the fighting going on between the two girls, their romance gets petty and complicated fast and wasn't that romantic and dreamy in the end.

3/5 *** 17 FIRST KISSES - A mostly kissable YA contemporary debut 2014. But better be prepared for all the boy drama!

One potentially great love story for Claire is not nearly enough to make up for all the juvenile fighting between Claire and Megan we have to endure. But Rachael Allen also tells a bunch of funny, awkward and cute stories of first kisses that make her debut novel a YA contemporary you might want to check out.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: June 17^th 2014
Length: 319 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, friendship

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

17 First Kisses Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

Bettina lives a very controlled life somewhat removed from friends, dating or fun activities other people her age would take for granted. She lives on a farm with her parents and two little brothers and has to abide by the strict rules her Greek father enforces on her. I often felt sorry for her since her father seemed to observe her every move and keep her outings to a very limited number. And where the family story didn't really work for me, Bettina's love life was looking kind of complicated, too. It wasn't always easy to feel a connection to Bettina. 
She also lives in an abusive relationship until she meets someone new. A different boy, an older boy. Two love stories and not one of them really convinced me. Then there's a great tragedy, too, which changes everything. You see, Bettina's story is anything but easy. Hopefully, many readers will appreciate the time Leslie Connor gave her protagonist in order to come out of all the unfortunate things she had to deal with, changed and a better and stronger person.

3/5 *** THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE - A very special love story with Greek temper and a tragedy that changes everything! 

Bettina's story was pretty decent. She was a character I liked one chapter, then had a few issues with in the next. So in general, I feel very ambivalent about this story when I look at the balance of its bright and very dark moments. One thing I have to give Leslie Connor, she definitely surprised me at one point in the story, so much so that the story got a different quality to it. Totally unexpected!

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publishing Date: June 24^th 2014
Length: 368 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, family, friendship, abuse, Greek culture

Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary 

The Things You Kiss Goodbye Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

Through To You by Lauren Barnholdt

Harper and Penn's story is one that tells how opposites attract each other. Lauren Barnholdt's newest book is told from his and her perspective. Chapters read fast and easily, which I liked just fine.

When I hear about a new novel by Lauren Barnholdt I'm always excited about the story and can't wait to read it, but in the end it's just not enough. With its cute premise THROUGH TO YOU sounded like the kind of story fans of Simone Elkeles or Katie McGarry could be interested in. But as always with Lauren's books, the characters didn't feel as forthcoming, well-rounded or with enough emotional depth as they could've been. But don't get me wrong, Harper and Penn's love story is cute and I guess theirs is the one that I liked best out of Lauren's stories.

3/5 *** THROUGH TO YOU - Penn and Harper are Lauren Barnholdt's cutest couple so far!

I  like that Lauren Barnholdt's books always make for a fast and light read with a little morale lesson or emotional or personal conflict solved. I will keep reading her books even though I fear I won't ever be completely satisfied by them. Maybe if I just accept that, I can hopefully enjoy them more in the future.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: July 8^th 2014
Length: 256 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, high school

Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads Summary 

Through To You Excerpt  

Author's Homepage

Book Review: How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Title: How My Summer Went Up In Flames
Author: Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: May 7th 2013
Length: 320 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, road trip, friendship
Source: Edelweiss

First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

Summary by Goodreads

Last year I read the summary of HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES and immediately knew that I had to read Jennifer Salvato Doktorski's 2013 debut as soon as possible. I was lucky to get approved for an Edelweiss copy in November and what can I say... I loved it. What drew me to HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES in the first place was the well-done combination of an adorable YA contemp cover, edgy title and the impulsivity of our main character Rosie, plus prescribed road trip cure.

Upon first hearing about what brought Rosie in the situation of having to leave her city and go on a road trip with three boys, my first thought was: 'That girl is nuts (lucky)'. She burnt her ex boyfriend's car and can't stop stalking him. But be assured that crazy is only meant by the best possible definition. Rosie is crazy fun and a super lovely girl and friend.  Rosie Catalano is a YA contemp main character you don't see every day. With her mother being from Ecuador and her father Italian, it's no wonder she's very headstrong and temperamental. She is one of the characters whose emotions are very strong, but has a very gentle heart at the same time and is willing to learn from past mistakes.

HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES was such an unusual road trip book -one of my favourites nonetheless- because in other YA contemps characters actually want to go on road trips and are eager to leave their hometown, see many different places, not Rosie.  I wish someone would force me to go on her road trip!

A girl, three boys. Two brothers, and two constellations of best friends. I very much adored our road trip crew and their group dynamics. Going on a road trip with three boys is an adventure of itself. 

Matty is such a great guy and I loved that he and Rosie have been best friends for ages. They know each other well and can always rely on the other. 

Logan is this very laid-back, confident guy with various layers of hidden depth. And his brother Spencer is the cute nerd of the group. I'm totally like Spencer myself, because I am a manic planner and always need to work things out to the smallest detail. 

All three boys have other great things to offer and quirks you just have to want to hug them for. And I tell you Rosie will fall for one of those three boys, but you have to read Jen's debut to find out who it will be. Don't be scared if you want her to end up with all three of them, it's only natural these boys will steal your heart!  

But they are not the only characters that grow on you, Rosie has a best girl friend back home, an adorable dog, and her exceptionally likeable parents and brother. And of course the four meet many new people on their trip, too - numerous curiosities among them. 

Their route suggested a ton of fun. Culture, sightseeing, food, music, a fun park. This road trip is so enjoyable, because they are doing many different things, and no over the top activities or only because others would consider them cool. Rosie, Logan, Matty and Spencer are visiting places they feel like seeing and mean something to each of them. For example the Luray Caverns, Dollywood and the Grand Canyon are stops of their trip. They take with them a collection of unforgettable memories, stories of friendship and romantic feelings that will last for a lifetime. I wish I could have joined the four on their road trip for real!

