On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by. Julia Walton | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

Author: Julia Walton

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 8/23/22

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Reader, Romance, Contemporary, Sex Education, Politics

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A girl rewrites sex education, one viral post at a time, in this fiercely honest and delightfully awkward novel by the award-winning author of Words on Bathroom Walls.

Phoebe Townsend is a rule follower . . . or so everyone thinks. She’s an A student who writes for her small-town school newspaper. But what no one knows is that Phoebe is also Pom—the anonymous teen who’s rewriting sex education on her blog and social media.

Phoebe is not a pervert. No, really. Her unconventional hobby is just a research obsession. And sex should not be a secret. As long as Phoebe stays undercover, she’s sure she’ll fly through junior year unnoticed. . . .

That is, until Pom goes viral, courtesy of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst. The former beauty queen labels Phoebe’s work an “assault on morality,” riling up her supporters and calling on Pom to reveal her identity. But Phoebe is not backing down. With her anonymity on the line, is it all worth the fight?

Julia Walton delivers a brutally honest novel about sex, social media, and the courage to pursue truth when misinformation is rife. Who knew truth could be so scandalous?

Content Warning: vandalism, cyberbullying

This book comes at the right time when current events in the USA are heightened because of the overturning of abortion rights. So reading this feels very relevant!

+ sex positivity. Phoebe is a high school student and a great writer. She writes for her school newspaper and she also has a blog that gives out information about sex. No one knows it’s her behind the blog but it’s a space where she can help others who need help finding answers to such a taboo topic. I wish I had all this information when I was young. We did have sex education class in the 5th grade, 7th grade, and even in the 9th grade because there was a high rate of teenage pregnancy going on in those days – but kids didn’t ask any questions because it really was a taboo topic.

+ I liked seeing all these high school kids with such different passions – Phoebe with journalism and science, Jorge with botany or planting crops, and others with their involvement in school and even politics.

+ Phoebe’s voice was great because she didn’t have all the answers but she tried to do her research and she really did reply respectfully to all the people making comments on her blog. Her blog really caused an uproar because people in on the internet believed her blog encouraged teens to have more sex. I know this can be a hot topic in politics with one side thinking no one should have sex until marriage but in my life experiences, reality doesn’t happen that way. People have sex. Teens have sex. Why is it bad for them to be informed on how to stay safe? So I understood Phoebe’s stance. What was horrible was the backlash that came when they revealed her identity. People really can be atrocious to one another.

+ The romance was sweet and I liked that when Phoebe finally had her own experiences with kissing and more, she was informed and took her time. The scene is a fade to black moment and perfect for this story. I like that the romance wasn’t the main focus of this story but a nice way to show Phoebe’s new experiences with boys.

~ Phoebe gave information about sex on the blog but when it finally came to a gay person asking a question and she had no clue how tot respond, she acknowledged that about herself – and realized she didn’t have information on that. She went and did research and I applauded her for that. It would have been nice to have some LGBTQ+ characters in this story because EVERYONE has questions about sex.

~ The election events in this book gave me minor ptsd – it’s so stressful these days but like I said, stays current to the times we are living in, sadly.

Why you should read it:

this is a sex positive, smart, eye-opening story
Phoebe has a great voice – she’s mature, coming of age and dealing with emotions and standing up for things she believes in
coincides with the political atmosphere going on in America today

Why you might not want to read it:

doesn’t have much LGBT+ rep – even with the sex information

My Thoughts:

This is really a fantastic book and one perfect for teens and young adults to read. I felt like it was open, positive (except for the negative reactions to Phoebe and her blog), hopeful and eye-opening. With so much happening to women’s rights in America right now, I feel like this book is timely and makes us realize nothing is wrong with trying to learn more and be safe. I wish I had a blog like this when I was young and dating. I do wish there was more LGBT+ rep in the story but I can understand that Phoebe was still learning and growing. Overall I think this story is very relevant and Phoebe is a brave character for standing up for what she believes in.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Charmed List by. Julie Abe | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Charmed List

Author: Julie Abe

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 7/5/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Reader, Romance, Contemporary, Magical Realism

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After spending most of high school as the quiet girl, Ellie Kobata is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List—thirteen items she’s going to check off one by one. She’s looking forward to riding rollercoasters, making her art Instagram public (maybe), and going on an epic road-trip with her best friend Lia.

