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BOOK REVIEW: If the Summer Lasted Forever by Shari L. Tapscott

October 10, 2018 / Jen / 5 Comments

If the Summer Lasted Forever by Shari L. Tapscott
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Every year when the weather gets warm, tourists flock to Gray Jay, the cutest little resort town in the Rocky Mountains. Seventeen-year-old local native Lacey has one rule: never fall for the summer boys. She’s been there, done that, regretted it for a solid year. No one is going to change her mind, not even tall, blond, and handsome Landon Tillman.

Landon’s not looking for a summer fling. Still nursing a broken heart months after his girlfriend dumped him, he’s content to travel the country with his family and create videos for their wildly popular internet travel channel.

When well-meaning family members try to push Lacey and Landon together, the duo decides to fake a romance so they can enjoy their summer in peace. After all, what could go wrong?

True, they’ll have to spend a lot of time together to make the relationship look believable. They might even have to share a kiss or two for the sake of credibility. And sure, it’s possible lines will blur and fake feelings might morph into something real…

But that’s just a chance they’re going to have to take.

Review:

If the Summer Lasted Forever was a super quick and adorable book! By the first chapter I was already smiling and laughing. And while it seemed to move a little slower than I was use to, I happily found myself devouring this book. I was shocked how addicted I became and that I even had tears in my eyes towards the last few chapters. This is the 4th book I’ve read by Sharri L Tapscott and I can’t wait to read the rest of them!

Every time I see him, my breath catches, and my stomach flutters. I know it’s just a crush, something meaningless, but I don’t want to feel that way about him or anyone else.

Lacey lived in the middle of nowhere Colorado, and come summertime her tiny little town would become a tourist trap. She worked at the campgrounds and cabins her mom owned, along with her Uncle Mark. Summer boys would always come and go, but after getting her heart stomped on last year, Lacey swore off all boys. Unlike her best friend, Paige, who was the cutest ever and loved the summer boys! But when the Tillman’s came to stay the summer at Lacey’s family’s campground, their oldest son Landon caught her eye.

Landon’s eyes search mine, and his fingers tighten on my sides. I gulp. We’ve crossed a line—a very serious line. And I want to do it again. In fact, I want to erase the line, scratch it out, wash it away and pretend we never created it.

I heart Landon! He was charming, adorable and made me constantly smile. He would say and do the cutest things ever and while Lacey tried to keep her distance from him, it was impossible. I also loved Lacey too. She was easy to talk to, such a hard worker and had the hugest heart ever. It was easy to see why Landon was pulled in by her. And every time they were around each other they caught themselves flirting. It all felt like first love, it was so cute, a little bit awkward, entirely innocent and I loved every minute of it!

I freeze as Landon casually drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me to his side like an affectionate boyfriend would. He gives me a squeeze, reminding me to play along. The problem is that I’m trying not to swoon.
He doesn’t need to know that though.

But each of them had their guard up. Lacey didn’t want to get attached because she knew he would just be leaving in a few months. And Landon had his reasons for not jumping into a relationship with Lacey. But both of their mom’s kept pushing for them to be together. Now here’s the funny thing. I completely forgot this was a fake boyfriend/girlfriend book. When it finally happened I had the hugest grin ever. Finally they wouldn’t have an excuse to not be around each other. And that could only lead to touching and kissing, sigh. I was beyond ecstatic and loved how this story evolved! What started out innocently, turned into something where the lines blurred. Yes they were pretending to be together, but it felt real at times. And my heart was oh so happy!

“We’re not in public,” I remind him when he brushes his lips against my jaw. It’s my last noble effort to keep things simple.
“No, we’re not.”
“I thought we weren’t going to—”
“I changed my mind.”

So if you’re looking for a quick, adorable book with the fake boyfriend/girlfriend trope then definitely give this one a chance! I loved how it mixed friendship, romance and family relationships together. And I also loved how the secondary characters and even dogs played such an important part of this story. If the Summer Lasted Forever had so much heart and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

BOOK REVIEW: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

October 8, 2018 / Chelsea / 8 Comments

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1)
by Laini Taylor
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

He had a trio of fears that sat in his gut like swallowed teeth, and when he was too quiet with his own thoughts, they’d grind together to gnaw at him from within. This was the first: that he would never see further proof of magic.
The second: that he would never find out what had happened in Weep.
The third: that he would always be as alone as he was now.