1) every girl deserves to live her cowboy fantasies
2) of its unforgettable moments
3) of newfound friendships
4) of a life-changing road trip
5) of charitable propositions

5/5 ***** HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES - A debut charged with exquisite and summery road trip fun you don't want to miss out on!

Jen's book came out only a few days ago and I've read it twice already. You know what makes me so giddy with excitement I could do a book dance all day? Jennifer is working on a sequel to HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES! There aren't many sequels or series in YA contemporary so it's no wonder I'm craving a continuation of a story I loved very much. I can't wait to possibly read more about Rosie and the boys' story!

* Jennifer's second book, FAMOUS LAST WORDS, will be published by Henry Holt and Co. July 2nd!

* For an excerpt of HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES click here.

* Click here for my Q & A with Jennifer Salvato Doktorski.

* Jen did also write a guest post about road trips. Find it here.

* For further information about Jen and her books visit www.jendoktorski.com

* Thanks to Jen, Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for providing me with a  review copy of HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES!

Mini Reviews # 1

You might have noticed the astounding number of reviews on the blog lately. I simply didn't have the time to write full reviews and get them posted. That let me get way behind on my Netgalley titles and reviews in general. I've also had a few titles I haven't had the chance to review in many months. So that brought on the idea to give short reviews of those titles in a Mini Reviews post series. Starting today with a few contemporary romance titles.

Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Abbey has a plan. Caring and ambitious sister that she is, Abbey wants to win the beautiful boy she's seen in the hospital to help her wake up her sister Tess out of a coma - and that's what the story is mostly about. That boy is Eli. He is the perfect candidate to make every girl's dreams come true. He is charming and selfless.

Now Abbey wants him to flirt with Tess and bring her back. But of course her plan doesn't work out as it should. And Eli is falling for her instead of Tess just as Abbey can't deny her feelings for Eli.

All the time we've got an unwanted- quite bothersome-kind of love triangle between the three of them. Tess' ghost always floating above their heads and Abbey refusing to acknowledge her true feelings.

Tess is a difficult character and although she isn’t really present, she’s still there all the time, influencing Abbey’s moves. What we learn about Tess in the course of BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER is a complicated story, a mixture of lies, secrets, sadness and wrong intentions.

And then Eli's got issues himself that make him insecure about his every move. So with their individual problems combined, his and Abbey's relationship isn't as easy as it should be. They are two very interesting characters and I really liked to see them growing closer with each heart-warming talk.

3/5 *** BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER- A slightly romantic and thoughtful read about finding love and learning lessons in the most unexpected place and time. 

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: May 24^th 2011

Length: 256 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, secrets, coma, hospital

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Goodreads Summary
Between Here And Forever Excerpt
Author's Homepage

 Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
 

A summer can change everything. Especially friendships and lovers. When Hannah’s best friend Ava leaves town, she can’t help but fall in love with her best friend’s boyfriend. It’s a thrill and a dilemma at the same time. Lauren Barnholdt did a really good job picturing these ambivalent emotions going along with a situation like Hannah and Noah’s. We get a great contrast between the things you are supposed to do, you want to do and you do in the end.

Interweaving flashbacks and present events in an engaging narration, that very well increases the reader’s anticipation, the story inevitably leads towards the peak of Hannah and Noah’s affair. The outcome which is addressed several times. But then…pouf. Lauren Barnholdt didn’t achieve to create a culmination point worth all the anticipation due to a lack of details. In the end the reader is just left with all that wondering and waiting what would really happen between the two.

SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS is full of relationship drama of main protagonists and secondary characters. It was enlightening to be thrown into the whole. But the story itself had a few flaws and wasn’t that thrilling as I’d imagined it to be in the end.

3,5/5 ***/* SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS – An enjoyable summer read about a lot of feelings and fun that convinces with its writing and characters.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: July 12^th 2011

Length: 320 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, falling in love with your best friend's boyfriend, friendship

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab 

Goodreads Summary

Sometimes It Happens Excerpt

Author's Homepage

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Two hours was all it took me to read THE DAY BEFORE. Such a small amount of time for a lot of work put into a book. The story was easy to read, because the formatting is very loose and it is written in verse. Each chapter is only a few pages long, with a headline comparable to the title of a poem. It’s fascinating how only a few words have the power to form such a rhyming story like THE DAY BEFORE and it surprised me that I actually liked my first verse novel.

The problematic- familiar and emotional- situations of protagonists Amber and Cade were supported well by the writing, but the shortness of the story itself made it difficult for them to be characters that’d stick with me for a long time.

Amber’s and Cade’s feelings are part of the poetic verse. They are rash and their justification grows out of the moment they are born. It isn’t very realistic to form such a strong bond in only a few hours, but that’s poetry, making things possible that aren’t in a world with gravity.

So they've got one day before everything changes. Amber and Cade make the best out of it. They aren’t alone in their fears anymore and I just love how much comfort they could give each other. Maybe there doesn’t always need to be sense and consideration, time and knowledge to feel connected to another person in such a deep way. The problems troubling the two teens really felt important and I wish I would have had more time to follow them and their growing friendship and love story.

3,5/5 ***/* THE DAY BEFORE – Poetic & admirable. Deep in meaning, swift and light in form and style!

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: June 28^th  2011

Length: 320 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, loss, fear, love, verse

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab 

Goodreads Summary
The Day Before Excerpt 
Author's Homepage


More mini reviews coming soon!