One Last Dance by Angela Stephens

 

Sophie had gotten used to the idea that she would never be able to dance again. She used to be a professional dancer, but after an accident that messed up her left knee, she is now just a dance teacher, stationed in New York.

She is still around dance, even if she can't partake in it.

When she is asked by a handsome man to dance one night at her dance studio, she was very tempted, but knew her knee would give out. Then, Henry says he will pay her more than what she charges for a private dance lesson.

Sophie couldn't turn down that kind of offer, and finds herself wrapped about Henry. Not only in dancing (which she found she is so focused on Henry, she can dance a whole tango set without even thinking about her knee) but she is also be wrapped about Henry as a person, a female. She is starting to fall for him hard, but he is keeping things from her.

Because Henry is keeping secrets, Sophie is finding out a lot about Henry from other people around them, and the news media since Henry is rich and owns his own company.

With the roller coaster ride their relationship is going through, Sophie is unsure if she can be with Henry, even though she is alive again in his arms. Will they be able to open up to one another and trust each other completely, or will Henry be Sophie's last dance? Read One Last Dance by Angela Stephens to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I got an email in August from the author asking if I wanted to read her upcoming novel and review about it. Of course, I jumped on that wagon and got it the next day, then proceeded to read this book the same day I got it.

I really liked this novel. It's definitely more adult than YA or NA, and I was worried about it being about dancing because I don't have any idea about dance topics.

However, Stephens wrote this novel so well that I felt like I was dancing with Henry! And that is a great talent, since I don't dance ever!

I can relate to Sophie, unfortunately. My injury wasn't nearly as bad as hers was, but it still makes it hard to go for a jog every once in awhile, so I understand what she is going through when she goes to work everyday and not able to enjoy what she loves the most.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! I flew through it and loved every minute of it. If you enjoy dancing or a contemporary romantic story, this would definitely be something that you would be interested in reading. And it is not available on Amazon to purchase, so go grab it now! Here is the link.

I cannot wait for the next novel from Angela Stephens and will be keeping my eyes out for it :) Thank you again, Angela, for sending me an eARC of it so far in advance!

Anything But Ordinary by Lara Avery

When Bryce wakes up in the hospital, she knows that she was in a diving accident. It feels like it might have been a few days since she hurt her head in the pool, but she comes to find out that it was 5 YEARS!

Her little sister is now 17 years old. Bryce herself is now 22 years old. She missed her high school graduation, she missed going to the Olympics and getting gold medals. She missed going to college and graduating with her Bachelor's Degree.

She missed a lot of things.

And worse? Her boyfriend Greg and her best friend Gabby are now engaged to be married.

Everyone moved on without her. They continued her lives while she was in a coma for five years.

Everyone was surprised when she woke up. Because her injuries should have made Bryce be a coma forever.

Now Bryce is doing the unthinkable. She is walking, talking, and functioning after a few mishaps. She wants to get her life back in track again. And she has the help of Carter, the med student who has been watching over her for five years.

Carter has become her crutch, someone she can talk to because she can't talk to anyone else. Everyone else has either moved on or is expecting her to be the same Bryce she was five years ago.

But Carter just listens to Bryce and is there for her.

Things get really weird, though, when Bryce keeps having visions. But the visions aren't always about Bryce. Sometimes she has visions about other people. Things that have happened sometime during the last five years. Things that Bryce should have no way of knowing what happened because she was in a coma.

Somehow she does know. And this gift does not come without a price.

Just when things are starting to get better for Bryce, she gets another shock. Can Bryce survive this surprise, or will it be too much for her after everything she's been through? Read Anything But Ordinary by Lara Avery to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a very intriguing book. I was first sucked in when I read the summary, and it only got better when I started reading the novel.

I really liked the topic of diving and going to the Olympics. I found it refreshing and something I haven't read a thousand times in a YA novel. And Bryce knew that she was good; she wanted to win at least one gold medal, if not two by the time she was 22.

The idea of waking up after 5 years of being in a coma is scary. To wake up and realize that not only is she supposed to be graduated from college, but she is legal to drink and gamble? That is a bit much to process for anyone.

I think Bryce did a great job adjusting though. And the recovery she did! For being in one position for 5 years, she was able to start walking and moving around like normal in a remarkable time span!

I really liked Carter. He was always there for her and never asked questions. He looked after her and wanted to protect her. Even though he has seen her for five years, he never made assumptions about her after she woke up.

And the ending. It's gut wrenching. So bittersweet. I'm almost  unsure if I actually liked this book when I think about it as a whole. I mean, I do like this book and there is a great message in this novel, but at the same time... Very sad and heart breaking. I almost want another novel but in Carter's viewpoint to see what happens after the ending scene.

Overall, really, really enjoyed this book! Did not see a few things and other things were very obvious. I would definitely recommend this to other readers because there is a lot of different topics in here that could appeal to a variety of readers!

Broken at Love by Lyla Payne

This is the first novel in the Whitman University series by Lyla Payne.

After Quinn messed up his knee, his goals and dreams of being a professional tennis player went out the window. And not to mention his Russian tennis playing girlfriend as well. She dumped him the day he found out he couldn't play tennis anymore.

So now he off at college. At first it was just to party, but now he wants to get a degree and try to prove to his father that he can take over his company one day. Unfortunately, his father has never given Quinn the time of day to listen to him, let alone think that he could run his 500 fortune company.

During the tennis world cup matches, him and his step-brother devised a game. Well, really, Sebastian created it because he is blackmailing Quinn with pictures he got when Quinn was in a bad stage.

For every game, Quinn would have to get a girl to fall in love with him, and then dump her before the next game. While Quinn may have been enjoying the benefits, he was getting bored with the same routine and the same girls.

But then Sebastian picked Emilie, and she is definitely not an easy girl to ensnare in his game. In fact, Emilie wants nothing to do with Quinn and knows that he is a man-whore since he just dumped one of her sorority sisters recently.

And even though Emilie knows this about Quinn, she slowly lets him in. Especially because he understands her paintings, which not many do. Including her parents, who say if she doesn't go to school for pre-med or pre-law, they will take away her funds and she won't be able to stay in college.

Even though both Emilie and Quinn are starting to fall for one another, they still have dark pasts that might get in the way of their relationship.