And so begins one of the…well…strangest, but most wonderful books I’ve ever read. And I’ll admit that it took me a while to decide to read this, mostly because I didn’t connect with this author’s other work for…reasons…but it never meant I didn’t enjoy her actual writing. Or that I didn’t LOVE the male lead and the idea of the romance she created. So when I saw this beauty coming out centered around an orphaned, young, lonely boy-Lazlo Strange-I couldn’t help but fall prey to my number one weakness by well-written authors-A young tortured male lead. Yes please.

They came to stand face-to-face-arm’s reach without reaching. The three strings that joined them wound them ever nearer. Hearts, lips, navels. Closer, still not touching. The air between them was a dead place, as though both of them were carrying their hopelessness before them, hoping for the other to dash it away. They held everything they had to say, every desperate thing, and they didn’t want to say any of it. They just wanted it to vanish-here, at least, in this place that was theirs.

Yeah yeah, we’ve done this song and dance before-I’m a masochistic psychopath who loves the tortured men. I do. It’s a blessing. It’s a curse. It’s virtually impossible not to fall for these guys and, yes, there are many of them…but that’s the best part of being a book slut-I have room in my heart for them all. And not one of them is treated as ‘less than’ or forgotten. Sure, I may move on right after this and fall for yet another tortured soul. Or a prince. Or a pirate. Or, even, a thief/gangster. I love them in all shapes and sizes 😉. But that doesn’t stop the fact that, when I think of my young men individually, my heart beats in a different way for each and every one of them.

“…None of us became monks to be nursemaids.”
To which the child Lazlo replied, with fire in his soul, “And none of us became children to be orphans.”

And now it’s Lazlo’s turn. I have chosen to bestow him with my obsession for the time being. He’s such a poor soul, yet so full of hope and wonder and whimsy-left behind like many orphans, he doesn’t even know his own name. I just…I loved him from the moment I met him. Kind, earnest, sweet-and his dreams lead him to the city that’s name was stolen from the world, only leaving the name Weep in its wake.

Lazlo wanted to go and find out. That was his dream, daring and magnificent: to go there, half across the world, and solve the mysteries for himself.
It was impossible, of course.
But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming?

As I mentioned above, I may not have liked her other trilogy, but I so adore her writing. This book was no exception. Beautiful, alluring, addicting writing that I can’t help but to obsess over. I was in a weird mood where none of the books I had purchased to read were suiting my fancy-so I was like, hey, what about that book the publishers sent me RIGHT when Aubrey was born? I had been saving it for a rainy day-a day where I didn’t know what to read or why, because I knew it would be a book that needed full attention and an open mind-as many thick fantasy books do. So, for some reason, in my new home where chaos surrounded me, I found solace in this crazy, wildly imaginative novel-Imagine that. Even I wouldn’t have guessed this book would soothe my soul. But, alas, it was everything I never knew I wanted or needed.

Sarai understood Ruby’s hunger. She didn’t spy on such private moments anymore, but even the sight of a strong, bare arm crooked gently round a waist or shoulder could make her ache with the yearning to be held. To be one of a pair of bodies that knew that melting fusion. To reach and find. To be reached for and found. To belong to a mutual certainty.
To wake up holding hands.

And it’s not just Lazlo I’m obsessed with, which shocked me. But I adored Sarai, as well. And her ‘brothers/sisters’ that weren’t really sisters/brothers-namely, Sparrow, Ruby, and Feral. And, again, since I haven’t paid much attention with anything to do with this book or series, I had no idea really what this was about. Honestly. For one, I thought he went to Weep, like, alone? I thought it started much sooner in that world. And, frankly, I didn’t realize a lot of this was a ‘journey’ book, which I mostly despise. And, I guess the difference was that we had many POVs interwoven so beautifully, so seamlessly, that it didn’t matter, because we were always somewhere else, or unraveling mysteries with different characters.

And…okay….the bad. I really couldn’t handle the child slaughter. This isn’t something I was aware of and it really sickened me. I have a personal trigger now that not only centers around animals, but children/babies, as well. I don’t know what it says about me that it didn’t bother me before having a child, but there you have it, either way. I used to not care, but now I do. It makes we want to hurl, and I sometimes recede into a shell that borders on depression when I see or hear about something to do with this-and, I’ve noticed recently, this has been a recurring theme in a ton of my books lately-and this one centers heavily around it. I could hardly stand it.

