The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

Gemma grew up known as the heavy girl, the overweight girl. Honestly, she didn't really care but when her best friend Addison wanted to try out for the majorettes and made Gemma try out as well, she decided that she wasn't going to be overweight when she had to audition in front of the whole school and get made fun of.

So she lost the weight. Not as much as she wanted, but she was eating better, and she started to feel better in her own skin. It wasn't like she was going to make it on the majorette squad, but knowing she can change her image into something better was a win for her.

Except Gemma did get into the majorettes. Along with Addison. And now Gemma realizes that she has to wear the leotard for their dances. So she lost more weight before the school year started.

Now that she is a junior and in the majorettes, things are changing. She looks better and is part of the "in" crowd, so her former best friend Robert, who she's had a crush on for forever is shunning her and calling her a poser.

And because Gemma isn't so heavy anymore, people are starting to recognize her and acknowledge her, whereas it used to be Addison that was the most popular out of the two.

Gemma also realizes that the friendship between her and Addison is getting very strained, now that Addison isn't the best out of the two.

Things get really tense between them when Gemma and Addison get boyfriends: Max and Carter from their rival school, who are on the rival football team. Gemma noticed Max first during summer workouts at the college, but Addison snatched him up for herself, making Gemma and Carter go out with one another, even though Gemma's not attracted to Carter.

So now Gemma has to watch Max and Addison get romantic, even though there are moments between Max and Gemma. She doesn't want to like her best friend's boyfriend, but she cannot deny the attraction between them.

Things were just looking up for Gemma, but this might make or break her friendship with Addison. What will happen between Gemma, Max, and Addison? Read The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Whoo-hoo! The tension in this book in insane! I do not know how Gemma could stand being around Addison. That girl is the most selfish, spoiled person who stamps her foot when she doesn't get her way, or if that doesn't work, plays dirty and doesn't even seem fazed by her evil thoughts.

I would have ate that girl alive if she went to my high school! And Gemma just took the crap that Addison gave her. She is a saint.

But I really admire Gemma. She worked extremely hard. She did baton lessons for years, and no wonder she was better than Addison and could do more tricks. As much as I hate Addison, I'm glad she bullied Gemma into trying out because then Gemma became more confident and outspoken than she used to be.

And the thing with Max? Hate to say it, but Gemma is at fault for that just as much as Addison. Gemma needs to start saying what she feels and thinks, because a lot of the drama that unfolded between that group could have disappeared if she just told Max and Addison what she really felt.

So as much as this book frustrated me, I really enjoyed it at the same time!

The main reason I read this novel was so I can be updated with Jennifer Echols novels - which I have now read every single one of hers except for the newly released novel that just came out!

Another thing that I've noticed with Echols writing is that she is very open about what she writes. I have yet to read a novel about the same topic of hers. She's dabbled in majorettes, marching band, snowboarding, and so much more. I'm not bored with her novels because they have something unique that I haven't read about before, so she is definitely one of my favorite authors.

I really enjoyed this book and think other teens would too - especially ones interested in majorette or dancing!

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols

Out of the blue, Virginia gave up her crown and tiara's of being a pageant girl and decided to join the high school marching band. However, she didn't want to be a part of the band - she wanted to be the drum major and lead the marching band.

Which meant she had to compete against Drew, previous drum major for the last two years.

So it was to everyone's surprise when both Drew and Virginia were chosen to be the drum majors. The first time in their school's history where there were two leaders, let alone the first time that one was a female.

This made the relationship and work area very tense between Drew and Virginia, but after they tanked their first performance at the football game, they realized that they have to get over their anger and tension if they want their marching band to compete against other schools.

However, Virginia is having a hard time of with since Drew's girlfriend, the Evil Twin, keeps spreading rumors about her. So Drew and Virginia make a pact - they will play nice and be friends, and try to win the competitions - otherwise they might as well quit while they were ahead.

It's a good thing Virginia has Allison, her best friend and fellow pageant girl, to keep her sane so she can vent about all of the dreadful things that have happened.

Like, for instance, the new band director making Virginia wear a mini skirt and knee high boots instead of the normal drum major uniform.

And that Drew and Virginia have to do a dip for their performance, meaning that they need to be extremely close to each other, even though they can't stand being around the other.

But things are staring to change. Now that they are friends, they are getting along with one another. And for some reason, Virginia is having romantic thoughts about Drew? So not going to happen for many, many reason.

