Tag: YA

Review: Candy Colored Sky (Ginger Scott)

Candy Colored Sky
Author: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: February 26, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mature Young Adult
Note: This review is for an ARC I received from WordSmith Publicity and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Jonah Wydner has been in love with his neighbor Eleanor Trombley for years. He has watched her life play out from the sidelines—homecoming dances, football parties, and first dates. Her life seemed easy…simple…perfect. The complete opposite of his own.

But when Eleanor’s younger sister goes missing and the national media sets up camp in the middle of their street, the girl with the seemingly perfect life shows up in Jonah’s garage in search of a place to hide from the hurt and chaos. What begins as one night becomes many filled with unexpected surprises and unveiling, healing truths about Jonah’s own messy past.

Soon, Jonah gets to know the real Eleanor, and discovers all the ways they’re the same. Friendship blossoms into more, plans turn into promises, and hopes and dreams become shared under the warm glow of the fading Midwestern sunsets. But how far can a kiss under a candy-colored sky take them? And what happens when the clouds close in?

I was a little nervous to start Candy Colored Sky. When I reach for a Ginger Scott novel I know it’s going to do two things: pull me in with her writing and hit me with emotion. That was especially true with this book.

Candy Colored Sky had this emotional vibe to it. It wasn’t a heavy vibe, but one that lingered beneath the surface. It took me a long time to figure it out. I kept trying to compare it to how a thriller has a creepy vibe. I couldn’t put my finger on it until almost the end of the book. Somehow Ginger Scott took classic new adult angst and somehow flipped it. Instead of being in the head of the person who is experiencing all the angst, we’re in the head of the person watching that person experience the angst. It gave the book that underlying feeling of angst that was something I don’t think I have experienced before. I liked being once removed from the angst. It was a different reading experience.

If you read the blurb, you can understand why this book would be emotional. Our main character, Jonah, is watching the girl he has secretly crushed on his entire life go through a traumatic experience. Eleanor’s younger sister has been abducted and Jonah is determined to do what he can to ease Eleanor’s pain. I loved Jonah’s approach to this. He took the time to look closely and see what others couldn’t or didn’t want to. He stood by her and lifted her up when needed. He was honest with her. The two of them formed a bond in the toughest times that could only get stronger.

I didn’t just love Jonah’s approach, though. I loved him. He was this slightly nerdy math wiz who hung on the edges of the popular crowd. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. He came from a family that had been through its own trauma. I adored his relationship with both his mom and his grandfather. He had a fun friendship with his best friend and jock Jake. Jonah was one of those really good kids you want to see get the girl of his dreams.

Eleanor was more of a mystery because this book was told in Jonah’s POV. I don’t like admitting I was glad not to be in her head, but Jonah’s descriptions of her (and her family’s) pain was enough. I can say I loved her because of how she reacted to and treated Jonah.

Candy Colored Sky was one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. It left me feeling hopeful despite the overall sadness of the story. Only really great books can do that.

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Universal Link: https://books2read.com/CandyColoredSky 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VTTWXLP/
Apple: https://books.apple.com/…/candy-colored-sky/id1553932714 
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162507444
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/candy-colored-sky 
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=aG0ZEAAAQBAJ 

Add it to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56553619-ccs 

Review: Five Ways to Fall Out of Love (Emily Martin)

Five Ways to Fall Out of Love
Author: Emily Martin
Publication Date: March 16, 2021
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

This whip-smart rom-com explores the risks and rewards of letting love in, for fans of Jennifer E. Smith, Julie Buxbaum, and Sandhya Menon.

How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways…

Aubrey Cash learned the hard way not to rely on love. After all, Webster Casey, the new boy next door she’d been falling for all summer, stood her up at homecoming in front of everyone with no explanation. Proving her theory that love never lasts seems easy when she’s faced with parents whose marriage is falling apart and a best friend who thinks every boy she dates is “the one.” But when sparks fly with a boy who turns out to be Webster’s cousin, and then Webster himself becomes her lab partner for the rest of senior year, Aubrey finds her theory—and her commitment to stay single—put to the test.

As she navigates the breakdown of her family, the consequences her cynicism has on her relationship with her best friend, and her own confusing but undeniable feelings for Webster, Aubrey has to ask herself: What really happened the night Webster stood her up? And if there are five ways to fall out of love…could there perhaps be even more ways to fall back in?