I told myself that if I didn’t LOVE the end I would lower the rating-obviously that didn’t end up being the case, because the end was just…ahh my masochistic, peril-loving little heart. It burst with pride when I finished this. Subtle chaos is just the best chaos, ya know?

So, that was my bad thing-everything else was just so wonderful and addictive. I thought I’d hate the slow nature-I did not. I thought it would be too out of this world for me-It was not. And, I worried the story would just be a total let down-and, alas, it was not. I devoured this massive book as fast as I could with a teething baby/toddler/whatever that thing is, and I didn’t regret a moment (aside from when I couldn’t be reading).

The mysteries of Weep had been music to his blood for as long as he could remember. This time tomorrow, they would be mysteries no longer.
The end of wondering he thought, but not of wonder. That was just beginning. He was certain of it.

In the end, that wasn’t AT ALL what I was expecting. Talk about picking up a book and not knowing at all what it was about, truly. And the imagery-it was unreal. The imagination and creative flow it takes to make such vivid dreams and descriptions-it blew me away. I could taste what they were eating or drinking and I could see the layers upon layers it took to create each individual moment. It was jaw-dropping, if I’m being honest. But, this is what I’ll leave you with-I just COULD NOT not picture Glamora or live-action smurfs. LOL. I got over it, though, as you will, too. Now I must wait a month to see the fate of all my children-even that evil, manipulative little Minya. GRRR. But she does add that epic villain vibe, ya know?

******

What a wondrous, magical book.

Also, I am dead and dying. What a monstrous, evil, wonderful book. You stole my feels.

RTC.

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BOOK REVIEW: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

October 5, 2018 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

“I know I’m like Pig-Pen in Charlie Brown, and I have chaos around me, but it’s like he doesn’t even care. He doesn’t need me to change or pretend to be someone else. He’s my person. He’s my best friend.”

I always love the possibility of a new favorite book, a new favorite author. It’s like, how did I never pick up a book by this person (these people), thank GOD I finally have found them and now it will save me from the spiral of depression that comes when you finish all the books your favorite authors write. And, while this was addicting, to say the least, it didn’t enrapture me like I had hoped.

Mom drops another piece of muffin.
“Knock it off, you’re ruining her.”
“She’s named Winnie the Poodle,” Mom reminds me. “Already ruined.”

I mean, sure, it was so cute. And it was so funny. And Hazel-Hazel is literally my best friend. She’s quirky, kind, she gets excited and attached wayyyy too easily (Ummm…this is me. I meet someone and then I’m like…maybe we’ll be besties?), and she doesn’t have a judgmental bone in her body. For once, and I’m shocked to say this, it’s not about the male lead. I loved this book because of them as a whole, but I OBSESSED about Hazel.

The way Emily describes it: when I meet someone I love, I become an octopus and wind my tentacles around their heart, tighter and tighter until they can’t deny they love me just the same.

This hasn’t happened in…like…forever? I liked Josh. I really did. But he never tipped the scale for me. Not completely. Wait, okay, this is coming out all wrong because Josh was a precious cinnamon roll. No, he just-maybe I’m not obsessing over him as much because Hazel was just so awesome. And maybe, just maybe, I didn’t love the pre-Josh and Hazel. Her utter loyalty and single-handed dedication to him, her idolization, adoration, and tendency to deem him perfect, and him seeing her as a quirky hippie sort that he could never date (And never in a mean way did he say this). I don’t know? He was never mean, nor cruel, to her. But I guess it made me sad. And I think that theme lasted a little longer than I wanted it to.

“I think we’re going to be best friends.” At my bewildered silence, she reaches up and ruffles my hair. “I live in Portland, you live in Portland. You have a girlfriend and I have a huge assortment of Netflix series backlogged. We both hate the word ‘glans.’ I know and love your sister. She loves me. This is the perfect setup for boy-girl bestship: I’ve already been unbearable near you, which makes it impossible to scare you away.”
Quickly swallowing a sip of water, I protest, “I’m afraid you’re going to try.”

***

I don’t know what feels more incongruous: the mental image of Hazel using a computer, or the idea that she used it to look me up. “You Googled me?”
She huffs out a little breath. “Don’t get an ego. I Googled you sometime between Googling beef Wellington and chicken coops.”