But when number four on Ellie’s list goes horribly wrong—revenge on Jack Yasuda—she’s certain her summer has gone from charmed to cursed. Instead of a road trip with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list—fall in love—may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

Content Warning:

This one is a cute read with some fun elements to it: magic, enemies to lovers romance, a bucket list, and a road trip.

The magic element to the story is just kind of thrown in. Ellie and her family are part of the magic community, and Jack her ex-friend/enemy and his dad are part of it too, her best friend Lia – is not. There are some rules about being part of the magic community and we do see some mild magic being done. Ellie has a bucket list for the summer and I think it was nice for her to go through with it to help her get out of her shy-girl shell. Also there is the romance between Ellie and Jack, they used to be friends, until Jack closed himself off to her, with his dad’s encouragement. But on the road trip they are forced to spend time together which means they start liking one another.

The story reads more for teenagers so I didn’t quite connect to the story or characters, I’m not the audience for this one. But I think someone who wants a light hearted teen romance that has magic would really enjoy this book.

Why you should read it:

magic, romance, a bucket list and a road trip
sweet, coming of age story

Why you might not want to read it:

this is more for teen readers

My Thoughts:

I’m not the target audience for this book but I thought it was a sweet story about a girl who is trying to break out of her shell. Some parts were a bit dramatic for me, like when Ellie’s best friend finds out about magic but like I said – I wasn’t connecting to the book or characters. I think if you want a light-hearted romance filled with magic, and some angst you will enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

How to Be the Best Third Wheel by. Loridee De Villa | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: How to Be the Best Third Wheel

Author: Loridee De Villa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Teen Readers, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wattpad Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A clean teen romance comedy about figuring out where you belong when all the constants in your life begin to change.

It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .

After spending summer vacation in the Philippines with family, Lara returns to school eager to catch up with her close knit group of girlfriends. But within minutes of reuniting with her friends, she learns that not one, not two, but all three of them are now in relationships that blossomed over the summer. And to make matters worse, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, won’t stop bugging her in class and eventually forces her into tutoring him everyday after school.

Surviving high school was never easy to begin with, but with occupied friends, a hectic Filipino family, and her annoying childhood enemy pestering her more than ever, Lara tries to juggle everything, while trying to figure out her own place in the chaos.

Content Warning:

First off, a warning – this book does not have a happily ever after. Also it’s definitely more for teen readers.

Lara is dealing with a lot of things, and most Seniors in high school do. Her best friends came back from summer break all with boyfriends, she’s tutoring her childhood crush but now enemy James, and she’s trying to decide what she wants to do after high school.

I love the diversity and how Lara is a second generation filipino immigrant that lives in Canada. She is fluent in Tagalog which is nice and we get the Tagalog translations in English as well. I’m Filipino American, but my family speaks Ilocano, not Tagalog so I needed those translations. I totally related to some of the Filipino family dynamics, and the mentions of food was fantastic. I love how she has that family bond and also the family enemy (her cousin, Eliza). Who doesn’t have family drama?

I thought Lara and James’ relationship was funny because honestly, Lara is so dramatic. But I felt that was perfect for her character, because I remember being a teenager, and how everything was a big deal in that moment of my life. As an adult reading this book, of course I had moments I was rolling my eyes and cringing but I had to remind myself how it was in high school. I feel like lots of teens will be able to relate to Lara’s worries about her path in life after high school.

Lara’s best friends in this book was always leaving her out to dry and that sucked. I get that dating also is such a big deal in high school as well but I felt bad for Lara. It did give her more time with James though but still, I felt bad when they kept flaking on her or lying. As for the ending – I am not someone into sad endings. Is it realistic? Sure, it is, but I want my romance stories to have happy endings even if it’s not realistic, so that didn’t work for me.

Why you should read it:

friends to enemies to lovers story
diversity, Filipino-Canadian rep

Why you might not want to read it:

cringe inducing, eye rolling moments
feels like it’s written for younger teens

My Thoughts:

I did enjoy the filipino representations and that’s why I requested this book. I feel like the story definitely fulfilled that part of my expectations with the Tagalog translations and familiar family dynamics I saw in Lara’s interactions. Those parts were great. I wasn’t really into her friends ghosting her all the time. The romance was funny and cute but there was no happily ever after, which left me sad – I want a romance to leave me happy. This one would appeal more to teens and younger who can relate to Lara’s coming of age challenges.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heartbreakers and Fakers

Author: Cameron Lund

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 6/8/21

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Fake-Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

From the author of The Best Laid Plans comes another fresh voiced, hilarious rom-com perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Rest of the Story.

