Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle | Book Review | Blogmas

Title: Dear Santa
Author: Nancy Naigle
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin 
Published Date: October 16th, 2018
Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Adult
Page Count:338
Format: Paperback

My Rating: ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive.

Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that, if Santa were real, would no doubt land her on the naughty list. What’s the harm when it’s just a computer-generated response?

Geoff Paisley has been at his mother’s side running the mega-chain Christmas Galore for the last ten years. When his mother falls ill, Geoff promises to answer the town’s Dear Santa letters in her stead. Soon he realizes the woman he’s been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela. How could the woman that grates his every last nerve in person have intrigued him so deeply through those letters?

When Geoff reveals that he’s her Dear Santa, will Angela be able to set aside their very public feud to embrace the magic of the holiday and possibly find true love?

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 My Review:

Dear Santa is one of those books that feels like a Hallmark movie. For any other time of the year I would dislike this, but for some reason during Christmas, I'm all for it.

This book is full of family, holiday cheer, and some drama. 

Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle | Book Review | Blogmas Day 6

Title: Together at Midnight
Author: Jennifer Castle
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published Date: January 2nd 2018 by
Genre: Contemporary, friendship, realistic-fiction, romance, YA
Page Count: 352
Format: ebook

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
What does it really mean to be kind . . . and why does it sometimes feel like the hardest thing in the world to do? High school senior Kendall, who just returned from a life-changing semester in Europe, and Max, who is drifting his way through a gap year before college, struggle with these questions when they witness a tragic accident in New York City during the holiday season. Racked with guilt, the two accept a dare to perform random acts of kindness to strangers. The challenge pulls these two teens, who have a history together from back home, closer and closer as they explore a vibrant city filled with other people’s stories and secrets.

Kendall and Max can’t deny their growing bond, even though they both have other romantic entanglements and uncertain futures. As the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve, will they find themselves together at midnight? 

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 My Review:

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Together at Midnight is a New York story that reminded me of a few others that happen before Christmas. This one takes place after Christmas though and goes through the new year. We follow two main characters Kendall and Max who are challenged to do 7 good deeds for others with no money spent after they have seen something horrible happen to someone else that deeply affects them.
Along with this challenge, we learn a lot about them and what happened in the past and how exactly they know each other. Kendall has just returned from a study abroad and Max has taken a year off from college to save money. With both of them struggling with what to do next this challenge was a perfect distraction that also ended up helping them deal with what they saw happen.
We also get to see what the people they helped were thinking and how it really did change how they looked at things that day.

Overall I really loved this story! I loved being able to see what the person they helped thought and how it was able to show that even if we don't think we changed someone's day we most likely did. Max and Kendall's friendship was really nice as well, and even though things were a little awkward it was realistic for a change. I loved both of their families who were present and around for a change. There were so many different parts of this story and a lot of them were actually realistic in my opinion. Every character had some sort of flaw, but they knew them and they had accepted them and were trying to do better with them.
I think this is a perfect read for the beginning of the year!

A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson | Book Review | Blogmas

Title: A Christmas by the Sea

Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
Published Date: September 4th, 2018
Genre: Christian, Adult, Christmas, Contemporary
Page Count:169       

Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 

When Wendy Harper inherits her family's beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in--temporarily, she reminds him--in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.

Join award-winning author Melody Carlson for a Christmas story that will warm your heart and have you dreaming of your own enchanted seaside holiday. 
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 My Review:
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

A Christmas by the Sea is a book about a mother and son who have gone back to a place where the mom summered with her grandparents and has now inherited after the death of her grandfather. 
Wendy and her son Jackson are going from Ohio to Maine in order to get to the cottage and fix it up for it to be sold, or at least that's what Wendy has planned. Jackson, on the other hand, wants this to become their new home and for them to have a fresh start after everything that happened. 

Blog Tour | Carols and Chaos by Cindy Anstey | Book Review & Giveaway!

Title: Carols and Chaos
Author: Cindy Anstey
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Published Date: October 9th,2018
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, YA
Page Count:336
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★.75

Goodreads Summary: 
A lady’s maid and a valet become entangled in a yuletide counterfeiting scheme in this romantic Christmas YA adventure.
1817. The happy chaos of the Yuletide season has descended upon the country estate of Shackleford Park in full force, but lady’s maid Kate Darby barely has the time to notice. Between her household duties, caring for her ailing mother, and saving up money to someday own a dress shop, her hands are quite full. Matt Harlow is also rather busy. He’s performing double-duty, acting as valet for both of the Steeple brothers, two of the estate’s holiday guests.

