Review: Maybe This Time (Kasie West)

Title: Maybe This Time
Series: standalone
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Told: First Person (Sophie), Past Tense
Content Rating: Teen (kissing)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?

Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.

Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all . . .

Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.

*          *          *

Like Sophie with Andrew, I didn't get along with this book at first. I was put off by their antagonistic banter, defensive personalities, and strained parental situations. Although it had the easy style and engaging plot Kasie West is known for, her signature banter was too sharp to be fun for me - inflicting pain instead of encouraging play - and unexpectedly heavier contemporary elements weighted the story.

But as Sophie and Andrew grew on each other so did they grow on me, not only as messy and therefore realistic characters but as a cute couple. And as the heavier elements brought realization to the struggling teens, they added a lot of character depth that I've found missing in Kasie's last few books. I still wasn't a complete fan of Sophie (or Andrew), but I became fully invested in their lives was very satisfied with their sweet end.

Conclusion: Was I glad I read it? Heck yes. And while these weren't my favorite characters, thanks to some strong character depth I'm once more excited to continue reading every book Kasie puts out. Would I recommend it? Definitely, especially if you enjoy hate-to-love relationships and like your contemporary romances a little heavier on the contemporary.

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Review: Truly Madly Royally (Debbie Rigaud)

Title: Truly Madly Royally
Series: standalone
Author: Debbie Rigaud
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Release Date: July 30, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Told: First Person, Present Tense
Content Rating: Young Teen (kissing)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

Fiercely independent and smart, Zora Emerson wants to change the world. She's excited to be attending a prestigious summer program, even if she feels out of place among her privileged, mostly white classmates. So she's definitely not expecting to feel a connection to Owen, who's an actual prince of an island off the coast of England. But Owen is funny, charming...and undeniably cute. Zora can't ignore the chemistry between them. When Owen invites Zora to be his date at his big brother's big royal wedding, Zora is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, along with her family and friends. Everyone is talking about her, in real life and online, and while Owen is used to the scrutiny, Zora's not sure it's something she can live with. Can she maintain her sense of self while moving between two very different worlds? And can her feelings for Owen survive and thrive in the midst of the crazy? Find out in this charming romantic comedy that's like The Princess Diaries for a new generation.

*          *          *

The Good: True to the playful cover, Truly Madly Royally is a sweet interracial romance between a philanthropist girl from New Jersey and a teen prince from a small European country during a college-prep summer program. It had cute puns and banter, fun college exploration and Taco Tuesdays, and a much appreciated innocent relationship with barely even kissing despite the couple being 17-18 years old.

The Not So Good: But despite the adorable dates, enthusiastic fundraisers, and royal wedding, the odd rhythm of the story made it a struggle to relate to on an emotional level. A lot happened in this only 304-page novel and to insure that it was all at least mentioned, the scenes were heavily abbreviated and many details omitted - details that really would've helped me connect with Zora and Owen better. Instead, Zora came off as somewhat aloof in non-philanthropist situations, and doting and groveling Owen was a bit too "girl's ideal" which made him a little bland. Their romance was also rather erratic and confusing with Zora flip-flopping like crazy and Owen not only accepting it but taking the blame for anything that needed apologizing for (like her taking his phone). They did make a cute couple, I guess, but the flow of their relationship baffled me. Finally, most of the jokes, references and slang were region- and culture-focused, and without explanations I didn't get most of them, sadly excluding me from much of the humor.

Conclusion: Was this the cute, playful romance the cover promised? Yes. Was I glad I read it? Sure, although I did have to push through the last third or so. Would I recommend it? I don't see why not, especially for someone who enjoys interracial relationships, royal romances, and puns. 

Scribble Rating: 

3 of 5 Scribbles

The #FridayReads Review (5/24/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne (ARC)

Borrowed this from the library's teen ARC shelf. It's a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion meets "The Bachelorette in space," both of which I'm definitely recognizing. Currently a little over 70 pages in and with its familiar feel and undercurrent of intrigue I'm actually quite enjoying it.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (ARC)

3 Stars. Yet another last-picked team of misfits story that, although once my favorite premise, I'm now growing weary of. With its colorful team of diverse, snarky misfits and lots of action it was entertaining enough, for the most part, but overall I was not impressed with the overused plot structure they stuck to. Review to come.

Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud (ARC)

3 Stars. A cute and innocent interracial summer romance with some fun puns and banter but a very confusing rhythm. Review to come.

