Review| Emergency Contacy

  Emergency Contact

AUTHOR:  Mary H.K. Choi
SERIES: Standalone 
PAGES:394
PUBLISHER:  Simon & Schuster
RELEASE DATE:  March 27th,2018

SUMMARY:

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

Meet Penny Lee your normal not-so-normal teenager. Penny Lee has spent her entire high school career living with the motto of work hard, have fun later. She has essentially avoided making friends her entire high school career besides her one and only boyfriend Mark. Mark hardly knows anything about Penny, but Penny doesn't seem to mind. That is until Penny meets Sam. Sam has a dream, a big one at that, to become a director. However, life just keeps kicking Sam when he's down. As Sam's trying to figure out the current ins and outs of his day-to-day struggles, he is caught with his pants down when he starts to have a panic attack in the middle of the street. With no one coming to his rescue, Penny jumps in to help Sam out. From there on out, Sam and Penny agree to be each other's emergency contact.  While they exchange their deepest darkest fears and secrets, things start to heat up. Can they stay friends or is there something more between them? 

I picked this one up when I was at Barnes and Noble the other day because I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover of this book. I loved all the pinks and gold tones this book had.  After reading the back, I knew I had to have it and I knew this one would be a nail-biter!  Going into this one with high expectations was probably setting the bar a little too high, however. As I begin to read I notice there was a huge disconnect between me and the writing style of this book.  There was so much background information being thrown to me in the early stages of the book and it just kept coming and coming the further I got into the book. I do think this made the overall first half of the book really hard of a read as the overall pace was get so slow. Nevertheless, I did still finish this book in under 24 hours with a little bit of perseverance because I still had such high hopes for the overall concept of the story. With that being siad, this book definitely had some highs and lows. 

Review| The Inheritance Games

The Inheritance Game

AUTHOR: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
SERIES: The Inheritance Games

PAGES: 376 Pages

PUBLISHER: Little Brown Books for Young Adult
RELEASE DATE: September 1st,2020

SUMMARY:

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

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Can I just say WOW? This book was absolutely one for the books. No pun intended. This was the perfect escapism I was looking for after the last book I read which was a contemporary romance. I love books like this one where you don't really quite know what to expect until it smacks you in the face. 

The Inheritance Games centers around Avery Grambs. From a surface level, Avery is just a normal teenage girl that has had her fair share of hard times in life. Avery lost her mom due to an unknown illness that is never discussed and her dad is a deadbeat. However, that doesn't stop Avery from working hard and being caring and compassionate to those around her -- her half-sister Libby and Henry the local homeless man Avery plays chess in the park. Avery is just trying to make ends meet until one day she is sucked into the elite world of the Hawthorne family. Suddenly, Avery is on a plane to Texas to hear the will for a man she never even knew. Avery's head hasn't stopped spinning when it is announced she is the sole heir of Tobias Hawthorne. However, there's a catch. She must stay in the Hawthorne House for one year before she is able to access the trust. Sounds easy enough right? But there are four grandsons and two angry daughters who were just passed up for this enormous fortune. Will she make it out alive or will one of them kill her before the year is up?

#Review | Hart & Seoul

Hart & Seoul
Author:  Kristen Burnham
Series:  Hart & Seoul #1 
Pages: 256 pages
Publisher: Mascot Books
Release Date: June 4th,2019
Source: Received a copy for review via netgalley

Summary:

Girl meets boy. Boy falls for girl. Girl discovers boy is a runaway K-pop idol in hiding.

Merilee Hart has been doing her best to keep things together since her mother left, her art a welcome escape from her depressing new reality. But things seem to go even more awry the moment her next door neighbor’s enigmatic and mysterious nephew arrives from South Korea. Lee is moody, cocky, and utterly infuriating.
But when Merri’s closest friends betray her and her father crushes her dream of going to art school, Merri finds herself drawn to Lee, who seems to live within even greater shadows than her own. And just when she thought things couldn’t get crazier, Merri’s world is upended when she discovers Lee’s big and bizarre secret…he is none other than a runaway member of the K-pop mega-group Thunder.

It’s not long before Thunder’s fans, the Storm Chasers, begin to close in on Lee, ready to do whatever it takes to return their favorite idol to his rightful place in the band. Faced with the prospect of even more heartbreak and caught up in an international whirlwind that has a life of its own, Merri realizes that she must find a way to mend herself, gain control of her life, and pursue her dreams—her heart and soul depend on it.

So while I've been gone these past couple of years one thing that I really became interested in is K-Pop and k-dramas.  When I read the summary of this book I just knew I had to read it and I am so glad I did! Guys this book made me so incredibly happy! I loved the idea of the book and the actual story itself was so amazing and cute.  

Let me just say that I have yet to read a book like this -- one that really incorporates k-pop and k-dramas like this one did. I loved all the references to Korean Food and Korean words and when Lee and Merri were watching k-dramas that I have also seen, I was in heaven. Living in America I know very few people around me  who are also interested in K-pop bands, so I tend to forget how big of a deal K-pop stars are and the huge fan base they can have. With that being said, it was so interesting to get to experience how a member of a k-pop group may feel. We really got see what it's possibly like under the pressure of being such a huge star and hardly having any privacy. Granted it's fiction, but I am sure that being a K-pop star in real life is even more pressure than displayed here. Even so, I really connected with the characters in this novel.  

