Never Forget by Emma Hart

This is the first novel in the Memories series by Emma Hart.

The summer before Lexy goes off to college is not the time she wants to go to the small town of Devon where her grandmother lives. She wants to party with her friends in London and enjoy the last few months before she is off to school again.

But her parents forced her to go with them and now Lexy is stuck in this small town until term begins.

However, Lexy has always had a soft spot for Grammy and she is having a good time being with her again. It also doesn't hurt that she has reconnected with her friend from Devon, Jen, and her crew of friends. Suddenly, the summer doesn't seem so bad after all.

Though she does have to put up with the town player and bad boy, Alec, who is best friends with Jen's boyfriend, Carl.

The connection between Lexy and Alec is undeniable, but Lexy sure does resist for quite some time. She is a relationship kind of girl, not a summer fling or one night stand that Alec is used to having.

But Alec may just be changing his style of dating. Because he really likes Lexy. Sure, she's sexy and he can't get her out of his head, but she's also funny, smart, and gives back the crap that he gives her.

So Lexy might not be the summer fling he first thought of. She might just be his forever.

But when a secret comes out and Lexy finds out, everything might change between the two. Because this secret will change her whole life, and the way she sees Alec.

Can they get past the betrayal, or will it be too much to go back? Read Never Forget by Emma Hart 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 got this book on Amazon for $0.99 and was so glad I got it! I loved it and really enjoyed the differences from one culture to another.

One of my favorite things is the language differences. There aren't many, but sometimes one of the characters would day a term that I didn't know or have only heard it from a tv show and would smile to myself.

I really liked Alec in this story more than Lexy. Lexy was kind of a whinny person to me, to be honest. She kept making excuses for why she shouldn't be with Alec - reasons that might have made sense if she wasn't so attracted to him and thought about him all of the time.

But Alec knew what he wanted and he was insistent upon getting what he wanted, which I like in the main guy. He also knew it would take time and work to get Lexy because of his past, but he was more than willing to work as hard as he needed to.

And I loved, ADORED, Grammy. She made me laugh out loud more times than I could count, she was so hilarious. And Jen and Bing were also pretty comical as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I'm finding out that I am a big fan of Hart's and want to read all of her books that's she written previously, so it will be a goal of mine that I'm determined to accomplish.

I'm also really excited cause I get to read the next two books right away! :)

I would definitely recommend this novel to New Adult lovers out there and it's for a great price! Hart is on my "to watch" list for her future novels!

Stay With Me by Paul Griffin

Cece

Working in a restaurant is hard business, but her family has a great time doing it. Cece works with her mother, who's a server, and her brother, Anthony, who prepares the food. 

Things were going good. They weren't great, but it was what they were used to. 

But then Tony tells everyone that he signed up with the armed forces - army. He'll be leaving in a month. Cece thinks she's psychic and sees her brother dying overseas in the war. She doesn't want him to go. 

But he does go. Before he leaves, he tells his friend Mack to take care of Cece for him while he's gone. Cece just met Mack and doesn't want a stranger looking out for her, even when Mack is the most gorgeous guy she's seen. 

Mack

Growing up, Mack has had it rough. His mother bailed, his father is a drunk, Mack dropped out of high school because it was too hard for him, and Mack is not the kind of guy someone wants to mess with. He has learned to grow up expecting the worst. 

The only thing Mack likes is to train dogs - pit bulls preferably. Mack has the touch, he's a dog whisperer. He'll take any wild dog and will be able to train them to be house pets. 

When he is transferred to another restaurant after the first one closes, all Mack wants to do is make money and go home to work with the dogs. 

But then he meets Cece, the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. 

Even though Mack knows not to get involved with Cece, he does anyway. Things are bound to get screwed up because of Mack's personal life and nothing good ever sticks for him. 

Can Cece and Mack beat the odds and find a way to stay together? Or will circumstances tear them apart to the point where they will never be able to be a couple in the future? Read Stay With Me by Paul Griffin to find out happens with these two characters!

My Thoughts/Reflections

This was an okay book. There were good parts and bad parts to it, for me, and overall it was a decent novel. 

It took a while for me to get used to the writing of the novel. The dialogue and narration was a little different than most, making me have to slow my reading pace in order to really understand what was trying to be said. 

I felt like I, personally, didn't connect with either Mack or Cece at all throughout the novel. Maybe it's because I never experienced what they went through, but then again, I've waitressed before and still couldn't connect with that aspect of the novel. 

