Meet Me In Outer Space by Melinda Grace

Title:  Meet Me In Outer Space

Author:  Melinda Grace
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publishing Date:  March 12th, 2019

Pages: 272
Genre:  YA Contemporary

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  ARC

 

Edie Kits has a learning disability. Well, not a learning disability exactly, but a disability that impacts her learning. It isn't visible, it isn't obvious, and it isn't something she likes to advertise.

And for three semesters of college, her hard work and perseverance have carried her through. Edie thinks she has her disability under control until she meets her match with a French 102 course and a professor unwilling to help her out.

Edie finds herself caught between getting the help she needs and convincing her professor that she isn't looking for an easy out. Luckily for Edie, she has an amazing best friend, Serena, who is willing to stitch together a plan to ensure Edie's success. And then there's Hudson, the badly dressed but undoubtedly adorable TA in her French class who finds himself pulled into her orbit...

I received this one for review without knowing too much about it but it sounded good. I love a good contemporary but I am so very picky. I thought this one would be grand because it’s about a person with a disability. One I don’t know anything about. I am a sucker for disability books because I like learn about the disability. This book was a good read. I enjoyed the romance. I enjoyed learning about the disability. It was a very fast read. I do feel there was a little something missing but I am not sure what it was. I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it as I had hoped I would.

This is about a girl with a auditory disability the difficulties she experiences in college. To get some help she employs the tutoring of a TA. A very cute and smug TA. She is leaving for Paris in the summer and she wants to be ready to speak French. Communicating and learning are already difficult for her because of her disability. So it’s important to her that she does well in French. The professor is difficult and doesn’t really seem keen on helping her. But the TA is. And that is what turns into the making of a love story.

So this book was a good read. I did enjoy it but I did have a few issues with it that I will get into. First I want to discuss what I did enjoy. I enjoyed the characters and the romance. The characters were not perfect by far. The main character, Edie, well she just wants to be normal, have a great life, and do what she dreams of doing. He auditory disability seems to get in the way at times but she has pretty much has learned to live with and find way to make things easier for her. The problem comes in when others do not want to help, as in her professor. She is torn between being normal and getting help for her disability. She doesn’t want to get special treatment or be treated with care… but sometimes she needs it. This did become aggravating at times but I did try to understand from Edie’s point of view.

The love interest. Well I just adored him. Yes, he was a little pushy and sometimes a little needy, and often times he comes across as an idiot… but something about it him was just adorable and I found myself rooting for him quite often. The romance was a good one. At first Edie was so not on board, but after a while, Hudson wore her down. The relationship didn’t come without it’s issues but in the long run it was cute and I enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed learning about Edie’s disability. It was interesting and since I knew nothing about this disability I was really into learning what it was and how people like Edie, live with it.

I did enjoy all these things but I also had some issues with them. The characters, I felt that Edie could have been a little more developed. I wanted to feel more of her struggles and her know more about her past. I felt everything I got from Edie was just the surface of her present life. The love story was cute, but it felt it was missing a little something. I would have liked it to be a bit deeper than cute. The disability aspect of the book. I felt it was too secondary to the romance. I would have liked it to be more central to the book.

I feel that this book was so much lighter than I anticipated. My fault or maybe the blurbs fault. I am not sure. If I had gone into this book expecting a light fluffy romance read… this would have been a perfect book. I think I was just expecting a little more depth. However I did still enjoy the book and would recommend to all those contemporary romance fans out there. It would make the prefect beach read this summer.

Nice, light, fluffy romance of a read. 

Melinda Grace wrote her first piece of fiction in middle school, but didn't write a complete story until an introduction to creative writing course at State University of New York at Oswego, where she earned a BA in human development. She went on to earn a MS Ed in counseling from Alfred University and currently works as an elementary school counselor. She loves sunshine, ice cream sandwiches, and anything Disney. Her debut novel Meet Me in Outer Space is an #OwnVoices story.

Field Notes On Love by Jennifer E Smith

Title: Field Notes On Love 

Author:  Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Publishing Date:  March 5th, 2019

Pages: 320
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.

Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo's spare ticket offer online, she's convinced it's the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.

When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he'll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they've created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?