I have been waiting for another book from Emily Martin since I fell in love with The Year We Fell Apart. I was so excited to read Five Ways to Fall Out of Love when I downloaded it. I put off reading it for a bit because YA contemporaries just hadn’t been hitting the right note with me. I’m happy to report that Five Ways to Fall Out of Love got me back into the swing of reading them.

Emily Martin’s writing was as engaging as I remember it being. I was immediately pulled into Aubrey’s life. She seemed like a normal teenage girl. She wasn’t the “special snowflake” we see sometimes in YA fiction.  Aubrey had real life insecurities navigating high school friends, cliques, and boys. She also had family problems that I believe many teenagers will be able to relate to. There was a lot of hurt she had to deal with in all of that. I liked how Martin portrayed it all.

As for the romance… Well, it had its love triangle moments. You might have guessed that from the blurb. Aubrey used to like Webster, now she likes his cousin Holland. Being with Holland led to being around Webster more than normal and drug up old feelings. Normally, I’m not a fan of love triangles. I didn’t mind this one because it didn’t always feel like one, and there wasn’t any overlap between Aubrey being with either of the guys (no cheating). What I didn’t like was that Webster and Holland were cousins. That did bug me. At least they weren’t brothers, I guess.

A little more about the guys since I won’t be giving away how things go down or end up. Webster was not my favorite guy. I knew, from reading countless romances, that his rudeness had to be related to something Aubrey was unaware of. I could tell her cared for her and liked her despite his actions. That being said, he made some poor decisions that drove me nuts. Holland was a great guy from the start. He’s a character you can’t help but like because he’s just so dang decent. He treated Aubrey well, better than Webster. Holland had some flaws of his own in relation to Aubrey.

Oh! One of my favorite things was the friendship aspect of the book. Aubrey had to navigate both a long-term and a new-found friendship. I really loved how everything went down in terms of both and what Aubrey learned from them.

Another thing I should mention is that this book is about seniors in high school. It is on the mature side of things when it comes to the YA genre. There is some sexual content, alcohol, and partying.

It’s hard to talk about some of my feelings about this book without giving things away. It was well written, but I think some readers are going to have a problem with Aubrey’s decisions and maybe even the ending. I kind of wanted it to either go a different direction than it did or for an epilogue. I vacillated between 3.5 and 4 stars as a rating, and ended up going with 4 because it was so well written, held my attention, and had me genuinely rooting for Aubrey to find her way through her senior year of high school.

Review: With You All the Way (Cynthia Hand)

With You All the Way
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publication Date: March 30, 2021
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

A Forever for a new generation. Fans of Sarah Dessen , Jenny Han, and Nina LaCour will devour this exploration of family relationships, romantic relationships, and everything in between from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.

Ada’s sick of being the invisible good girl in her family. She’s just caught her boyfriend cheating on her after she said she wasn’t ready for sex, and she’s had it up to here with her perfect, beautiful older sister trying to give her advice, especially when that advice includes staying a virgin until she’s truly in love.

But all of that pales in comparison to what Ada discovers when her mom drags them to Hawaii for an annual surgeons’ conference: her mom is having an affair. Just like that, Ada’s whole world comes crashing down, all because it seems like no one can stop themselves from falling into bed with people they shouldn’t.

So Ada decides it’s time for her to do just that, and get sex over with. But what she thinks is one of her best laid plans doesn’t actually leave room for the truth: That feelings, romantic or not, always get in the way.

The How and the Why was one of my favorite books I read in 2019. I loved Cynthia Hand’s writing style, so I couldn’t wait to read With You All the Way.  These two books have proven to me that Hand is a master of creating and writing complex family dramas. She tackles family dynamics in a fascinating way. This book was completely different than the first one I had read, but just as important and addictive.

With You All the Way was like driving by a car crash. Maybe that’s not the best description because it wasn’t brutal or sad. It was more just drama I couldn’t take my eyes away from. It reminded me of a really good MTV teenage TV drama. Ada, the main character, is on a family trip to Hawaii after having broken up with her no good, cheating ex. Her feelings are all over the place. She’s fighting with her perfect sister and discovers her mom is having an affair. Everything is a mess and Ada’s trying to work through it all. Somehow, having sex for the first time is the answer.

