JOYRIDE by Anna Banks

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.

I loved Joyride! It was nothing like I was expecting - it was better than I expecting! Let me share my love on this beautiful novel with you all. Starting, of course, with the romance.

The romance was a total love hate in the beginning. And by this I mean, Arden was captivated by Carly, and Carly wanted NOTHING to do with Arden. And let me just admit it now - I love these type of romances. They add so much tension and make me root for the romance that much more. And it didn’t hurt that I was totally in love with Arden’s character either :)

Carly was an interesting character herself. Her parents had been deported back to Mexico years ago, and since then her and her brother Julio have been working hard in able to get the money needed to get them back into America. Carly puts all of her work into saving money for her parents, and studying for school in hopes of earning a scholarship. She can’t remember the last time she got up and hand fun, or did something for herself. She tries her hardest to stay under the radar, since what she is doing is illegal, but it is no longer as easy for her as soon as Arden comes into the equation.

So when Arden, one of the most popular boys in school, starts to show an interest in her, Carly isn’t too fond of the idea of getting close. In fact, she shows just how she feels about him by dumping her lunch all over poor Arden.

But as she and Arden start to talk and hang out more, things start changing. She no longer wants to punch him when she sees his face, and Arden is falling just as hard. But it will take more than attraction to get them through with a surviving romance. The pathway to a happy romance for them is full of obstacles, but together they are determined to make it happen. Because Arden feels that Carly is filling a part of him that he lost when Amber died, and he showed Carly that it’s okay to have fun and do things that YOU want to do every once in a while.

To put in my personal opinion, I loved this theme. I am often one to push myself too hard, and I think that teenagers do need to realize that there is only so much that they can do. We (and not just teenagers) all need to have fun and do things for ourselves every once in a while! It’s important to be motivated and get our tasks done, but it isn’t ever bad to destress.

Overall opinion - I loved the romance in this book, and it had a lot more action than I was expecting. Sometimes it was downright scary. I definitely recommend this book. A lot.

FOUR AND A HALF CARS!!!! (Get it, because it’s called Joyride? And that smart car is a half of a car, yes.)

**Great big Thank You to Macmillan Publishing for an ARC of this book!**

THE SUMMER OF CHASING MERMAIDS by Sarah Ockler

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

A couple years ago, I made friends with a girl in my gym class who never talked. At first I thought that she, Emily, was just shy, but I soon learned that she had a speech impediment that she was very self conscious about. She wouldn’t talk to me verbally, but I eventually I got to the point where I could read a lot of her motions and the looks in her eyes.

This book reminded me a lot of that experience. Though unlike Emily, Elyse didn’t have a speech impediment. She completely could not talk. I felt bad for her for a lot of the book, but it definitely made the book new and interesting. Sometimes I feel that authors put too much faith into the characters dialogue to show you who the character is. It works most of the time, but sometimes the emotion that also helps to tell a character's story is left out to make room for more dialogue. With Elyse, I felt like I got to know the deepest parts of her because all I could read were her emotions, actions, and thoughts. Another person who did that for Elyse was Christian.

Christian was a lovable character - charming and attractive, but much more caring and understanding than one would expect from the Cove’s “Scoundrel”. He was wholly sweet to his brother, and was basically a father to the young Sebastian. After all, their biological father wasn’t very good to them, and Christian felt the need to step in.

I loved Christian, but I did have a slight problem with him -  sometimes Christian would pass that point of legally perfect. He could read practically everything Elyse mouthed and the looks in her eyes (and come on, that’s hard to do) and he never got mad, along with a lack of weakness. Sometimes he was just too perfect to be real for me, and I always like to have a healthy dose of “real” in my characters.