#Review | Four Days of You and Me

Four Days of You and Me
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Series: Standalone
Pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: May 5th,2020
Source: Received a copy via netgalley
Big Shoutout to Sourcebooks Fire for sending this one to me!

Summary:

A new swoon-worthy romance following a couple's love story on the same date over four years.

Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all. 

WOW! Okay! Hello friends it’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve done this. I feel like I have to find my reviewing style all over again so bare with me! Let's get in to it, shall we? J

Meet, Lulu Wells. She is your typical, not so typical high school student. Lulu is a very smart and kind, vegan activist. When Lulu comes up with some great ideas to help the school become more eco friendly,  she decides to run for class president of her freshman class. There’s only one problem, Alex Rouvelis. Alex Rouvelis, is Lulu’s enemy  or so she thinks. After one school field trip leads to flirty bantering, suddenly, in Lulu’s eyes, there is more to Alex than just the popular guy. However, just when Lulu thinks things are going her way, they suddenly aren't anymore because let's face it, love isn't easy. Every May 7th, Lulu and Alex are always thrown together, is it faith or is it love? Do they have what it takes to make it through the ups and downs of highschool, love and heartbreak? Follow Alex and Lulu along and find out :)

VNYL Unboxing #Savedbythebell

 

Hey guys it's been a while! I wanted to share with ya'll this awesome subscription box that I am absolutely falling in love with! It's unbook related, but my second favorite things besides books is music!Check out my video and leave me a comment telling me what you think about this subscription box! I am in no way affiliated with this box, just obsessed with it lol. I wish I was #sponsed we can all dream right! 

 If you want an invite code and want to join in on the fun, leave me your email in the comments -- we'll both get $10 to use in their store if you do! Happy Tuesday :)

Review: Defending Taylor

Defending Taylor
AUTHOR:  Miranda Kenneally
SERIES:  Hundred Oaks Series
PAGES: 305pg
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire
RELEASE DATE: July 5th,2106

*Thanks so much Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a copy to review*

SUMMARY:

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expect of a senator's daughter.But one impulsive decision -- one lie to cover for her boyfriend-- and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's every worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

  Damn Miranda Kenneally back at it again with the amazing, heart throbbing stories. 

Can't you tell this review was written back in April when this phrase was actually really relevant.

               Defending Taylor starts off revolving around our main character, Taylor. Taylor many things -- she is a soccer player, daughter of a senator, youngest of three siblings and almost the valedictorian to her classy, boarding school. Well all of these things are true except that last bit. I absolutely love every single story Miranda Kenneally has written and this one has been no different! When I was approved for this book via Netgalley, I downloaded it immediately and read it in one sitting until 4 am. I just could not put this book down. 

Review: One Paris Summer

One Paris Summer
AUTHOR:  Denise Grover Swank
SERIES:  Standalone
PAGES: 272
PUBLISHER: Blink
RELEASE DATE: June 7th,2016
SOURCE:   I received a copy via netgalley!
Thanks so much for letting me review this!

SUMMARY:
Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they're expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.

Sophie could deal with all the pain and humiliation if only she could practice piano. Her dream is to become a pianist, and she was supposed to spend the summer preparing for a scholarship competition. Even though her father moved to Paris to peruse his own dream, he clearly doesn't support hers. His promise to provided her with a piano goes unfulfilled.

Still, no one is immune to Paris's charm. After a few encounters with a gorgeous French boy, Sophie finds herself warming to the city, particularly when she discovers that he can help her proactive piano. There's just on hitch -- he's a friend of Camille's, and Camille hates Sophie. While the summer Sophie dreaded promises to become the best summer of her life, one person could ruin
it all.

            Sophie can imagine doing a million things this summer, however, the last thing she ever expected was to be in Paris. Every other teenager would die to have an experience like this, but Sophie just wants to be home with her mom and her best friend Jenna.....

Review: You Know Me Well

You Know Me Well
AUTHOR:  Nina LaCour & David Levithan
SERIES:  Standalone
PAGES: 256 pgs.
PUBLISHER:  St.Martin's Griffin
RELEASE DATE: June 7th,2016
SOURCE: I received a copy of this book via netgalley.

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book!

SUMMARY:

Who Knows you well? Your bestfriend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy might? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other-- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

This book is a journey – you follow the characters through the ups and downs of life in this freaking amazing, gorgeous book!

Meet Mark and Kate, two teenagers in the same high school that have never met. They have sat next to each other practically the whole year in Geometry, but have never spoken two words to each other. Until one night, when everything changes and suddenly they are each other’s whole world, but not in the way you are thinking! Mark is in love with his best friend Ryan, who has no idea he feels this way and Kate has just run away from meeting the girl of her dreams.  When their worlds collide, they literally are each other’s support even though it has only been a day. They help each other navigate in this new, dangerous, territory with their hearts on the line. Will they make it out in love or devastated?