I have really enjoyed Jennifer E Smith books in the past. I haven't read them all, they are all on my list, after reading this one, I need to get to the others asap. This book reminded why I love her books. I am very picky when it comes to contemporary romance, she is one of those authors I just can read no matter what. I know I will love them. This book was fun and wonderful. 


This is a story about a boy that had a wonderful train ride across the United States planned with his girlfriend. This girlfriend dumps him shortly before the trip but still tells him to go on the trip by himself. Boy thinks wonderful, one tiny problem... every ticket and every hotel room is in her name. no refunds, no exchanges, no transfers.... well crap. So boy puts out an ad to find another girl with same name as now ex girlfriend,  to take the trip with him. 

This is a story about a girl. This girl needs an adventure, to broaden her horizons, to find that spark to put into her films... so she can get into film school. Her name is the name of above boys ex girlfriend. She finds the add, contacts boy and next thing you know they are taking a train trip together. 

On this train ride adventures happen, a film is made, fears are conquered, and boy and girl fall in love. 

This book was so cute. Let me say first, I do not condone taking a long train ride in the same train car, across the country, with a stranger. Doesn't sound smart but hey its a book right. Well good thing this is a romance and not a thriller. Could have gone either way. I liked it as a romance. It just had a lot of joy in this story. There were some tough parts and some squabbles and some surprises... but it was  joyous and fun and just all together good. 

I enjoyed both characters but I did prefer Hugo over Mae. Mae was a bit cold at first. She just didn't believe in love, didn't ever want to let her guard down. She was hard. Not too hard,not to cold. First of all she could laugh and enjoy life... just not love... unless it was family love. She had two great dads and a grandmother all whom which she was very close too. But love for the soul mate... didn't believe it could exist. 

Hugo was fun. He was not a serious type... but he was a bit immature and not very level headed. He needed to get a way from his huge family. He needed some time to grow up on his own.  To find himself. Unlike Mae, he was more the hopeless romantic. Of course falling in love with someone new and a stranger at that was not in his line of sight. 

Well things happen and they fall in love. Yes it was a short train trip. About a week. But they did it all together. They let their guards down, their true self show, their hopes and dreams and regrets came out. There were some family hurt that was shared and also some disappointments. They were stuck together all this time, they made it work and it did work. It was sweet and fun and swoony. I just loved it. 

Really it's a love story but it's also a story about life and dreams and finding oneself. It was good and I so really loved it. Light but had depth. It made me smile so very much throughout the entire book. 

Oh I so loved it! 

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of eight books for young adults, including WINDFALL and THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her writing has been translated into 33 languages.

Review: The End of Our Story by Meg Haston

Title: The End of Our Story

Author:  Meg Haston
Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date:  April 4th, 2017

Pages:  282
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Meg Haston's romantic and thrilling new YA novel explores a star-crossed high school relationship in a tale rife with deeply buried secrets and shocking revelations.

Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other’s lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it.

Then Wil’s family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil’s side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. As the fierce current of tragedy threatens to pull them under, they must learn how to swim on their own—or risk drowning together.

This book seems to have been on my TBR for while and I didn't even know it. It was one of those books I chose when searching through my TBR for a new book. I couldn't even remember what it was about but it was on audio... so that worked.  I really really enjoyed this book. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the story. The ending was a bit rough, but it felt right. 

Bridge and Will had a relationship. They went from best friends as children to a romantic relationship as teenagers. But one night everything changed, changed when Bridge made a mistake and broke Will's heart. Later down the road, Will seems to be doing well... event though Bridge is not... He has a girlfriend, his life is moving forward, then tragedy strikes and everything in Will's life comes crashing down. Bridge infiltrates his life again when he needs a friend. This leads to their relationship starting again, but there is a secret that could tear them apart once again. 

I went into this book knowing nothing about the story except for the synopsis, which I barely read before starting the book. I was looking for something off my TBR that was also on audio and something that was lost in my TBR. This hit all the targets so I jumped right in. I was a little concerned after a few reviews and ratings I read on Goodreads. This book surprised the heck out of me and surpassed my expectations. I loved this book, it wasn't what I expected at all but I so loved it. It almost had a noir feeling about the book but more romance than mystery. It had a mystery though. It also had some coming of age aspects and of course the romance. It really was a great read for me. 