And, for instance, I didn’t love that they kept doing double date after double date. It was odd. But then…I also liked it?! IT’S THE DAMNDEST THING! I loved that it brought a sense of urgency and jealousy, of course, but then it lacked a fiery passion behind it that I sort of wanted to ignite. And I’m not one to read other reviews lately, and I especially didn’t for this one, but I DID, however, see that people didn’t like the trope at the end. I disagree. And you damn well know I’m going to say my piece, so settle down and get ready-I loved it. And here’s why: Too often this is a trope used at the beginning of a story to add unnecessary drama and, frankly, I find it either makes or breaks chemistry between the two MCs…more often than not, it’s not good. That’s how I feel, at least. But I can see how the end in this story could be used to further cement something between two characters and make it something more. For me? It was a win, and it didn’t deter me like it does when the trope is used early on.

Dinner parties at my apartment consist of paper plates, boxed wine, and the last three minutes before serving featuring me running around like a maniac because I burned the lasagna, insisting I DON’T NEED ANY HELP JUST SIT DOWN AND RELAX.

Though, I will say, I wanted more time with these two together. I do feel as though I wasn’t as satisfied as I tend to be when it’s a late get-together. Most times I don’t care, but here, I wanted and needed more.

JEEZ SHUT UP, CHELSEA. I swear I really enjoyed this book, borderline loved it! So I really need to be nicer lol. Okay. Here we go. Hm. I’m in a really good mood, yet I feel like being sour? I’ll list my favorite things then, since my brain won’t be nice (I’m so tired, guys. This move. UGH):

-Their adorable friendship. Like…adorable
-The way he ALWAYS defended her to other guys and those who looked down on her
-Their banter
-His AND her protectiveness and loyalty-it was through the roof
-Um, okay, the WAY SHE NAMED HER PETS AND PICKED THEM OUT LIKE ARE WE LONG LOST SISTERS? I am always weirding out the Petco people lol

“I can try to help?” “I’m deciding between a betta fish and a guinea pig.”
“I mean, that’s kind of a big difference?”

-The way Hazel never let anyone make her feel like she wasn’t enough, because she was

I’ll get a bit personal here. I think this hit home for me. I love my husband, I really do, but I feel this way ALL THE TIME-like, I am enough…but then sometimes I wonder. It takes me down a dark road I don’t want to explore, because we definitely have our issues and it breaks my heart to think that sometimes we maybe should have taken different paths. This is a dark moment thought, when I’m at my worst, but I’m thinking maybe this was one of my detachments from the book.

When I looked up at her, I’d expected her to be shattered by what he’d said. But instead, she looked at him pityingly, like she wanted to console him but knew it would be a wasted effort. Dad missed out on so much by not enjoying every second he had with her, and in the end, she was terribly disappointed that he was so dull. I learned a very important thing that day: my mom would never try to change for a man, and I wouldn’t, either.

I didn’t like thinking things about myself and comparing how I should be. So…yeah. I think maybe this largely effected the story and why I got so enraged on her behalf-I’ve been known to be messy and have my head in the clouds-and it was precious to see a Type-A accepting a messy, eccentric type.

-How Josh never wanted her to change, even at her quirkiest
-Josh’s jellyness!
-The, ahem, intimate scenes

Wow, these were through the roof sexy. They really resonated with me where most sex scenes in books don’t even make my heart or butterflies go crazy-but Josh, how he slowly began to fall in love with Hazel…and his vulnerable, but confident, advances. They stole my heart completely.

Yeah, so, those intimate scenes might be my favorite in the whole book, lol! Just sayin’…and I never feel that way.

Mom reaches up, running a muddy thumb along my jaw. “I get it, honey. I just want you to have the world. And if your world is Josh, then I want you to be brave and go after it.”
“Because you’re my mama.”
She nods. “Someday you’ll understand.”

So, if you’re an avid fan of this author, I think you’re in for a win. One of my besties said this was her best yet (a true fan, she is) and we’re about to read our ARC COPIES OF MY FAVORITE HALF NIGHT STAND by said author this weekend-so I’m hoping I join the obsessed train, because who doesn’t love finding new authors to be all obsessive about?!

******

I reallllly liked this book…but I LOVED My Favorite Half-Night Stand ARC better.

RTC!!!

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BOOK REVIEW: Dirty Exes (Liars, Inc. #1) by Rachel Van Dyken

October 4, 2018 / Jen / 2 Comments

Dirty Exes (Liars Inc. #1)
by Rachel Van Dyken
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Blaire has never quite gotten over Jessie Beckett, the ex–NFL star whose kisses were hot enough to ignite the entire Eastern Seaboard. When he chose work over her, Blaire was left brokenhearted. Why else would she have married a skeezy two-timer, just to divorce him less than a year later?