Falling in love would be a disaster for either of them. But staving off their feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when a devious counterfeiting scheme reaches the gates of Shackleford Park, and Kate and Matt are unwittingly swept up in the intrigue. Full of sweetness, charm, and holiday shenanigans, Carols and Chaos is perfect for fans of Jane Austen and Downton Abbey.
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 My Review:

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours, Netgalley, and Swoon Reads for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to be apart of the blog tour!

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen | Book Review

Title: Bright Young Things
Series: Bright Young Things #1
Author: Anna Godbersen
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Publisher: Harperchildren's Audio
Published Date: October 12th, 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, YA
Format: Audiobook

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star...

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for...and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
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 My Review:

“That is what I want to tell you about: the girls with their short skirts and bright eyes and big-city dreams.
The girls of 1929.”

   

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen | Book Review

Title: The Year We Fell Down
Series: The Ivy Years
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publisher: Rennie Road Books 
Published Date: March 20th, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Page Count:270
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now?

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league.

Also, he's taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the "gimp ghetto" of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.

They're just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she's falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won't, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness -- one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who's afraid to love her back. 

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 My Review:

“There’s no more perfect, Callahan. Now there’s only really damned good.”

We all know I struggle to like new adult books, and were probably getting to the point now where you're all wondering why I keep trying them? That would be because I'm extremely stubborn and I am determined to find a good new adult. This one is getting there everyone.

The Last Summer of the Garret Girls by Jessica Spotswood | Book Review

Title: The Last Summer of the Garret Girls
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published Date: June 5th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic fiction, YA
Page Count: 320
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
One summer will challenge everything the Garrett sisters thought they knew about themselves—and each other.

Kat lands the lead in the community theater’s summer play, but the drama spills offstage when her ex and his new girlfriend are cast too. Can she get revenge by staging a new romance of her own?

Bea and her boyfriend are heading off to college together in the fall, just like they planned when they started dating. But Bea isn’t sure she wants the same things as when she was thirteen…

Vi has a crush on the girl next door. It makes her happy and nervous, but Cece has a boyfriend…so it’s not like her feelings could ever be reciprocated, right?

As the oldest, Des shoulders a lot of responsibility for her family and their independent bookstore. Except it’s hard to dream big when she’s so busy taking care of everyone else. 
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 My Review:

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the free e-book.

Last Summer of the Garret Girls follows four sisters from the ages of preteen to college age. 
We have Des the oldest, Bea a recent high school graduate, Vi who is in early high school, and Kat who is also in high school. 

Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour | Book Review

Title: Everything Leads to You
Author: Nina Lacour
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published Date: May 15th, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQIA, YA
Page Count:312
Format: Hardcover

My Rating: ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of Hold Still.

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

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 My Review:

“Because in the conversation beneath this one, what we're really saying is I am an imperfect person. Here are my failures. Do you want me anyway?”

Last year during Blogmas I read We Are Okay by Nina Lacour and really enjoyed it. Which encouraged me to finally pick up Everything Leads to You which had been on my Goodreads tbr since 2015 and has been one that has been really hyped up for me since I first heard about it.

Scream All Night by Derek Milman | Book Review

Title: Scream All Night
Author: Derek Milman
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published Date:  July 24th, 2018
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, YA
Page Count:400
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Dario Heyward knows one thing: He’s never going back to Moldavia Studios, the iconic castle that served as the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult classic B-horror movies. It’s been three years since Dario’s even seen the place, after getting legally emancipated from his father, the infamous director of Moldavia’s creature features.

But then Dario’s brother invites him home to a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film—The Curse of the Mummy’s Tongue. Dario swears his homecoming will be a one-time visit. A way for him to get closure on his past—and reunite with Hayley, his first love and co-star of Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real-life tragedy—and say good-bye for good. But the unthinkable happens—Dario gets sucked back into the twisted world of Moldavia and the horrors, both real and imagined, he’s left there.

With only months to rescue the sinking studio and everyone who has built their lives there, Dario must confront the demons of his past—and the uncertainties of his future. But can he escape the place that’s haunted him his whole life? 

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 My Review:

“One day you’ll look back on your time here, and all of us, and you won’t feel the pain you do now. When that moment comes, you’ll know you’ve made it through all the darkness God drew for you and come out into the light.”

Thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher and Mind Much Media for a free e-arc

All We Can Do Is Wait by Richard Lawson | Book Review

Title: All We Can Do Is Wait
Author:  Richard Lawson
Publisher: Razorbill 
Published Date: February 6th, 2018
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, YA
Page Count:288
Format: Hardcover/Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
In the hours after a bridge collapse rocks their city, a group of Boston teenagers meet in the waiting room of Massachusetts General Hospital:

Siblings Jason and Alexa have already experienced enough grief for a lifetime, so in this moment of confusion and despair, Alexa hopes that she can look to her brother for support. But a secret Jason has been keeping from his sister threatens to tear the siblings apart…right when they need each other most.

Scott is waiting to hear about his girlfriend, Aimee, who was on a bus with her theater group when the bridge went down. Their relationship has been rocky, but Scott knows that if he can just see Aimee one more time, if she can just make it through this ordeal and he can tell her he loves her, everything will be all right.

And then there’s Skyler, whose sister Kate—the sister who is more like a mother, the sister who is basically Skyler’s everything—was crossing the bridge when it collapsed. As the minute's tick by without a word from the hospital staff, Skyler is left to wonder how she can possibly move through life without the one person who makes her feel strong when she’s at her weakest. 

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 My Review:

"Scott never forgot that feeling, though, that desperate wish that things could just be easier. He felt it now, a yearning to go back to when life was less complicated, when it wasn’t so difficult and frightening."

If you remember earlier this year I did a Waiting on Thursday post where I talked about this book, and I actually read the book in the same year I mentioned it!

Screenshot by Donna Cooner | Book Review

Title: Screenshot
Author: Donna Conner
Publisher:  Point 
Published Date: May 29th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Social Media, YA
Page Count:304
Format: Paperback

My Rating: ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
Skye's social media game is always on point. Until her best friend, Asha, films an embarrassing video of Skye at a sleepover and posts it online. But Asha quickly deletes the post, so everything's okay. Right? Then Skye gets an anonymous message. Someone has texted her a screenshot from the video. This person threatens to share the shocking photo online . . . unless Skye does whatever they say. Skye's perfect image -- and privacy -- are suddenly in jeopardy. What will Skye do to keep the screenshot under wraps? And who is trying to ruin her life?

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 My Review:

"Why does it matter what out people think?"

Thank you to Scholastic for the free physical book.

Blog Tour | Watching You by Shannon Greenland | Book Review & Giveaway!

Title: Watching You
Author: Shannon Greenland
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published Date: July 9th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, YA, Thriller 
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Viola’s always been that girl from that family, so a scholarship to a prestigious private school in Florida was supposed to be her ticket out of poverty and into a brand-new life. But Viola’s secrets have followed her. Her relationship with the intelligent and gorgeous Riel should have been the salvation she needed—he understands her troubled past better than anyone. But then weird things start to happen.

Frightening messages.

Missing personal items.

The unsettling feeling that she’s being watched.

Viola’s never been one to give her trust easily, but she’ll need to trust in Riel if she’s going to survive her stalker. Because she’s not fighting for a new life anymore—she’s fighting to stay alive.

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 My Review:

Thank you to the publisher and Xpresso Book Tours for a free e-copy. 

Watching you is a thriller YA book that follows Viola on her journey to getting her family out of the situation they are currently in. To do this she first needs to go to a school in Florida for smart kids (which she is) and then she plans to go to MIT and get a great job! All sound like really great goals and like she has it all figured out. But of course, we have a few problems that happen due to admissions changing some requirements and her student advisor being someone who is just as smart as she is.

Viola is a very likable character. She worries about things, studies and does just normal life things that tend to get left out in books. I did feel like she could have done more things at times to stay safe, or to let someone know what was going on. But I also kind of understand why she didn't.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't stop reading it and I wasn't able to figure out who it was until it was revealed! This is becoming a rare thing for me anymore as I've been reading so many mystery/thrillers recently. The whole mystery part of this book I really enjoyed, the stalker's point of view that we got to see every few chapters was extremely creepy and ominous that it really kept me interested in trying to figure out who it was. While I did have multiple suspects it was no one that had even been on my radar from the beginning.