The story is told... once again in one of my favorite ways to tell a story, in dual timelines. There are the past events told both by Bridge and Will and then the present in both POVs. It was so intense at times. Piecing it all together. I figured out the big mystery way before it was revealed however, I didn't know the details, I figure out the secret. I felt it was pretty obvious. 

The story actually tore my heart to pieces. I wanted everything to be okay and I felt so much for both Bridge and Will but especially for Will. His life was complicated and tragic and so messed up, but he kept it together for the world to see. On the outside, his life seemed really good, but truthfully... it was a mess and he was hurting. 

Bridge had some issues, she has never been the same since Will and Bridge broke up. She was still in love with him but didn't know how to speak to him anymore. One night at the grocery store, Will's dad tells her not to give up on Will.  His words are what brings the two back together after the tragedy strikes. Bridge makes herself available for Will. 

Really this story is just good and it felt so real. The writing and the tone, it just made it all so clear to me. My heart broke, tears fell, my heart warmed, there were some really so sweet moments. It had everything I was looking for at the time I read this book. It was good, but tragic too, but also beautiful, testing the strength of friendship, love, family, and the truth. 

I think the only thing that brought my rating down a notch, the mystery was easy to figure out and the ending, although honest and fitting, was not how I wanted it to end. 

So good. I loved it, even though it broke my heart!

Meg Haston is the author of How to Rock Braces and Glasses and How to Rock Best Friends and Frenemies. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida, where she writes and works as a counselor in an independent school. Paperweight is her first young adult novel.

Review: The Art of French Kissing by Brianna R. Shrum

Title:  The Art of French Kissing 

Author:  Brianna R. Shrum
Publisher: Sky Pony Press 

Publishing Date: June 5th, 2016

Pages: 256
Genre:  YA Contemporary Romance

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  ARC

 

Seventeen-year-old Carter Lane has wanted to be a chef since she was old enough to ignore her mom's warnings to stay away from the hot stove. And now she has the chance of a lifetime: a prestigious scholarship competition in Savannah, where students compete all summer in Chopped style challenges for a full-ride to one of the best culinary schools in the country. The only impossible challenge ingredient in her basket: Reid Yamada.

After Reid, her cute but unbearably cocky opponent, goes out of his way to screw her over on day one, Carter vows revenge, and soon they're involved in a full-fledged culinary war. Just as the tension between them reaches its boiling point, Carter and Reid are forced to work together if they want to win, and Carter begins to wonder if Reid's constant presence in her brain is about more than rivalry. And if maybe her desire to smack his mouth doesn't necessarily cancel out her desire to kiss it.

I am not much for contemporary romance but this one really just called out to me. I love the cover and the title and the synopsis. I was very excited and couldn't wait to get this book in my hands. So excited when I received the ARC. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in this book. The story was super cute but the characters lacked for me. 

Carter has a dream of becoming a chef. She has had this dream since she was a wee little one and has worked hard to make this a reality one day. When she is accepted into competition for a scholarship to a cooking school, she knew this could be her one shot. She was ready for this. 

On the first day of the competition, she meets Reid. He seems like a nice guy, up until the moment he sabotages Carter in the very first cook-off. From this point on the two are at their best to mess the other one up. Until someone goes too far. 

Okay. I am super bummed about this book. I was really super excited and let me tell you the story was so cute and I would have loved it except for one issue. The main character, Carter, I just couldn't stand her. 

So here is the scoop on the story. It was fun. I loved the pranks, I loved the romance, except it, was with Carter.  I loved all the characters... just not Carter. The story was never slow, it kept my attention. I loved the story. I loved the ending. I loved most of everything.... but Carter. 

Carter was selfish, annoying, whiny, and very just mean. Some of the pranks were funny but really she took this way too far. Even after Reid apologized for doing it on the first day, she couldn't let it go. It was all about really screwing with Reid. I didn't feel like she really ever changed. She was really well pathetic. She needed constant reassurance and had no self-confidence. She started fights and arguments over little things. She just annoyed me. 

Reid was a great character. I really just loved him. He was super sweet and yes he messed up at first but didn't think all the way through it. Once he did he felt bad. He apologized. Then the prank war began and he really kept it pretty non-serious. Even when Carter was taking it too far. He was forgiving and charming and I just really liked him. I think he deserved better than Carter. 