And when Emilie finds out that Quinn did the same routine to other women, she wonders if anything that happened between them was real, or if it was just a game to win over a girl. Because Quinn won Emilie' heart, but he might lose her with the game he is playing.

Will Quinn and Emilie be able to overcome their dark pasts and be together, or is it too late? Can Emilie forgive Quinn for playing her, or was Quinn just playing a game all along? Read Broken at Love by Lyla Payne to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I've been wanting to read this book for awhile and finally just paid the $3.99 price on Amazon because I was too impatient to wait and see if it would lower. And so glad that I did!

Quinn was in a bad place with his step-brother, which makes more sense for why he did what he did with all of the girls during the tennis matches. But he never expected to fall in love with one of the girls he had to make fall in love with him.

And I adored Emilie. She tried to fight off her attraction to Quinn knowing that he is a player and breaks hearts. But they had a lot in common and she found out that he is not as cocky as he plays.

I really liked about this book that Emilie fought for Quinn and not the other way around. It's nice to see the female character go after what she wants instead of pinning away for the guy that broke her heart. Granted, I really like seeing the guy go after the girl, but I also like the girl going after the guy.

So while I did like this book, I also thought there were some flaws. There were times that I just didn't feel like finishing it, which is never a good thing.

But overall, I'm glad I gave in and bought it. It looks like it's the first of a series - I wonder who the second book will be about? I may end up having to buy it as well just to see what Payne writes about next!

For anyone wanting a different scenario in a New Adult novel, I would definitely recommend this book!

Hooked by Liz Fichera

This is the first novel in the Hooked series by Liz Fichera.

When Fredricka Oday, also known as just Fred, was offered to play for the boys golf team, she was stunned. She lives on the reservation with her Native American culture. She has no money and her dad works on the golf course as a mechanic - that's how she grew to love the game of golf.

So getting a chance to play on a team where scouts can see her play and she could possibly get a scholarship to go to college in a few years is a great opportunity.

But she knows it won't be easy. She will be the only girl on the team. The only Native American on the team. She is not as rich as the other teammates so her hand me down plaid golf bag, along with other hand me downs, will definitely stick out.

In the end, she says yes, because she loves the sport of golf and wants to go to college with as much help as she can get.

And, as she predicted, no one on the boys golf team liked this idea. Especially Ryan, the best player on the team. Or, he was until Fred showed up. And when Fred took that spot, Ryan's best friend Seth was kicked off, since there wasn't any other room and Seth was the worst player.

To make things even worse, Fred and Ryan are now partners for golf matches. So even though they don't talk to each other and have hostile feelings toward one another, they are forced to work together at every game in order to win.

Fred is just trying to keep out of trouble and have fun while playing golf. But that is hard with everyone around her hoping she will mess up. When she is playing golf, though, she can block anything out and just picture herself practicing at the practice range.

But things are about to get interesting. Seth is not as forgiving as the rest of the golf team and decides Fred needs to pay for taking his spot on the team. And now Ryan is stuck in the middle of his best friend and the girl he is starting to like.

When family problems occur, Fred has to decide if she wants to be part of a hostile environment or stay and help her family. And the issue with liking Ryan as more than a friend might be a factor in her decision as well.

Can her team eventually get over her gender and nationality, or will she be the odd one out the whole time she is on the boys golf team? Will it just be easier if she stops playing and stays away from Ryan? Read Hooked by Liz Fichera to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I loved this book! Native American culture, girl playing in a boys sport, and the sport of golf: three different aspects all wrapped in one novel makes this book very unique among other books in YA literature!

I really liked how Fred was hesitant about joining the golf team, even though she knew what would happen but really wanted to play golf. She wasn't ignorant, she knew what would happen and she thought it out before deciding.

And I think she was really brave in deciding to join the guys team. She really loves the game and wanted a chance to go to college after high school, so she made the brave choice to join.

Even though all of the guys would do pranks on her and make her feel outside of the team.

And poor Ryan. After he finally got to know Fred he knew she wasn't as evil as the team made her out to be, but it was almost impossible for him to be friends with Fred knowing she got Ryan kicked off of the team, his best friend.

I loved the little scenes where they were teaching each other what they were doing wrong when playing golf. And when they met up just to chat because they didn't have anyone else to talk to.

This novel was amazing and I can't wait to read more by Liz Fichera. I especially like that she writes about Native Americans since I'm part Native American and it gives me another viewpoint and aspect of that culture in Young Adult literature.

I think that anyone should read this book and because it is through both characters point of view, guys and girls could like it equally. Although guys probably won't read it as much as girls because of the cover.

And I cannot wait until the second novel in this series! From the snippets I've read, it's going to be a good battle between the two characters! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Fichera's works in the future.

Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Starting high school is going to be a new experience for Charlie. Middle school was a nightmare. She was friends with Lauren and Ally, who were not nice people and Charlie started to follow in their footsteps until one incident happened that sent Charlie to another school with a new start.

And it seemed to be going well. Charlie met Sydney at orientation and they became friends. Charlie also saw Will, the guy she lived next door a few years ago and they were best friends. Apparently he is back in town and now they go to the same school.

Just when Charlie was getting used to her school and joining the newspaper, a reminder about her past shows up: Nahdi.

Lauren and Ally did a horrible thing to Nahdi and Charlie was caught in the middle, so now that she sees Nahdi again, it seems that her past is catching up to her.

At her new school, sports are the rave. Will and his friend Tyler (who Charlie may have a little crush on) go out for lacrosse even though they hear the team hazes them before putting them on the team.

Charlie's new motto is to stand up for herself and not be bullied into anything, so she tries to make all of her new friends do that.

But with Will joining the lacrosse team, he may be forced to do things he doesn't want to do. And when Charlie realizes that she may have stronger feelings than just friendship toward Will, she has to decide if she wants to be with someone who gives into peer pressure. And she'll have to make a decision to tell the authorities what's going on, even though Will has asked her not to.

What will Charlie do? Will it ruin everything she has worked for at her new school? Read Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a cute novel. It was recommended to me through Goodreads and I had it at my library, so I just picked it up and read it really fast.

Usually I don't read YA books if they are a freshman or younger, but Charlie didn't act too immature for my tastes so I decided to keep reading and find out what happens with this group of teens.

