Review: I Love You S'mores

 

Ivy's happy to head back to the camp she attended as a child. Right now, her personal life went up in flames. Her girlfriend of four years broke up with her. Ally's now a fan favorite on a TV show. The break-up hit the news, and Ivy just wants to forget everything. 

When she returns to camp, she's stunned to see her ex-best friend. Rynn is also a counselor who also wants the theater directing job. Now they're stuck co-directing. Ivy's bunk is having some friendship drama, and she feels inadequate. She's trying but feels like she's failing on every level. Could Rynn have some advice for her?

My Thoughts: This was a fantastic summer read - perfect for those who are nostalgic for camp. I felt terrible for Ivy for all the drama: the bad break-up, the cheating girlfriend, and the bunk drama. I wanted to give her hug. She's having a rough summer. I loved that she reconnected with Rynn - even though there are hurt feelings on both sides. I really enjoyed this summer reading. I love reading books about camp. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A fantastic summer romance for your public library.

Review: Every Summer After

 

Percy and Sam have been inseparable since Percy's family moved next door. They haven't talked in years. Charlie, Sam's brother, calls with news of his mother's death. He knows that Sam and Percy haven't talked recently. But Percy loved the boys' mom and they could use her at the funeral. Could this be the right time to heal the rift between Sam and Percy?

My Thoughts: I know I'm late to the party with this book. I've been wanting to read this, but it was nice to finally read it. This was a fun summer read with a dual timeline - as Percy and Sam grew up. I loved that they were best friends from the first moment they met. I wasn't a fan of Percy's best friend from home, but she did grow on me. The twist at the end made me annoyed but I'm curious enough to read Charlie's story. 

Cover Thoughts: Perfect for Summer

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A highly recommended romance book for your public library's collection. 

Review: Elizabeth of East Hampton

 

A modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Long Island and the Hamptons. 

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this retelling. It was funny, smart, and thoroughly entertaining. The modern changes worked. Kitty and Lydia are twins, Mary is an activist, and Jane is a teacher. Elizabeth is a surfer. Jane and Charlie meet at a bar and their relationship is adorable. The family owns a bakery where Elizabeth works. She's hoping to be a journalist, but her father's health and her fears are holding her back. The heart of the story is the same.

Cover Thoughts: Cute 

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended for your romance section

Why I read it: I'm a sucker for Jane Austen retellings

Hand this to: Raders who love Jane Austen

Review: Summer Romance

 

Ali's mom died, sending her into a grieving spiral. Her husband decided he couldn't handle it and asked for a divorce. Ali was devastated. She' taking care of their three kids and attempting to piece her life back together. 

She meets a man at the dog park. Her dog pees on him and he's not mad about it. Ali becomes intrigued. She starts putting on real pants again and goes back the next day looking for him. He's not there but she does bump into him again.

Could this be the start of a summer romance? Sure, the rest of her life is a hot mess, but she deserves a little fun too.

My Thoughts: This was a fun read. I loved how Ali was into organizing but her own home was a hot mess. That makes sense to me. I also just wanted to give her a giant hug. Her husband was such a jerk, but I appreciate how he started getting better. The kids were super cute. I do wish there had been more friendship moments. I felt terrible for Ethan too - how everyone looked at him, especially his parents. I loved Ethan's lawyer moments - those were funny! Ethan is so supportive and opposite from Ali's ex-husband. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A great book for your romance collection - highly recommended.

Review: Those Summer Nights

 

While it's no longer summer, I had to read this one!

Hannah had a rough year. Her parents shipped her off to boarding school after behavioral issues. Now she's back for the summer. She's allowed to return to high school this fall if she meets certain conditions.  She needs to find a summer job - luckily her younger brother has her covered. 

She gets a job at an entertainment complex where she meets a cute boy and hides from her former BFF. It seems she might get off easy until the employee Olympics are announced.

And then her worlds collide. Hannah had hoped to make the Olympic soccer team until an accident ended her dream. In addition, the death of her beloved grandmother was too much for her to bear. She floundered, drowning in grief and not knowing who she was without soccer. 

Now, she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. She doesn't need this reminder, but according to the rules from her parents, she can't quit her job. 

