ARC Book Review: The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1) by Sarah Morgenthaler

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Sarah Morgenthaler
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: May 5th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he’s stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless string of resort visitors who couldn’t interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way…

Two weeks in Alaska isn’t just the top item on Zoey Caldwell’s bucket list. It’s the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she’s smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham’s world, she may just find there’s more to the man than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own!

ALL GOOD THINGS.

This was a gem. I had such a good time reading this that I went through it even fast than I expected. When I saw the setting for Alaska my mind immediately goes to The Simple Wild. That’s a lot to live up to in my bookish brain. No, this isn’t TSW, but it IS another great book set in the Alaskan wilderness I would easily recommend this to others.

With a time period of about two weeks you would think I’d be shouting about insta-love. NOPE. Morgenthaler wrote this romance beautifully. It felt honest, cute, and like they were actually into each other. Graham is the trope-ish grump who meets his sunshine in Zoey. I found myself laughing at their antics and the different situations that kept them colliding. Yet swooning when it was clear that Graham was into Zoey. Resistance was completely futile. Not to mention that utterly wonderful rom-com ending was what dreams are made of.

The only issue I had was wanting more depth from Graham. I felt very surface level with him (and most of the other characters). He spent most of the time in one state. A goofy grump who never divulged too much information. If I had gotten just a bit more from him it would have sent this off the charts.

I liked the rotating point-of-view. I love those in romances. It gives insight to both mindsets and decision making. The setting [of course] played a big part in how this book played out. I loooove the wilderness setting and all it entails. Getting a feel of both sides of tourism vs. those who live there.

Cute, low on the steam (huge plus in for me!), and an easy read that will make you smile. And can’t we all use that sometimes? I can’t wait to read Morgenthaler’s next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: a little throughout
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a love scene with little detail that fades out quickly
  • Violence: drunk driving (not by either MC, a side character in a small scene)

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ARC Book Review: Dark Skies (Dark Shores #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: May 5th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.

A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.

A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.

Thank you to the author, Danielle L. Jensen, for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

LEFT ME GASPING.

No, but really. The last 200 pages of this book are an insane ride that took me on more spins and action than I thought was going to happen. Dark Skies went in a vastly different direction from what I had planned and while my heart is hurting, IT WAS SO DANG GOOD.

With how this series is set-up; where you can read EITHER Dark Shores or Dark Skies as the first book causes some small overlap in the beginning. This overlap caused things to drag a touch in the beginning, but as soon as the new stuff hit, I couldn’t put the book down.

I love Killian and Lydia. Stellar characters. Lydia felt like an actual human trying to figure things out and I would also love to be her best friend. She’s kind, firm, and willing to try and learn new things. Killian was brave, funny, secretly sweet and intensely loyal. Put them together and they had amazing chemistry. Though I should warn you, there’s less romance here than Dark Shores. Not a problem to the story at all, just mentioning it. There’s so much going on here that you’re begging for them to kiss, but also trying to make sure nobody is about to be stabbed in the back [which frankly, happened too many times to be comfortable].

The world-building and politics of the varying nations are fantastic. I love the way things are set-up and how the interactions between the gods and mortals. The magic system is inventive and I can’t wait to see what role the Marked will further play. I am anxiously waiting for these two worlds to collide and see what survives the destruction. It was a fun tidbit to know that Killian also had some connections with Teriana. Seriously going to love when all four are together!

This story is a new favorite. I have been smitten with Jensen’s writing over the last year (helloooo obsession with The Bridge Kingdom). I found Dark Skies to be no different. The writing is lyrical and engaging. You get comfortable in one setting, then the script is flipped and you can’t look away from what’s happening. The last 50 pages of this broke my heart. You’ll be like me, desperately wishing you had book three.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: a few kisses
  • Violence: magic, physical, sickness, poison, swords, arrows, creature attacks

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Book Review: The Best Laid Plans by Cameron Lund

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Cameron Lund
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: April 7th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It seemed like a good plan at first.

When the only other virgin in her group of friends loses it at Keely’s own eighteenth birthday party, she’s inspired to take things into her own hands. She wants to have that experience too (well, not exactly like that–but with someone she trusts and actually likes), so she’s going to need to find the guy, and fast. Problem is, she’s known all the boys in her small high school forever, and it’s kinda hard to be into a guy when you watched him eat crayons in kindergarten.