And Charlie is really mature for her age because of the horrible things her "so called friends" did when she was in middle school. Now she's learned to try to stay out of situations that could hurt other people - even though in Charlies case that is kind of hard.

So, overall, it was a cute novel. Not my favorite, but not one that I didn't finish or wish that I hadn't read when I finished it. Just a cute little novel that had a little different plot than other YA novels that I've read lately.

If anyone wants to read a novel about trying to be your own person, not following cliques or popularity, learning when to stand up for yourself, and making friends with the right people, this would be a good novel for you.

I would say that any female teen could read this - even younger ones because Charlie and her friends are just freshmen in this novel, so they could find something to relate to.

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!

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

This is the first novel in the Drew + Fable series by Monica Murphy.

Living in a college town, Fable is able to work at a local bar and get steady tips from all of the drunk, rich students. She also has a reputation that follows her around, saying she is easy and is a slut. Fable only does what she has to in order to bring in money for her family.

Her mother drinks too much and parties with her boyfriend of the month, so Fable has to be the responsible one and take care of her 13 year old brother Owen. Which is getting harder because Owen is getting more defiant and running around with the wrong crowd.

When Drew confronted Fable outside of the bar after her shift, Fable thought it was to hook up, which she was not doing. But Drew threw her a curve ball: he wants to pay Fable to be his fake girlfriend for one week, over Thanksgiving Break.

Fable was going to say no, but when she heard it was for $3,000, she couldn't pass it up, so off to Drew's parents house she went, fake girlfriend status in tow.

Throughout the week, Fable and Drew realized that they have a lot in common. And that they are mutually attracted to one another.

But they made a deal, and in one week they would no longer have to talk to each other.

That will be hard to do though. Because the reason Drew wanted Fable at his house had to do with his father and stepmother. And now Fable is getting closer to Drew's secrets. At first he didn't want her Fable to know, but now that she's getting closer to his dark secrets, he's finding out that he might be able to trust her.

But can he fully give himself to Fable, or will Drew forever be haunted by his dark past? Can Fable find a way to get Drew to open up, or will their "relationship" be over in a week? Read One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I gotta say, I'm glad I got this book for $0.99 and didn't wait until it was free! I really enjoyed it and flew by, even though I'm upset that there is another one and I have to wait for it!

I absolutely loved Fable. First, her name is awesome, even though she probably gets a lot of crap for it. And secondly, she is single-handedly raising her younger brother and avoiding her mother. She just needs to leave her mother and have one less ungrateful person to take care of, but that's just my opinion.

And Drew. Oh, poor Drew. I figured out what happened to him to make him want a fake girlfriend over the holidays before it was revealed, and my heart was breaking for him over and over throughout this eBook.

There was a lot of messed up topics and events in this book, but I really loved it. Fable is amazing because once she finds out, she doesn't run away yelling. Oh, no. Our Fable stays right by Drew's side and makes him realize that he is not at fault. It's only Drew that is running away, even though he doesn't want to.

The only bad part about this book was that I found out it is part of a series... And the second one isn't out yet! So I have to wait until I find out when it comes out and snatch it, because I need to know what happens. Now!

Okay, enough ranting. I really enjoyed this and I think other readers who are having a New Adult kick like I am will enjoy it as well. I would recommend it for older readers because of the topic content, but I'm really glad I got it and would recommend it to others because I enjoyed it so much!

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!

When in Paris... by Beverley Kendall

This is the first novel in the Language of Love series by Beverley Kendall.

College is the time to start fresh for Olivia. High school was horrible because her classmates would start rumors about her throughout those 4 years. Olivia dealt with it, though, and pushed it aside. Now, at college, she can be her own self and room with her best friend, April.

Also, the prospect of going to Paris for her French class was very appealing as well.

Until her high school crush walked through the door. Zach treated Olivia like a leaper in high school, never trying to be nice or friendly toward her. From the moment he saw her in high school, he acted as if she was never there.

So the idea of spending the next four years in college with him was not the happiest thought she had.

But they now have a class together and will need to get over their differences - whatever they may be since Olivia has no idea why Zach hates her - because their roommates (Troy and April) are best friends, so they will be spending a decent amount of time with each other.

And the moment Zach saw Olivia in his French class, he knew he couldn't keep staying away from her. He's been attracted to her since he saw her in high school, but because of family reasons and betrayals he made himself stay away from the one girl who was forbidden from him.

But now they are in college and are adults. Plus, he's not anywhere near his mother and aunt, so they wouldn't really have to know if he got together with Olivia - because he has sure been thinking about hooking up with her for too many years to count.

There are difficulties, though. One includes his ex-girlfriend who doesn't understand the meaning of "broken up" and keeps calling.

Things change, though, during the trip to Paris. They decide to live for the moment, though Zach and Olivia's idea of living for the moment are a bit different from each others.

With the crazy schedule of football practice, play rehearsals, homework, ex's, and family, the two have little time to spend with each other. But when the big secret of why Zach avoided Olivia in high school came out, along with the stalkerish girlfriend comes to blows, things between the two might be unmanageable  Can Zach and Olivia fight the problems between one another, or will it be too much to handle for both of them? Read When in Paris... by Beverley Kendall to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I found out about this novel because Beverley Kendall followed me on Twitter and I saw she wrote a New Adult novel! Very glad she followed me, because I really liked this eBook novel!

Also, just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Age (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I really liked Olivia. She is very tough for going through high school knowing that ridiculous rumors are spread about her and she didn't fight against any of them - just let them continue even though they were all false.

As for putting up with Zach, who she had a crush on but also hated, she had to have been very strong willed not to go up to him and demand answers after being treated like that for four years. I know I would have wanted the answers right then and there.

And Zach is very sweet. Yes, he was a jerk to Olivia, but he did what he did because of his family. And he is always wanting to make everyone else happy so he tries to do what he wants, even though he goes against his father and goes to a non top-ten college for football.

I also liked the way the novel was written. It wasn't sunshine and butterflies for the two, but there were big problems that kept getting in the way between them and they definitely fought about things they disliked. It was very realistic.

So, yes, this was a great eBook to buy on Amazon for $0.99. Thank you, Kendall, for somewhat introducing me to your novel!

