Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 54 of 95)

BOOK REVIEW – The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

January 14, 2016 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

The problem is that days after prom, she can't stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?

Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West's talent shines in this tale of one girl's unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.

Review:

The Fill-In Boyfriend was an absolutely adorable book! I happily smiled through the majority of the story, while giggling like I was in High School all over again. I became a huge fan of Gia as she grew up throughout the story. And I fell head over heels in love with Fill-In Bradley. But that ending left me wanting so much more. It felt as though there was so still much up in the air, and I would have loved to have an epilogue. And of course more time with Fill-in Bradley.

“I can pay you.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure there are services for that. Maybe you can try calling 1-800-HOOKERS or something?”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the smile that came with it. “You know that number well?”
He let out a single laugh.

I started out the book easily feeling sorry for Gia. She got dumped by her boyfriend, Bradley, in the parking lot, right before they were to walk into her school dance. Ack, how awful! But she was a little more devastated over the fact that now she was going to be labeled a liar. By Jules, the newest addition to their clique, who didn’t believe Gia’s long distance boyfriend was real. And Jules was slowly trying to turn Gia’s friends against her. In her desperation, Gia luckily saw a boy who watched the whole tragedy unfold. An older brother sitting in the car after dropping his sister and her date off for the dance. Gia worked her magic and convinced him to take her to the dance. And be her Fill-in Bradley.

I loved Fill-in Bradley. Can I please steal him out of this book?! Please? He was mesmerizing and quickly pulled me under his spell. Not only did he step up to the plate and help out Gia, but he defended her, watched out for her, and treated her with love and respect. Well fake love and respect, since it’s all a charade….but still!! He gave me chills with his actions and words, and I easily melted into a puddle of goo. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Or not. Haha!

His amused look softened. “So you still don’t know my name?
“No. And I need it for tonight.”
He didn’t provide me the answer but instead asked, “What have you been calling me in your head, then?”
“What makes you think you’ve been in my head?”
He just smirked like he knew he had. And he was right. “Fill-in Bradley.”

You see, Fill-in Bradley’s younger sister, Bec, is making Gia return the favor. Gia now gets to pretend to be Fill-in Bradley’s girlfriend at his ex’s bbq. Shrieks of excitement escaped out of me when that was announced! I had so much fun watching them play their little charade, and I had even more fun the second time around. But like Gia, I too became confused at times. Because sometimes their actions as a fake boyfriend and fake girlfriend felt real. And what would happen if one of them wanted more?

He greeted several people then scooted his chair extra close to mine. While he ate with one hand, his other was always resting on the back of my chair, or on my shoulder, or playing with the ends of my hair. I knew it was for show and I had to keep telling myself that as chills radiated down my spine every time he touched me.

But you want to know what surprised me the most about The Fill-In Boyfriend? How much I loved Fill-in Bradley’s sister, Bec. She was hilarious, endearing and honest. I loved how she meddled with Gia and Fill-in Bradley’s relationship. How she helped remind them that they were just pretending, damn it. But what I loved most about her SPOILER was how she taught Gia what being a true friend meant. Because let me tell you, Gia definitely didn’t have much experience in that department.

I let him take me to the makeshift dance floor across the sand. I let him wrap my arms up around his neck and then rest his hands on my hips. For one moment I forgot we had an audience and it was for them that we were performing this show. He made me forget I had come here to try to get him out of my head.

So, thank goodness for Fill-in Bradley and Bec stepping into Gia’s life, because her old friends desperately needed to grow up and disappear. They were a group of catty bitches. And her parents and brother weren’t much better than them unfortunately. But lucky for us, Gia does learn and grow throughout the story. I was more than pleasantly surprised!

Looking back, I still can’t believe I flew through this book in under a day! It was that addicting! And I was that obsessed wanting to know what was going to happen with fill-in Bradley. What can I say? I get obsessed with my fiction male characters haha! I just wish there was an epilogue or another chapter or two explaining some loose ends, because this book could have easily been 5 Stars!

BOOK REVIEW: Attraction (Elements of Chemistry #1; Hypothesis #1.1) by Penny Reid

January 13, 2016 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Attraction by Penny Reid
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
One week.
Private beach.
Invisible girl.
Jerk-faced bully.
What’s the worst that could happen?

Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.

Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.

When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

A beautiful man is the devil’s most potent weapon.

Parker:

Annoying;

irritating, infuriating, exasperating, maddening, trying, tiresome…

Martin (Really? Lol):

Aggressive:

assertive, pushy, forceful..

Yet…I enjoyed. At least, in some parts. In many ways, this was a VERY short book. it was meant to be-it’s a three part novella…for some odd reason that I don’t get-Yet it took me almost a full week to read it. Not good. This story-and author, for that matter-holds all the components to an excellent NA romance. Literally, it has everything going for it. Specifically, it has a hot, swoony male lead that is tortured and feels like no one sees him as anything other than a cash cow. He is lonely and has fallen for his lab partner who sees him for who he really might be, not just a label. She doesn’t give him much credit and often judges him even though he says he only wants her.

It’s [her] name is Parker *lets out frustrated growl (a verb our author is practically obsessed with)* the closet hiding, synonym loving, virgin chemist enthusiast. Yeah…a mouthful indeed…she’s a lot to take, for sure.

Parker:

Childish;

immature, babyish, infantile, juvenile, puerile..

Martin:

Harsh;

cruel, savage, dictatorial…

Like i said-that first chapter??? It hooked me. I loved it. Really. It seemed like this was really for me. But then we got deeper inside Parker’s headache inducing mind. Good god, this chick. I mean.. A lot of times she made me smile and huff out a reluctant laugh, you know?? She’s cute and quirky. Really. But then it’s like…how fucking naive can you really be???

I don’t believe it, or rather, I didn’t care for it. I was as naive as a freshman in high school could be, and even I wouldn’t be as neurotic as this chick. I’m not kidding-naivety was my middle name. Hello, mortifying-I-never-want-to-remember-you-again memories. They’re just ghastly. But as a college freshman I don’t believe for one second she couldn’t have been more mature for Martin or that she couldn’t have produced more adult-like conversions than she provided. She didn’t do too bad, I’ll give her that, but her decision making certainly left something to be desired. I don’t know. Aren’t you glad the blurry, indecisive Bitch is back?? Lol

And, for once, she wasn’t my only problem. I loved Martin-God he has BBF tattooed all over him. However…I think the author blurred that line of sexy, tortured, and persistent, with sexy, tortured, and forceful. Ugh, that’s not the right word, perhaps, but even I, the girl who loves all men in her books, found Martin to be a bit too pushy at times. But here’s the kicker!!! It’s Parker’s fault, too. If she doesn’t want to be with him (her reasons are ruh-tarded, by the way), say so. Like, UGH. But she obviously is extremely attracted to him, fantasizes about him, and dreams of being the girl he wants forever like any normal hot-blooded female would in books and in real life…so…I blame her a lot. Her indecisiveness is sure to confuse not only us, but the male she’s obsessed with as well. So. Again. I don’t know. Boo, Parker. Boo. Figure your shit out, you indecisive cow.

I must say, I only liked the book when Martin was around. I don’t quite get the authors style of writing-it’s like she can be excellent…but is missing something that makes her so. It’s almost childish, but then some passages really gripped me and seemed super intellectual. They were far and fleeting, but that’s where Martin filled the gaps. 😉

A cute little book, but missing some key components that could have made it addictive. When I put it down, I didn’t think of it. When I picked it up, I either pined for Martin to return or was fantasizing about my next read (woo buddy I can’t wait!). But, for some reason, I still enjoyed this enough to try for book two. This was a thoughtful gift from a wonderful, best friend, and I know there was a reason she bought this with me in mind. And I agree-it seems Martin and Parker are about to get some shit worked out-I do so hate stupid, childish misunderstandings. So, here soon I will start novella two and see where they are in their relationship. I hope they can finally move forward and Parker will stop with her indecisive relationship fears and misconceptions. Just…sigh. I can’t help but like her sometimes-

figure it out, little girl, for all of us.