Penny Harris just ruined her life.

As one of the most popular girls in school, she’s used to being invited to every party, is dating the Jordan Parker, and can’t wait to rule senior year with her best friend, Olivia. But when Penny wakes up on Jordan’s lawn the morning after his first-day-of-summer bash, she knows something went terribly wrong the night before.

She kissed Kai Tanaka.

Kai, her long-time nemesis. Kai, Olivia’s boyfriend. Penny can’t figure out what could have inspired her to do it–she loves Jordan and she would never hurt Olivia–but one thing’s for sure: freshly dumped, and out a best friend, the idyllic summer she pictured is over.

And despite the fact that Jordan seems to be seeking comfort (and a whole lot more) in Olivia, all Penny can think about is winning him back. Kai wants to save his relationship too, so they come up with a plan: convince their friends that they really do have feelings for each other. After all, no one can resist a good love story, and maybe seeing Penny and Kai together will make Jordan and Olivia change their minds.

But as summer heats up, so does Penny and Kai’s “relationship,” and Penny starts to question whether she’s truly faking it with Kai, if he’s really as terrible as she always thought he was, and if the life she’s fighting so hard to get back is the one she really wants.

Content Warning: Bullying

Penny is that girl who wasn’t always popular but once she became best friends with Olivia, the queen bee at school, she’s been her number two girl and she tries her best to keep her spot. This makes Penny a follower, and not the most likable character but she is relatable because she used to be the one who was bullied. It makes sense she doesn’t want to be bullied anymore but being friends with Olivia makes her a bully too.

As far as the romance, it’s an enemies to lovers, fake-dating situation where her enemy is the one who came up with the name she was bullied with! It’s natural that Penny hates Kai, but as they get thrown together, they finally get to know one another and in essence both of them was trying to survive being picked on in school. The story has a lot of high school drama but in a way I could understand Penny’s fears. Who likes to be bullied? No one.

Penny does grow by the end of this and I’m glad about that because it was hard to watch her try to find her way back to Olivia’s side when clearly Olivia is not a nice person and a worse friend at that. I like that Kai teaches her to let go a little and not be afraid to be herself. But it’s high school and people can change.

I do like how this author writes complicated and not automatically likable characters. They are flawed, make messy decisions, they are kids in high school who think everything matters in that very moment when as adults reading we know something bigger is coming their way. Bills. LOL…just kidding, but not kidding. 😅

Why you should read it:

fake dating, enemies to lovers
you like high school drama
realistic characters, even though not exactly likable, relatable high school situations

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into the mean girls high school drama

My Thoughts:

Penny isn’t perfect, she is friends with a mean girl, and then she becomes one of the mean girls to survive. Penny and Kai’s enemies to lovers fake-dating situation helps them really get to know each other and pushes Penny to take a good look at who her friends are, and who she is without Olivia. Navigating high school is not easy and trying to figure out who you are in high school won’t happen overnight. Most people find ourselves after high school. This was full of messy high school drama, and as an adult I enjoyed it because it’s relatable. This one would appeal definitely appeal to teen readers.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“If you make a bad choice, you have to try to fix it. You have to put in the work to make things better.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

“The truth is high school is such a small blip on my timeline. Life is too short to waste the whole thing worrying.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. cameron Lund

“Who cares if people are staring? The fact is, they probably aren’t even looking my way at all.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

XOXO by. Axie Oh | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: XOXO

Author: Axie Oh

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/13/21

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Teen, K-Pop, Music

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

Bought this one on a whim because it the ebook was on sale for $1.99 on Amazon and I was craving a light hearted, cute romance and this one delivered.

Girl meets boy and off in Los Angeles and then off to South Korea we go! I love that this mostly took place in South Korea, the author did a great job transporting my mind there. Jenny can handle herself in South Korea pretty well because she’s taken Korean language courses since she was young. I like that she’s independent, talented and she’s nice. Jaewoo is a member of rising K-Pop group XOXO and he’s what girls dream the perfect boy to be: gorgeous, talented, charming, responsible, follows the rules and a super star. The two hit it off in the most innocent way possible and when Jenny moves to South Korea and coincidentally to the school Jaewoo goes to – it’s hard for them to fight their attraction.

