The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

The Summer After You and Me

by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
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Published by: Sourcebooks Fire - May 5, 2015
Genre: YA, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn't just the perfect summer escape, it's home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her coastal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can't help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper.

Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy's summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.

I love a good summer tale, especially when the previous summer ended in conflict between the MCs. This quick-read YA novel fit the bill.

Lucy grew up on the Jersey shore with her parents and twin brother Liam. There's growing tension between her and Liam just as there is with her ex best friend Meghan. Then there's Connor - the boy of her summer dreams - the one she spent an intense few hours with - the boy who never called her again.

This summer Lucy is back and ready to face her fears, her enemies, and the truth about it all.

TTT: Top 5 Debuts of 2015

From the Broke & the Bookish
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Top 5 Debuts of 2015!
1. Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay - Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride.

2. Like It Never Happened by Emily Adrian - Can you say theatre-themed book?

3. Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira - When Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. I was totally a band geek who played clarinet AND brought a book to slumber parties, much to the chagrin of my friends. lol.

4. Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper - I've gone. I've never seen the water, so I've gone there. I will try to remember to come back. Etta's greatest unfulfilled wish, living in the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan, is to see the sea. And so, at the age of eighty-two she gets up very early one morning, takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 2,000 miles to water.

5. When Reason Breaks by Cindy L Rodriguez - Two different teens struggling with trauma come together over their love of Emily Dickinson. Emily's poetry has gotten me through a few hard times too, especially this one.

The In Between by Olivia Pierce

The In Between
by Olivia Pierce
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Published by: Full Fathom Five - November 12, 2014
Genre: YA, Romance, Death, Supernatural
Rating: 3.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tara Jenkins and Justin Westcroft used to be childhood BFFs. Now in high school, Justin’s a popular, all-star athlete, and Tara spends her days admiring him from afar. But when Tara saves Justin from nearly drowning in a freak accident, he’s unable to get her out of his mind. In no time at all, Tara and Justin fall deeply in love. And even though it’s only high school, they seem destined for a Happily Ever After.

Until tragedy strikes—and this time, Justin’s not so lucky. Tara passes through her days as a shell of her former self: Justin’s dead, but she can still feel his presence, and she can’t seem to let him go.

But there’s a reason for that, and it’s not just grief: Justin is In Between, and he’s still holding on.

They say that when someone saves you, you’re tied to them for life. But what about in the afterlife?

I love reading young adult books even though I'm 37, but this one, and those of it's kind, are a bit too young for me. As someone with a lot of life experience, it was really hard for me to believe the whole 180 Justin did and believe just how "in love" and inseparable he and Tara became in just a short time. Yes, there was a back story friendship. Yes, young love is intense. But, I just didn't feel it. Due to this, it was hard for me to understand why Justin couldn't let go of Tara in the "In Between."

I think that if you're a younger teen, you'll love this book and see it for the romance it's meant to be. It just wasn't right for me.

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

Obsidian (Lux novel #1)
by Jennifer Armentrout
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Published by: Entangled Teen - May 8, 2012
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Rating: 4 Stars

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring...until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Books like this are evil! A well-written, entertaining first book in a series that also contains just the right amount of heat? How can I not buy the second installment?! Since reading the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, I've been hoping another YA series would peak my interest, but figured that was impossible. While I like to read young adult stand alone books, I find a lot of young adult series to be a bit too immature for my taste (which is totally fine since I'm a 30-year-old!). Years before picking up VA, I tried to read about 3 chapters of Twilight and couldn't stomach it for many reasons. I almost didn't try VA because I heard they were similar. Not so. I also read that the Lux series was exactly like Twilight only with aliens, and although I can't definitively say there are no similarities (since I never read Twilight nor watched any of the movies), I really loved Obsidian. Even though it is a young adult novel, it was written with maturity. The characters were full of personality, whether positive or negative, and made me feel things.

Daemon is a total *ss for most of the book, but you soon learn why. Katy isn't as strong a protagonist as Rose from VA, but she is still a unique person. She isn't a sterotypical high school archtype like a queen bee or a nerd. She's herself and a formidable opponent to Daemon. Dee is the only other alien we get to know well in the first book, but I suspect the Thompson triplets will come into play in the other books.

The first book introduces the reader to the Lux, their enemies the Arum, and the main characters. I downloaded the next book, Onyx, and am getting ready to read it right now!

Five Summers by Una LaMarche

Five Summers
By Una LaMarche
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Published by: Razorbill - May 16, 2013
Genres: YA, Summer Camp
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Four best friends, five summers of camp memories
Emma, Skylar, Jo, and Maddie have all come back to camp for a weekend of tipsy canoe trips to the island, midnight skinny dipping in the lake, and an epic game of capture the flag—boys versus girls. But the weekend isn't quite as sunwashed as they'd imagined as the memories come flooding back. . . .

The summer we were nine: Emma was branded “Skylar’s friend Emma” by the infamous Adam Loring . . .

The summer we were ten: Maddie realized she was too far into her lies to think about telling the truth . . .

The summer we were eleven: Johanna totally freaked out during her first game of Spin the Bottle . . .

The summer we were twelve: Skylar’s love letters from her boyfriend back home were exciting to all of us—except Skylar . . .

Our last summer together: Emma and Adam almost kissed. Jo found out Maddie’s secret. Skylar did something unthinkable . . . and whether we knew it then or not, five summers of friendship began to fall apart.

I'm a sucker for camp-centered YA novels. Although I've never been to camp, I did spend 2 summers doing summer stock in MA living with 90 people on 1 compound. Felt like camp to me!

I wanted a little bit more than I got with this novel. I wanted more depth of character from each of the girls. It was easy to guess what their secrets were . . . but it was still a nice read. I just wanted more.

The Opposite of Love by Sarah Lynn Scheerger

The Opposite of Love
By Sarah Lynn Scheerger
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Published by: Albert Whitman & Co - September 1, 2014
Genres: YA
Rating: 2.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rose is the wild girl nobody really knows. Chase is haunted by his past. Both are self-proclaimed “disappointments,” attracted to each other enough to let down their defenses. When Rose’s strict, adoptive parents forbid the relationship, it only makes things more intense. But Chase can’t hide from his own personal demons, and Rose has secrets of her own. After they’re wrenched apart, a cryptic email arrives in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, beginning a desperate pursuit and a look back over their tumultuous romance. Will they find each other before the night is over, or will they be torn apart forever?

I was excited to read this book and it was pretty good for the first half. That's when things fell short for me. The "surprise" twist wasn't a surprise. And Rose became more whiny than I wanted. It turned me off. While the premise was good, it just didn't resonate for me. I felt it could've been written differently and more effectively.