I’m going to cut right to the chase: sex. It’s one of the biggest topics woven through With You All the Way.  Ada is considering having it or not having it throughout the entire book. You can imagine all the possible scenarios going through Ada’s mind. Should she or shouldn’t she have it? I appreciated all of her inner dialog and questions in relations to what her body versus mind was telling her. I also appreciated the way it was dealt with and the conversations it opened up. It was a very positively written view of what having sex with or without love could mean.

I mentioned the family dynamics before. That’s the other big topic in this book. There’s so much going on between all of the family members. There is talking, arguing, keeping secrets… Each and every family member (besides sweet, little Abby) has their own thing going on. I liked the way each interaction created something to further Ada’s choices throughout the story.

I don’t know what else to say about this book. I enjoyed it so much — even the awkward moments when I wanted to shield my eyes. I loved the non-stop drama. I guessed where the story was headed, but that didn’t bug me because the journey to get there was so entertaining. Plus, I liked all the messages it dealt.

Review: You Have a Match (Emma Lord)

You Have a Match
Author: Emma Lord
Publication Date: January 5, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord’s You Have a Match, a YA novel of family, friendship, romance and sisterhood…

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

This was a weird reading experience for me. I think it might have been my mood. When I started this book, I was really into the writing and the story. The whole finding a sister through DNA intrigued me. It kind of lost me after a while, though. Like I said, I’m not sure if I fell out of the mood of wanting this type of story or if I got bored in the middle. It picked up once everything major went down. I liked learning about Abby and Savannah’s parents and their decisions. I wouldn’t have minded hearing even more about everything that went down with in the past. That was probably what I was most interested in. It made the story end on a high note for me. I liked the lessons Abby learned.

Review: The Cousins (Karen M. McManus)

The Cousins
Author: Karen M. McManus
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes your next obsession. You’ll never feel the same about family again.

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised . . . and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point–not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother’s good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it’s immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious–and dark–their family’s past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn’t over–and this summer, the cousins will learn everything. 

Karen M. McManus is one of those authors who as soon as I’m finished reading her most recent release I’m already awaiting the next one. I feel like I have been waiting FOREVER to read The Cousins. The wait was worth every minute.

McManus instantly pulled me in with her writing. I was curious without barely knowing anything about what was to come. The story was addictive and flowed at fast pace — which is how I like my thrillers. I didn’t always like all of the characters, but I loved them. Their story was messy and highly entertaining.

I never quite knew where the story was going until I was almost upon what was happening. There were lots of great surprises. The only place where the surprises left me a little letdown was toward the end. The biggest reveal was too easy, if that makes sense. I would have preferred something a little more complex, but that didn’t ruin my reading experience. Overall, The Cousins was a great book that was fun to read and fulfilled my need for a Karen M. McManus book. Now, I’m waiting for next release…

Review: Super Fake Love Song (David Yoon)

Super Fake Love Song
Author: David Yoon
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a contemporary YA rom-com where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.

When Sunny Dae—self-proclaimed total nerd—meets Cirrus Soh, he can’t believe how cool and confident she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny’s older brother Gray’s bedroom—with its electric guitars and rock posters—for Sunny’s own, he sort of, kind of, accidentally winds up telling her he’s the front man of a rock band.

Before he knows it, Sunny is knee-deep in the lie: He ropes his best friends into his scheme, begging them to form a fake band with him, and starts wearing Gray’s rock-and-roll castoffs. But no way can he trick this amazing girl into thinking he’s cool, right? Just when Sunny is about to come clean, Cirrus asks to see them play sometime. Gulp.

Now there’s only one thing to do: Fake it till you make it.

Sunny goes all in on the lie, and pretty soon, the strangest things start happening. People are noticing him in the hallways, and he’s going to football games and parties for the first time. He’s feeling more confident in every aspect of his life, and especially with Cirrus, who’s started to become not just his dream girl but also the real deal. Sunny is falling in love. He’s having fun. He’s even becoming a rocker, for real.

But it’s only a matter of time before Sunny’s house of cards starts tumbling down. As his lies begin to catch up with him, Sunny Dae is forced to wonder whether it was all worth it—and if it’s possible to ever truly change.