My Thoughts: I loved this one - for many reasons. I liked how we learned about Hannah's behavior over time. I liked her parents' rules and how she went about accomplishing them. I loved the entertainment complex. It sounds like a great place to work with fun co-workers. The Olympics were a great addition. I loved Hannah's brother and his best friend Ethan. I liked the bowling moments. I loved the older ladies in the bowling alley. They made me laugh. There's so much packed into this book - lots of layers and lots of feelings. 

Cover Thoughts: Fun

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your romance collection.

Review: When Summer Ends

Olivia has life all figured all - until life throws her several curveballs. She's going to have to move at the end of the summer, just before her senior year of high school. Her estranged mother's back in town with news of her own. Her boyfriend and best friend just broke up with her and disappeared for the summer. And to make everything worse, her dream summer job disappeared when the company files for bankruptcy. The whole summer stretches before her looking dismal.

Above all, she needs to find herself a job. But this late in the summer, most everything's taken. Miraculously, she finds a job at an outdoor adventure company. Olivia is not an outdoor person, but a job's a job. She's stunned to learn that the former star pitcher on the baseball team will be working with her. Maybe she'll learn why he abruptly quit the team at the end of the year. Maybe she'll learn how to let go of all her plans and live in the moment.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this summer romance. I loved how Olivia took what life threw at her and tried to make the best of things.  I enjoyed her coin tosses and living by the hand of fate. I loved the hiking moments, the river moments, and spending the summer outdoors. I really enjoyed Aiden's story and how everything changed for him.  I loved the dual perspective. An unlikely romance might just be the best thing that ever happened to both of them.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Grab this summer romance for your school and public libraries.

Review: Stealing Home

Ryan has her future all planned out. She's going to college and then coming home to take over the family business - the minor league baseball team. Eventually, she hopes to be one of the youngest female General Managers. So what if she has to work her butt off to earn the players' respect. So what if they see her now as the manager's daughter and not as part of the team. She loves baseball.

Until she learns her mother's looking to sell her shares for the team. Now everything could change and Sawyer could lose everything.

Maybe she can lean on the new recruit Sawyer. The chemistry between them is off the charts, but a romance between management and players is forbidden. Can Ryan save her future?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - for the female twist on a sports romance. I loved seeing the inner workings of a baseball team. We have a minor baseball team in my town and I could picture the behind the scenes moments there. I loved the moments between Ryan and Sawyer - they had great chemistry. I loved how they decided to help each other. I loved Mia and her family. A fun sports romance that's perfect for summer.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: ARC sent for review
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your school and public library for a sports romance.

Review: Love Songs and Other Lies

Virginia Miller's heart has been broken, but two years later, she's on the mend. She's excited to tour with her best friend's band in a reality TV show with a dream internship centered on PR. But her dream becomes a nightmare when she discovered the boy who broke her heart is also on the bus. Her summer implodes when the internship isn't real. Instead Vee becomes a groupie for the band, helping them with their social media pages and their website. It's still fun, but it's not the summer she had imagined. Plus in order to stay on the bus, she allows herself to be named as her BFF's girlfriend. Now she's struggling with her feelings for her ex. He's acting like he wants her back, but can she trust him?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I loved the dual perspectives and the dual time periods. I loved seeing Cam and Vee get together and then unravel what went so desperately wrong. I liked trying to puzzle together Cam's past and how that changed him. I loved the song writing moments. I loved the band moments. I love how the book ended - it was fantastic. A seriously great debut; I can't wait to read what Jessica Pennington comes up with next!

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: I won an ARC on Twitter
Date Released: April 24th

Library Recommendation: It's perfect for this year's summer reading theme. Grab this one for your public library and watch it fly off the shelf.

Review: Girl out of Water

Anise can't wait to spend the last summer before senior year hanging out with her friends and surfing. She feels most at home by the ocean, so much so that she isn't considering leaving for college. But when her aunt is in a serious accident, her father decides that they will both spend the summer in Nebraska helping out.

Anise isn't pleased with this situation.She's going to miss so much time with her friends and the waves. Sure, she wants to be good and help take care of her cousins, but she also wants her own summer.