But overall, it was a wonderful story of broken hearts and healing, finding your voice, and expressing yourself. Elyse showed me that while painful things happen, it can always get better, and that we always need to express ourselves and not let ourselves go unheard. Sarah made a beautiful speech in her acknowledgments about this. If you want to read this book, I would definitely recommend reading that last note in the acknowledgments as well.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was definitely worth the read! I give it four stars and recommend it, especially to you ocean lovers ;)

***GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO SIMON PULSE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK***

THE HEIR by Kiera Cass

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

The very first thing that comes to my mind when somebody mentions The Heir is how bratty Eadlyn is. She’s entitled, self centered, and pretentious. Basically, the opposite of what I was expecting when I thought about what sweet Maxon and America’s baby would be like (their other children, however, were a lot closer to what I imagined). But Eadlyn was always complaining about how she has to be the queen in the future and not her brothers, and that she has it the worst. She also likes to constantly remind us that she is the most powerful person in the country. But I guess after you get over her character, there are some things to like about this book...

Something that I liked more about this book than the rest of The Selection series - it wasn’t incredibly predictable. There were parts in the first books where Cass would try to throw me off, but the whole time I knew what was going to happen. In this book, I didn’t have a clue for even a minute. I still don’t know. And while I like it more when it isn’t predictable, I think that it springs from a lack of romance (This book is mostly a build up for the next, I believe) there were hinting clues to a romance, but Eadlyn is dead set on not falling in love. I love an independant woman, but she needs to let people help her - she was always contradicting herself. She has too much on her shoulders and she can’t handle all the pressure on her own, but she doesn’t want to have help because ‘she can do it herself.’

I only give this book for 3.5 stars, but only because I wasn’t all that entertained by it. However I do recognize that this is mostly a build up for the second book, so I’m not discouraging anybody from reading it. I do have higher hopes for the next book in the series. I understand that it isn’t that fun going through books that are just a build up for a later installment, but I encourage all to read it for that sole purpose.

LAST YEAR'S MISTAKE by Gina Ciocca

Before:

Kelsey and David became best friends the summer before freshman year and were inseparable ever after. Until the night a misunderstanding turned Kelsey into the school joke, and everything around her crumbled—including her friendship with David. So when Kelsey's parents decided to move away, she couldn't wait to start over and leave the past behind. Except, David wasn't ready to let her go...

After:

Now it's senior year and Kelsey has a new group of friends, genuine popularity, and a hot boyfriend. Her life is perfect. That is, until David's family moves to town and he shakes up everything. Soon old feelings bubble to the surface and threaten to destroy Kelsey's second chance at happiness. The more time she spends with David, the more she realizes she never truly let him go. And maybe she never wants to.

First thing you need to know about this book - it’s one of those books that makes you work for what you want. I’m not kidding. Have you ever read one of those books where you go through a couple of hundred pages just so that you can get an outcome? This is one of those books.

Kelsey and David were well written characters. They were real in the sense that they had strengths, weaknesses, and good background stories. I felt bad for David immediately, at least until he came in and started to act like a jerk (which of course only encouraged Kelsey to act like a jerk as well.)

To say the least, it was exhausting reading their many jabs back at each other. One second they’re best friends and hugging it out, and then they’re really mad at each other again and trying to be the one who hurts the other the most. From the very beginning of the book, it mentioned that something had happened in their past that was making their relationship this complicated. But after getting to that point, it wasn’t as painful of a memory as I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a truly terrible thing that had happened, but mostly it just made me roll my eyes. It was simple teenage drama, basically, and my biggest problem with this book. But I suppose I can’t hate too hard - I know, as a teenage girl myself, that we can be pretty ridiculous.

My second biggest problem was how often they threatened to shove each other out of their lives, when supposedly they “loved” each other. If you love somebody, wouldn’t you want them in your life no matter what? Even if you weren’t with them? Maybe wait for each other? But it could just be a character defining moment, and it wasn’t too far fetched. If somebody had hurt me a lot I would most likely try to distance myself as well.

Overall, I loved the emotion and I liked the ending. The pain was good as well. Call me masochistic, but I like when the feels are physically painful while I am reading. Crazy, I know, but that’s how it is.

Here’s my first complicated rating! It was better than 3.5 stars but maybe not as good as 4 stars, so somewhere around 3.8-3.9 stars.

***GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO SIMON PULSE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK***

BETTER OFF FRIENDS by Elizabeth Eulberg

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

At the very beginning of Better Off Friends I was nervous that it would be a seventh/eighth grade romance novel the whole way through, falling more under the genre of an eye roller than a YA contemporary. But I was pleasantly surprised by what Eulberg did with this book - instead of having Macallan and Levi meet for the first time at age sixteen or seventeen and deciding that they liked each other, it starts way back in seventh grade, where their friendship first begins. They are strictly friends for years, though in eighth grade some romantic tension starts to develop (only slightly) but it was there nonetheless. Considering the only real crush I have ever had was in eighth grade, I was able to relate to this. Oh, eighth grade romances.

Now let’s talk about the characters. As I have mentioned before, I am a very character motivated reader. If a book has an iffy plot but wonderful characters, I like the book. And Macallan and Levi didn’t disappoint. They were very real to me, and I loved how their weaknesses were shown and mentioned just as much as their strengths were. They weren’t “made for each other” nor were they attracted to one another simply because of looks. They liked each other because they knew each other and they liked who they were. Of course they had occasional problems, as to be expected from any relationship, but they worked it out eventually.

Aside from being relatable, I felt that both characters were great protagonists and role models. Macallan and Levi had a respectable relationship that was definitely something to aspire to. After all, I have always thought it better to be friends before pursuing a romantic relationship.

One last thing that really did it for me with this book -  the lack of profanity. I'm not a big fan of strong language (and strong for me may be considered mild for many others) but because I read Young Adult novels, it's only be expected that I would run into a lot of profanity in what I read. If I am remembering correctly, this book had a complete lack of such language. Along with this, the jokes remained pure (with the exception of two mildly mature cracks) and funny. I never once felt uncomfortable during the reading of this book.

All and all, I loved this book. I would give it five stars if it had had a bit more substance and originality. But because it was a lot like other books that I have read in this genre, I have to give it four stars. It may have just been that I have been in desperate need for a lot of fluff novels lately (for whatever reason) that I liked it so much, but nonetheless, it was an entertaining read.

LOVE, LUCAS by Chantele Sedgwick

A powerful story of loss, second chances, and first love, reminiscent of Sarah Dessen and John Green.

When Oakley Nelson loses her older brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she’ll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend a few months in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn’t sure a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.

In California, Oakley discovers a sort of safety and freedom in Aunt Jo’s beach house. Once they’re settled, Mom hands her a notebook full of letters addressed to her—from Lucas. As Oakley reads one each day, she realizes how much he loved her, and each letter challenges her to be better and to continue to enjoy her life. He wants her to move on.

If only it were that easy.

But then a surfer named Carson comes into her life, and Oakley is blindsided. He makes her feel again. As she lets him in, she is surprised by how much she cares for him, and that’s when things get complicated. How can she fall in love and be happy when Lucas never got the chance to do those very same things?

With her brother’s dying words as guidance, Oakley knows she must learn to listen and trust again. But will she have to leave the past behind to find happiness in the future?

This book broke my heart apart and then pieced it back together. It may have been that it hit me personally, because just a year ago I had my grandpa pass away from cancer. So while it was a little painful to read, it was also very heartwarming in the end.

The first two hundred pages, Love, Lucas was 3.5 stars for me - the writing wasn’t incredibly exceptional, and the characters were alright. It was sad and I connected with Oakley, but I wasn’t feeling anything too special between us. But it was good enough to keep me reading until around page 215, and then....WOW.

The next seventy pages amazed me. Sedgwick perfectly captures Oakley’s hopelessness, and I repeatedly had to look away from the book and air my eyes out because they were about to spill over and birth a river. And I’m not a big book crier - I am easily upset, but I don’t often cry or get so close. But the feelings from Oakley were so real, from the hopelessness turning into hope, and all of the words that were exchanged were so precious and perfect. Oh, and did I mention that her and Carson are total couple goals?

In those last seventy pages Love, Lucas jumped a whole star. That would make this book 4.5 stars, therefore incredible. I learned a lot from Lucas while I read his letters to Oakley. I have always wanted a big brother, and while reading this book I felt like Lucas was my big brother. He gave me great advice, made me laugh, and made me tear up plenty of times. I’m tempted to write down all of his tips in a notebook and carry it around with me everywhere I go, but since I own the book I will just settle for that :)

 
So do I recommend this book? Yes! Of course! And if you’re going to the beach anytime soon, I would especially recommend it!