Parker:

Sweet; (and non-judge mental, for that matter)

nice, kind, thoughtful, considerate, friendly…

Martin:

Passionate;

hot-blooded, loving, sexy, sensual, amorous, ardent…

A wonderful Christmas gift from my Jenny!!

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW – Flat-Out Love (Flat-Out Love #1) by Jessica Park

January 7, 2016 / Anna

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
omething is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Congrats, Flat-Out Love. Welcome to the very limited circle of books I hated. Say hello to The Perfect Game for me, would you?

Buddy read with Kat (click to read her review), who saved my sanity (thanks for the support through this!!)

But because my inner circle of doom rewards its members as they deserve, let’s start with little awards, ‘kay?

But first of all…….. Music!

► It comes as no surprise that Julie easily earns the most insufferable ès judgmental heroine medal for her endless efforts throughout the story. The jury was really impressed by the abilities she showed in being a disrespectful and arrogant friend and daughter.

Here’s a little presentation of her greatest deeds : Indeed through her constant inner monologues, we see her unfailing perseverance in making fun of others, whether she thinks they’re dumb, lame, or annoying. Kudos for never forgetting that everyone and everything is beneath her.

✘ About her former friends : “Now she was out of small-town Ohio, out of that below average high school, and out of a social circle dominated by girls blindly cheering on their sports boyfriends.”

✘ About her ex-boyfriend : “Speaking of Jared, Julie wondered what he was doing right now. Probably sporting a toga and doing keg stands at the miserable state university he was attending. She hoped he was lost in a crowd of dumb jocks and getting rejected by every busty, tank-top-wearing, fake-tanned airhead he hit on.”

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

✘ About random girls she doesn’t even know (but hey, she listened to their vocal messages, I’m sure it counts somewhere) : “She didn’t know if she was jealous of that fourth roommate or not. That Sally sounded an awful lot like the perky-yet-vacant crowd she’d left behind at home. On the other hand, there was something to be said about for a core gaggle of girls who would love nothing more than to order pizza, do each others’ hair, and watch tawdry reality shows.”

Wow. She got all these details out of the way the girl says hello on her vocal message? I’m really impressed.

✘ Her conversations with Matt, the son of the family welcoming her in their house, are full of “witty” bullying and aggressive remarks the poor guy never deserved.

“Let’s discuss your choice of attire for the evening.”
Matt hit the touchpad a few times. “Really? What aspects would you like to discuss?”
“Let’s discuss how lame it is.“

This is just fantastic, isn’t it? Don’t you see how CLEVER and WITTY she is? What do you mean, you DON’T? Come on. Don’t be like that. Not to mention that she does think about his life, too. Well, she doesn’t want to invite him to come along when she goes out because, well, duh, he’s so freaking beneath her (can you please follow?) but she considers keeping an eye on his sister someday to give him the occasion to attend a party. How’s that for best roommate ever, huh?

“Not that he looked like the sort who was aching to do keg stands in a frat house, but still. There might be a physics bee some Friday night, and he could return home with a nice ribbon for having spelled “coulomb” or “neutralino” correctly“

Again, so freaking WITTY and CLEVER.

✘ About her mother, in a text message : “Mom is OK. A little… lacking depth, maybe? But nice.”

Don’t worry though, because she really wants to help Celeste, the daughter of the house who is going through difficult times. Indeed she decides to take her under her wing, and manages to develop a bond between them without never making me care. That’s an achievement to behold really. What can I say, I guess that telling me that she cares isn’t enough for me to believe her. Come on. We’re talking about self-absorbed Julie here.

See, I have no problem with unlikeable characters, as soon as their behavior is acknowledged as being offensive. Never, at any point, is she called on her shit. Am I supposed to think that belittling everything and everyone is okay? That being plain bully with someone we just met is okay? That talking about a family welcoming you with your professor of psychology is okay? FUCK NO.

To be honest, at one point Kat and I considered the possibility that Julie suffered from a mental-illness because the distortion between what we see and what she describes is freaking HUGE. Don’t bother wondering, that’s not the plot twist (more about that later).

► For the unrealistic and over-the-top quirky conversations, Flat-Out Love wins the award of the most unbelievable and fake set of characters. Woohoo!