Because this is a New Adult novel, I do recommend this book for older readers who don't mind reading about sexual topics - because there are quite a few scenes in here for an older audience. And this is told through both Olivia's and Zach's viewpoint, but I think this would be more suited for female readers rather than male. However, I think both might appreciate this story, so the more readers the merrier!

This is the first novel in a series, but the second novel will be about April and Troy's story rather than continuing Olivia and Zach's story. So stay tuned for that novel in November 2013 and read this novel if you want a cute romantic but problem filled novel! :)

This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath

This is the first novel in the Young Love series by Amanda Heath.

Going off to college is going to be a new start for Teagan. As the youngest of six, she has been the baby and has been treated like such her whole life. Her older twin half-brothers, Caden and Jaden, have taken it to their mission to keep any male away from their baby sister.

But Teagan has had enough of that and wants to meet guys. She just didn't expect to find one while she was very drunk and at a house party. Nor did she think she would almost sleep with him, and then escape in the morning, while not finding out what his name was.

Then she comes to find out that he is none other than Jaden's best friend, Declan Sage. One of the hottest guys on campus.

Now she has a dilemma - date Declan even though she knows Jaden will be furious or keep her brother's thoughts in hand and stay away from his friend. The only problem is, Teagan can't stay away from Declan, and the same is said for Declan's feelings.

Declan is not a player, but he usually doesn't feel a connection with the girls he's hooked up with in the past. But when Teagan slips through his fingers after that one night, his mission was to find her and make her his, because he can't stop thinking about her. And that has never happened to Declan before.

Little did he know that the girl he is obsessed with his is best friend's baby sister. Only she is no baby and sets his blood on fire.

They make each other crazy mad, but also crazy about each other. There is no separating them, even with the thought of Jaden finding out. They are just going to keep it away from Teagan's large family as long as they can and enjoy being with one another.

However, something happens that might split Declan and Teagan up for good. Something that will devastate them beyond anything they have ever felt before. Will they be able to overcome all of the obstacles and stay together, or will their romance be short and sweet? Read This Beautiful Thing by Amanda Heath to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
So, just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Age (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I bought this novel as an eBook on Amazon when it was $0.99. I liked it well enough, it was very NA and was mainly about Declan and Teagan having a secret relationship. Nothing else really happened until the very end when it split the two up after a traumatic experience.

The one thing that really got to me was the errors in this novel. I almost went and started to correct them since I've edited books in the past. Misuse of words, misuse of punctuation, typos - it was all very messy to me.

But I worked through it and read the whole novel, from start to finish in one sitting and thought it was an okay novel.

I especially liked that Teagan and Declan didn't always agree. It was a real relationship and boy did they fight each other. Screaming matches and miscommunication. The whole works. But they found a way to make up and see what the other was trying to say in the beginning.

There is another book coming out in this series. I'll have to wait and see if I want to get it. If it becomes cheap again through eBook format, I might buy it but I won't be spending over $2 for the next book.

For older readers who want to read about rough relationships, I would recommend this to you. Younger readers, I would wait a little while before grabbing this book to read.

Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton

Willow is a daredevil and everyone knows it. She is the head cheerleader of her squad and the best flyer of them all. Whenever her coach wants to do a new, risky fly, Willow is the first to volunteer and the first to perfect it.

But when she has a horrible fall that opens her eyes to the dangers she is facing, Willow realizes that she is terrified of flying now. Even just thinking about what she needs to do from 15 feet in the air sucks the breath out of her and she runs the other way.

So after quitting cheerleading and flying, she gets a new opportunity: join the musical production that is directed by a Broadway choreographer. Before cheer, Willow was an amazing dancer, and everyone in her town knows it. So with connections, Willow gets an audition and was able to find enough of that dancer inside of her to pull out a successful audition.

That landed her the lead female role! The only bad part? Her male lead is none other than her ex-best friend Eli, who she used to dance with before she quit 3 years ago. And their parting was not the best, making them hostile toward one another. It's going to be a little difficult dancing with him when neither of them trusts the other.

And it's not the candy and sunshine Willow thought when she got the lead female role. The other female dancers are extremely jealous that an outsider got the lead, so they are not helping Willow learn the new dances or trying to be friends with her.

Also, since she up and quit the cheerleading squad right before Regionals, her friends from the squad aren't talking to her either.

It seems the only person who is taking to her is the new director, Tyson Scott, who is way too gorgeous to be working with a bunch of snobby high schoolers.

Once Willow finally proves that she can sing and dance better than anyone else on stage does she get rid of the tension between everyone and they finally start to perform like a family who can trust one another.

And since Willow and Eli have to get along and get over the hostility that happened 3 years ago, Willow realizes that she might have feelings for him that are more than friendship.

But when an unforeseen event changes part of the play, Willow has to overcome her fear. If she doesn't, it will ruin the whole play and ruin everyone's chances at Broadway.

Can Willow get over her fear and perform the way she's supposed to? Or will the suffocating fear make her betray and disappoint everyone she has come to care about on the stage? Read Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a cute novel. I haven't read too many high school stories about dance/musicals, cheerleading or flying, so it was something new for me that I haven't over read before.

Willow is a runner. When things don't go her way, she tends to run to a new scene and completely shuts out the previous failer. And she is a perfectionist - when she is given a task she will do it all night until she has it down pat.

But she could run away from Eli and that past if she wanted to be in the musical, so she was forced to come face to face with it in order to get the lead role.

I could not imagine falling 15 feet in the air to nothing but mat and landing the wrong way, so I completely understand her fear of free falling again after that horrible accident. I got so angry and frustrated with everyone who wouldn't listen to her explain why she could cheer again. The trust was gone and the injury that she got might have healed, but the feeling she had when she fell was like nothing she every experienced before. I don't blame her for quitting cheerleading.

I really liked the way the author described her losing herself to the dance and feeling what the dance represented. I'm not a dancer, but that description helped me understand what dance was like for Willow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. There were times that I rolled my eyes in annoyance or thought something was immature, but overall I think the author did a great job depicting high school trends along with the fear that one gets after a close incident.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys musicals or plays and cheerleading, along with overcoming a fear that hits directly home to a person.

The Perfect Game by J. Sterling

Cassie
For her junior year in college, Cassie Andrews transferred schools and is now rooming with her best friend Melissa. She's starting to take college classes in photography, which she loves to do and wants to get a career in after college.