This was told through alternating viewpoints of Mack and Cece, giving the reader a chance to look into both of their heads and understand their side of the story. 

Yeah, usually I have more to stay about a book but this one left me feeling, "meh". I can't say that I loved it but I can't say that I hated it either. It was just a story that I read and will probably forget in a week or so. 

I did like the aspect with the dog training. And with pit bulls, none the less. 

There was a lot of information and subjects in this novel to keep track of, but it wasn't rushed or glimpsed over either. 

And now that I've completely confused every one of you who has read my reaction to this novel because of how contradictory I am, I think I'll just end this by suggesting who might enjoy reading this novel. :)

I read a reviewing saying that fans of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles might enjoy it, but I think that anyone who wants to read about a rough life trying to live day by day and falling in love for the first time might enjoy this novel as well. It's a standalone so what you read it what you get, leaving no doubt how this story ends. 

I'm sure others have read and enjoyed this novel more than I did, and if you have I would really like to hear what you thought about it! Feel free to leave a comment if you want!

Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

This is the first book in the Dark Guardian series by Rachel Hawthorne.

Ever since Kayla's biological parents were killed in the forest, Kayla has had nightmares about the forest, darkness, and wolves.

When her psychiatrist suggested that facing her fears and going back to the woods where her parents were killed, Kayla decided that it couldn't hurt. She's an outdoor person so being outside wouldn't bother her. Just the area itself to face what happened to her when she was five.

This is her second summer coming to work for the state park taking tourists into the forest and back. And the feelings she gets when Lucas is around her makes her uncomfortable but electric. And he's also technically her boss who hasn't shown any interest, romantically, toward Kayla.

So she's keeping her distance and sticking close with her friend, Lindsey, that she made last summer.

But when the group of hikers that Kayla works with are assigned to take a big science group out to the deepest parts of the forest for their observations, things get a little tense.

Kayla gets a feeling that someone, or something, is watching them from the shadows of the forest.

And the group of grad students with their science professor are a little odd as well. Especially when they start talking about werewolves being real and that they are in the forest to capture one to experiment on.

And for some reason, they think Lucas is a werewolf.

But he's not. Instead he is a shifter. And he has a secret that he tells Kayla. And now Kayla has to decide if she wants the life she's always had or to be with Lucas and the supernatural factors that come along with it. Read Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne to find out what Kayla decides to do!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I found this through Goodreads recommendations and I'm glad I read the synopsis! I thought it was a good book with a common, but unique, story line.

What Kayla went through as a child was horrible, but she was raised well through an adoptive family who loved her like their own and Kayla didn't want for anything growing up. Well, except to know what really happen to her biological parents.

So she was brave enough to go back to the place they were killed to try and figure out what happened. I don't know how many 17 year olds would be brave enough to do that!

The attraction and connection between Lucas and Kayla was odd. First he didn't talk to her and then, BAM, attraction and they can't get enough of each other. There were no stolen kisses and then awkward moments throughout the book - it all came at once, making the reader want more (or at least that's how I felt).

I felt like I flew through this novel, which might just be because Hawthorne's writing was really fast paced. I did think the tangents Kayla thought about were a bit much, but I can't be too picky.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and think that others who like supernatural stories and stories about werewolves/shifters will enjoy this novel. This is the first is a four novel series, all of which are out and all of which I have with me and will be reading them as fast as possible :)

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Senior year. Should be the best year of high school. Yet Hannah can't even get out of her car in the school parking lot on the first day back from summer break.

Because she has a secret. A secret that will kill all of her friendships and relationships with her closest friends in that building.

It happened during the summer break before senior year started. Her best friend was off in Maine at a camping summer vacation and Hannah was heartbroken over her ex-boyfriend cheating on her.

Yes, Hannah made a new friend. Yes, Hannah got a job to keep her busy over Sebastian's betrayal the last day of junior year.

And yes, what Hannah did was inexcusable toward her best friend.

But Hannah can't changed what happened the night before. And she can't keep the guilt to herself any longer. Because her best friend deserves more than that. Ava deserves the truth, even though Hannah knows they will no longer be friends anymore.

As much as Hannah fought all summer, she couldn't deny her feelings toward another guy. A guy that was strictly forbidden from her to date. Because he was dating someone else. Someone Hannah knew.