So she can’t believe her luck when she meets a ridiculously hot new guy named Dean. Not only does he look like he’s fallen out of a classic movie poster, but he drives a motorcycle, flirts with ease, and might actually be into her.

But Dean’s already in college, and Keely is convinced he’ll drop her if he finds out how inexperienced she is. That’s when she talks herself into a new plan: her lifelong best friend, Andrew, would never hurt or betray her, and he’s clearly been with enough girls that he can show her the ropes before she goes all the way with Dean. Of course, the plan only works if Andrew and Keely stay friends–just friends–so things are about to get complicated.

Cameron Lund’s delightful debut is a hilarious and heartfelt story of first loves, first friends, and first times–and how making them your own is all that really matters.

ADORBS.

This was a cute and heartfelt debut. I devoured it in practically one sitting and was all for this friends to lovers trope. And while that’s usually not my favorite trope, this one hit all the marks for a great book. I’m so happy I picked it up!

I absolutely couldn’t get over how adorable Keely and Andrew were. Utterly enchanted by the banter and flirtations between them. And they clearly had some chemistry. I felt like I already knew both of them and the intensity at which the protected and cared for one another made me care for them too.

Hannah and Keely had such a fantastic friendship. It’s something I love seeing in YA contemporaries. One where they actually want the best for each other and ever after a squabble know that their friendship is more important than a argument. The other side characters? Ugh, the worst. They felt overly high school. I get it, that’s the way it is sometimes, depending on what circle you run in, during school. But seriously, it was too much at times and they were incredibly awful to one another. The drama was turned up too high for me.

The ending was just like a cheesy rom-com and I was so invested in it. I thought it was precious and I’m so happy that Andrew and Keely got it all out there. Watching teens learning to have real and forward-moving conversations is always a wonderful bonus. What a beautiful debut and I can’t wait for more from this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses / make-outs; a lot of general discussion about sex and partners, a few almost scenes (moderately descriptive) and one scene that’s very little descriptive
  • Trigger warnings: slut-shaming, bullying

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Book Review: Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: November 5th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It’s easier–
It’s safer–
It’s better–
–for the other person.
She’s got issues. She’s got secrets. She’s got rheumatoid arthritis.
But then she meets another sick kid.
He’s got a chronic illness Isabel’s never heard of, something she can’t even pronounce. He understands what it means to be sick. He understands her more than her healthy friends. He understands her more than her own father who’s a doctor.
He’s gorgeous, fun, and foul-mouthed. And totally into her.
Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It’s complicated–
It’s dangerous–
It’s never felt better–
–to consider breaking that rule for him.

I FEEL SEEN.

As someone with a chronic condition reading this hit me with a punch. I have been trying to get a copy of this because I just knew it was going to be something I enjoyed.

“I think it was like…” She paints a stripe of nail polish. “We didn’t want you to feel like you were less capable.”

“And I appreciate that, but I don’t actually need to feel more capable. I need to feel like it’s okay to not be more capable.”

I, of course connected on all fronts with a lot of the sentiments discussed in this book. My issues may not be as severe as others, but being able to read about characters that speak the things you think sometimes really means a lot. I was able to empathize and understand where Isabel and Sasha were coming from. How much it sucks, and how much you can still be proud of who you are and the choices you make for YOU.

The romance was wonderful. I liked how they may have gotten together quickly-ish, but it never felt insta-love. Just a cute high school relationship that built over the months this book spans. It wasn’t about them at last getting together, it was about a full relationship that had its ups and downs. While most of the time I didn’t have any issues, Isabel annoyed me beyond reason with how she handled their relationship at times. Her mommy issues were a nagging consistent that occasionally took over too much of the narrative.

Isabel may have annoyed me, but I was impressed and totally in love with the fact that she apologized and actually understood where she had messed up. The apology scene was SO CUTE and I can get behind a character who owns up. The flawed perfection of Sasha and Isabel made this story.

I love Isabel’s friend group and the way they helped and learned from each other. This was a multi-faceted story that approached “hidden” illnesses from different ways. From a parent, doctors, friends, significant others, etc. This really got me in my soul y’all. A solid read that I definitely recommend picking up.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult contemporary romance
  • Language: for me, there was way too much strong language
  • Romance: some kisses, make-outs, a very glossed over FTB scene
  • Trigger warning: chronic illnesses

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