As for the romance part, I didn't mind it for the first half of the book it was always just on the back burner in my opinion. The farther into the book the more prominent it became and it took over basically in my opinion which was a little disappointing because it seemed at first like Viola was going to be flying solo until she got all of her education. I will say I am so so glad that we finally got a YA book where both of the people in the relationship are super smart and still have the same goals even after getting into a relationship they just want to work on them together! I also really liked how involved Viola and Riel were in his little sister's life. She was never made to feel like a burden and they worked around her schedule. In fact, Riel could be my new book boyfriend just because of how caring he was about his sister, and making sure he was there for Viola but didn't push any boundaries.

If you want a lighter mystery/thriller book that has romance in it than this book is for you.

I also do want to mention that this book does have a few scenes where sex is implied. It never gets graphic though and is just briefly mentioned.

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Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch | Book Review

Title: Love & Luck
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published Date:  May 8th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Travel, Ireland
Page Count:320
Format: Hardcover

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

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 My Review:

Last year I read Love & Gelato and really enjoyed it so when I found out that there was going to be a companion novel I had to read it. 

"Did you know that each leaf on a clover stands for something? They do, pet. Faith, Hope, and love. And should you happen to find one with four leaves? Well, that's the one that stands for luck." 

The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger | Book Review

Title: The History of Jane Doe
Author: Michael Belanger
Publisher: Dial Books
Published Date: June 5th 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Mental Health, YA
Page Count:304
Format: ebook

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Goodreads Summary: 

A poignant, deeply funny coming-of-age story about first love, first loss, and the power of history to give life meaning.

History buff Ray knows everything about the peculiar legends and lore of his rural Connecticut hometown. Burgerville's past is riddled with green cow sightings and human groundhogs, but the most interesting thing about the present is the new girl--we'll call her Jane Doe.

Inscrutable, cool, and above all mysterious, Jane seems as determined to hide her past as Ray is to uncover it. As fascination turns to friendship and then to something more, Ray is certain he knows Jane's darkest, most painful secrets and Jane herself--from past to present. But when the unthinkable happens, Ray is forced to acknowledge that perhaps history can only tell us so much.

Mixing humor with heartache, this is an unmissable coming-of-age story from an exciting new voice in YA. 
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 My Review:

Thank you to First To Read for a free e-copy to read/review.

“For someone who'd lived his whole life moving backward, slow felt like a hundred miles per hour.” 

Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert | Book Review

Title: Picture Us In The Light
Author: Kelly Loy Gilbert
Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion
Published Date: April 10th 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQIA
Page Count:361
Format: Hardcover

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Danny Cheng has always known his parents have secrets. But when he discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined.

Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan.

When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history and the carefully constructed facade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, Danny must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.

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 My Review:

Thank you to bookishfirst for a free book in exchange for my honest review

"I still believe him. Because if you're tangled up in someone else, if your futures are tied that way, if that's real and if you know when it happens- then it means you know who you belong to, and you know whose fates are tied to yours, whether you like it or planned it or not, whether they still exist in the same world with you or they don't, and I think that's where everything begins and ends. I think that's everything."

Cover Reveal | Seaside Sweets by Melissa Chambers

COVER REVEAL!

SEASIDE SWEETS

Love Along Hwy 30A Series: Book One

RELEASING June 19th, 2018

Seaside Sweets is book one in the Love Along Highway 30A series, which features beautiful beach communities, a circle of unique and amazing friends, and romances that will have you cheering on the couples and fanning yourself from the heat. All books are standalone and can be enjoyed in or out of order.





After her crappy ex runs up her credit card, clears her bank account, and gets her fired, Seanna Perry makes her escape to the quaint beach town of Seaside, Florida. The houses are pastel, the ocean air heaven, and the men hot as the Gulf Coast sun … one in particular. But while paying the price, literally, for the last man she trusted with her heart, she’s not interested in any sort of beach romance, or so she keeps reminding herself.





Living in the idyllic coastal paradise of the 30A area hasn’t eased Blake Evans’ guilt over what went down three years ago. He can’t stop blaming himself, and certainly none of his wonderful friends can ever find out what happened. Blake’s done a good job of keeping romantic feelings toward any woman at bay, and he needs to keep it that way. But when Seanna begins to show him how to live again, he finds himself struggling to keep his guard up.

Add to your Goodreads

Available at Amazon for $.99

Free on Kindle Unlimited

OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES RELEASING SAME DAY!

Maya Forbes has never had a one-night-stand. With her irresponsible but brilliant sister filling the role of flighty one, Maya must live sensibly and dutifully. But when she meets a gorgeous redneck from Panama City Beach who makes her head whirl, she must quit thinking idiotic thoughts about upending her life after one week of mind-altering sex, especially with her dream promotion waiting for her back home.