During her first college party, she sees Jack Carter. Right away, she knows that Jack is a player and very cocky, a guy who knows that he looks like a God and thinks he deserves to be treated like one. It doesn't help that he is a phenomenal baseball player and will go into the big league very soon, if his agents are correct.

Cassie wants absolutely nothing to do with him. She avoids him, yells at him, walks away from him, and, when possible, ignores him.

But Jack is very persistent and dedicated to making the one girl on campus who despises him on sight talk to him, and also go out on a date with him.

There's only so much a girl can handle and Cassie can't deny that he is very good looking. So she finally does go out with him, and then becomes the first girl that Jack Carter has ever dated and called his girlfriend.

Jack
Ever since Jack's parents left him and his younger brother Dean, Jack has had trust issues. He only hooks up with a girl once and then he's done with them, leaving them no imagination that they will be the one to snatch up his heart.

But when Jack sees the disgust and hatred in Cassie's beautiful green eyes, all bets are off. He wants to know this new girl on campus and he is going to do everything in his power to get what he wants. And it's a lot of power since he is the star player on the baseball team.

And once he finally gets Cassie? It's a dream come true. She is the one for him and he will do anything and everything for her.

Sure, when he gets drafted to start on a Double A team, the distance is hard on both of them, but they always think about each other every minute.

But old habits die hard - can Jack change his ways for good? Will Cassie's heart get broken by the biggest player turned boyfriend on campus? Read The Perfect Game by J. Sterling to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
So, just a forewarning, this is a NEW AGE novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Age (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

Now, on to the review! I was very intrigued with this novel and just recently found it on Amazon - it was an impulsive purchase.

And I did like it. It just wasn't my all time favorite novel. Nor my all time favorite New Age novel.

Also, this book is written in alternating narrations between Cassie and Jack, so we got to see both of their viewpoints throughout the novel.

I really liked Cassie. She was fiesty and didn't take Jack's crap. Nor did she give in when Jack was persistent about going on a date with him. I didn't blame her - the most notorious player on campus wants to date her? Something else must be hidden within his persuasion.

But she laid down the rules and made sure Jack knew about them.

Now, Jack. Oh, Jack. He was very determined because he's always got everything he wants - well for the most part. And he was very sexy and very confident, which is good in a guy.

However, he became one of those guys that NEEDED to be with his girl. When Cassie didn't answer her phone or call him back right away, he got frantic with worry and freaked out.

He didn't do it all of the time, but it was enough to drive me crazy.

And the huge mistake that he made? Totally called it when he kept insisting that he was going to mess up. And I called everything that would happen throughout the mistake until it was done. So, I thought, it was very predictable.

That doesn't mean I didn't like this novel - I did! Just not as much as I could have liked it. I really did like the ending, though I'm not sure how realistic it would be with different people in the real world.

Overall, I gave it 3.5 stars. I'm interested to see if Sterling will write more NA novels in the future - I'll have to read them if she does.

I would recommend this to any older young adult, since there is graphic material that many parents wouldn't want their children to read. But anyone who likes sports, photography, and wants to find out about the "real college life", this would be something that you might enjoy!

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Hamilton High has a unique rivalry. Instead of fighting with another rival school, the football team and the soccer team fight with one another.

It started 10 years ago and has continued - all because the football funding was cut down to create the soccer team and have another sport for their school.

Lissa has been dating the quarterback of the football team for over a year now, so she has already been through this ridiculous fight for a season. She does not want to do it for another.

She tries to talk to Randy about stopping the pranks and hazing of the soccer team, but after he ignores her one too many times, she decides to take things in her own hands.

After emailing all of the girlfriends of the football players, Lissa tells them her idea: stop having sex or do any sexual things with their boyfriends - even if it means no kissing or holding hands.

She figures that the only thing that would stop boys from fighting one another is if they weren't getting any attention from their girlfriends.

While this is going on, Lissa is also having conflicting feelings toward Randy. And her eyes are starting to stray to a soccer player, Cash. They had a one night connection during the summer, but nothing happened from it. But now they are working together at the library and Lissa's thoughts are more about Cash than Randy lately...

Lissa is the leader of the girl's strike, so she needs to think of new ways to keep the girls away from their men. But after a month of being on strike, many of the girls are tired of being away and want to have a boyfriend again.

And Lissa is finding herself in a predicament with the guy who starts to organize the guys strike against the girls: Cash.

Will the girls be able to hold strong until the football and soccer players call a truce to their rivalry? Or will they give in to temptation no matter how worthy the cause is to stay strong? Read this hilarious story, Shut Out, by Kody Keplinger to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a great story! I found myself laughing out loud when reading and was cheering for the ladies all the way!

Of course, there were things I could have done without. Lissa was a little annoying. She was a little controlling, but that's because she had to take over after her mother died. And she seemed to change the rules of the strike after awhile, making it more personal than she should have.

The best thing about this book (okay, not the best thing, but one I really enjoyed) was that Lissa and Cash worked at the library! Library! Okay, my nerdiness for books is over now.

I really loved Cash. He was so charming but shy and quiet all wrapped in one person that it was hard not to fall in love with him. And the scenes between him and Lissa were pretty steamy, but also ridiculously funny and cringe worthy at times.

I never dated anyone in a sport, but I can imagine to any girl that is dating a guy in a competive sport would feel like how Lissa and the other girls in this novel feel when their boyfriend ignore them over choosing their teammates.

This book would be really good for older teen girls. I saw older because they talk about sex a lot (it's a sex strike) and because most of the girls in the novel are juniors and seniors. Other than that, older females would really get a kick out of this book and it's really funny in some areas.

Oh! Another thing I like about this book is it's a re-telling of Lysistrata by Aristophanes, which I actually read in college, though I don't remember too many details from that book, haha.

As far as I know, this is a stand alone novel, and I am already looking forward to reading another one of Keplinger's novel, A Midsummer's Nightmare, another re-telling of a classic story. Once it comes back to my library, I will be snatching that up to read myself and see if Keplinger's writing style is as good as this one!

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

When the Garretts moved in years ago when Samantha was 5, her mother said, "Oh, no, not one of those families" and told her two daughters to never talk to them.

What Samantha's mom meant was, the Garretts have 8 children, a messy house and yard, and nothing is ever quiet or in their proper place. A total nightmare for Samantha's mom.