Now it comes down to that first day of senior year. When everything blows up and hits the fan. And all Hannah wants is for this day to be over with. But will she make it to the second day? Read Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Hmm. On one hand, I really appreciate what Barnholdt did with this novel. She took a rough subject, one that many go through in their life, and put it in a novel for others to read and try to "understand" the wrong side of this cliche story line.

On the other hand, I really did not like Hannah. Not because of what she did, but because of the way she acted and spoke, and...I dunno. There was just something that I didn't like about her. Maybe it was her use of "like" and "totally" that made me cringe everytime I read it and imagined her saying over and over.

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. I started and finished it in one day, so it's not a long book or hard to read. I wasn't sure of the alternating chapters going from "The First Day of Senior Year" to "Summer", telling Hannah's story back and forth from what happened during the summer to cause this rift to the actual day that everything blew up. It was different. It was interesting. I wonder what it would have been like if it went from the beginning to the end, but I didn't hate this format.

I think I spoiled myself with Barnholdt. I started reading her stuff with Two-Way Street and LOVED that novel. But everything that I've read after that has fallen short... I really want to love all of her novels, but find that they just don't live up to my expectations (except for maybe Aces Up).

I'm still going to read some more of her later works, because I want to be a true fan of Barnholdt, but we'll see if I love any other novels from her.

So this novel was alright. It's about betrayal, summer romance, friendships, and deceit  If any of that sounds interesting to you, I would say pick it up and see if you like it. It does have content that would be better suited for older teens and young adults.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Nick was having a pretty normal night. He was playing with his band - minus a drummer - as an opening act for a band and was really getting into the music.

Then his ex, Tris, walked in the room - whom he still wasn't over yet. He thought she was there to see him, until he saw the model guy next to her and she started to "moon" over him.

Things were looking down then, until he saw a girl in a flannel shirt next to him in the crowd, after his set on stage. To take his mind off of Tris, he asks this random stranger to be his girlfriend for the next 5 minutes.

When Norah was approached by the lead singer of the last band on stage to be his fake girlfriend, her first thought was "NO!". Then she saw her frienemy, Tris, coming her way and didn't want to deal with her, so her response to Nick was to kiss him.

Unfortunately, that didn't make Tris go away - but had the opposite effect.

But Norah did not realize what an amazing kisser this boy was going to be. She didn't want to stop after their first, but was rudely interrupted.

After that, Norah needed to take her friend, Caroline, home since she was wasted. Nick's friends were ecstatic that Norah was keeping Nick's mind off of Tris that they took Caroline if Norah would take Nick and keep him company - get his mind even further away from Tris.

So after that, they decided to go somewhere else. And somewhere else. And both Nick and Norah cannot deny the chemisty they feel for the other. Which is insane since they met at 7 p.m.

But since they are strangers, the question is: will it be a one night deal, or will they keep connecting and getting together afterward? Because anything could happen for just one night. Read Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I can't believe that this book - the WHOLE book - is about one night. From about 7 pm to 5 am the next morning. That is how long Nick and Norah know each other - even though it seems like they have been associated for a lot longer.

This is told through both Nick and Norah's viewpoint, alternating chapters throughout the chapter. And I really liked that because it gave the reader a chance to see what both characters were thinking - sometimes about the same topic as the other, depending on what the chapters ended/began.

Norah is so responsible and mature, as is Nick. It was very entertaining to read Norah's reaction to Nick's sexuality when she was questioning if he was straight or not. She figured out the answer to that very quickly :)

The way the book was written, there were a lot of paragraphs with the narrator's thoughts instead of action or dialogue. Usually that is a huge no in my book because I tend to skip over long paragraphs and look for more one on one scenes, but I made myself re-read when I did that to fully appreciate the novel.

Overall, I found this really entertaining and realistic to the band/music crowd. There was some language and content that I think is appropriate for older readers, but the connection between Nick and Norah will really get to readers, I think.

I can't believe it took me this long to read this book, even though tons of my friends have read it. I will be reading their other novel, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, soon and will feel up to date with all of my book lover friends :)

Go read this novel if you want a night to remember! Only 160 pages and it will keep you up until the last page!

Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing

Kate, Sierra and Alexis are best friends, and always hangout with each other during the summer after Alexis convinced everyone's family to summer in Wisconsin at the lake.

And Kate is extremely excited for this summer because she almost, finally has her first boyfriend, Lucas, who also goes to the lake during the summer.

Last summer they had their first kiss on the last night of their stay. Now, Kate can't wait to get back there to see what will happen between her and Lucas since they have the whole summer together.