Taking care of three kids isn't easy, but luckily their town has a skate park where they hang out most days. Anise gets suckered into learning how to skate with a bet from Lincoln. Could skating help her overcome her loneliness and make the time go by?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I loved the surfing and the skating parts. I enjoyed watching Anise struggle while she tried to not follow in the footsteps of her mother who leaves everyone behind. I loved her moments with Lincoln (a diverse character). I really liked her moments with her cousins - both the twins and Emery. I like that both Lincoln and Anise had baggage but they were able to look past it. i like how they were able to tell each other the truth about themselves. A great summer romance with family and friendship drama while trying to figure out your path in life. 

Cover Thoughts: Great - I get it more after reading the book
Source: ARC sent for review.
Library Recommendation: A great book for your library - sporty romance.

Review: One Silver Summer

 After the death of her mother, Sass travels to England to live her the uncle she's never known. She's not having the best summer, until she meets a silver horse in a field. But the horse isn't alone - there's a boy.

Alex isn't thrilled about the trespassing American on his property. But then he realizes she doesn't have a clue to his true identity. It gives him to time to just be normal.

The more time they spend together, the harder they fall for each other. But the truth has to come out sometime and when it does, it will change everything.

My Thoughts: I'm a sucker for both horse stories and stories about royals, so this was right up my alley. And I really enjoyed it. I loved the moments when they went riding. I love the Countess meeting Sass and their moments together. I liked the moments between Sass and her uncle and how they started to become a family. And of course I loved the romance!

Cover Thoughts: Charming
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Purchase for horse loving teens in need of a fun summer romance

Adult Review: Some Kind of Wonderful

 * Puffin Island book 2 *

Brittany always found sanctuary on the island. As a child, she found comfort in the small community, comfort in her grandmother's love, and comfort in the freedom the island provided.

Now she's back with a broken heart and unsure about her future. She's hoping that the island can work it's magic on her once again. But never in a million years did she expect Zach to be on the island again.

As a teenager, she fell hard for him. They married, but when he walked out on their marriage, he broke her heart. As much as she wants to hate him, the sparks between them are still there. Can she give him a second chance?

My Thoughts: I loved the first book of this trilogy and was so happy to stumble across the British version of book 2 at my library. I loved this one just as much. I love the three best friend and how they each come to the island to figure out their lives. I love the smallness of the island and how gossip spreads like wildfire. I love the casseroles appearing on your doorstep. In this book, I loved the idea of second chances. I loved the camp and how young kids need hope in their lives. I loved learning more about Zach's past and how he overcame the odds. I liked his relationship with his new family.

Cover Thoughts: Sweet
 Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: A sweet fantastic summer story that will warm your heart.

SummerTime Review: Nantucket Blue

Books perfect for the beach or to read by the pool

Cricket and Jules are almost like sisters - they spend so much time together. Cricket's beyond excited when she's invited to spend the summer with Jules and her family in Nantucket.

Then suddenly, Jules's mother dies, devastating both girls. Cricket tries to be there for her BFF, but Jules pushes her away. She also rescinds the summer invitation, saying it's a time for just family.

Cricket decides to take on a baby-sitting job on the island, just in case Jules needs her. Once she arrives, she discovers that the job is no longer available. She lands on her feet with the cleaning job at a nearby hotel.

Jules had no interest in her, but Cricket remains. Soon she's getting into a routine and enjoying herself despite the broken friendship.  Instead, she begins to fall for a guy - one who's off limits to her - a guy that if Jules knew about, would cause further damage to her friendship. Does it matter what your BFF thinks if you're not friends anymore?

My Thoughts: The perfect summer book that features friendship drama and romance. I love how most of the book focused on the friendship between the two girls - how they were there for each other - what went wrong- and if their friendship can be fixed. The friendship was full of misunderstanding and betrayals and broken hearts. I really enjoyed the quirky secondary characters that Cricket meets at the hotel. I liked the romance and how it changed things. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel featuring the following summer.

Cover Thoughts: I like it, but I wish it had been two girls instead of a romance cover
Source: My Library

SummerTime Adult Review: Suddenly Last Summer

Books perfect for the beach or to read by the pool

Elise loves her job and her life in Vermont, especially after Jackson saved her. She would do anything for the Snow Crystal resort - but staying away from Sean O'Neil might not be an option.

Sean O'Neil loves being a doctor. He's happy in Boston saving lives, but he's worried about his grandfather. Ever since his father died - the two of them haven't seen eye to eye. He's been avoiding his family and home. When his grandfather's health takes a turn for the worse, Sean finds himself returning home more and more - and it's not all bad.