But an intriguing setting for Samantha to observe. She's always been fascinated by the Garretts and has envied their lifestyle, since it's just Samantha and her older sister Tracy with their single mother.

Now, years later at 17-years-old, Sam's mom is the senator of the state, and Sam has grown up in a very strict household to keep her mother happy.

And it's also the first time Samantha has talked to Jase Garrett - Number 3 in the eight kid household and also 17-years-old.

Soon, Samantha finds herself lost in the Garrett household. She visits their house more often than staying at her own house and has now learned how to feed an army of 8, while also changing her first dirty diaper.

Samantha finds out, though, that she is a natural at it and really enjoys the insanity that happens everyday.

She is also finding herself falling very much in love with Jase. But Samantha is okay with that. She just needs to find a way to tell her mother without being evicted from the house or "ruining" her mother's chance for re-election come November.

Things that are too good to be true often show the dark, ugly side later, as Samantha found out the hard way. Everything is going amazing until her mother ruined not only Samantha's life, but another family's life.

Now Sam has to make a decision. Keep quiet and let her mother run for office with a clean slate, helping her chances of winning again, will ruining a family's life, or betraying her mother to do the right thing, the moral decision that she was raised to do.

Whichever choice Samantha picks, she is going to hurt someone in the end, and Samantha isn't sure what is the right thing to do anymore... Read My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick to find out what Samantha does!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I've been eyeing this book on Goodreads for awhile and was very happy when I checked it out from the library. However, I have to say this book didn't live up to the hype I thought it had originally...

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the storyline even though most of it was just being a rebellious daughter and dating a boy her mother doesn't like.

And there were tons of topics in this novel, like the political side with Samantha's mother and the sport aspect with Sam loving swimming and Jase training to get a football scholarship for college after senior year.

But for some reason I wasn't able to connect with the characters as well as I wanted.

I think the beginning of the book was the worst, especially when Jase and Samantha first talk to each other after 12 years of silence. Jase seemed really weird and his style of talking was abnormal.

Toward the middle and end, though, when Jase and Samantha became comfortable around each other, their personalities got better. But then it just felt like Samantha was trading families and moving from one lonely house to a house with too many people to keep track of.

One thing that I absolutely loved about this novel was Jase's family. Just think, a family of 8 - 10 if you count the parents. It's like 7th Heaven only a little bit more. And a lot more chaotic. Yet Jase's parents made it work, from having a 20-year-old to a some-odd-number month old baby. And I absolutely loved the scenes with the younger Garretts because they talked about the most random topics - just like normal kids to today.

So, this was a good novel, but not a great novel. I would like to see if I can connect with other novels from Fitzpatrick in the future, since this is her debut novel. I think I could get into her writing after reading her style a few more times.

Anyone who wants another read like Maureen Johnson and Sarah Dessen will love this novel. A summer romance ending in a twist, showing how life throws twists and turns in a relationship and whether love can outlast betrayal and family.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

This is the first novel in the Wildefire series by Karsten Knight.

Back in New York, Ashline Wilde witnessed a horrible accident. Even though she didn't commit it, Ashline still feels responsible for what happened so she moves to California to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere.

Things were going fine until she got paired up with other "unnatural" students who are at Blackwood Academy: Raja, Rolfe, Ade, Lily, and Serena.

Turns out that all six of them are gods/goddesses. Raja is the Egyptian Goddess of the Dead; Rolfe is the Norse God of Light; Ade is the God of Thunder; Lily is the Goddess of the Blossom; Serena is a siren. But for some reason, Ashline doesn't know which Goddess she is - only that she is special just like the other five.

Oh, and Ashline's older sister Eve is also a goddess - the Goddess of Weather. And she doesn't use her powers for good all of the time...

Now the teen gods/goddesses are finding out that others are trying to capture them for their unique talents. But Ashline has no idea what hers is... Until it erupts out of her - quite literally. She has a knack for fire, but her real title is the Volcano Goddess.

Then Eve comes back after the horrible accident in New York. And she is starting to cause trouble for Ashline in California as well.

Before, Ashline couldn't stop Eve, but now that she knows her power, can Ashline figure out how to use them in time before Eve strikes again? Or will it be too late and Ashline will be haunted by more of Eve's destruction when she is finished? Read Wildefire by Karsten Knight to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Another book about Gods/Goddesses! Normally I wouldn't be excited for the same topic, but Knight did a wonderful job bringing a new tale and a very different journey with this subject that I was kept very entertained and intrigued throughout this first novel.

I felt for Ashline when she was devastated by what her sister had done in New York. But she toughed it out and moved across country to start over and try to live as normal as possible. Which of course, wasn't that normal when she found out she was a goddess in a mortal body.

I really liked her though. Not only is she a kick a$$ goddess, but she's sporty! She plays tennis and is quite good at it - a way to release the anger inside!

And it wasn't as romantic as it could have been. Sure, there were romantic scenes, but Ashline wasn't one of those girls that needed to have a guy around to save the day.

In fact, Ashline was pretty good at taking care of herself. And there were a lot of fighting scenes in here as well!

This is the first book in a series (so far I know of 3 books in the series - not sure if that is all or if there is more to come though). And the second novel, Embers and Echoes is already out in print! I've ordered it and will hopefully get it soon from the library.

For anyone who is a Percy Jackson fan or fans of mythology, I would definitely recommend this to you! It is told through Ashline's point of view, so there will probably be more girls than guys reading it, but I think guys might enjoy this story as well!

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

Dylan
Because she has the traveling bug, Dylan goes from Wisconsin, her home state, to Arizona to "house sit" her aunt's house.

Really, she just got paid to sleep there and take a photography class at the local community college in that area.

Dylan does not take life for granted. She looks beyond the artificial surface of everything and everyone, trying to figure out how things/people work and ask questions that would not seem normal to everyone else.

The one thing that Dylan did not see coming in her summer trip to Arizona was falling in love. Her main goal was to find a friend since she didn't know anyone. When she saw Gray at the college campus, she knew she needed to get to know him better.

The more time Dylan and Gray spent together, the more she kept thinking about him and impatiently waited for the next time they could go on an adventure to learn more about the world around them.