Super Fake Love Story is a book I was excited to read. I loved Yoon’s Frankly in Love, and I had high expectations for this new book. I hate to say it, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

I had a love-hate relationship with Sunny Dae. He was this big nerd who sometimes came off in an endearing way and other times came off as annoying. I respected that he let his nerd flag fly, but hated when he got caught up in being what he thought Cirrus wanted. His character did have a lot of growth throughout the story, so that was a good thing.

I loved Sunny’s friends. Milo and Jamal helped make this book more enjoyable. I loved their support of Sunny. I liked how Sunny and Cirrus’ relationship developed – despite the whole lying thing. I do wish their issues hadn’t been so quickly wrapped up in the end, but it was cute. I think my favorite relationship was between Sunny and his brother Grey, though. I liked learning about it.

I think my biggest problem with this book was that it found it kind of boring. I had a hard time getting into it at first, and I thought it might have been a formatting issue with the ARC. It could have been that, or maybe I just wasn’t as interested in the story as I hoped to be. I didn’t find it all that entertaining unless it was when Sunny, Milo, and Jamal were doing music or when I was learning about Grey. I don’t think I was truly sold until all the drama really started happening. Overall, it was just a good read compared to a great read (like Frankly in Love was).

Mini Review: Together Apart Anthology

Together Apart
Author: Erin A. Craig, Auriane Desombre, Erin Hahn, Bill Konigsberg, Rachael Lippincott, Brittney Morris, Sajni Patel, Natasha Preston, Jennifer Yen
Publication Date: October 20, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

A collection of original contemporary love stories set during life in lockdown by some of today’s most popular YA authors.

Erin Craig “delivers” on a story about a new girl in town and the cute pizza delivery boy, Auriane Desombre captures our hearts with teens communicating through window signs, and Bill Konigsberg takes us along on daily walks with every step bringing us closer to love. There’s flirting and romance from Rachael Lippincott, a tale of a determined girl with a mask-making business from Erin Hahn, and a music-inspired love connection from Sajni Patel. Brittney Morris turns enemies to lovers with the help of a balcony herb garden, Jennifer Yen writes an unconventional romance that starts outside a hospital, and Natasha Preston’s teens discover each other–and their love story–in a storybook oak tree.

Romantic, realistic, sweet and uplifting, TOGETHER, APART is a collection of finding love in unexpected places during an unprecedented time . . . each with the one thing we all want: a guaranteed happy ending.

I don’t know that I was necessarily ready to read anything set in the age of COVID-19 yet, but these meet cute novellas were more fun than I was expecting. They were short but sweet stories of high schoolers meeting during this strange time. Like I said, they’re meet cutes, so not really an entire romance. I liked them all, but Erin Hahn’s Masked was my favorite. I’ve become a fan of Erin Hahn’s writing this year and I adored this meet cute. I would have loved to read an entire book about Gray and Jude.

Review: Varsity Rulebreaker (Ginger Scott)

Varsity Rulebreaker
Series: Varsity, #3
Author: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: October 8, 2020
Genre: Mature Young Adult, Contemporary, Sports Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC provided by WordSmith Publicity and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She’s coach’s little girl. And she’s good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher’s job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal.

But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation’s top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend.

Too bad he broke the biggest rule of all before he knew exactly who she was.

It was just a New Year’s kiss. Totally forgettable. Especially under the circumstances.

So why can’t he stop thinking about it?

Varsity Rulebreaker was a home run. It was everything that Ginger Scott excels at in her novels. Here’s what I loved about it:

  • The writing was addictive with just the right amount of teen angst.
  • Hollis and Cannon were a good match. I loved the feelings of not just romance but friendship developing between them.
  • I also loved the friendships they had with previous series characters. These characters didn’t take over, but were there for support.
  • The issues Hollis and Cannon faced in life were socially relevant to today’s teens and packed a punch in the special way Ginger Scott has. This book spotlighted some very important topics without feeling preachy.
  • There was also a TON of actual sports related situations. This sports romance was heavier in that area than most.

Varsity Rulebreaker was a great sports romance that was big on baseball and love. It’s my new favorite in this series. I would highly recommend it. I think it could be read with or without having read the previous books.

 
Add to your Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53602753-varsity-rulebreaker
 
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EXCERPT:

“Well?” I lift a brow.