Now Blaire is getting even by becoming one half of Dirty Exes, a PI firm fully committed to humiliating cheating jerks. If only the new jerk she’s been hired to uncover wasn’t Jessie Beckett himself.

Exposing Jessie isn’t going to be easy, especially when she still daydreams about his sexy smile. Further complicating matters is Colin, Jessie’s best friend. He’s gorgeous, a little bit cunning, and willing to help Blaire get the inside scoop on Jessie—for a price.

Now caught between two men—one totally right and the other totally wrong—Blaire will need to decide just how much she’s willing to risk…and whom she’s willing to risk it for.

Review:

Dirty Exes caught my attention from the first page and from there I was a goner. This book was so much fun, laugh out loud funny and had my emotions in a huge, disastrous mess. I loved every minute of it and highly recommended Dirty Exes to all of those out there that love romance!

What. If.
Two very dangerous words.
Two horrible words.
Words that should never be put together in any way, shape, or form. – Blaire

Blaire had been screwed over in her past. She was ditched by a boyfriend who was drafted into the NFL and then years down the road she caught her husband cheating on her. While she was jaded, she ended up making a new best friend, Isla. And they opened up a business together where they were hired to catch high profile partners cheating. But Blaire’s latest target made her pause. It was her NFL ex.

He put a hand on my shoulder then faced Colin, his body completely blocking mine as his fingers slid down my shoulder, hooked in the strap of my bra, and gave a little snap before caressing my skin with his knuckles the way he used to.
I jerked in response.
My body heated.
Bastard.
I closed my eyes.
Hate him, hate him, hate him.
I just needed to chant it about a dozen more times.

From the moment Blaire ran into her ex, Jessie Beckett, there was no denying that something was still there. There was chemistry, attraction and a whole lot of what ifs running around. Their first time meeting up had me smiling while also fanning my face! As if I wasn’t intrigued enough, we got some chapters from Jessie’s pov. As we learned about his life, my heart broke for him and he pulled me in even further. Then we met Colin, Jessie’s best friend, and I was completely confused over what was going to happen next.

And there I was, on my birthday, in a shitty bar, with a girl who stole sideways looks at my best friend, while all I wanted was for her eyes to be on me. – Colin

The way Colin and Blaire met was hilarious. And while she tried her hardest to think of Colin in not the best of lights, it was impossible. He was also hot, sexy and had a past that broke my heart. Just like Jessie, she had chemistry with him too. To complicate matters, if Jessie and Blaire were around each other, Colin always seemed to be there. I was strongly on the Jessie team, but then we got chapters in Colin’s pov. And from here began the moments where my heart was pulled every which way. I fell for them both. This has NEVER happened to me before. I have always had no problem just picking one boy. But here?! I had NO clue who I wanted Blaire to be with. To say I was an emotional wreck is a huge understatement lol.

“Damn, this is some messed-up shit,” Isla said under her breath. “I’m witnessing a sordid love triangle, like an HBO drama I can’t get out of.”

As the story progressed, I eventually found myself rooting and cheering for only one of them. And I hoped, prayed and wished with all of my heart and soul that Blaire and I were on the same page. It was so hard to tell how it was going to pan out. Just so you know, I’m usually not the hugest fan of love triangles. But this one was done absolutely perfect. If all love triangles were written like this, I could handle them all.

Suddenly he was there. His scent wrapped around me, his fingers gripped mine, and I felt at home. Safe.
I felt everything in his touch.
His promises, his kisses.
Him.

Dirty Exes was so much fun and I found myself laughing so hard that I was shaking and had tears in my eyes. If you haven’t read one of Rachel Van Dyken’s books before, you have to know that her characters are always unique, stand out and are so easy to connect with. Also, her stories play out like I’m watching a movie. I highly recommend Dirty Exes to everyone who adores romance, friendship and who can handle some love triangle vibes. The next book is about Blaire’s best friend, Isla, and I can’t wait to read her story next!

BOOK REVIEW: Losing the Field (The Field Party #4) by Abbi Glines

October 3, 2018 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

Losing the Field (The Field Party #4)
by Abbi Glines
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Losing his dream, his ultimate plan, and his future- Nash Lee never expected to be facing a life without football. One wrong move and it had all changed. Going back to school for his senior year no longer appealed to him. He’d rather not leave his house. Walking back into Lawton High School, seeing pity in everyone’s eyes was just another reality in his nightmare.