Everything gets blown up, though, when Drew and Virginia find out who really got the most votes to be the next drum major. Because no matter who got it, the tension shot rocket high between the two of them. And somehow, the deepest secret Virginia has about her family was leaked - but she only told one person what that secret was...

Can Drew and Virginia work things out? Can they both be drum majors and maybe even date one another? Or will there be too much tension between their past and present that they can't overcome? Read Major Crush by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of reading all of Jennifer Echols novels! I think I have one more to read before I'm caught up with the published novels :D

This was a cute novel. I have no knowledge of marching band, so it was all very interesting to me. I was pretty amazed at how popular marching band is in this novel - is it like this for all schools?

Well anyway, I loved Virginia. She didn't take crap from anyone and had some sass to go along with it. Plus I loved how she had her nose pierced and everyone thought it was a crime.

Virginia had a lot of courage to stop pageant showing and do something that she actually wanted to do. And she was proud to be the drum major, even if the whole band was angry she took Drew's thunder by making them partners.

So, yeah, this was a cute novel. I liked how I was introduced to a different topic in a YA novel and a topic that hasn't been written about too much - at least one that I haven't heard too much about.

And I also liked how Drew worked in a family business where he was trying to get out of it, so he was very intense and serious until it came around Virginia, who seemed to push all of his buttons to let him speak his mind for once, instead of the "proper" thing to do.

My favorite part was when Drew wouldn't yell at his evil girlfriend because "a gentleman doesn't yell at girls", but when he got around Virginia, all he seemed to do was yell at her :) Oh, and how Virginia kept stealing Drew's marching band shoes so he had to march in his normal shoes. Ah, the small details in this story that cracked me up!

The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

When Hayden moved to Colorado from Tennessee 4 years ago, everything went perfectly. She had friends and dated the hottest boy in her class.

That was until she found out Nick only dated her because he was dared to.

Four years later, the dislikeness between the two has not dimmed from each other. They still pick on each other and say cruel things to one another because of what happened when they were 13 years old.

During that time, Hayden has become very competitive in snowboarding and is one of the best female snowboarders in her class. She even won a competition and got lessons from a famous female boarder.

The only problem is that Hayden is afraid of heights. She won't do any jumps when snowboarding - just small tricks that are impressive for the low distance she goes off the ground. The famous female boarder likes very big jumps, and now Hayden has to find a way to keep her secret still a secret.

But once Nick said that she would not win against the guy that won his class, they declared war and have made a competition between the two of them to see who would win.

The prize being the loser has to buy the other one tickets to the dance/concert on Valentine's Day. It seems that everyone in their town has heard of this bet and the guys have sided with Nick to win, while the girls have sided with Hayden to win.

There is no way Hayden can back out of this bet with the whole town vouching for the ultimate win, but she can't do the jump. Everytime she tries, she gets too scared and ends up quitting. How can she win this bet and show Nick that she really is a great boarder if she can't make a jump? Read The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I got this book from a library because my all time goal is to read all of Jennifer Echols novels she has published. I really enjoyed this book as well! Very cute and funny, but also serious and mature in some aspects.

I think I really liked this novel because I was able to relate to it - well a little bit. I work inside at a ski resort during the winter and have heard a lot of my friends talking about boarding and skiing, so it was familiar in a way that I could relate to the competition between Hayden and Nick.

And I can definitely relate to Hayden's fear of heights because of a broken leg many years ago since I won't even touch a snowboard or skis, knowing I'll probably break my own leg!

Hayden is very confident for a 17 year old, saying she isn't going to go to college but is instead going to be a professional boarder. Unfortunately, she needs to be able to do high jumps and she's terrified of them, so I'm glad Nick came along and challenged her to their bet.

Otherwise I don't think she could have become a professional boarder by the time she wanted to be one!

There were some points where I thought it was immature - especially the miscommunication between the two main characters. But then I thought back to high school years and realized that Echols got that exactly right because high schoolers like to jump to conclusions without thinking through everything.

Heck, adults do that as well! But the things Hayden and Nick assumed were very obvious, so it was more high schoolish than adult mistakes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I think that other readers who are into sports and competitions  along with  battle of the sexes and exes will really like this novel!

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Being the rebel of the town is a hard job, but Meg does it well. She's got bright blue hair, tattoos, and dresses a little under the preferred requirements. She has to work for her parents at their breakfast diner for free, and can't wait to get out of dodge and go to college.

After a stupid stunt where Meg, her friend Tiffany, Eric and Brian snuck onto the bridge where two students years ago died, they got caught by a new officer who doesn't take crap from any of the kids.