Also, Kate and her two friends get to road trip to WI for the first time, giving them a great experience and will have loads of memories to relive when they get older. It's a girls trip!

Except that Adam, Alexis's cousin, is now coming with so he can get an interview in Michigan... And the bad part is that Kate and Adam can't stand each other!

So now all 4 of them are stuck in a car, where none of them are happy for different reasons. And the longer they are stuck in the car, the more Kate and Adam get on each other's nerves.

But after awhile, Kate decides that she's going to try to enjoy the time with her friends before she hooks up with Lucas after all of this time.

When they get to WI, Kate is excited to see Lucas and they automatically act like they have been dating. The problem is, Lucas has been going waterskiing everyday - and Kate hates being on the boat and will never waterski after her last experience.

Being with Lucas is not all what she thought it would be, being a romantic at heart that she is. And she seems to be thinking about another boy while hanging out with Lucas...which is not what she expected at all!

Will Kate get her romantic relationship, or will Lucas be obsessed about sports and image rather than being with Kate? Read Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a cute, short, fast read. It is definitely all about romance and first loves, with a little adventure of road tripping and unexpected twists and turns (though not really unexpected for the reader who can see the signs).

It was a cute novel, not something that I absolutely loved. In fact, Kate kind of annoyed me for the majority of the novel, but I did love her banter with Adam. It just felt strung out and she was too concerned about the past than to look at her present and future.

I also loved her two best freinds Sierra and Alexis. Alexis was a tough cookie and took prisoners when she had to and I would have loved to read about Sierra's story living with her split parents who were trying to work things out.

Overall, it was an alright novel. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a light read about first loves and summer romance. It took me just a few hours to start and finish it - only about 200 pages long. It's definitely for teens as they are all 16 and worry about things like what to wear to go to a bonfire and such.

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.

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!

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!

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Being known as the "Quiet Girl" or the girl who reads has been Ruby McQueen's life. It didn't happen normally - there were certain...embarrassing events that happened to make Ruby quiet and observant, rather than the popular, loud girl.

But at the beginning of summer, something changed. Ruby met Travis Becker, bad-boy, motorcycling, adrenaline junkie.

And Travis wanted to hangout with Ruby because she acted like a different person around Travis. She was adventurous, smart alecky, and rebellious. Travis was infatuated with her and put her in situations that Ruby was not used to.

However, when Travis puts Ruby in a situation where she is betraying a friend, Ruby stops to consider what she is doing.

She tells her mom what's been going on, and her mother takes her to the book club at the library she works at.

With the random group of old ladies and men reading a romantic suspense/love story, Ruby tries to find her way back to the real Ruby, not the Ruby that Travis brings out.

Add some adventure, stealing, get away car action and this novel will take you on the ride with Ruby that seems so extreme, you'll wonder if you made up the story by the time you've finished!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an interesting novel. It wasn't what I was expecting. Quiet girl, librarian mother, bad-boy love interest.

But the bad-boy is really bad, not the "bad on the outside, but good on the inside" like other novels I've read.

Ruby is trying to find her place in life, and she thought a little adventure during the summer was what she needed. That was before she met Travis though.

One thing that I'm not good at as a reader is reading narrative. I love dialogue, and seeing huge paragraphs with no talking makes my eyes glaze over.

Which is what happened in this book. Ruby reflected a lot. And she went on tangents about random things before getting back to the topic at hand.

Needless to say, it took me awhile to get through this book that I thought I would fly through.

I'm not saying it was bad. Or that I didn't like the author. I actually loved Deb Caletti's novel, The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. I just had a hard time sticking with this book during long periods of time.

This would be a great book for teen girls who are lost in life or who have a crush on a boy they should not be liking. It also has some adventure, risk-taking events that will make the reader laugh and enjoy.

This isn't my first recommendation for other readers, but it is a nice story that will keep some readers entertained for a summer reading.

Fireworks by Niki Burnham, Erin Haft, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle

In this novel are 4 short stories by well-known authors about flying sparks during summer vacations. 


Miss Independent by Lauren Myracle: It's Megan's 18th birthday on July 4th. Instead of her usual ritual to go to the park with her family and watch the fireworks, Megan's cousin Porter Ann has hijacked her night, taking her to the new hip club in town. And also on Porter Ann's agenda? Getting Megan to get out of her shell and tell Pete that she likes him. Will Megan finally follow her feelings instead of her brain?

