Tag: young adult romance

ARC/ALC Book Review: Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3) by Kristy Boyce

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kristy Boyce
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp–from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Hazel’s senior year at band camp is set to be epic—until Max, her childhood crush turned drum-playing troublemaker, waltzes back into town.Their sections have always been rivals, but a shared love for Dungeons & Dragons pulls them together, sparking a romance Hazel never saw coming.

Just when things feel perfect, rumors Did Max ask her out because of a lost bet? With band drama mounting and her first D&D game spiraling, Hazel must prove their love—and her leadership—are the real deal.A swoony, nerdy romance full of rivalry, redemption, and roll-the-dice chemistry from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Thank you PRH Audio for the audiobook and Get Underlined for the copy (gifted).

ADORED.

This might be my favorite of the series?? I was super into this y’all. I think it helped I had read eight fantasy books prior and really needed a contemporary break-up and this hit the spot. It was big on the nostalgia and even though I was not a band girlie it totally transported me back to high school.

I appreciated that the drama wasn’t wild. Yes, it’s a bit *high school* but it worked and made sense so I’m not going to complain about that. It’s even better that this series is true young adult and that it’s easy to hand it to the age group and not worry about the content.

The romance was sweet and genuinely went from an enemies to lovers vibe (with some childhood friendship mixed in). I liked that they bantered and bickered and how that moved into meaningful conversation and hashing out the past. It was a good show of communication.

This had the right level of D&D content without overwhelming the plot (I struggle when too much of the story is just the characters playing the game). I liked the friendships and all of the band things. It was just a genuinely great read.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content warnings: separated parents

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ARC Book Review: Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Allison Ashley
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A teen starts to fall for the boy she and her best friend agreed was off-limits while building a relationship with the new guy in town at the same time in this seaside teen romance perfect for fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Amelia’s summers in Cape Cod have always been about three spending as much time in the ocean as possible, hanging out with her best friend Kat, and crushing on Myles Ford, her and Kat’s forever dream boy. But this summer, Kat’s leaving their little beach town to get a head start on tennis training at her new boarding school. Kat’s always been the social one in their friendship, the one who made things happen, and Amelia’s just been along for the ride. Without Kat, Amelia’s…adrift.

Amelia’s job at the local seafood joint keeps her busy, and Pearl’s just so happens to employ the one and only Myles. As Amelia and Myles get to know each other, Amelia realizes there’s more to him than she thought, which complicates things when Myles starts to show interest in her. Because ever since Amelia and Kat decided Myles was the epitome of crush-worthiness, they agreed he was off-limits so no boy would ever come between them.

And when another boy comes into Amelia’s life—a newcomer in town who makes Amelia look at life differently—Amelia will have to risk her closest friendship for a romance fit for a Nicholas Sparks novel or take a chance on a boy who might not stick around for long?

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted eARC.

I’M NOT SURE.

I just couldn’t get behind this one. I don’t read a lot of YA contemporary romances anymore but I love Allison Ashley’s adult romances so I wanted to try this one out too.

I did love the atmosphere of the plot. It has a very nostalgic summer quality to it where I wanted to be at the beach and pier too (a la The Last Song or The Summer I Turned Pretty). And that was probably my biggest win in regards to the book. I think most of it worked fine, though I am confused if there’s going to be a sequel?? I’m not going to lie, you’ll probably find me reading that too.

The love triangle didn’t work for me because it felt pretty obvious what direction it should go in and now I’m leery of the ending? Once again, not knowing if there’s another book coming. Some of the content (multiple underage drinking parties and a few sex discussions) make this for a little bit older of a YA crowd even though the writing was on the younger side of that spectrum.

I liked Amelia. I thought she felt like a teenager and responded overall, the way I figured. Which isn’t a bad thing. I don’t love friend to friend drama over a boy though and that bugged me as the book went forward.

Thoughts are all a bit scattered, but here we are.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent (recounted), underage drinking, alcohol poisoning (small side character)

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ARC/ALC Book Review: I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Magical Realism Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Ann Liang
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: April 14th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Everyone loves Chanel Cao—except Ares Yin.

While Chanel has spent her entire life curating a picture-perfect social media personality—from her body to her hair to her camera-ready smile—Ares has spent his trying to hide in the shadows. But Ares’s brother is missing, and Chanel’s parents have secretly separated, and their only hope is each other.

Ares is willing to do whatever it takes to find his brother, and Chanel will do anything to keep her parents’ secret. When the two meet and share a vision of the future—where Ares’s brother appears, as Chanel’s house burns to the ground—they are determined to use each other. Ares believes Chanel is the key to finding his brother, but Chanel is convinced if she gets Ares to fall in love with her, she’ll save her family house—and her parents’ crumbling marriage.

But Ares isn’t interested in the fake personality that Chanel has used her entire life to get affection and adoration. If she’s going to save her reputation, she’s going to have to let Ares get to know the real her—and risk real feelings.

Thank you to the publisher for an ALC and Storygram Tours for the gifted copy.

WHAT A RIDE.

I have read and loved many of Ann Liang’s books so I jumped in head first when this came across my email and it did not disappoint.

Note: I do need to go back and read If You Could See the Sun because that is one of the few I haven’t read. I had no issues with reading Moon though!!

Any who, this was a JOURNEY. It read like a coming of age novel, add in a romance, character arcs and romantic suspense?! I was glued to my headphones. I loved the push and pull between Chanel and Ares. It’s a short book that brings a well executed slow burn.

The little touch of magical realism worked perfectly. It didn’t overwhelm the plot but rather influenced it enough to keep things moving. It brought the intensity up and kept me wondering how things were going to settle.

I loved the growth for both Chanel and Ares AND the fact that it was dual POV (not dual narrators though FYI). There’s a lot of good conversations in here and while tough I do think it stayed in the young adult category well.

it was just a really dang good book y’all.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Magical realism romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild-moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping of a child, arson, street fighting

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Book Review: Anytime I Want by Meredith Logan

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 258 pages
Author: Meredith Logan
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 22nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When I was seven, I made a boyfriend list. Now he’s sixteen and using it to win my heart.

Julia
The boy next door is a total dreamboat. Handsome, kind, and funny but he flirts with everyone- and did I mention he’s my brother’s best friend? And his parents are best friends with my parents? It’s complicated. When he decides to use my childhood boyfriend list to show me how serious he is about us, I have to decide if he’s worth risking all the complications.

Graham
I’ve been in love with her forever. But I’m kind of a screw up and she doesn’t trust me. I come up with a plan to use her boyfriend list to prove myself. I recruit our families, friends-anyone who can help us finally be together. But will it be enough to finally convince her to trust me?

A swoony YA romance about friendships, families, and first loves.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

DEBUT VIBES.

This felt very much like a debut. I had some plot and writing issues throughout that made me focus on them rather than the story, but maybe I wasn’t totally invested in the story either? I had a hard time remembering that these were 16 year-olds because the writing often read younger than that.

I think a few of the aspects were cute. I do appreciate that it is written for a younger audience. Something you could give to a teen without worrying about content which is getting hard to find nowadays. There’s no language, nothing more than kissing and overall the vibe is light and without heavy themes.

Most often I was frustrated with the FMC. Julia was constantly downplaying and coming off as a *pick me* girl while Graham was trying his best to show [over and over and over] how much he liked her. Dare I say, he worked too hard.

The friendships are good and a positive theme throughout as well as the parents. I think having supportive people in your immediate circle is wonderful and hopeful. I loved all of those interactions.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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