Revenge wasn’t a pretty thing. Tallulah Liddell had found it was rather controlling. The way you looked at life changed completely when you clung to the ugly notion. But she’d done it anyway. From the last day of her junior year when Ryker Lee had made a fat joke about her and Nash laughed with him, she’d been driven by pain. It wasn’t like no one had made fun of her weight before. She was used to that. What had hurt so deeply was Nash’s laughter. He’d always been the one person to notice her, include her, not treat her differently. But that one moment had changed it all. From the time she walked out of the school building to the moment she returned for her senior year Tallulah had been determined to lose weight and finally be the size her peers considered acceptable.

What she wasn’t expecting on her return was to find a broken Nash Lee who no longer smiled, rarely spoke, and didn’t care about anything or anyone around him. He was just existing. But the pain in his eyes she understood all too well. He was alone. He no longer fit into the perfect package.

You know those daydreams you have for years . . . the ones you know won’t come true, but they get you through the day?

An epic start to what turned out to be a total letdown of what we began with. This book legit started out with me fangirling and just knowing I had to have it on my shelf. I’m not kidding-within that first 20%, I was texting my friend and praising the glories that be, so excited that a cover so gorgeous would soon grace my shelf because Nash was just…he was just so dang addictive.

That is, until he wasn’t. I’m not sure what Glines was doing here, but she turned what started out as an epic novel into a hot mess that careened out of control. I won’t lie and say I have always loved her writing-because I haven’t. In fact, I found that, years ago, I needed to say bye to this author because her overly-dramatic and cheesy [and, I’m sorry, somewhat trashy] books weren’t to my taste. I didn’t bash. I didn’t continue to try and make it work-I just gave up and moved on. Yeah, her dudes are hot. And, yes, I LOVE some of that hot boy drama…but that’s just what it is: Drama.

And I’ve never gone back. Not once. Though, when I started following Glines on Bookstagram because our blog began to become a big part of Instagram, I fell in love with her. Her precious daughter. I really like this woman-a LOT. Same with CoHo-her posts crack me up daily-but that doesn’t mean I agree with either of their books’ writing styles.

But then Glines posted about her new book coming out, I got curious, I looked it up-and it was INSTA-LOVE, my friends. Well…we all know how we feel about insta-love, amirite? I read about the hate-to-love romance and how the girl wanted revenge on the tortured FOOTBALL player and I just…I caved. Maybe her writing was different. Maybe the guy would be enough. And, in the beginning, it was. I was OBSESSED. This book was a 5, people. And then I started to see why I stopped reading her work in the first place.

Repetitive issues. Words. Statements. Overly used drama. Too many problematic themes that literally had no place in the story. Like……the one dude that showed up at the football game suddenly became a big part of Nash’s story-Why??? It was so irrelevant and dumb and just…stupid, I literally laughed when that arc ended. Come on. Really, Abbi? Really? I’m so sorry, but no. So silly.

And the one dramatic element that didn’t belong that I loved?? That I wanted to be a thing??? It literally went NOWHERE and actually ruined the book. It did. It made Nash into somebody hard to relate to and I just don’t get why this was a path she didn’t jump on. It was so epic!!!!! I LOVE WHEN THESE INTERFERENCES HAPPEN! Bring on the jelly.

And, worst of all, this ruined opportunity also ruined what was blooming in Tallulah and Nash’s relationship. I think we saw so little of them together, in my opinion, after a certain point, that I was disgusted. Isn’t this the point of a smutty YA/NA? To see them get past stuff and recreate issues and get past it again? Why are we getting so little time of them on the page together? This gutted me because, honest to God, even after the trainwreck that was the middle, I rooted for this to shape up and for me to get obsessed again.

But, alas, in the end, I was disappointed and don’t think I could give this author another chance. I mean, maybe when I’m in the right mood? Who doesn’t love the HS football player arc? Many don’t, I suppose, but I adore it…so I might go back and read the others and hope their drama is more central to the actual story. But, for now, I’m so sad and disappointed in what had started out with so much dramatic promise. I’m still pouting about it. Honestly. And, also, come on now-Tallulah? That name?! That’s the name you use when you can’t think of someone’s name or a good make believe name. I kept picturing Phoebe signing for Monica’s bed in Friends-Monicaaaa Tallulaaaaah Gellar. *My apologies to anyone named Tallulah*

So. Yeah. This sucks. But better luck next time, I suppose.