A Nice Fling is Hard to Find by Sarah Mlynowski: Lindsey is going to France for 11 days with her best friend Becca and Becca's twin brother, Tommy. They are in a group of about 15 and have a tour guide to take them to the best places in France. During this trip, Lindsey wants to have a fling with a foreign guy. She's never done anything daring so this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. But then Lindsey finds out that Tommy likes her! Will this change things for Lindsey's fling?

Cabin Fever by Erin Haft: Molly can't wait to go to camp. She has to get away from her young sister, and drama queen, Dakota and camp is her salvation. Unfortunately, Dakota has decided to come with, ruining Molly's summer by snatching her best friend Jess, catching the eye of her 6 year summer crush, River, and overall, taking over Molly's favorite place.

Night Swimming by Niki Burnham: The one time of year that Wynn hates is the summer time. She has very pale skin and doesn’t like to go outside in the sun and heat – she’d rather be indoors. Unfortunately, her friends all want to be outside and want Wynn to be there as well. This summer, though, she’s thought of a great plan: go to summer school in Delaware. It has “prepare for college” classes and it keeps Wynn out of the sun. What Wynn didn’t realize was that it was on the beach! Maybe her viewpoint will change with a cute guy named Caleb though?

My Thoughts/Reflections

These were cute stories about summer romances. I didn’t really enjoy the first two stories as I couldn’t get used to the main girl character. They seemed too whinny for my taste.

The last two stories were really good, though, by Erin Haft and Niki Burnham.

I liked Cabin Fever because it was outdoorsy and Molly was a great character. She was very mature and grown-up, even though she had a spoiled, overly dramatic little sister who liked to ruin her life.

And I liked Night Swimming by Niki Burnham. She was the one author of these 4 that I had read before this anthology. Wynn is a character that I could relate as I don't really go outside too much and prefer indoors. 

Fireworks was a fast pace book and I would recommend it to any teen girls who was a short and sweet summer romance story. 

Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Nicole: Pinning for a boy is one thing. Pinning for her best friend's boyfriend? Bad idea. But even worse: acting out those feelings and betraying a friendship... What has Nicole done?

Maria: Maria's not sure who her true friends are. So to figure out who's really a true friend to Maria, she tests them. Only her true friends would pass... Right?

Kelly: Kelly has a secret admirer via letters. He's been in prison, but Kelly knows he is innocent of his crime. After 5 years of writing letters, Kelly meets him. But will her fantasy live up to her expectations?

Derik: Derik can get any girl he wants, except the girl he can't seem to talk to. Will he find the courage to finally meet the girl of his infatuation?

Sadie: Home is rough for Sadie. Her mom keeps saying she's overweight, whereas her sisters are perfectly shape. Because of this, Sadie is not allowed to eat snacks and has to weigh herself every week. Will Sadie give in to temptation when left alone in the house?

Robbie: Robbie just got out of prison for murdering his last girlfriend. He's been anxiously waiting to meet Kelly, but things don't go the way he foresaw. All he wants is true love, and will do anything to get it...

Mearl: After moving around to various town, Mearl was told to come to Salem because that is where her biological family used to live. Only, she doesn't know the family name. Will she ever figure out who she really is?

Ginger: Even though Ginger is skinny, a ballet dancer, and has friends, she's still picked on by the older girls in school. In order to get even, Ginger digs up dirt about the most popular girl to ruin her reputation. But will Ginger go too far?

Joy: Joy hates boys. She's always being picked on or used, so now she's going to get revenge. But when her plans falls through, Joy will be shocked at the outcome of saying something through anger.

Sean: Confused about his feelings between two girls, Sean struggles to figure out who is the right one for him. The longer he hangs out with one, the more right it feels. Will Sean pick the right girl?

10 people whose lives are about to change. All in one summer day.

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an interesting book. It wasn't what I thought it was at first, so it definitely surprised me. There are 10 main characters, not all of them relating to each other, who all have some major event happening during one day.

The reader goes from one character to another, reading each of their stories, which miraculously intertwine with the other characters.

There wasn't a main plot that had to be fixed during this novel. It was just one day that changed the rest of their lives, finding new love, losing a fantasy, making new friends, destroying other friendships.

I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to everyone. I would say older teens could read this, with the content.

It's an easy read, great writing, and a good overall moral to the story. Readers will have their favorite character that they follow and will be wanting more by the end of the book.

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.