***If you would like to win a copy of Love, Lucas go onto Instagram and enter my giveaway! My username is @book_believer. Giveaway ends on the 13th of May***

CRESCENDO AND SILENCE BY BECCA FITZPATRICK

Today, we have not just one book review, but TWO!!!! Now, remember not to read them if you haven’t read the previous books in the series…wouldn’t want to spoil anything for anybody! Anyway, let’s jump right in!

**Do not read if you have not read Hush, Hush**

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever (if that's possible) and what's worse, he seems to be spending time with Nora's archenemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something.

If that weren't enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.

At the end of Hush, Hush I was really excited to start reading Crescendo - because finally, FINALLY, Nora and Patch were together! Hallelujah! Now was the time for celebrations, where I would read of Nora and Patch having a perfect relationship with the occasional fight to keep it interesting, but they would be so happy and love -

Wrong. I got the romance for about four pages, but the kind of romance that I only want to see when I have gone through three books of a working relationship. Basically what happened was a car make out scene, Nora declaring her love (and how long have they been dating…? A couple of weeks most? I can’t remember but it was ridiculous. Like woman, please.) and giving him her DECEASED FATHER’S RING. That was, as she made sure to tell us all, her dearest belonging, because it was the only thing she had left from her dad. And she gives it to Patch, whom she “loves” after they’ve been dating for about a week.

Oh, and then they break up.

This whole book, my problem was mainly characters. Nora is selfish and whiny. Patch...is still a barbie doll. The whole time I was irritated at them, and just wanted to tell them to get over themselves and work it out. Really, if they would just talk about it…

Aside from Nora and Patch, I felt that the story was also predictable because of the characters. I’ve started to notice that almost  any character that comes into this story is automatically not a human, and as soon as that character is used up and done, they’re gone forever and they don’t come back no matter what. Elliot for example. Where’d he go? Isn’t he mad that they killed his best friend? I suppose not.

What I did like from Crescendo is that I started to see more of a plot and more world building. Despite my anger at the characters, I was still interested in what they were going through because there were more trials for them to overcome, oh and I’m a sucker for break ups because I just want them to get back together...that always keeps me reading…

Overall rating, I give it three stars.

WHEN SILENCE IS ALL THAT'S LEFT, CAN THE TRUTH FINALLY BE HEARD?

Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.

I always hate when I seem to be the only person who doesn’t like a specific book...but it seems like I have done it again. This series has sort of been a downwards spiral for me - here is why.

The very beginning of the book, I was interested and excited to read. It felt like a fresh start, really. She’d lost her memory, maybe she could rebuild herself. Or something like that. I don’t really know what I was wanting, but it wasn’t what I got, I can assure you of that.

Nora suffers from amnesia, and though that has to be a traumatizing experience, for the first half of the book all I read is her moaning about it. Not to mention the question “Why me” which ended up appearing A TON OF TIMES. I have always accepted the answer “why not you?” and I’m not going to stop accepting it now. I understand that it would be hard to undergo what she went through, but in a four hundred or so book I don’t want to waste one hundred pages on whining. I never want to waste one hundred pages on whining, honestly.

And then we run into Patch...again...who, as you guys know, I think it just a glorified barbie doll. I feel like they use each other as eye candy because the only romantic moments I get from them is kissing and...that’s it, yep. Anytime either one of them would say something romantic verbally I kind of felt like I was watching those eighth graders in the hallways again. Infatuation, yes, but no real love or commitment.

This whole story, all I did was watch Nora and Patch make bad decisions. The action, I suppose, did intensify slightly, but not enough to satisfy me. And did I mention that it took me three and a half weeks to read this book? That doesn’t happen very often. It’s a bad book when it does.

I am going to take a reading break before I read the final book, Finale, because I need to read something that I will enjoy for now. I most likely will not be writing a review on it, either.

Overall rating, I give it two stars.