There are some family issues discussed in this book, especially with the issue of responsibility. Jaewoo is his family’s breadwinner – anything he does in public could jeopardize his career. Jenny is trying to reach her goals and get into her top choice music school and be a cellist. Her mom tells her the only path to succeed is no distractions (no friends, and especially no boyfriends). Yet Jenny finally finds out the truth about her mom and grandma’s strained relationship.

The romance is so super cute and sweet, I usually like some fighting and angst in romances but this was adorable. I felt like they gave each other enough space – Jenny was making new friends at her school and Jaewoo being in a k-pop group had many things to do with school and the group. I can’t say there was too much drama except the usual – how does a k-pop star date a normal girl? So even their little moment of a break-up it was short-lived.

Fun side characters like XOXO member, Nathaniel. I liked Jenny’s new friends also.

Content Warnings: bullying

I’d like to see this one as a k-drama, it would be so good!

Jaewoo remained the perfect boy in this story – would have like to see him break more rules like Nathaniel haha but everyone has their own role in the group it seemed and Jaewoo was the mysterious, song writer. Speaking of Nathaniel…do we get a book on him? Because I’d read it! Actually make one for each of the other guys in the group also haha.

I’m not a huge k-pop fan, I only know the popular ones like Black Pink and BTS (of course) so for me I thought it was fascinating learning about how they audition to be in a group and then how they are marketed. This becomes their lives and way of supporting their families so it’s a big deal!

Why you should read it:

super cute, forbidden romance between a K-pop star and a Korean-American girl
relatable issues about family responsibilities
a fun, quick, light romance

Why you might not want to read it:

not into the pop star and regular girl trope

My thoughts:

This one made me feel happy at the end and that’s what I really needed so it hit the mark for me. Would have love to see Jaewoo be a little imperfect but hey for what this story was about, he and Jenny were perfect for one another. XOXO had a good combination of friendship, family, romance and fun. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Upside of Falling by. Alex Light | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Upside of Falling

Author: Alex Light

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 2/18/20

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Fake Dating, Young Adult, Teen

It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?

This is a very light young adult romance book. I think the writing is more for teens than young adults with some cursing here and there (not a lot).

It’s a typical fake dating scenario: Becca is pretty unknown on campus, she loves losing herself in romance books (even though she is a cynic about real life love) and Brett is the star football player so they decide to get together for their own reasons – not very serious reasons, but they seem to think fake dating would be a good idea.

Becca doesn’t believe in love because her parents got divorced. Brett believes in marriage and true love because his parents have the perfect one – or so it seems. This is the only time the book gets heavy when Brett finds out his perfect life isn’t so perfect. Also Becca deals with some issues about her dad and his new family as well. In this aspect, Becca and Brett had each other for support, dealing with the mistakes of their parents.

As a couple, I thought Becca and Brett were cute and somewhat innocent about dating. Neither of them have dated before so they take things really slow. I like that they become friends, even as they are fake-dating, before admitting their feelings had grown.

Content Warnings: cheating, divorce

One thing that I thought was cheesy was Brett always pouting haha – I guess some girls would find that cute. It made me feel like I was too old to be reading this story, probably because I am! lol…but I read it anyway, it’s nice to reminisce.

Becca and Brett did get along very well, even if she was new to being in the spotlight or a fake relationship. I think they got together on the fake-dating plan way too quick – there was no real lead up and bam, they agree it’s a good idea. It would’ve been nice if that scene was developed a bit more because Becca and Brett weren’t exactly strangers to one another, but they had no history with one another at all. I can’t say I connected to either of them but the parental issues are very relatable.

The story is predictable and doesn’t have any big surprises. The story is short, under 300 pages, so I finished this rather quickly.

Why you should read it:

very quick, cute, light teen romance
fake-dating
relatable issues

Why you might not want to read it:

predictable, nothing that stands out
more for teens than young adults or adults

My thoughts:

There isn’t much that makes it stand out but I did like that Becca and Brett each had different family issues to deal with. The fake-dating part was easy compared to the family drama, which was sad to see for both of them. But the problems sort of work themselves out in their own different ways and Becca and Brett are stronger because of it. If you like a light contemporary romance with a fake-dating trope that’s under 300 pages then you will fly through this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by. Suzanne Park | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous

Authors: Suzanne Park

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 6/1/21

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Social Media, Young Adult, Romance, Summer Camp, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A social media influencer is shipped off to a digital detox summer camp in this funny coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty and Love and Gelato .