My Thoughts: I adored the first book in the series, Sleigh Bells in the Snow and waited for this one ever since. I love hearing Elise talk about food and create food - even though it made my stomach growl. I love how she uses food to bring people closer together.  I love the family togetherness of the O'Neils - the banter, the loyalty, the friendship, and the drama. Snow Crystal resort seems liked the perfect place to spend a vacation - in any of the four seasons. As a Vermont girl, it made me long for home and the green mountains or to disappear down a dirt road for a while.

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Review: My Life Next Door

Sam's mom always put down the family next door - forbidding her daughters to have anything to do with them. To Sam, who watches them over the years, they seem like a perfect messy family - a far cry from her own stark house.

One day, while she's on the roof spying, one of the boys climbs up next to her. He's also 17, but since he goes to the public school, she doesn't know him. He intrigues her.

A few days later, she walks down their driveway to chat. It's the beginning of a beautiful secret relationship - until the unthinkable happens.

My Thoughts: I loved the dreamy feel to this summer romance. I love that Jase was the boy from next door and from a huge messy, funny, happy family. Most of all, I loved his family and wanted to spend time with them myself. I loved the how the romance blossomed and deepened. The climax through me for a loop, I wasn't expecting that. It made me angry and sad. Besides Jase's family, I didn't really like the secondary chracters. I was not a fan of Sam's mother. I wanted her to be more caring and not a perfectionist. I also didn't care for Tracey or Nan, but I found myself liking Tim after a while. I couldn't stand Clay; he made my skin crawl. He did show an interesting side of politics.  Overall, a great summer romance that reminded me of a Sarah Dessen book.

Cover Thoughts: Perfect
Source: My Library

Review: All I Need

Skye met the last night of summer. They had a perfect day together and planned to meet at the fountain the next morning to say goodbye and exchange digits. Only Seth never made it. He left Skye a note, which she never saw.

Skye keeps thinking of him during the next school year - wondering if he feels the same. They spend the next year just waiting for summer.

When it finally arrives - they find each other again. Sparks fly. With Skye still in high school and Seth in college, can they make their relationship work?

My Thoughts: I really loved this summer romance! I loved the multiple perspectives and knowing what each character thought.  I liked the differences in their relationship: age, family background, and friends - how each of these made them stronger as a couple but also caused havoc in their relationship. I love how the book started with summer and ended in summer - it was different than I thought it would be. I imagined this book was a summer romance that started and ended in three months. I liked that I was wrong - it makes the book a little unique. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: my Library

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is Top Ten Favorite Book Covers. I'm going to talk about my top ten summer romance covers. It's hard not to judge a cover, but I love the covers that make me wish I was there. - enjoying the sun, the waves, and the magic.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Picture Perfect

Sleepaway Girls

Boys Next Door

Drive Me Crazy

Along for the Ride

Five Summers

We'll Always Have Summer

My Life Next Door

All I Need

This is What Happy Looks Like

Review: How Zoe Made her Dreams (Mostly) Come True

Zoe and her cousin become interns at Fairyland Kingdom.  Jess has her heart set on being a Princess, but Zoe's just amazed that she was accepted in the first place. It's been a rough couple of years, following the death of her mother. Jess has been with her every step of the way. Together, they imagine a summer filled with fun. 

Jess doesn't win the coveted Princess role, leaving her a very small chance of winning the $25,00 scholarship. Zoe isn't given a cast role, instead she's a Lady-in-Waiting for the Queen. She's the Queen's minion. 

She learns very early in the summer tips and tricks to make the Queen happy. She tries to obey at all times, even though she doesn't agree with the policies. It hardly makes her popular with the other interns. Still she tries hard to make everything run smoothly. If only she could figure out the identity of the boy who rescued her as he could be her Prince Charming. 

My Thoughts: Full Confession - I read this one day when I needed something happy and cheerful. It was just what I needed! I loved this book; I devoured it. I loved the "insiders" tips on the casts. I liked how the accommodations were different for the various cast levels. I like how the princes have access to an exclusive perfume. I liked learning all the rules the cast members have to obey. I liked watching Zoe try to figure out ways to thwart the rules while making sure the park runs smoothly. I also enjoyed her try to figure out the identity of her prince charming. I loved her interactions with Jess. All in all, a great fun read that made my heart happy. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library