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

*Note: This is the last book in the Summer Series by Jenny Han. I've reviewed both the first and second books here: The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You.

 **Second Note: I've been able to keep these reviews non spoilery, but since this is the last book in the series, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! So, read further at your own risk.

Belly is in college now, and she's been dating Jeremiah for 2 years. They are going to school together and everything is working out well for them. That is, until Belly finds out about a secret that Jeremiah kept from her, ruining all chances of a happy ever ending.

When Belly and Jeremiah decide to work things out, Jeremiah pulls out a ring and PROPOSES to Belly!! Where she then said yes!!! (As I'm having a major heartattack right about now!)

Belly and Jeremiah decide to get married in August, before her second year of college and at the end of the summer. When both tell their families the good news, they were met with disapprovement and anger. Belly's mom thought they were too young and Jeremiah's dad didn't understand why they had to get married right away.

Oh, and Conrad. He was surprised by this news and very upset because he still loves Belly - always had.

The day before Belly and Jeremiah's wedding, Conrad tells Belly that he loves her and doesn't want her to marry Jeremiah - that he wants to be with her instead. Will Belly go through with the wedding? Will she pick Conrad over Jeremiah?

My Thoughts/Reflections
Oh, oh, oh!! This book!! I really had a heartattack when Belly said yes to Jeremiah! I've made it quite known which team I'm on (Conrad's) so when she said yes, my brain was screaming, "No! No! NO!"

I was not a happy camper.

However, after that drama was initiated, I was hoping and praying things would turn out for the best for Belly. She deserved to be happy and with Conrad's track record, he did not have a good streak, so I was happy if she was happy.

I was also excited because, like the second book of the series, one of the brothers narrated a few chapters and it WAS Conrad, so I got to see what he was thinking and feeling - something very hard to do because Conrad is very hard to read.

I'm very, very glad that I waited for this series to be concluded because I would have been a mess waiting to see what happens every new summer. I absolutely adored this series and I might have to make them a part of my personal collection.

They are fast reads and keep you on the edge of your seat - I would say it's a must read for any teen girl confused by life and love. I think that pretty much covers all teenage girls :-) Now, go get all 3 to see what happens between the trio!!

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

This is the second book in the Summer Series by Jenny Han. I've reviewed the first book in the series at this link: The Summer I Turned Pretty. There may be some spoilers in this review from the first novel of this series.

It's a year since Belly has "turned pretty" and gained the attention of both Jeremiah and Conrad. However, things have dramatically changed. 

For instance, no one is going to the beach house at Cousins Beach. Susannah, Jeremiah and Conrad's mother, passed away from cancer. There is a piece missing in everyone's heart and it wouldn't be the same to go back to the beach house without it's main link: Susannah. 

This is Belly's first summer without going to the beach house and she feels lost. She doesn't know what to do with herself and is just wishing for the summer to be over - a first for her because she usually wants summer to never end. 

When Belly gets a call from Jeremiah that Conrad is missing and asks for her help to find him, she's unsure what will happen or whether she should see either brother after what happened with their mother. She goes, though, and reconnects with both Jeremiah and Conrad, but in a way that was not how Belly foresaw. 

My Thoughts/Reflections

Again, a great book to the first in the series. I'm still team Conrad, I will admit, even if I don't like some of the things he does in this book. 

I was so sad to find out about Susannah. I really wanted her to be able to go to the beach house again and enjoy summer, so I was devasted to find out that she didn't make it. Reading the emotions through Belly and Jeremiah were heartwrenching, but seeing them overcome their heartbreak to help Conrad was true dedication. 

This book was told mainly through Belly's viewpoint, but some rare chapters were told through Jeremiah's thoughts, which I enjoyed and appreciated Jenny Han doing. It's nice to get into one of the brother's thoughts and see what they are thinking. Maybe it will be Conrad's turn in the next and final book!

One thing I do want to mention though is Belly. It might seem like she complains and whines a lot (at least according to the boys) but I really like her as a narrative. She says it like it is and she seems a lot more mature than 16 years old. I can't wait to see what happens in the final book!

My thoughts about recommendation are the same: go read it! I love these books and the hardships the "kids" have to go through with Susannah and heartbreak from boys is very relatable, so I think there are many readers who would understand the rollercoaster Belly is going through. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Summer is Belly's favorite time of the year. It's the time where she gets to go to Cousins Beach, to the beach house with her mom, older brother, and her mom's best friend Susannah and her two sons: Conrad and Jeremiah.