Sunny Song’s Big Summer Goals:
1) Make Rafael Kim my boyfriend (finally!)
2) Hit 100K followers (almost there…)
3) Have the best last summer of high school ever

Not on Sunny’s list: accidentally filming a PG-13 cooking video that goes viral (#browniegate). Extremely not on her list: being shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa (IOWA??) for a whole month. She’s traded in her WiFi connection for a butter churn, and if she wants any shot at growing her social media platform this summer, she’ll need to find a way back online.

But between some unexpected friendships and an alarmingly cute farm boy, Sunny might be surprised by the connections she makes when she’s forced to disconnect.

I thought this was a fun premise for a story. Youtuber gets sent to technology detox camp to reconnect with life again and learn about what’s important in her life. Sunny isn’t even a big time social media influencer but someone trying to get to that level but her parents thinks whatever she is doing is enough to send her to camp.
Sunny is a fun character – she’s from L.A. and gets sent to Iowa. For the most part she is bored without all her technology. She makes some friends at camp and even meets a boy who works at the farm. She comes off self-centered because she is very focused on her youtube career but I did like how she stood up for herself when dealing with microagressions on the farm because she is Korean-American.
Sunny and Theo’s romance is very cute and sweet. The two of them are opposites in every aspect. She’s a city girl, he’s a farm boy. He’s traditional, she’s a risk taker. I liked seeing their relationship grow.
I did like the message in the story – which is about finding a life with balance. Sunny makes good points about why technology is needed and helpful. I also loved that she stands up to Theo and Ms. Davenport about her choice to become a social media star and she works hard at her craft to try and reach her dreams. I like that she made it clear that going to college isn’t the only way to success these days. I agree and I went to college haha. But Coach, the “counselor” at camp makes good points too about making human connections face to face. I like how she connects with the elderly, it reminds me of the times I volunteered as a teen in nursing homes. So I like how this story shows how connecting online and offline is a good thing.

Triggers: microagression
This one is a quick, lighthearted read. It’s light and cute with the romance and nothing that went too deep into the issues.
Not sure why one of the campers, Wendy, really hated on Sunny. Competition? She just didn’t like her? I’m not sure and it’s not really addressed.

I think we all could be reminded now and then, or everyday, how connecting online and offline can be a great thing when there is a balance between the two. The author conveyed this message very well in the story. I found this book to be an entertaining, quick, lighthearted read with a good message and sweet romance. This one is perfect for teens and young adult readers.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Take Me Home Tonight | ARC Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: Take Me Home Tonight

Author: Morgan Matson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 5/4/21

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Readers, Friendship, Family, Romance, Coming of Age, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off meets Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist in this romp through the city that never sleeps from the New York Times bestselling author of Since You’ve Been Gone, Morgan Matson.

Two girls. One night. Zero phones.

Kat and Stevie—best friends, theater kids, polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City. They have it all planned out. They’ll see a play, eat at the city’s hottest restaurant, and have the best. Night. Ever. What could go wrong?

Well. Kind of a lot?

They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones, family drama, and unexpected Pomeranians. Over the next few hours, they’ll have to grapple with old flames, terrible theater, and unhelpful cab drivers. But there are also cute boys to kiss, parties to crash, dry cleaning to deliver (don’t ask), and the world’s best museum to explore.

Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps, both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship, their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future.

That is, assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight.

The title ALWAYS makes me sing that 80’s song, “Take me home tonight, I don’t want let you go till you see the light…” – it’s such a good song and reminds me of my childhood! Such a fun title!
Everything happens in one night in NYC of all places which is always a good time, right? It’s such an exciting city, so I loved the setting. It’s the perfect place for nightly shenanigans.
I did enjoy Kat and Stevie’s friendship. At the start you just know they are tight, and they do get separated during their wild night in NYC but it helped them deal with their own issues for a few hours before meeting up. I like their separate emotional journeys and when they come back together, they are better for it.
Kat has a cute little romantic encounter, but I loved Stevie’s interactions with her family even more. We get to meet her step-siblings and watch her deal with family issues, I thought it brought the emotional feels in the story.

I appreciate the whole Adventures in Babysitting references with Teri’s storyline but I mostly skipped it. It didn’t work for me because I was more interested in Kat and Stevie’s adventure and it really went off in a whole direction with Teri. In the end I thought it was sorta funny and cute but during the story, it would take me out of the story.
This would make an entertaining movie.
More suited towards teen readers.