To punish them for their stupid stunt, Officer John After decides to take away their spring break trip in FL and make them stay in town to follow the ambulance crew, the fire department, and the police department to write a report about the safety of following the rules.

Meg's hatred toward John cannot be described, but then, come to find out, John is only 19, just two years older than Meg herself!

Meg gets tagged with following John around for the week with the police department, and after a few nights they start to understand each other a little bit more.

But both Meg and John have dark pasts, secrets that they are keeping from each other. And as they start to get closer and closer, those pasts are catching up to reality and how it has influenced their daily routines.

John has decided to stay in their small town, working as an officer to help people in need.

Meg wants to run away from her hometown as soon as graduation is finished.

But with their attraction toward one another, how can they decide to go separate paths without finding out what is between them? Or will their dark pasts interfere with what could happen between them? Read Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Sigh, Jennifer Echols. Thank you for this book! I loved it! I loved Meg, I loved John, I just loved it.

There aren't many YA contemporary's out there that have a "bad" girl and "good" guy (yes, they are quoted, because they aren't necessarily the good and bad that you might be thinking).

Meg is a drinker, does pot, and breaks the rules. But she has a reason and doesn't care if she gets into trouble. John needs to follow rules, and he's been pretty good at doing that until he meets Meg. Then things start to go downward for him, but not necessarily in a bad way.

The back stories of Meg and John are amazing. They are so torn up by what has happened that they can't see too far into the future. But when they are faced with those ghosts, along with the ghosts of the future and not being with each other, they have to figure out which one they need to conquer.

And the romantic chemistry between the two? Yeah, that was good too, even when they were denying their feelings.

I labeled this a NEW ADULT novel even though it is and it isn't. There are some steamy scenes, but nothing too racy. Just enough to get your heartbeat racing!

I am a huge fan of Echols, so I was really happy that I liked this book as well. It's a standalone novel, so no waiting for another book to find out the ending and I think it has a lot of great lessons that young adults could learn from.

I'll have to see if I need to read any more of her novels - I've read quite a few, but I still think I'm behind.

I would recommend this to older teen girls who want to read a contemporary novel about dark pasts and bright futures.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Erin grew up on a horse breeding and racing farm in Kentucky and her grandmother expected her to go to college for a business major to take over for her grandmother.

Instead, Erin went to college in New York to major in creative writing - she wants to be a writer, not a horse racing owner. When her grandmother found out this, she took away the money for Erin's college and gave it to the stable boy, Hunter, who is now going to be the new "heir" to the horse farm.

Hunter, who Erin has gone to school with and seen at home for 6 years. Hunter, who has been Erin's enemy ever since her mother died. Hunter, who is now very attractive to look at, but still easy to hate...almost.

When her grandmother took the money away, Erin was bound and determine to find a way to make it through college and get her novels published. She worked numerous jobs to pay for her housing and food, and kept up her grades to keep the academic scholarship she received, paying for her classes.

By far her favorite class was the creative writing course for honor students. But on the day everyone was to discuss her story, in walks Hunter, the person she wrote about in her story.

Throughout the semester, then, Hunter and Erin wrote stories about one another. Some romantic, some hurtful, but they always had a character that resembled one another.

Erin is running herself thin, working at the coffee shop too many hours to make enough  money for the college payments while also trying to get great grades in all of her classes. She has no time for a social life, nor does she have time to fantasize about Hunter, but somehow she does.

Because as much as she says she hates Hunter, and as much hostility he sends her way, there is a connection between the two of them that they can't deny.

There are secrets between them, though; secrets that might destroy what they could have before it has even started.

Can Erin survive the semester, let alone the 4  years without her grandmother's help? Will Erin and Hunter be able to get over the bad history between them to see if they could have something special? Read Love Story by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I enjoyed this novel. It was different, a new age novel meaning for older teens who are in college or around that age. And I liked how it was about a rich girl going broke because she was fighting for something she wanted instead of just having it handed down to her.

Erin really wanted to become an author. Sure, she was good with horses after being around them for 6 years. And yes, working as a stable boy while also knowing how to spot a winning horse was something else she was good at. But writing novels was in her blood. She loved to read and write novels and has always dream of having her own novels published at a famous publishing house.

So I was all for her disobeying her grandmother to do what she wanted, despite being cut off from her grandmother's fortune.

She even left all of the expensive things at home, knowing she won't be able to afford them in New York.