His stare is decisive. No more blinking lashes to lull me into submission. I’m being dissected solely by the dominant glow of his swimming-pool blue eyes. His nose is pink from being out in today’s sun and reflective clouds. His wet hair is drying right before my eyes into touchable waves that I imagine in my fingers. I’m thankful my arms are crossed to hide them because I can feel them twitch.

“Fine.”

I flinch at his sudden answer, most of me prepared for him to bail on this little wager. By the way he rounds the table and motions with his hand for me to step back, I start to tremble at the knees. Cue ball palmed in his left hand, stick grasped in his right, he steps into the space between me and the table and comes close enough that I can feel the warmth of the breath he exhales from his nose.

“Pardon,” he says, and I step back several feet to lean against a pub table.

Cannon positions the ball a little off-center then dabs one more dusting of chalk on the end of his cue, blowing the dust away while he looks at me, his eyes focusing away from the tip of the stick and onto my gaze. His mouth quirks on one side, and it’s in that small look that I know I’m done. I’m so fucking screwed.

He lunges over the table in a smooth pivot, bringing the stick back slowly and getting the feel of the slide before letting it rip, knocking the balls in all directions and quickly sinking one of each—a solid and a stripe. His eyes on the center of the table, he rounds it, his tongue sticking out the way Michael Jordan’s always did when he was deciding whether to put the game away with a dunk or a little fadeaway from the top of the key.

“You got a preference?” he asks.

“I…well…” I stumble on my words, his sudden confidence really nailing me to the floor.

He chuckles then bends down, lining up a shot at a solid.

“It’s alright,” he says, quickly leaning his head to one side to glance up at me and wink. “It won’t matter.”

And it doesn’t. He proceeds to sink his initial target, and then every other solid ball on the table, sometimes two at a time. I’m half expecting him to drain the eight-ball without even looking. He has to work at it a little, though, what with so many of my balls still on the table and in his way. He calls the side pocket and when the ball falls in easily, I breathe out heavily enough to flap my lips, then I drop my stick.

“Two out of three?” I scrunch my lips up with my pathetic attempt to regain my edge.

“You think it will matter?” He lays his stick on the table and saunters toward me.

My nervous knee begins to twitch, and I find myself rocking where I stand to try to keep my legs busy and my blood flowing. Cannon stops about a foot away from me, and he looks down at the floor as he slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I draw in his scent, letting it numb my nerves like the venom of a scorpion. I got sloppy, arrogant even. And that trust I felt so sure of is waning a little now that he’s calling in his bet. I gave him a free pass to surprise me, to ask something of me or dare me or…that’s the thing. It’s the unknown. I did that. I did that!

My hands balled into fists at my sides, I roll my shoulders back and lift my chin, determined not to let my worry shine through.

“Bet’s a bet,” I say, shaking my head with tight lips. I had no idea I was going up against a pool shark.

“That it is,” he says, glancing up while keeping his head low. The way he peers at me through the strands of his hair that now shadow his eyes is both ominous and so freaking enticing.

“Five a.m. Saint Peters Gulch. Tomorrow.” He leans in and for a moment I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead he pauses while forward on his toes. “I’ll let you know what you owe there and then.”

I swallow and he sees it, his eyes darting to that place on my neck that betrays my bravado.

“Fine,” I gurgle out.

He laughs lightly and falls back to give me some space.

“Relax, Hollis. I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.” With one last wink, he brings his hands from his pockets and claps them a few times to remove any leftover chalk. I force myself not to look over my shoulder as he leaves, and I keep that promise to myself, spending the next twenty minutes playing out the rest of the balls on our table and realizing I never even had a chance.

 
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Review: Midnight Sun (Stephenie Meyer)

Midnight Sun
Series: Twilight Saga, #5
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable tale as told through Edward’s eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

I truly enjoyed being back in the Twilight Saga world. It was like hanging out with an old friend. No, scratch that. It was like hanging out with an old friend’s significant other and hearing about how they fell in love from his/her perspective. Pretty much what you knew, but with new insight. It wasn’t a completely fresh take, but it makes you love Bella and Edward’s love story that much more.