Gray
Gray's life ended 8 months ago when his twin sister died in a car accident. Everything changed for him. He gave up his full ride scholarship for baseball at New Mexico University and went to Mesa Community College in Arizona just to have a reason to get out of his depressing house.

His parents are never around and he stopped talking to his friends from high school.

Gray has lost the will to live.

Until Dylan burst into his life. Every since he met Dylan, he has something to look forward to everyday: seeing her. Dylan is so random and says the most unexpected things that Gray has no idea what they will do from one day to another.

So it was to be expected that he would fall in love with her. She is the most interesting and honest girl Gray has ever met, and he knows that she is the one for him.

But Dylan needs to travel. She wants to see the world. And Gray wants her to move to New Mexico with him when he goes back to college to play ball.

Will Dylan and Gray find a way to be together, even though their lives are not on the same path? Can long distance really work for them, or will the succumb to the inevitable breakup that happens to most summer romances? Read First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an interesting novel. I've never read any of Kacvinsky's books before, and I definitely noticed a different style of writing right away that sucked me in.

Dylan is a great character. I wish I was like her because she is always thinking of others over herself. She doesn't care what she looks like, and is always trying to find a way to help others have a better day than what they were having.

And Gray has had a hard time before meeting Dylan. Which is exactly why it was a great thing for them to meet. Dylan found a way to help Gray through his grief and be able to bring him back to the living.

There were some parts of the book that I felt dragged on, but I did enjoy the overall story and the struggle that the two characters had individually and together as a couple.

This is very realistic to summer or high school romances when the two in the relationship go in opposite directions. I really liked the ending and think that the author did a great job describing a young couple in love for the summer.

This is told through both Dylan and Gray's perspective  so we get their thoughts about one another in detail. I think that any readers would enjoy this book - especially the character of Dylan. She was entertaining and so unique that the reader will be compelled to read more to find out what random thing she will do next.

It also looks like there is another novel following this one, called Second Chance, where it follows after the first novel ends. According to Goodreads, it's only in eBook format right now, but hopefully it will be released in book format so I can  pick it up and see what happens to Dylan and Gray!

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Mary Zane

When she was younger, Mary grew up on Jar Island. She and a fellow classmate, Reeve, would take the ferry to the main land for school. You wouldn’t exactly call it a friendship since Reeve tortured Mary about being overweight, but they grew friendly since they had to spend so much time together.

Until Reeve did something so unforgivable and humiliating toward Mary that she finally left Jar Island. But now she’s back. Different than before and wants to make Reeve pay for what he did to her when they were younger.

Lillia Cho

Lillia always loved coming to Jar Island for the summer vacations and spending time with her summer friends that she finally convinced her parents to live their year round. She’s the popular girl, cheerleader, and her family is wealthy.

But when Lillia finds out that one of her friends, Adam, was seeing her younger sister, Nadia, in secret, along with doing something so horrifying, Lillia decided she was done with guys. That guys needed to pay for how horrible they treat girls.

Kat DeBrassio

Kat is considered “white trash” at school. She lives in the poorer part of town and everyone thinks she does drugs because of her older brother. Many don’t remember that Kat used to be best friends with Lillia and Rennie, until Rennie ditched Kat when Lillia came to live at Jar Island year round.

Many also don’t know that Kat spent a lot of her summer vacation hanging out with Alex Lindly – one of the “popular boys” who don’t associate with Kat during the school year. School isn’t exactly the best of times for Kat, so when Reeve says one too many untruthful statements, Kat decides to get revenge. Reeve will be sorry she was so mean to Kat all of these years after she’s done with her.

Read Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian to find out how each girl gets their revenge!

My Thoughts/Reflections

When I heard that Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian were writing a book together, I was so excited! I love both of their novels and knew that they were going to create an amazing book together – which they did!

This was a great novel. Each character has a reason for getting revenge and their back story, or flash backs, were a great key idea for the reader to really get to know the characters and see why they are ready to seek revenge.

I think my favorite girl out of the trio is Kat. She’s down to earth and fights for what she wants. She’s the one who initially came up with the idea to get back at the ones who tortured each girl. And I think I can relate to her out of the three of them.

The nice thing about this book is there are three girls, so the reader should have someone they can relate to. There are different situations for each girl: one fighting her weight, one living in a high class society – both at home and at school, and one trying to get through senior year so she can leave a prejudice island full of people who know everything about everyone.

This is part of a series and the authors do leave us at a little cliffhanger, so I’m excited to read the next book Fire with Fire sometime in 2013 (no date that I know of yet)!

Also, I labeled this book as a contemporary, which for the most part it is, but at the very end I think the authors are cooking up something supernatural? Maybe? I’m excited to find out more in the continuing books!

I would recommend this to every female reader. There are so many situations and events that happen that I think any girl can relate to and it is so well written that I flew through the book really fast!

Love Sick by Jake Coburn

Ted had it all in high school. He had the popularity and a full-ride scholarship to college for playing basketball.

That was before he drove drunk and smashed his knee.

He is a recovering alcoholic. Instead of going to college now, he is living with his parents, working a crappy job, and going to AA meetings to resist drinking again, because it already messed up his life once.

But then Ted gets a random opportunity...

Erica is going to college. She wants to get away from her dad and stepmother. And she wants to have more ways to binge.

She's bulimic - she deliberately goes out, buys sweet food, like donuts, eats as many as she can in a limited time, then makes herself throw up.

Her dad knows about this after she collapsed at a 4th of July outing.

So now, Erica's dad is giving Ted the chance to go to school, all expenses paid for, if he will just keep an eye on Erica.

Ted's not sure what to say. He doesn't want to pass up the opportunity to go to school for free, so he says yes.

And he meets Erica. They don't talk too much at first, but then secrets start leaking out and they get to know each other better.

But Ted has this horrible secret looming around them. He can't face Erica knowing that he's keeping the biggest omission of all. Will he confess to Erica? Will he leave when the secret too much? Because one thing's for sure: he didn't mean to fall in love with the girl he was supposed to be spying on. Read Love Sick by Jake Coburn to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a random book that I picked up from the used book store, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

These two topics are not easy to talk about. They are real life situations that people go through everyday, and I think Coburn portrayed the process very well.

Also, at the beginning, Coburn stated that he talked to Erica and Ted about writing this novel, so it's a true story. Sure, the names and schools, etc. are different, but this really occurred in the past and I think that hits home just as much as the topics presented in this book.