And Hunter. Man did I enjoy the scenes with Hunter in them! He is very smart, wanting to do well in his classes since he's also on a scholarship. And the way he acted when Erin was around was entertaining because he tried to be angry at her and hostile, but ended up wanting to help her as well. He was very concerned for her when she wasn't eating right, but got angry at her when she refused his help.

There were some parts, though, that made me shake my head and things I didn't like. Erin was very compulsive and jumped to conclusions. For wanting to be an author, she sure had a narrow mindset and didn't think of other options.

And the ending. The ending bugged me. Echols left it open, it wasn't really concluded... I dunno, it seemed abrupt and unfinished, and I really like finished novels. So that could have been better, but maybe Echols will come back to this story later on and add more. I think I would be okay with that action!

However, I'm a fan of New Age novels and I've always enjoyed Jennifer Echols novels, so I was really happy with this novel. I think I could have liked it more, but overall it was a great read!

I would recommend this to any teen girl. Even though they are in college, it doesn't get graphic so I think that younger teens could appreciate reading about college without it being to mature for them.

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Leah hasn't been very fortunate while growing up. Her mother has never had a job so she moves around where her boyfriends will "take care of her" and usually has to live in a trailer park next to an airstrip. It's the cheapest place to live.

So Leah decided that she is going to get a job at these airstrips because she constantly has to hear them and she's always been fascinated by the machines that look like they shouldn't be able to fly.

Mr. Hall, the owner of the banner planes (planes that drag banners for businesses) let her take flying lessons and after 3 years, when she turned 18, she was a professional at flying the banner planes.

When Mr. Hall dies, though, Leah finds herself working for his twin sons, Alec and Grayson. Who are also 18. Leah has known them for 3.5 years but has never really talked to them.

Grayson is the more outspoken, gloomy, and impulsive twin who never sticks with a plan that he starts. Alec is the popular, nice and fun twin. For some reason, Grayson has taken over the family business, and he wants Leah to work for him.

But Leah knew that working for an impulsive guy who gives up on all of his past plans is not a good idea. The only way he got Leah to work for him was to blackmail her. See, Leah's mother has no idea that she flies planes and makes a lot of money. Because Leah's mother would take all of the hard working money she's made and saved for college.

So she reluctantly agrees to work for him. But Grayson also has another condition: Leah has to find a way to start dating Alec.

The problem? Leah has had a crush on Grayson for 3.5 years, so she has no romantic feelings for Alec.

But in order to survive and continue to make money, Leah takes the deal so her mother won't find out. Unfortunately, things don't go as smoothly as Grayson and Leah want them to.

Will Leah be able to keep fooling her mother, and Alec? Or will her feelings toward Grayson be too obvious? And will Leah be able to keep her money to afford going to college, eventually getting a pilot's license? Read Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This was an amazing novel! I've reviewed two novels by Jennifer Echols on this blog and both times I definitely loved her novels, so I think she's one of my favorite authors!

I think Echols did a great job depicting the social differences in this novel. Because Leah lives in a trailer park, she gets a lot of rude comments. Plus, because she's extremely gorgeous, all the guys try to get "favors" from her, thinking that just because she lives in a trailer park she'll do it.

Plus, since her mom is unemployed, for life, Leah has learned to take care of the bills, buy food when she can, go to school, work, and still find time to try and look presentable and "not poor".

I really like Leah's character.

And the twins! They lost their elder brother, Jake, when he was flying in Afghanistan and then their dad died a month after Jake's death. They lost so much recently that they were lashing out and not being their usual selfs, of course.

I wasn't a huge fan of Alec because he always seemed fake to me. But Grayson, he was genuine and smoldering, and hurting. I loved reading about him because one never knew how he was going to reaction to a situation.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel is the flying. I've never read a book this detailed about flying and how they do what, so it was really educational for me and something new in this time period of YA literature that everyone writes about the same topic.

So, I'm going to give away one of my questions from above (feelings toward Grayson) and say THE SCENES WITH GRAYSON AND LEAH WERE AH-MAZING!! They made me blush! That. Is. All.

I loved this book and would recommend it to any female reader, since it was through Leah's point of view. And I have to say, read Jennifer Echols books! So far they have not been a disappointment to me and I think others will really enjoy her work!

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Things in Zoey's life were going pretty good. She was the captain of the swim team, she was known at school, and she had a great chance to get a scholarship for college next year.

But then her father got his 24 year old mistress pregnant (only 7 years older than Zoey), causing her parents to divorce and her mother to start taking sleeping pills. 3 months after the shocking news, Zoey's mother tries to commit suicide.