Summer is the time that Belly can hangout with her other family, and fall even more in love with Conrad, who she's loved since she was 10 years old. 

This summer is different. Belly got rid of her glasses and is actually growing up. Both Conrad and Jeremiah are starting to notice, but Belly only has eyes for Conrad. 

However, Conrad is acting strange, distant. He's drinking and smoking, acting sullen and moody. Belly doesn't know why, but when she gets attention from another summer boy, Cam, she decides to make Conrad jealous. 

Another thing Belly loves about summer is hanging out with her "second mother", Susannah. It's the time where Belly can be girly around Susannah and talk girl shop. 

When Belly finds out some awful and sad news toward the end of summer, though, Belly realizes that everything is going to change before next summer can come. It might not be the same as Belly remembers and she's not sure if she wants to deal with that change. 

My Thoughts/Reflections

I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, but I decided to wait until all 3 books in the series (The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer) were out and available. And boy am I sure glad I did!

I'm just going to say it. I love Conrad. Ever since Belly described both Jeremiah (golden, jester, happy, go lucky) and Conrad (dark, unattainable, unavailable, wears a smirk, quiet), I knew Conrad was going to be the main guy. The mood swings that boy puts Belly through is enough to intrigue any reader. 

Belly has two lives, but her real life starts in the summer. Summer defines Belly and she is always looking forward to the trip to Cousins Beach. 

Their is even a little bit of mystery in this novel. Belly is being left out of a secret. She doesn't realize it at first, but it becomes clear that everyone knows something that they aren't telling Belly, and once she finds out, she almost wishes that she was left in the dark. 

I loved this book. It's a light summer read full of romance and growing up, taking chances and risks, and learning that not everything turns out well for the people she loves. I can't wait to read the next installment to see what next summer brings for Belly!

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Leah Johnson has a pretty good life. She is blond, smart, and has her whole future mapped out for her by her two older sisters, Yorke and Freddie. Both sisters were homecoming and prom queen, valedictorian, and dated the captain of the football team - all that are in line for Leah to join in her upcoming senior year.

The summer before her senior year, though, Leah is still working at the swimming pool as a life guard - something her mother hates - and just found out that her oldest sister, Yorke, is getting married at the beginning of August and her other sister, Freddie, is going to France for oversea studies.

Another thing that has happened during the summer is Leah meeting Porter - a mysterious, handsome stranger who works at the country club and seems to find Leah at random times.

Leah feels this undeniable attraction with Porter, something she's never felt with her boyfriend (captain of the football team) Shane, before. As Leah is trying to figure out what the attraction means, she's becoming more and more distant with Shane, finding his habits annoying and overbearing.

Leah's mother sees the disconnection Leah has with the family traditions and starts keeping Leah on a tighter leash - trying to make Leah another version of herself and of Leah's two sisters.

However, Leah is starting to understand that she doesn't have to be exactly like the women in her family to have a good and happy life for her own wants and needs.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I have to admit, I picked this book up because of the cover. I got very interested after reading the back excerpt and thought this would be another steamy romance like Perfect Chemistry or Hush, Hush.

However, I found myself not particularly connecting with this book. Don't get me wrong, the story and meaning behind Leah finding her own self rather than following the footsteps of her mother and sisters is a great storyline, but there were times when I thought Leah was complaining too much and not doing something about her life.

She eventually did go off on her own path, but it took a little longer than I thought it should have.

I'm glad that Leah was able to get her own identity, though, in the end. No one should feel the need to have to follow their siblings footsteps. I'm an older sister of just my sister and I, so I don't know what it's like to have that pressure, but I know that my younger sister and I are definitely different from one another, making us have different goals and achievements.

I would recommend this novel for any teen girls who feel the need to follow their older sibling's footsteps. They would be able to relate to Leah's story and maybe figure out their own hobbies or likes to change their future from their sister's decisions.

Breathing

Breathing by Cheryl Renée Herbsman. New York: Speak, 2009. 262 pages.