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Roar by Cora Carmack (ARC)

I was just accepted onto the street team, so time for a re-read!!

Ao Haru Ride vols. 1-3 by Io Sakisaka (PBK)

Getting the first 3 volumes from the library today! I really enjoyed Strobe Edge so I've been interested in trying this series.

So what are you reading this week?

Review: Snow in Love (Kasie West, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Melissa de la Cruz)

Title: Snow in Love
Series: standalone
Author: Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Kasie West
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Holiday Romance
Content Rating: Teen (kissing)
Format Read: Paperback (library)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.

From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.

From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.

From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.

From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.

So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...

*          *          *

I'm generally not one for short story collections. There are very few authors or themes that would cause me to pick one up, and to my knowledge I've never read one in its entirety. But then Snow in Love came along. With only 4 stories, one by a favorite author (Kasie West), and promises of fluffy holiday teen romances, I decided to give the entire collection a try. Admittedly after Kasie's story I struggled a bit to get into the rest (they weren't familiar authors), but in the end I did read the entire collection and was glad I did.

"Snow and Mistletoe" by Kasie West - 5 Scribbles. Kasie is one of my few "will read anything" authors, so I naturally picked up Snow in Love for her story. Although I sadly haven't been as enamored of her last few novels, Snow and Mistletoe reminded me why I continue to read her work as I thoroughly enjoyed the snowy roadtrip romance. It is now my second favorite story of hers. <3

"Working in a Winter Wonderland" by Aimee Friedman - 3 Scribbles. It took a while to get into the writing style but I'm glad I persevered because the story was a cute and fun workplace romance, even if said romance escalated way too quickly at the end (but so is the short story beast).

"The Magi's Gifts" by Melissa de la Cruz - 2.5 Scribbles. A retelling of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, aged down and modernized for the teen market. The writing style was a little juvenile for me, but it was a sweet story about giving from the heart.

"Grounded" by Nic Stone - 3 Scribbles. I'm a sucker for texting in books so I rather enjoyed this story of self discovery and airport scavenger hunts. It almost makes me wish I'll get snowed into a major airport one day so I can discover all its wonders too (almost).

Conclusion: An enjoyable teen short story collection of super-fluffy romances set around Christmas. Definitely recommend for a cozy winter holiday read - or any time of year, really. I hope this is a portent of more smaller teen short story collections with engaging themes in the near future.

Scribble Rating: 

3.5 of 5 Scribbles

Release Spotlight: Invincible (Dawn Metcalf) & P.S. I Like You (Kasie West)

Today I spotlight the final book in an amazing series, and the latest from an amazing author! The first is Invincible, the fourth and final book in the Twixt series by Dawn Metcalf! If you enjoy highly imaginative contemporary fantasy, the Twixt series is not to be missed. The second is P.S. I Like You by Kasie West! I have read and loved everything she has written, and cannot recommend her highly enough of you enjoy contemporary romances. If you haven't yet done so, check out both below!

Title: Invincible

Series: The Twixt #4
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 7/26/16

Love must be stronger than fear, stronger than fate. 

Invincible. 

The future of two worlds depends on it. 

Joy Malone has learned to live between two realities, surviving mortal threats and agonizing betrayals. And she's found true love. But the world of the Twixt is in chaos, and the Council wants someone to blame… Facing a danger greater than any she's ever known, Joy must find the strength to rely on herself as her allies fall away, because Joy is no longer sure just who—or what—she is. She knows only that her deepest secret is also her greatest vulnerability and the key to saving them all. 

As she fights to protect her friends and family and to unite two disparate worlds, Joy has to trust that some bonds are stronger than magic.

Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

Check out the first three books in the series!

Book 1: Indelible

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | My Review

Book 2: Invisible

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | My Review

Book 3: Insidious

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: P.S. I Like You

Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Point (Scholastic)
Release Date: 7/26/16

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.

Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE:
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository

WoW: P.S. I Like You (Kasie West)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blogging event hosted by Breaking the Spine, in which one spotlights an upcoming release they are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: P.S. I Like You

Author: Kasie West

Release Date: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Point

Summary:

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.

Add to Goodreads

Why I'm Looking Forward To It: Kasie West. Mystery desk pen pal romance. Kasie West. One of the most adorable covers ever. Did I mention it was by Kasie West? KASIE WEST. Enough said.

So what book are you waiting on?