This story is about one wild night in New York City shared between two best friends who have a falling out along the way but find their way back to one another. There is Teri’s storyline who is on an Adventures of Babysitting kick and it’s funny in the end but unfortunately took me out of the story multiple times. I think teen readers will enjoy this one and relate to Kat and Stevie’s personalities and friendship.

📚 ~ Yolanda

I Wanna Be Where You Are | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: I Wanna Be Where You Are

Author: Kristina Forest

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 256

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Readers, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Friendship, Coming of Age

A debut young adult rom-com about an African American ballerina who finds love on the road to an audition.

When Chloe Pierce’s mom forbids her to apply for a spot at the dance conservatory of her dreams, she devises a secret plan to drive two hundred miles to the nearest audition. But Chloe hits her first speed bump when her annoying neighbor Eli insists upon hitching a ride, threatening to tell Chloe’s mom if she leaves him and his smelly dog, Geezer, behind. So now Chloe’s chasing her ballet dreams down the east coast—two unwanted (but kinda cute) passengers in her car, butterflies in her stomach, and a really dope playlist on repeat.

Filled with roadside hijinks, heart-stirring romance, and a few broken rules, Kristina Forest’s I Wanna Be Where You Are is a YA debut perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.

I love the cover and the pastel aesthetics. It’s so pretty and makes me feel like it would be a good spring/summer read.
Chloe and Eli’s adventure was eventful although they did lie or withhold information from their parents. I thought it something that mended their friendship and then some.
Chloe is a talented dancer and want to realize her dream of joining a company but she’s at odds with her mother who doesn’t feel like it’s a good career choice for her. Eli is going through the same thing with his dreams of wanting to be an artist as opposed to his dad’s dream of him pursuing law just like he did. That was very relatable to me because I remember feeling lost as a teen, wanting to please my parents but knew my major wasn’t what I really wanted to do in life.
The romance is sweet, and this is a quick, light contemporary read with a happy ending. It covers family dynamics and pursuing your dreams, so it’s perfect for teen readers.

Triggers: car accident, grief, anxiety
Other than Eli cursing a few times using the F word, this book is fairly rated PG. Or is PG-13 with swear words? I don’t know – I’d rate it PG though haha. It’s more for teens than young adults.

I enjoyed this quick read and in my teen years, this was the kind of book I’d have devoured in one sitting. This is a solid debut and I think Kristina Forest will definitely be a name to watch for in the contemporary teen and YA romance genre.

📚 ~ Yolanda

New Year’s Kiss | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: New Year’s Kiss

Author: Lee Matthews

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 240

Categories: Romance, Young Adult, Holiday Romance, Teen Readers, Contemporary

A fun and upbeat paperback original romance about a girl who has a New Year’s resolution to make the coming year epic in every way—and is willing to put herself out there for love.

Tess and her opinionated older sister Lauren are spending the week after Christmas at the snowy Evergreen Lodge in Vermont and they aren’t happy about it. Their stern grandmother, who owns the holiday resort, is not known for her warmth and good humor. But when shy, straight-laced Tess meets Christopher in the lobby, things are suddenly looking up. And when she decides to get out of her comfort zone and create a bucket list of things to accomplish before the New Year-like singing in public and skiing a black-diamond slope-Christopher is happy to help, even as he keeps a secret that could turn everything upside down. When the ball drops, will Tess and Christopher share a magical kiss-or will Tess start the new year off alone?

It’s short, sweet, wholesome, and a quick light holiday romance story.
I like the setting of a holiday resort in Vermont where it’s got snow, skiing and a quaint town. It’s a perfect read for Christmas/New Year’s.
It’s one of those books where the main character makes a list of things she’s never done and tries to accomplish everything on the list before a certain time, this one would be by New Year’s – she has like a week to do it.

Definitely more for teen readers than young adult because it’s light reading. Tess’s parents are going through a divorce and she and her sister Lauren are trying to bond while at their grandmother’s lodge. There isn’t much drama going on in the book, no depth. I was bored in the middle since we pretty much knew what was going to happen.
Didn’t really connect to any of the characters.

For what it is, a romance teen holiday story, it hits all the marks – we have the right location, family time (that you dread) and meeting cute boys. Tess goes through some drama but nothing heavy at all and in the end there is a happy ending. If you want a quick holiday romance read geared towards teens, then you will like this one.

🎉 ~ Yolanda