      1. A succinct evaluative annotation. Plot: [Conflict] Savannah was going to enjoy a nice, boring, relaxing summer vacation, reading books and working at the library; however, she met Jackson, a boy she could not stop thinking about and found out that he felt the same. [Rising Action] Savannah was excited that she was going to spend the whole summer with Jackson when unexpectedly he had to go back home to take care of his brothers and his mothers. When Jackson left, Savannah, who has asthma, started to get asthma attacks more often, thinking it was because Jackson wasn’t there to help her breathe. [Climax] In the end, Jackson came back, decided to go to the community college there and work on painting houses. [Falling Action] Savannah realized that she can breathe on her own and went to a college for high school students for a semester, leaving Jackson at home. [Resolution] She understood that what Jackson and her had was unique and special and will last for a very long time, no matter how far away they are from one another. Theme: The themes in this novel include romance, summer, dreams, love and independency. Tone: This was a very relaxed tone, set in summer on a beach. Savannah and Jackson enjoyed just hanging out and doing nothing when they were together. Style: This was written in first person with Savannah narrating the story, telling the reader all of her thoughts and emotions on the events that occurred. Characterizations: Honestly, I found Savannah spoiled, annoying, and selfish through ¾ of this novel. She always wanted Jackson by her side and to be with her all of the time, not realizing that he needed to be there for his family. Toward the end she realized that she can be independent, so she got better personality wise. Jackson was very dedicated to his family and to Savannah, always being very helpful, determined, and honest with everyone. Readability: This was a very easy book to read and many readers will fly through this novel.

2. My reactions to the book. I wanted to like this book, but in the end, I was annoyed with Savannah more than I care to admit. If she wasn’t so clingy and whinny, it would have been a great novel, but I found that all that really happened was Savannah not getting what she wanted and complain about it. That was the weakness of the novel. A strength was how Savannah conquered those obstacles that kept her from Jackson and in the end got what she wanted overall. I think the information about Savannah’s asthma might be accurate overall, but nothing from this book was based on a true event.

3. Comment on the cover art. The cover art of this novel will definitely attract a female audience. I think the cover portrays the story really well, although the characters never do go sit in a tree. However, the beach is certainly part of the story and I think that a viewer who sees this cover will think it’s a nice romance story in the summertime. As stated before, many young teen girls will be picking this up based on the cover, but if someone gives it to a teenage boy, I think there might be some trouble persuading him to read it. 

Forever...

Forever by Judy Blume. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003. 192 pages.

      1. A succinct evaluative annotation. Plot: [Conflict] Katherine met a boy, Michael, and knew right away that he was the one for forever. They didn’t go to the same school and Katherine was still a virgin, but none of those problems mattered between the two of them. [Rising Action] After Katherine and Michael started dating while, Michael stated that he loved her and also wanted to have sex – but the two weren’t reasons for one another. [Climax] Katherine finally did lose her virginity and she thought that she was going to be with Michael for the rest of her life. They had a summer apart, right before they were going to different colleges, but they both said that nothing would change and that they will always be together – forever. [Falling Action] Katherine became attracted to another boy at the camp she was at for the summer, making Katherine realize that Michael may not, in fact, be the one for forever. [Resolution] In the end, Katherine and Michael broke up because she realized that she was too young to make a decision that big – to be with Michael for the rest of her life when she just turned 18, but she would always remember the love she had toward Michael and would never forget it. Theme: The themes in this novel included romance, friendship, sex, love, and growing apart. Tone: The tone was definitely serious in this novel because the main theme was rotated around sex and Katherine wanted to make sure she was making the right decision in the end. Style: There was nothing unusual or remarkable about the author’s writing style. The reader read what a normal high school teenage girl goes through when she is thinking about having sex for the first time, and the decision making Katherine went through before having sex. Characterizations: Katherine is a very shy, reserved girl. She didn’t give into pressure, but rather went through the right actions before having sex with Michael to prevent diseases or pregnancy, showing that she was a responsible, mature teenager. Readability: This was a quick, easy novel to read. It’s short and takes very little time to get through the storyline.

2. My reactions to the book. I think this was a good book. It was very short but a great story and it shows Katherine’s reaction to sex and love and moving on. It’s a romance novel, but it’s realistic – I think many teenage girls today will definitely be able to relate to this story and maybe even learn something that they hadn’t realized before reading it. The downside is that not many boys are going to read this novel, so it’s a one audience viewer, but the content is very accurate and helpful to any reader wanting to find out more about sex but just wants to read a novel about the subject and not a textbook.

3. Comment on the cover art. The cover art for this novel will definitely only attract female viewers to read it. However, with this version of the novel, I really think that high school females will pick it up because of the cover. It definitely looks like a romance novel and the viewer will want to know more about the content inside of the novel, intriguing them what forever… means and because it’s a small novel it might be a popular read to just pick off of the shelf.