Bo Harrison has lived his entire life in a tourist town where the women he meets are typically gone in a week. After a long-term relationship that left him mentally drained, he didn’t mind the easy, week-long romances for a while. But watching his best friend fall in love has him thinking along those lines, especially when he meets a woman unlike any he’s ever dated—smart, sexy, independent. The catch? She leaves in one week, of course.

With Shayla Harrison’s dangerous ex leaving rehab and headed her way, she needs to find a safe
house and fast. When tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome Chase O’Neil offers a secure place to stay in beautiful Seagrove Beach for dirt cheap, she and her wallet can’t refuse. Romance is the last thing she wants, but the safety and warmth she feels with Chase are impossible to ignore.

Chase is the life of the party. He makes everyone laugh—whatever it takes to hide a soul-deep pain he can't fix. He’s been living in romance purgatory since his son died and his marriage ended six years ago. When he meets the mysterious and intriguing Shayla, the emotional wall he’s worked so hard to build starts to crumble. She makes him want all the things he knows he can’t have, including her love.

Add to your Goodreads

Available at Amazon

Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She serves as president for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever and Falling for Forever (Entangled Teen).

Website ♥ Facebook ♥ Twitter ♥ Instagram ♥ Goodreads

Airport, Exes, and Other Thing's I'm Over by Shani Petroff | Book Review

Title:  Airport, Exes, and Other Thing's I'm Over
Author: Shani Petroff
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Published Date: May 15th, 2018by
Genre: Contemporary, Spring Break
Page Count: 209
Format: Paperback
Source:  Giveaway win from Twitter

My Rating: ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
A bad storm, two canceled flights, stuck in an airport with a hot stranger and the guy who broke her heart... what could go wrong?

After Sari caught her boyfriend Zev cheating on her, their romantic Florida vacation was ruined. She can't get back to NYC soon enough. Unfortunately, mother nature may have different plans. A huge storm is brewing in the Northeast, and flights all over the country are getting canceled—including Sari's. She winds up stuck at the airport for hours. With Zev!

When another stranded passenger (a hot NYU guy) suggests a connecting flight to Boston, Sari jumps at the chance. But when her mom freaks out about her traveling alone, she has no choice—she has to include Zev, and somehow survive being trapped with the guy who broke her heart!

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 My Review:

"You are smart, talented, beautiful, kind- don't let one foolish boy bring you down."

Summer Constellations by Alisha Sevigny I Book Review

Title: Summer Constellations
Author: Alisha Sevigny
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published Date: May 1st, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Page Count: 264
Format: ebook

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Julia Ducharme is ready for a fresh start. Her little brother has finally recovered from a serious illness, and now she just wants to enjoy peak season at the campground her family owns. Maybe this will be the year her annual summer fling with Dan Schaeffer becomes something more?

But her summer dreams are quickly shattered. First, Dan arrives for vacation with a new girlfriend in tow, and then Julia discovers this may be her last summer in the only home she's ever known.

Crushing medical bills have brought her single mom to the brink of bankruptcy, and a wealthy developer is sniffing around the campground. He sees what Julia sees: lush woods, a pristine lake, miles of trails for adventure. Unlike Julia, he thinks this is the perfect spot for a casino resort.

Heartbroken and afraid, Julia looks to the stars for some perspective. Taking her telescope down to the dock one night, she has a chance encounter with a guitar-playing boy who offers some helpful advice. Too bad this handsome stranger is the developer's son, Nick Constantine.

As plans for a resort move forward, Julia is desperate to find a solution that doesn't mean leaving the lake. Nick, in turn, is desperate to separate himself from his father's aggressive business tactics. He promises that, together, they can thwart the sale.

But can Julia trust him to conspire against his own father? And could she ever she trust him with her heart?

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My Review:

Thank you to the author for an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The moon is a wide band of gold on warm silver waters. Overhead, an infinity of diamonds sparkles just beyond fingertips."

This one reminded me so much of a Hallmark movie, and it was exactly what I needed after reading so many fantasy novels back to back.

Blog Tour: A Prom to Remember by Sandy Hall I Book Review & Giveaway

Title: A Prom to Remember

Author: Sandy Hall
Publisher:  Swoon Reads
Published Date:  April 24th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary, YA, LGBTQIA
Page Count:320
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Seven seniors, seven problems, one senior prom.