Zoey found her in time, but she was sent to an institute and Zoey was forced to live with her father.

But that's not the only thing that was wrong. Zoey starting dating Brandon, the player of the school. They've been friends for years, Zoey heard all of his "conquest" stories and gave Brandon tips and helpful advice about the girls he slept with.

After a car accident, Zoey is woken up stuck in her crashed car not by her boyfriend Brandon, but by Doug, a guy who has hated her since 9th grade. Only, he doesn't act like he hates her. In fact, he acts like they are a couple now.

Zoey can't remember anything that happened from the football game til the car crash when she wakes up. What happened? Why wasn't Brandon, her boyfriend, with her? Why does Doug not hate her anymore, but actually acts as though he likes her? Read Forget You by Jennifer Echols to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book captivated me! I read it in one sitting so it was an easy read and an addictive story. I really liked Zoey. She tried to be so perfect at the beginning of the story, making sure everything was perfect at home with her mom, keeping the house clean, being the perfect daughter.

When she was with her dad, I got so angry at him because he was so mean to Zoey, when all she wanted was to make him happy. Then with her mother trying to commit suicide, I just wanted to be there for Zoey as a friend she could lean on.

The tension between Zoey and Doug is off the charts. At first Zoey thinks that Doug hates her. He went to juvie in 8th grade and when he came back, he had a distinct icy, nasty look every time Zoey was in the same room with him. But as the story goes on, the tension turns from hatred to maybe them liking each other?

There is a lot of subject matter that is covered in this book, but Jennifer Echols did a wonderful job with each topic.

I would definitely recommend this novel to any teen girl who's been confused by a boy. And also any teen girl who has to keep secrets from their friends. I really enjoyed this book and I think other readers will like it as well!

The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

This book has both books in the series (Summer) so I will be splitting this blog between the two reviews and saving my comments for both books at the end of the post.

The Boys Next Door (Book #1)
Lori has always been excited for the summer. She gets to live out on the lake wakeboarding and hanging out with her friends, including her neighbors, the Vader brothers.

Lori has had a crush on the middle Vader, Sean, since she can remember, and now that she's turning 16 she's hoping that Sean will feel the same way back.

When Sean steals his younger brother, Adam's, girlfriend from him, Lori thinks it's the perfect plan for her and Adam to "pretend" date to make both Rachel (Adam's ex) and Sean jealous.

After awhile, though, Lori gets excited to see Adam and starts to forget to look for Sean to see if the plan is working. Is Lori starting to like like Adam?

All of a sudden, Sean and Rachel break up because Rachel says she still loves Adam. Now that there is no reason to "date" one another, will Lori go after Sean, or will she stay with Adam because she's fallen in love with him?

Endless Summer (Book #2)
This is a spoiler for book 1, but Endless Summer starts on the same day that The Boys Next Door ends, showing us that Adam and Lori do get together.


For one day.


Adam and Lori fell asleep in Adam's truck for the whole night, putting Lori's dad and Adam's parents on alert that they were officially together. Unfortunately, Adam is not very trustworthy. He is reckless and because of his ADHD, he likes to do dangerous things without really thinking about it.


Not the best boyfriend material for a father to look at with his 16 year old daughter. To ensure the night out doesn't happen again, both parents decide that Adam and Lori can't date each other.


Throughout the novel both Adam and Lori try to find a way to date again, thinking of ridiculous plans to get their parents to listen to their story.


Will their plans work? Can Lori and Adam officially be together again, or will their parents keep them separated? Read Endless Summer to find out the ending of this 2 book series!


My Thoughts/Reflections
I enjoyed this story! It's about love and fighting for what one wants, which is exactly what Adam and Lori do throughout both novels.


I'm glad that the author started the second book on the exact day the first book left off. I'm not sure if I've read a series like that before, so it was nice to get a different beginning to the second book of a series.


Ahh, Adam. I liked Adam better than Sean, even though Lori was obsessed with Sean in the first book. He was too cocky and ignorant whereas Adam paid attention to Lori and joked around with her, had the same interests.


I have to say, though, that if my parents ever forbid me to date someone, that would be telling me to do the opposite. I know they are 16, which gives the parents some rights to that, but I would not have taken it well, like both Lori and Adam did throughout the second novel.


This series reminded me a lot of the Summer series by Jenny Han (I posted about all three books earlier this month) but there were also some differences from that series.


For any girl who has had years long crush - I would recommend this to you. I would also recommend it to anyone wanting a light, quick, fun summer read as these are books that one can fly through and laugh out loud with.