Tag: young adult romance

ARC Book Review: Trust Fall by Lynn Painter

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Upper YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Lynn Painter
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: September 29th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted ARC.

GOT ME IN THE FEELS.

And this really shouldn’t surprise anyone because I love Lynn Painter’s books.

DAMION. That guy falls SO HARD. Good heavens I loved the way he was written. It’s snarky and bad boy prep school vibes that clash with Julia’s small town Nebraska-ness that sent me over the edge. The way they sniped at each other while also chipping away at who they first thought was before them was everythinggggg. Damion’s inner dialogue and chapters were 100% some of my favorite ever. I highlighted multiple things because I could not get enough.

I knew exactly where this was heading with the Remi plot line and it still made me misty eyed. I loved that journey too (trying to stay vague) and the themes and conversations that came from it were impactful too. It brought such a sense of love and gratitude for those in our corner.

DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A BALL? Because I won’t shut up about those scenes for at least the next 100 business days. I’m telling y’all there were MANY moments that I could not get enough of. I loved the pacing and interactions and side characters and the setting and just all the things.

I would like to note that unfortunately there is a LOT of language for a young adult book and that was a bummer.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very high
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: loss of a loved one, physical altercation

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Book Review: The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Angelica Cheng
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: August 4th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first female F1 champion finds her plans going off track when she catches feelings for her biggest competition in this dishy, delicious contemporary romance for fans of love, Lynn Painter, and Lewis Hamilton.

Justine Kwong has always dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 champion. There’s just one problem: no female driver has ever done it before. So when she’s offered a coveted chance to race in Formula 3, she leaps at the opportunity. Sure, half the fans think she’s just there to fill a diversity quota, and her teammate—the infuriatingly cute Cameron Evans—mistakes her for an intern, but Justine knows her talent will leave them all in the dust.

But driving well isn’t the only prerequisite to getting noticed, and Justine’s forced to fend for herself in a sea of prejudice, paparazzi, and petty backstabbing. There’s a lot riding on her ability to navigate the complicated trackside hierarchy—like the open F2 seat that could be her ticket to the big leagues.

Except…when Justine and Cameron’s bickering gives way to unexpected chemistry, the boy she’s falling for may be the one person standing in the way of her dreams—because while they may be teammates, they are also each other’s biggest competitor. And with her only shot at glory on the line, this race could break more than just hearts.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted book.

A GOOD YA.

Y’all know I love when a young adult novel is actually meant for young adults. And this one was! It’s also the first F1 romance I’ve read that I have genuinely liked so good things all around. It’s a fast paced and short novel that you could read in an afternoon kind of thing.

Justine can be a bit frustrating but in that I’m an adult with a fully formed front cortex reading vs. actually bothersome. I liked her overall character arc and the way she worked through issues and moved forward when life threw her backwards. Combining that with a sweet rivals to lovers-esque romance and it made for a wonderful read. I really liked Justine and Cameron together and the push and pull as they figured out how to communicate with each other.

🎧: Great audiobook! I loved the narrator and can’t recommend this format enough.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sports Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Heart Check (Varsity #1) by Emily Charlotte

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Emily Charlotte
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: November 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A star hockey player and his biggest critic must reexamine their assumptions about each other when forced to work together at an after-school job in this feel-good young adult rom-com debut about breaking the ice—featuring stenciled sprayed edges!

Luke Dawson and Harper Braedon could have been friends. They trade shifts at the same diner, share classes at school, and are driven by their greatest passions: hockey for Dawson and jewelry-making for Harper. But some things aren’t meant to be. Dawson thinks Harper is stuck-up, too good for anything resembling school spirit. Harper thinks Dawson is a self-centered jock, a perfect fit for a hockey team that seems to absorb all the budget away from the arts departments.

When his beloved hockey coach gets fired for misallocation of funds, Dawson is terrified that all his plans for impressing scouts are vanishing before his eyes. A rumor goes around that Harper was the one who got him fired, and suddenly she’s public enemy number one.

But even with their mutual dislike at an all-time high, Harper and Dawson can’t escape splitting shifts forever. Can forced proximity help them find some common ground, or will long-held grudges finally succeed in bringing them both down?

TIS A BIT DRAMATIC.

I feel like I have this fine line when it comes to drama (as do many of us?? maybe?? just me?) where it either works or I roll my eyes repeatedly. Very little in-between. This was in the roll your eyes category. For a while I didn’t mind and it worked for the plot but things spiraled here and there and it felt forced to add plot that was diminishing.

The vibes between Harper and Dawson were good. I liked them together and how they slowly started to figure each other art. The opposites attract trope was just right. And I loved all of the hockey content. I’m always a fan of hockey romances. I wish some of the themes had been more fleshed out like Dawson talking to his dad about pressure, more background on the coach who was fired, why does Harper want to leave so badly?? there were plot holes throughout.

It is decently appropriate for mid-older YA. With light language throughout, some underage drinking and make-outs.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sports romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Sunrise Nights by Jeff Zentner

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Release Date: July 9th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two young artists have a chance meeting on the last night of summer arts camp in this YA novel in verse and dialogue cowritten by acclaimed authors Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro.

Jude loves photography, and he’s good at it, too. Between his parents’ divorce and his anxiety, being behind a camera is the only time his mind is quiet.

Florence is confronting the premature end of her dance career as a degenerative eye disease begins to steal her balance. She’s having a hard time letting go.

The two meet at Sunrise Night, their sleepaway art camp’s dusk-to-dawn closing celebration, and decide to take a chance on each other. Their one rule: No contact for a year after the sun has risen. Over the course of three Sunrise Nights, will Florence and Jude find a deeper connection and learn who they are—and who they could be together?

GREW ON ME.

I don’t know how to explain that something about the characters annoyed me? Maybe it was the “we’re not going to have a miscommunication but then we actually do causing the book to drag out another year” that sent me over the edge. Looking past that, the rest of the book is solid.

It’s written in a short, choppy dynamic that goes back and forth quickly between the two MC’s. I thought the whole idea was fun and all of the unique late night things they got to participate in. There’s something about those late night conversations that really creates a bonding atmosphere. And this definitely had the right person, wrong time vibe throughout.

The book is fast and easy to fly through. I thought it had good themes and reminded me of why I enjoy Jeff Zentner books so much.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: cheating/gray area cheating

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