Cora: Head of the Prom Committee (and basically every other club in school). Has been dating Perfect Boyfriend Jamie™ for approximately forever, and has NO IDEA how to break up with him....

Paisley: Sarcastic feminist who wants nothing to do with prom. Has somehow managed to nominate her anxiety-ridden best friend for prom king...

Henry: Quiet ballplayer who hates social situations. Invited to prom by the most popular girl in school. SEND HELP!

Otis: Charming, popular, and one-half of one of the cutest couples in his class. Doesn't know how to tell his boyfriend that he's not quite ready for a post-prom hotel room experience...

Lizzie: A little bit shy, and a lot excited to finally get out of her comfort zone and go to prom. With a boy. Whose name she doesn't know.

Cameron: Loner with two jobs and zero friends. Is so done with high school and this whole town: the only thing he still wants to do is meet the mysterious girl who's been leaving him notes...

Jacinta: Unnamed Nerd Girl #3. Determined to become the star of her own life, starting with prom. Now if only she could find a date....

A Prom to Remember, the newest book from Sandy Hall (author of A Little Something Different) is a funny and cinematic look at the biggest dance of every high schooler's life. 

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 My Review:

Thank you to Xpressobooktours, the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review

A lot of you know that Contemporary is a genre that I'm still getting comfortable with and learning what I do and don't like. So I go into every book with no expectations whatsoever, which is really helping me figure out what I do and don't like in contemporary novels. This one is definitely on my really like/love

This one is realistic for the most part, some parts were a little rom-com, but they were so good! Yes, this book does have a ton of main characters, but each one got the same amount of time, and they all connected which made this work so well.

Paisley and Henry had one of my favorite friendships of this book and this one had a lot of great ones. Henry is extremely shy and introverted and is a baseball player. While Paisley is on the prom committee and works at potato restaurant, and calls him telling all the gossip she learns while being on the job.

Cora has been in a relationship with Jamie since childhood and they are now the 'perfect high school sweetheart' couple. But, things are about to change as graduation gets closer and the rest of there lives looms closer and closer.

Otis was a character that was also one of my favorite. His relationship problems were so realistic and it was nice to see them being talked about in a book.

Lizzie portions of the book were so fun and full of mystery!

Cameron was one that I was a little meh about at first, but the more we learned about him the more I liked him and was so happy to see how things ended.

Jacinta has kind of just been in the background for most of high school, but she's determined to make the last few months memorable.

Overall I loved this story. Realistic contemporary is truly becoming one of my favorite types of contemporary. Not only does this book feel very realistic and high school. It also dealt with more difficult topics without making them be the only thing about that person like a lot of books tend to do. I cannot recommend this book enough for an easy read!

I can't wait to read another book by this author. Any recs for which one I should start with?

Possible Spoilers

Otis is a gay young man in a relationship and I loved how it was written in this book. (please let me know if it wasn't a good representation)

Prom to remember has characters in the following spectrums: LGBTQIA, expectations from parents/friends, anxiety, family issues, all weights (this was mentioned during prom dress shopping).

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Going Places by Kathryn Berla #bookreview

Title: Going Places
Author:  Kathryn Berla
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Published Date: March 20th 2018
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary,
Page Count:275
Format: Paperback

My Rating: ★ ★ ★.5

Goodreads Summary: 
Hudson Wheeler is a teen for whom everyone had high expectations, but since his father was killed when he was ten, he's felt unmotivated to pursue much other than his art. During his senior year, he decides to home school, thinking he will get to relax and focus on his two lazy businesses. But instead, he experiences love and rejection for the first time; meets an athletic girl who shows him by example what it means to be a man; and solves the painful mystery of the WWII vet whose poignant plight forces Hudson out of the comfort zone of boyhood.   

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 My Review:
I originally got an e-arc from NetGalley, but I ended up reading a copy from the library. 

I got to read a little excerpt of this from bookishfirst, but I was a little unsure if I wanted to read it. As someone who was homeschooled, a lot of books don't really do it justice in my opinion. While this one doesn't really talk about the homeschooling part of Hudson's year, it does mention how much work he does have to do (which is true) and how things can be changed for your interests as long as they follow certain guidelines. For me, it was nice to see that in a book, as well as Hudson still having a social life, and being able to do things. (This was in part because of him still being able to take a couple classes at his high school.)