Look, I always considered myself as a nerd but by no means could I relate – or connect, at least – with any of these characters. Their interactions are ridiculous, roll-eyes worthy and more generally, completely unbelievable. Jessica Park’s writing isn’t bad, but she tries way too much to convey a sense of oddity. Her characters aren’t weird, they’re freaking cyborgs.

► Finally, for the predictable, “I-saw-it-coming-at-20%” plot “twist”, I’d like to offer Flat-Out Love the Golden Globe of easy roads. I’m sorry, but when the big revelation is obvious from 20%, I consider myself insulted in my intelligence.

☻ ☻ ☻ Now, because I want to prove that I’m not one to hold a grudge, I prepared several little games about that *cough* ridiculous *cough* story. You’re welcome. *blows kiss*

Find the words!

Complete the sentences!

Cryptogram puzzle!

Answer : View Spoiler » « Hide Spoiler

BOOK REVIEW – Love Show by Audrey Bell

January 3, 2016 / Anna

Love Show by Audrey Bell
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Hadley Arrington is the career-driven Editor-in-Chief of her university’s prestigious newspaper. Jack Diamond is a laid back student whose good looks have made things even easier than they need to be. She’s the girl who came out of nowhere and kissed him in the rain. He’s the boy who made her do something crazy.

When the stakes seem too high, they have to decide if they’ll let their love show or if they’ll walk away for good.

► If someone had told me that the first book I’d fall in love with in 2016 would be a New Adult romance, I would have nicely but intently told them to stop fucking with me.

I would have been wrong.

~~I’ll write a real review as soon as I can sleep a few hours – hey, it’s 5 am over there – but I wanted to share some thoughts before my overanalyzing mind gets a hold on me~~. Sleep I did. It didn’t change anything.

Perfect this book isn’t: it is in a great need of editing, and the writing is awkward (cheesy ? Stereotypical?) at times. The characters are far from free of stereotypes, especially David, Hadley’s gay best-friend. When we take an unflinging look at the plot, what we see screams typical NA romance.

Except typical NA romance it is not.

As far as peeves are concerned, I have several that I know I can’t overlook. They aren’t there.

✘ There’s no slut-shaming and not an ounce of girl hate.

✘ There’s no asshole as a hero but an ADORABLE male lead with whom I fell hopelessly in love almost instantly. I mean, Jack is funny, considerate, loyal, and really, I couldn’t get enough of him. So, yeah, I can see how people would say that he’s not believable. But fuck that. FUCK. THAT. All men aren’t broken/controlling jerk/assholes, and many behave in such an adorable way when they’re falling in love with someone. Not to mention that he has his own flaws – he’s just not as intent on showing them that our regular NA jerkface. Also, he makes jokes about Titanic. It does count.

“I smiled at him. “And you slept over. Again.” (…)
“You made me.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Well,” he said. “You don’t remember very much. Do you? Jack, I’ll never let go,”, he mimicked.
“Oh god.”
“Never let go.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, even though I totally believed him.
“Jack!” he mimicked.”

I fucking love this guy.

✘ Hadley isn’t flawless either and have her annoying (and indecisive) sides but she’s in no need of saving. She hasn’t been raped or abused. So, okay, she has rules. Like a tons of rules.

”No presents. Definitely no flowers. I’m not doing your laundry, making you cookies, or coming to your formal. Don’t ask me too,” I said. I cocked my head. “No dates. No romantic comedies. No sleep-overs. No saying I love you. No buying me drinks. No Valentine’s Day, nicknames, baby talk, chocolate, or Taylor Swit concerts.”

Yet as much as I wanted to strangle her sometimes, I can’t deny that I really appreciated the fact that she was driven and independent. THANK YOU. I am an overachiever. I am annoying. I’m sure happy that people around me see that being a workalcohic doesn’t begin to define who am I. That’s why I could relate to her.

✘ There’s neither love triangle nor instalove, and their struggles are realistic – how to know what we’re willing to put above everything else? This is not as easy as it sounds, trust me. Hadley and Jack both have their dreams, and they’re not so ready to abandon them – I love them even more for that. Despite the somewhat cheesy writing at times, the situations are real: who never waited to be drunk to send text messages? You’re so not allowed to say never.

