Tag: young adult contemporary romance

ARC Book Review: All Alone With You by Amelia Diane Coombs

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Amelia Diane Coombs
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

HBO Max’s Hacks gets a romantic twist in the vein of Jenn Bennett in this swoon-worthy novel about a standoffish teen girl whose loner status gets challenged by a dynamic elderly woman and a perpetually cheerful boy.

Eloise Deane is the worst and doesn’t care who knows it. She’s grumpy, prefers to be alone, and is just slogging through senior year with one goal: get accepted to USC and move to California. So when her guidance counselor drops the bombshell that to score a scholarship she’ll desperately need, her applications require volunteer hours, Eloise is up for the challenge. Until she’s paired with LifeCare, a volunteer agency that offers social support to lonely seniors through phone calls and visits. Basically, it’s a total nightmare for Eloise’s anxiety.

Eloise realizes she’s made a huge mistake—especially when she’s paired with Austin, the fellow volunteer who’s the sunshine to her cloudy day. But as Eloise and Austin work together to keep Marianne Landis—the mysterious former frontwoman of the 1970s band the Laundromats—company, something strange happens. She actually…likes Marianne and Austin? Eloise isn’t sure what to do with that, especially when her feelings toward Austin begin to blur into more-than-friends territory.

And when ex-girlfriends, long-buried wounds, and insecurities reappear, Eloise will have a choice to make: go all in with Marianne and Austin or get out before she gets hurt.

Thank you to Book Club Favorites and Simon and Schuster for the gifted copy.

REACHED MY SOUL.

I know that depression and anxiety have many, many different representations. And I gotta say, I loved the way this book portrayed them. As someone with both, I thought it was a great representation. Realistic, frustrating, and just doing your best.

The dynamics between Austin and Eloise were PERFECT. Reverse grumpy x sunshine at its finest. I loved the way they balanced each other out and the way they went from strangers to friends to having a relationship was so sweet. Filled with some teenage drama and a little bit of angst, I thought it was great for the YA category (and there’s only kisses!).

I adored the plot and the growth I saw throughout the book from Eloise. I really felt so much of what she was going through and the doubt that anxiety creates. I loved Marianne and learning her story and just how this entire cast functioned together.

It was a great read. I have no major complaints and this is my new favorite book by this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • Young Adult Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong (I will say it’s a bit strong for a YA book)
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: depression and social anxiety depictions, loss of a father (side character, mentioned), stroke

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Book Review: Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 338 pages
Author: Kat Cho
Publisher: Disney
Release Date: May 17th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What would you do if the world’s biggest K-pop star asked you to prom? Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon, this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school.

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing – she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that’s always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants – even if she can’t stop thinking about Robbie’s smile…right?

WELL.

I didn’t love this y’all. An auspicious start with the whole, I don’t like Prom, kind of vibe and then when the love interest showed up and was a bit of a punk. I was seeking out better grass on the other side.

And things did get marginally better. There were some sweet moments between Elena and Robbie. I loved the K-Pop aspects and a bunch of the background that occurs within those circles.

I think most my issues stem from the general plot. There’s a LOT going on for a 300 page book and not enough time to truly dive into many of those. There was a good discussion about the community center. Talks about reconnecting with friends. Dealing with difficult parent situations. And a looooot of room for growing up. Each of these were approached yet I don’t think I ever felt satisfied.

This is the second book I’ve tried a book by this author and it was once again only okay.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a father in a car accident

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Book Review: Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West

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Rating: ★★☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: May 31st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A sweet and swoony contemporary Young Adult novel about a cross-country family road trip that puts one girl and her childhood best friend on an unexpected road to romance!

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they’d talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems…like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.

An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?

MMM.

I go up and down with Kasie West books (big winners for me are P.S. I Like You and Sunkissed). This unfortunately fell deep in to the miss category.

The whole premise of the book is based off of a silly miscommunication between two friends who moved away from each other. That’s it. That’s the story. OH WAIT, alongside that is a sub plot about a parent choosing to hide information from her children (that, I understood to some degree, but didn’t love the way this went about). Both of these were red flags in my final opinions.

I did like the road trip antics. Those are fun, traveling in massive RV’s, eating by campfire, meet new friends. All good stuff. And there were some cute romance scenes too! Once both Norah and Skyler stopped acting ridiculous it was great. I thought they handled their relationship so much better after, ya know, COMMUNICATING.

We’ll see what the next West story holds.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a parent with cancer

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Book Review: A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Tashie Bhuiyan
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: May 10th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Mina Rahman has a plan for her future:
• Finally win the Golden Ivy student film competition
• Get into her dream school across the country
• Leave New York City behind once and for all

Mina’s ticket to winning the competition falls into her lap when indie film star—and known heartbreaker—Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role. When Mina sets out to persuade Emmitt to join her cause, he offers her a deal instead: he’ll be in her short film…if she acts as a tour guide to help him with a photography contest.

As Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt by her side, the city she grew up in starts to look different and more like home than it ever has before. With the competition deadline looming, Mina’s dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?

EXHAUSTING.

I adored this author’s first book and have been very excited to read book two. Unfortunately, this book left me feeling nothing but exhausted.

I was exhausted with the hateful parents (that we didn’t even get an ending or some kind of wrap up with??). A lot of this book was spent fighting. Over everything. And I thought the focus could have been a bit broader so character growth on all sides could be found.

Aaaand the romance. D*ickhead is not a term of endearment. I will not be accepting other opinions at this time. Full stop. I’ve overlooked smarta** in some books that have used it sparingly as endearing, buuut I can not even with d*ckhead. What started off as a name used when Mina and Emmitt get off on the wrong foot somehow turned into a “charming” word and I cringed every time I heard it. AND SHE WAS SO MEAN. That’s not how enemies/rivals/whatever to lovers is supposed to go.

It’s fast paced and they’re some good conversations about culture, expectations and passions. The small pieces in there kept this rating at a three star. I needed so much more from this than I was given and I too tired to continue.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: emotional parental abuse, depression, grief/loss depiction, death of a father mentioned

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