Edward isn’t my favorite Twilight Saga character. I would probably be in the “Team Jacob” camp. Midnight Sun had me appreciating Edward in a new way. I was surprised by how much I ended up liking him. He wasn’t the most pleasant at times, and that was kind of refreshing. His opinions of Bella throughout the book delighted me. I also loved the deeper look it gave me into the rest of the Cullens as well.

Had I read Midnight Sun around the same time as I read the rest of the Twilight Saga, I probably would have rated this book even higher. What kept me from doing so was that so much of the content felt recycled. Yes, I loved seeing things through Edward’s eyes. I just wish more of it would have not be a rehash of events that took place. It was like Meyer combined his new thoughts with everything that went down in the original. That made for a LONG book. 662 pages was too many in my opinion. Maybe I just feel that way because I read the hardback, and it was freaking HEAVY.

I read somewhere that Meyer may or may not keep writing the series from Edward’s POV. I’m down for that. I would read them. I had fun being back in this world again. I would actually love if Meyer wrote New Moon from Jacob’s POV. I also wouldn’t mind a book about Alice. Twilight Saga fans don’t ask for much, do they? 😉

Review: Varsity Tiebreaker (Ginger Scott)

Varsity Tiebreaker
Series: Varsity, #2
Author: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: July 23, 2020
Publisher: Little Miss Write, LLC
Genre: Mature Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC provided by WordSmith Publicity and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Abby Cortez is a girl with goals, on the verge of turning eighteen and on the brink of stardom. Falling in love isn’t just something she doesn’t have time for, it’s something she doesn’t really believe in. Her rule? Date but never, ever fall.

Tory “Salvatore” D’Angelo loves falling in love…just not for real. The star basketball player at Allensville Public High gives his heart away one girl at a time then takes it back when he’s ready to move on. No serious feelings, no serious pain.

They’re both good plans until Abby’s jaded heart gets all tangled up with Tory’s hopeless one. A friendly rivalry grows into friendship, and long talks start to blur the lines.
Just one problem—Abby’s current boyfriend is Tory’s twin brother, Hayden.

Not going to lie… I was both excited and scared going into this one. I am not a fan of love triangles, and one involving twin brothers made me nervous. The only reasons I read it were I loved Tory in Varsity Heartbreaker and it was Ginger Scott’s book. Ginger Scott never does me wrong.

Varsity Tiebreaker was exactly what I needed it to be. Yes, there’s the whole Hayden – Abby – Tory thing, but it was done well. I never felt like I wasn’t sure who Abby was going to end up with. It was an emotional roller coaster for sure, but not in a bad way. It was a very good way.

I, of course, adored Tory. That kid was a good kid. He might have been a little bit of a player in the past, but he had good intentions and morals. Tory tried to do right by his brother, Abby, and his family. His character is one I would be okay with my daughter dating when she gets older, and that’s saying a lot because the kid isn’t allowed to date until she’s thirty. 😉

Abby was a little more surprise to me than Tory. I liked her as June’s sidekick, but I loved her even more on her own. Her struggles were all over the place, and it was fun to experience her working everything out in her head. I liked the choices she made. I also loved her relationship with her mom.

Abby and Tory worked well together, and I loved the connection they had. Even if it took them a while to get everything figured out. That time gave me just the right amount of angst for this mature YA romance.

As for Hayden… I feel like I got enough of his story here to not necessarily need a book dedicated book for him. That doesn’t mean I don’t want one! I would really love for him to get his own happy ending. He and Tory went through so much, that it would be nice to see how thing really worked out for him. So, maybe a book 4? Please?

Overall, I adored Varsity Tiebreaker. It was a fun, slightly angsty YA sports romance that made me swoon. I enjoyed every minute of it. I also loved the preview for Varsity Rulebreaker. I am dying having to wait for October for that book!

 
Varsity Tiebreaker (The Varsity Series Book 2) by Ginger Scott
Cover Designer: Ginger Scott
 
PURCHASE HERE
Varsity Tiebreaker
Amazon US https://amzn.to/2zluA2u
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/30zRPQ9
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2WKCHyi
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2Bnapmc
 
Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53602753-varsity-tiebreaker
 
 
 

PURCHASE Book One NOW
Varsity Heartbreaker
★☆★Read FREE w/Kindle Unlimited★☆★
 
PREORDER Book 3 NOW!
Varsity Rulebreaker – https://amzn.to/3bgh7pN
 

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
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Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com