What about their banter? Loved it.

► To sum-up :
– The writing feels sometimes cheesy and forced.
– The characters and the story are not exempts of stereotypes.

+ You’re in for a good laugh.
+ The male-lead is adorable and heart-warming.
+ The MC doesn’t feel the need to bitch about other girls.
+ The MC doesn’t forget her dreams as soon as she meets the hero.
+ Their banter is fantastic.
+ There’s no pointless drama (some families issues and questioning about the future, that’s all)
+ They have FRIENDS.

In the end, reading a book is like making a deal, don’t you think? I asked Love Show to make me smile and care. If my 5 am ramblings should tell you something, it’s that it delivered. I mean, I actually clutched the damn book to my chest. Several times. So what if the writing isn’t always great? I can say without doubt that right now, I don’t care, and my daytime self will have to chill out and deal with it (you chill out! I still don’t give a damn!)

After that creepy note where I talk about myself in third person, I’ll tell you one last thing: don’t read Love Show if you’re looking for an original and thought-provoking book. If you want to spend a couple of hours smiling and start the year surrounded by heart-warming vibes, though?

Do it.

BOOK REVIEW: On the Island (On the Island #1) by Tracey-Garvis-Graves

December 29, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

On the Island (On the Island #1)
by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.

Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Christmas present from one of my besties, Jenny. You’s da bestest! ♥

And BUDDY READING WITH MY OTHER JEN! 😛

Yeeeeeahhhh……soooooo, this is me:

And in case you’re wondering, that’s me, sitting alone and pondering where everything went wrong with this book. Everyone adores it, I mean, for real, everyone, and all I could really fall in love with was TJ. So, as it seems, the cheese stands alone.

If it wasn’t for the writing, and a certain event that made my blood boil and me see immediate red, then I assume this might have gotten a 4 or 5-depending on said things being rectified in a Chelsea-friendly manner. I’m actually really not as picky as I sound, but when there is horrid writing from beginning to end, choppy sentences and paragraphs, time lapses, I can’t help but to cringe and feel my book OCD kick in.

“Don’t let go,” I whispered.
“I wasn’t going to.”

I mean….however many years on the island in less than 50%? I don’t know why, but this really bugged me. And the fact that they attempted-Yes, it was attempted, at best-to wrestle a shark (Scoff)? Come. The fuck. On. I mean…..really??

When I realized she wasn’t pissed at me, I smiled and said, “You know what, Anna? You’re all right.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I really was looking for your REO Speedwagon T-shirt, but I can’t find it.”
“It’s hanging on the line. It should be dry.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure. Just don’t smell my underwear anymore, okay?”
“You saw that, huh?”
“Yeah.”

But there were absolutely adorable moments as well, things that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. I mean, there was TJ, for instance, another book boy that I wish I could lift out of this story and place into another one. And then there was their precious pet who, thanks to my newly adopted life style, really hit close to home and took permanent residence in my heart. And even their relationship was absolutely adorable-I just couldn’t stomach the writing. And, as everyone knows about me, sometimes I just. Can’t. Get past. The writing.

“What’s wrong?” T.J. asked.
“I won’t always look like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m thirteen years older than you, and I’m getting older every day. I won’t always look like this.”
“I know that, Anna. But if you think I only care about what you look like, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”

So, you know, I could keep spouting about the unbelievability of this story…or accept it for what it was and admit I enjoyed it quite immensely. There were so many great ideas, yet they were poorly executed. And as much as I would have adored this, there were just two things that really got under my skin that hindered my love of the story. And, many times, it made me more sad than happy-that was a big factor in my rating, as well. When I put it down, I forgot about it, and when I finished, I was happy, but still pissed. So….I give three stars for TJ and their adorable love and relationship. But with 50% in Chicago..this story severely suffered. I’m so sad this wasn’t an instant favorite for me. And, I’m sorry, but it all comes down to one simple fact: The writing and chunky time lapses were more tragic than their plane wreck.

Sorry not sorry.

Oh hey, but here are some parting survival pictures, though, of my favorite castaway. He copes in the only way he can…