The format of this book was interesting. It was split into months, no chapters, and we got both Ted and Erica's point of view, along with reading the emails sent between Ted and his "bosses" about Erica, while also reading Erica's conversations with her shrink through online chess games.

I think this could be a good book for older teens, or any teen going through a horrible time with their health. It is very descriptive on how Erica binges, so I'm not sure if it's suitable for all readers, but I think it could be worth reading for those finding them in situations where they know they need help.

Again, a surprise from a random purchase. I love it when that happens!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola is a different gal than most. Instead of worrying about what jeans and t-shirt she's going to wear to school, she has to chose out of her collection of costumes.

Yes, you read that right. She makes her own clothes and wants to be famous one day in the future when she designs costumes and clothes.

So she's starting early by expressing her individuality by being a new person everyday.

No one really minds it. She's been doing this for most of her life and even her boyfriend, the 22 year old rocker singer (dating 17 year old Lola) thinks it's refreshing.

Lola is starting her junior year and things are looking up. She's got a great costume to wear for the Winter Formal - a Marie Antoinette get-up and a boyfriend to go with.

But then, the boy next door returns.

The Bells are very unique. Cricket and Calliope, the twins, are a year older than Lola but they are light years away in worldliness. Calliope has gone to the Olympics for figure skating the last two seasons and this year is her third. They have moved away so many times because Calliope needs the right trainer to get her the gold medal one of these seasons.

And Cricket was the love of Lola's life 2 years ago. But he broke her heart and moved away, again.

This time, Lola is putting a stop to this madness. She was hurt and angry that he left and was extremely mean last time they saw each other. But now she has grown up; she is with Max, her boyfriend, and once she found out Cricket was in college a year early, she realized they won't be going to school.

Should be simple, right?

Not a chance. Lola's not completely sure... but she might still be eyeing the boy next door when she has a boyfriend in tow.

Now Lola needs to figure out what she wants, what she needs, and what is right. Because some things are not what they seemed and some events were not quite how either Cricket and Lola might remember. What will Lola do? Read Lola and the Boy Next Door to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I was intrigued to see St. Clair and Anna in this novel, and I really did like that novel, Anna and the French Kiss. I didn't review it on here, but gave it 5 stars on Goodreads so I must have enjoyed it :)

This was an interesting novel. I wouldn't say I hated it, but I can't say that I loved it either. It sort of fell in between...

The deal between Lola and Max was really odd. Not because of his age or anything, but because of the way he acted around Lola and his band. He seemed distant and somewhat using her. He liked her outfits but didn't at the same time.

Cricket is adorable. He's a lanky, skinny, tall, awkward, but balanced 18 year old boy. What is more adorable than that? You can tell right from the beginning that he has a thing for Lola.

There was a lot going on in this novel. From the Olympics training with Calliope to the love triangle of Lola, Max, and Cricket, to the biological parents of Lola and her adoptive Dad's (one who is her biological uncle and his partner), to Lola's interesting wardrobe, and then her friend Lindsey with her conservative thinking of dating when she's pining over Charlie.

....Did ya get all of that? It was a little bit much for me.

But I did like it a little bit. Especially toward the end when some of the scramble from above became a little bit clearer.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss or to those that are looking for a little bit of variety in a novel. Because Lola is definitely one spicy girl who likes to keep everyone around her on their toes!

Crash by Nicole Williams

Things haven't been going well for Lucy for a few years. And her senior year in high school is no different. She had to leave her prestigious private school, leave the house she grew up in, and move to the shabby beach house her parents bought awhile back to go to a public school, which has metal detectors at the doorway.

Not exactly what she had in mind for senior year.

But then she saw him. Jude Ryder. Bad boy to the extreme and for some reason kept attracting her attention whenever he was in the same room as her.

Only he was arrogant. The first words out of his mouth were, "I don't do girlfriends, relationships, flowers, or regular phone calls. If that works for you, I think we could work out something special."

So Lucy said no, she didn't want that. Which is how she got the one guy in all of Southpointe to get out of his 'use-her and lose-her' philosophy.

Now the whole school thinks she's either a slut or a magician, because Jude is not the same guy who left their school last year.

He pays attention to her, follows her to her classes, and is pursuing her rather than having Lucy chase after Jude.

But Lucy is unsure if her and Jude will work out. She needs to keep her nose clean because she wants to go to Julliard to be a dancer. She dances any type of dance, has since she was 3, and she's not going to chance losing that opportunity over a boy who has been to jail too many times to count and has dealt drugs, stolen cars, started fights, etc.

Only she can't stop thinking about him and when she's with him, everything just feels right.

Lucy has no idea what to do, and then the worst thing that could happen, happened.

It may be too much for Lucy and Jude to get past, because the event that unfolded 5 years ago has connected these two much more than they ever thought possible, or ever wanted to know about.

Can Lucy and Jude find a way to be together despite all odds? Or will it be too much for them? Read Crash by Nicole Williams to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Many reviewers have compared this book to Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, and I can see the resemblance a little bit, but I don't think it was as great as BD was.

For some reason, the characters rubbed me the wrong way. Some of the things that occurred in the book didn't fly for me either.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great novel with unexpected twists and turns that made my jaw drop when reading them. But I felt like there was too much in one novel to really delve deep into the characters and that the reader only got the dramatic love you/can't stand you scenes.

Which is how Lucy and Jude's relationship was.

So anyway, Lucy is an okay character. She likes to self-doubt herself, likes to make excuses, and happened to date the wrong boy who had a dark past because she couldn't get over Jude and made a dumb decision.

Jude has had a harder life than Lucy maybe. So to say he's a troubled boy would be an understatement. And for some reason I absolutely loved him. He was possessive, angry (very, very angry), and reckless. But somehow he pulled it off.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I would give it a 2.5 rating, because I really loved it and I really hated it. Others who've read it have adored it, so I must be in the minority.

For anyone who wants to read a book somewhat similar to Beautiful Disaster, this might be a book you could try. I'm not making any promises, just a suggestion.

Also, there is a sequel coming out, Clash, in September 2012. So basically, now-ish. I might *might* get it to see how things go for Lucy and Jude now that they are in college, but I'm not sure if I will or not. Guess I'll just have to wait and see!