I would have loved the romance, well I kind of did enjoy the romance. Once the truce was called and the romance started, Carter changed some. But not enough. The romance was sweet though only because of Reid. He was the star in this book. It would have been on the top of my list of romances if it wasn't for Carter. 

So where I am going with this is, Carter really ruined this read for me. I liked everything but her. I think even if she had grown by the end of the book, I could have dealt and enjoyed it a bit more. But no she really didn't. 

The ending did make me smile just a bit. I did like the ending. I just wish there would have been a different character other than Carter in this book. 

I had a hard time rating this book. The story was a 4 hearts, the romance was a 4 hearts, Reid was a 5 hearts, Carter was a -1 heart. So I went with a 2 hearts over all. 

I just couldn't handle the main the character. 

Hey guys! I'm a YA author living in Colorado with my high-school-sweetheart-turned husband and two little boys. I love all things villainous, magical, and strange, and when I'm not writing, am usually buried in someone else's words in a book. You can usually find me drinking chai and reading by my Harry Potter Christmas tree, which I will probably never take down.

Review: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Title: Starry Eyes

Author:  Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Simon Pulse  

Publishing Date:  April 3rd, 2018

Pages: 432
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

This was my first book by this author and I must say I am in love. I heard some very grand things about her and her books, but I am not much of a contemporary romance kind of reader. I decided after reading many wonderful reviews, finding out this book had camping and hiking, and the love others had for the characters... I needed to read this book. I am so very please I did. I did fall for this book just like countless others and I am now a fan of Jenn Bennett and will read all of her books! 

Zorie and Lennon used to be friends, on the verge of more, then something happened, things changed, and now they aren't ever friends. In fact, their families are mortal enemies in a way. Well, they get stuck on a camping trip and after a big fight among all the friends. Zorie and Lennon are abandoned in the woods with hardly any supplies. They have to hike to a place to be rescued... well to get home anyways. They are stuck all alone together in the woods with a not so perfect past and present feelings wanting to escape. So yup it's a love story and wilderness survival story and a family drama story and friends are always your friends story. 

I really loved everything about this book. Jenn Bennett has a way of creating characters. Even the ones I want to hate I cannot hate. Of course, the dopes that abandon Zorie and Lennon in the woods, I want to hate them and can hate them... but then again leaving these two in the woods brought me a very lovely story. The characters were for sure one of the great things about this read but not the only great thing. There was so much greatness in this book. The characters I will start with though. 

Zorie is an interesting character. At times I wanted to yell at her. She assumed a lot. But she was broken and hurt and going through so much at home. She didn't want to get into things with Lennon. She wanted to shut the book on that relationship. The only problem. She missed him, she missed his family. She missed what they had and had no idea what went wrong. I couldn't agree with a lot of her thought processes, I think she was a little dramatic, but I could understand. 

Lennon... oh Lennon was wonderful. A little bull headed at times. but really cared about Zorie and wanted to have a relationship with her again. He thinks he knows what went wrong but really has no clue. He is a smart clever humorous and charming. I just loved all of him and his sweetness that is covered with a rough tough boy shell. 

The story with these two is sad but sweet. They were such good friends and it all fell apart. They had feelings for each other that have not gone away but are buried under betrayal and confusion. Once they get together the magic starts to happen. They open up and share some truths that are heartbreaking and sad and so messed up but it's all good in the end. The romance so fun so sweet so amazing. 

There is also some major family stuff happening in both of these kids lives. I really love when some deeper stuff comes into play. It makes the characters more real and relatable. The stuff was pretty crazy in Zories life and I really don't know how I would have reacted at her age. I think she was quite mature about a lot of it. 

The book really was amazing and so cute and so swoony and so fun and hilarious and so emotional. Yup, this book makes me into a rambling idiot. 

This book owns my heart. 

Jenn Bennett is an award-winning author of several young adult books, including ALEX, APPROXIMATELY and STARRY EYES. She also writes romance and fantasy for adults. Her books have earned multiple starred reviews, won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award, and been included on Publishers Weekly Best Books annual list. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two dogs. Visit her at www.jennbennett.net.