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Page 163 of 423

BOOK REVIEW: If the Summer Lasted Forever by Shari L. Tapscott

Synopsis:

Review:

Every time I see him, my breath catches, and my stomach flutters. I know it’s just a crush, something meaningless, but I don’t want to feel that way about him or anyone else.

Landon’s eyes search mine, and his fingers tighten on my sides. I gulp. We’ve crossed a line—a very serious line. And I want to do it again. In fact, I want to erase the line, scratch it out, wash it away and pretend we never created it.

I freeze as Landon casually drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me to his side like an affectionate boyfriend would. He gives me a squeeze, reminding me to play along. The problem is that I’m trying not to swoon.
He doesn’t need to know that though.

“We’re not in public,” I remind him when he brushes his lips against my jaw. It’s my last noble effort to keep things simple.
“No, we’re not.”
“I thought we weren’t going to—”
“I changed my mind.”

BOOK REVIEW: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

Synopsis:

BOOK REVIEW: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Synopsis:

BOOK REVIEW: Dirty Exes (Liars, Inc. #1) by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis:

Review:

What. If.
Two very dangerous words.
Two horrible words.
Words that should never be put together in any way, shape, or form. – Blaire

And there I was, on my birthday, in a shitty bar, with a girl who stole sideways looks at my best friend, while all I wanted was for her eyes to be on me. – Colin

“Damn, this is some messed-up shit,” Isla said under her breath. “I’m witnessing a sordid love triangle, like an HBO drama I can’t get out of.”

Suddenly he was there. His scent wrapped around me, his fingers gripped mine, and I felt at home. Safe.
I felt everything in his touch.
His promises, his kisses.
Him.

BOOK REVIEW: Losing the Field (The Field Party #4) by Abbi Glines

Synopsis:

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BOOK REVIEW: If the Summer Lasted Forever by Shari L. Tapscott

Synopsis:

Review:

Every time I see him, my breath catches, and my stomach flutters. I know it’s just a crush, something meaningless, but I don’t want to feel that way about him or anyone else.

Landon’s eyes search mine, and his fingers tighten on my sides. I gulp. We’ve crossed a line—a very serious line. And I want to do it again. In fact, I want to erase the line, scratch it out, wash it away and pretend we never created it.

I freeze as Landon casually drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me to his side like an affectionate boyfriend would. He gives me a squeeze, reminding me to play along. The problem is that I’m trying not to swoon. He doesn’t need to know that though.

“We’re not in public,” I remind him when he brushes his lips against my jaw. It’s my last noble effort to keep things simple. “No, we’re not.” “I thought we weren’t going to—” “I changed my mind.”

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BOOK REVIEW: Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

Synopsis:

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BOOK REVIEW: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Synopsis:

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BOOK REVIEW: Dirty Exes (Liars, Inc. #1) by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis:

Review:

What. If. Two very dangerous words. Two horrible words. Words that should never be put together in any way, shape, or form. – Blaire

And there I was, on my birthday, in a shitty bar, with a girl who stole sideways looks at my best friend, while all I wanted was for her eyes to be on me. – Colin

“Damn, this is some messed-up shit,” Isla said under her breath. “I’m witnessing a sordid love triangle, like an HBO drama I can’t get out of.”

Suddenly he was there. His scent wrapped around me, his fingers gripped mine, and I felt at home. Safe. I felt everything in his touch. His promises, his kisses. Him.

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BOOK REVIEW: Losing the Field (The Field Party #4) by Abbi Glines

Synopsis:

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I freeze as Landon casually drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me to his side like an affectionate boyfriend would. He gives me a squeeze, reminding me to play along. The problem is that I’m trying not to swoon.
He doesn’t need to know that though.

“We’re not in public,” I remind him when he brushes his lips against my jaw. It’s my last noble effort to keep things simple.
“No, we’re not.”
“I thought we weren’t going to—”
“I changed my mind.”

What. If.
Two very dangerous words.
Two horrible words.
Words that should never be put together in any way, shape, or form. – Blaire

Suddenly he was there. His scent wrapped around me, his fingers gripped mine, and I felt at home. Safe.
I felt everything in his touch.
His promises, his kisses.
Him.