Tag: young adult romance

Book Review: This Shattered World (Starbound #2) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 394 pages
Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: December 23rd, 2014
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet’s rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn’s blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

FASCINATING STORY.

The plot for this entire series continually keeps me on my toes. It’s really interesting and I like that it has a different vibe from sci-fi books I’ve read before. I’m not quite sure what all of the “whispers” and such will lead too, but I look forward to reading about them in the last book.

I did enjoy the romance for this one! Maybe more than the first? It’s another good enemies to lovers with plenty of outside plot that encourages the action and drama. There was a much better flow for them and even with a quick pace, it worked.

This book did a pretty good job with pacing. Sometimes it felt off, but it didn’t distract me too much. I do enjoy this writing style and how each book interacts with the next. It’ll be fun to see how everything comes together for the last book!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi Romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: gun violence, physical altercations
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: hallucinations, loss of loved ones, murder

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Book Review: The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 272 pages
Author: Tif Marcelo
Publisher: Underlined
Release Date: October 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A paperback original romance about a bookish Filipino-American girl who crosses paths with the innkeeper’s aggravating nephew–but when they accidentally switch phones, their newly discovered secrets draw them together.

Lila Castro is ready to take on her last winter break of high school. The snow is plentiful, the mood is full of holiday cheer, and she’s earning extra cash working at the cozy local inn. But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss’s frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Veracruz, becomes her coworker. When they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they both realize they’ve been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets–and a dash of holiday spirit–bring them closer to love?

Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.

SURFACE LEVEL.

That’s what this book was missing. A deeper dive into the characters. I thought it was a cute holiday romance that definitely fit the season, but it was nothing memorable enough for me to recommend it to everyone I see.

I did love reading about a book blogger and rock climber. Those were fun anecdotes that were different from the day to day YA contemporary romance. I didn’t ever fully understand the “switch” concept? They traded phones on accident once, buuut that was a super small scene in comparison to everything else that happened.

Lila and Teddy had some cute moments and I overall liked the development of their relationship. A bit dramatic at times with a good conclusion. A simple, lighter read with a bit of holiday flair.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: discussion of previous doxing & internet stalking

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Book Review: A Loyal Heart (An Uncertain Choice #4) by Jody Hedlund

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Historical Romance
Length: 302 pages
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Northern Lights Press
Release Date: March 6th, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s taken her as his prisoner. But she’s holding his heart captive. In gaining their freedom, will they lose what matters most?

When Lady Olivia’s castle is besieged, she and her sister are taken captive and held for ransom by her father’s enemy, Lord Pitt. Loyalty to family means everything to Olivia. She’ll save her sister at any cost and do whatever her father asks—even if that means obeying his order to steal a sacred relic from her captor.

As Lord Pitt’s commander, Sir Aldric is in charge of the beautiful but feisty new prisoner. He has his hands full attempting to keep Lady Olivia out of trouble. When Lord Pitt throws her in the dungeon and threatens to hang her for stealing, Aldric conceives a plot to save Olivia’s life—betrothal to him.

Can Olivia give up the prestigious match her father has arranged with a wealthy marquess in order to marry a lowly knight like Aldric? And can Aldric move beyond his past mistakes to embrace love again? When loyalties are tested, they’re thrust into danger that could cost them their love and their lives. 

TOO EASY.

This was an enjoyable read, it was. I just started noticing some things that stuck out enough that caused my rating to go down.

I did love this historical vibes and time period. That was different for a young adult book and it was a good change of pace. The audio book was already really well narrated and I flew through it (it’s short, about 7 hours).

The romance had some sweet moments but I felt like things progressed for them too easily. They’re flat out enemies and I wanted more angst between them because of that. There wasn’t a sense of will they/won’t they and even in the midst of all the things happening around them I thought the romance arc moved too swiftly. Probably a by-product of a short story, but alas, these are my thoughts.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult historical romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: battle themes, kidnapping, whipping
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: suicide ideation, loss of a spouse (prior to book, but discussed), grief, near death situations

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Book Review: One Way or Another by Kara McDowell

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Kara McDowell
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: October 6th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The average person makes 35,000 decisions every single day. That’s about 34,999 too many for Paige Collins, who lives in debilitating fear of making the wrong choice. The simple act of picking an art elective is enough to send her into a spiral of what-ifs. What if she’s destined to be a famous ceramicist but wastes her talent in drama club? What if there’s a carbon monoxide leak in the ceramics studio and everyone drops dead? (Grim, but possible!)

That’s why when Paige is presented with two last-minute options for Christmas vacation, she’s paralyzed by indecision. Should she go with her best friend (and longtime crush) Fitz to his family’s romantic mountain cabin? Or should she accompany her mom to New York, a city Paige has spent her whole life dreaming about?

Just when it seems like Paige will crack from the pressure of choosing, fate steps in — in the form of a slippery grocery store floor — and Paige’s life splits into two very different parallel paths. One path leads to New York where Paige falls for the city . . . and the charms of her unexpected tour guide. The other leads to the mountains where Paige might finally get her chance with Fitz . . . until her anxiety threatens to ruin everything.

However, before Paige gets her happy ending in either destiny, she’ll have to face the truth about her struggle with anxiety — and learn that you don’t have to be “perfect” to deserve true love. 

MOSTLY CUTE.

This was a nice quick holiday read.

I liked the anxiety rep in here. Even though it stressed me out (because I would have some of the exact same thoughts as Paige), it was relatable in a way I could really feel. I appreciated her journey and finding safety and help from her loved ones as she recognized its impact on her life.

Fitz was sweet. I liked him much more towards the end. I didn’t like the dual timeline aspect. It made some of the drama (and love triangle) feel a bit forced. I guess there might not have been enough without it, though I can see that this could have been a great novella length read too.

The Christmastime vibes were there and its a good, true young adult book. Not overall note worthy, but it fit that spirit of the season I was looking for.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: head injuries
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: many depictions of severe anxiety

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