Review: THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US by Samantha Young

THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US

by Samantha Young

Publication Date: June 27, 2017

Published by Harlequin Teen

Pages: 384

Source: INKSlingerPR | Netgalley

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Synopsis

I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever… 

My Thoughts

I LOVED IT!!

THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US is about the the secrets we keep to protect ourselves. It's about the secrets we keep to protect the ones we love. 

Friends have recommended several books by Samantha Young to me, but this is the first that I picked up. The fact that it is her young adult debut may have had something to do with that. I didn't even finish the entire synopsis before I decided this is a book I wanted to read. I thought the cover was cute - my eyes were drawn to the three people under the umbrella, but it was the title that really piqued my curiosity. What was the Impossible Vastness? This is what I needed to know.

What I liked:

• The portrayal of combining the families from different backgrounds - and the relationship between India and Eloise as they learn how to become stepsisters
• The many moments of honest vulnerability - these feelings was captured perfectly
• The massive amount of compassion and forgiveness and the willingness to understand motives and acceptance of the ones we love
• Eloise!! Finn!! India!! - these characters grabbed a hold of my heart

With the many characters and their secrets, there was a lot going on, but it never felt like it was too much or that the story was overworked. We have many experiences simultaneously which we deal with, so why wouldn't that be the same for the characters. It just served as a reminder that being a teenager can be hard.

Favorite Quotes:

"A boy like that needs someone to shake him up a little. You’re so good at shaking people up.” - There's just something about India that makes others take notice.

"Not only had I moved across the country, I’d moved into a freaking Jane Austen novel." - This made me laugh out loud. India is so out of her element, in a world of money, formality, and etiquette and obligation that almost seems of a different time.

"Life is what you make it, no matter where you come from.” - This rings for true for many of the characters. They just need to realize they can make their own destiny.

"He gave me the things that would last long after everything else faded to an end." - 💗💗💗

What surprised me the most:

This story made me cry. A tender, but significant moment snuck up on me and the next thing I knew I was crying. 

Oh how I LOVED this book. (I'm afraid this review didn't do it justice.) India and Finn and Eloise prove that we are capable of more than we ever imagined - love, understanding, forgiveness, compassion. It's in all of us. THE IMPOSSIBLE VASTNESS OF US is by far one of my favorite young adult contemporary reads of this year!

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC from INKSlingerPR in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Quotes are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may differ from the final published version. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

About Samantha Young:

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook& hardback June 2017

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

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Summer Reread: BLUE by Lisa Glass

I recently reread one of my favorite summer books, BLUE by Lisa Glass. I read this book three years ago and I loved it just as much this time around as I did the first. When I'm not reading books to review this summer, I hope to fit in more of my favorites like this one!

Blue

by Lisa Glass

Publication Date: June 5, 2014

Published by Quercus Books

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

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Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris's world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.

Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.

But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit..

My Thoughts

 

(originally posted June 10, 2014)

If you are looking for that one book to kick off your summer reading, Blue by Lisa Glass is the book you should pick up. With Iris and Zeke meeting in a yoga class, in an awkward, but compromising position, there is instant attraction between these two. It drew me in, that's for sure. Both Iris and Zeke are sporty and exude a level of confidence that made them want to know each other more. And as the reader, I wanted to know too.

While there is an immediate attraction and Iris and Zeke are drawn to each other, there is no insta-love here. Readers who are leery about insta-love stories can rest easy as you get to see the characters get to know each other and experience the friendship that begins to turn into more. But both Zeke and Iris are guarded and we begin to understand that their love story might not be so simple after all. 

There were instances in Blue that took the story in a more serious direction than I ever expected. It tackles some serious issues (which I can't mention because they can be plot spoilers), and does so in a way that keeps the story from becoming overwhelmed by them. 

There are many things that I loved about this book:

• the friendship between Iris and her best friend, Kelly - this added a lot of humor to the book
• the relationship between Zeke and his brother (and the rest of his family) - this explained a lot about Zeke
• reading about Iris and how she grew into this more confident person after having her heart broken by her high-school boyfriend, Daniel
• all of the emphasis on surfing - the rules, the lingo, the surf culture, the surfing lifestyle and the freedom that the characters experienced

And I especially loved reading the descriptions of being out in the ocean and the waves - it was hypnotic. It made me yearn to be in the water.  It didn't make me what to go out and try to surf any time soon, but I could easily envision the surfers, in the water, experiencing the thrill of it all.

I fell hard for this book and Iris and Zeke and their story. I would call Blue a true summer read (although you could read it any time of the year). There are other characters in Blue who were interesting enough that their story lines could lead to their own books. I certainly hope that that happens in the future.

Disclaimer:  I received this ARC from Quercus Books  in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU by Jenny Han

P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU

by Jenny Han

Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Published by Simon and Schuster

Pages: 337

Source: Purchased

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Synopsis

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

My Thoughts

I love Lara Jean and Kitty and Peter and Stormy. Oh, how I love these characters and this story of young, first, high school love. Even though Lara Jean wrote to all the boys she loved before, I want Peter to be the true love. And I adore the portrayal of Kitty's affection for him too. I thought it was sweet that Peter and Lara Jean made some rules and had a contract for their relationship and promised to not break each other's hearts. If only it was that simple. Favorite Quotes "You gave me my first love story, Peter. Please just don’t let it be over yet." (pg. 2) "Also, why is your memory so good? You remember everything.” “It’s my gift and my curse.” (pg. 110) "When you lose someone and it still hurts, that’s when you know the love was real." (pg. 310) P.S. I Still Love You is such a sweet story - about love, betrayals, friendships, sisterhood, baking, and yes, the letters. I loved it!

Disclaimer:  I purchased a copy of this title for my personal library and am providing my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for providing this review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE LINE by Amie Knight - Excerpt and Review

THE LINE by Amie Knight has a new cover and I LOVE IT! I read THE LINE a few weeks ago and it was so good, I immediately recommended it to my friends. You can check out my review. I hope you'll take a chance on this sweet story. 

THE LINE
by Amie Knight
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Pages: 257
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Synopsis

I was a thief.
The invisible girl only he could see.
The woman who wanted to be more.

He was the mark.
The extraordinary cowboy who stole my sixteen-year-old heart.
The damaged man who still owned it, even four years later.
The Line was where we began.
Where fates collided.
Where truths derailed.
The place where our love story ends.

My Thoughts

THE LINE is a wonderful story about fate, love, and finding your truths.

There is a great amount of tenderness in THE LINE that made my heart both ache and feel full. It stirred my emotions and kept me reading well into the night. I just had to know what was going to happen between Everly and Cole.

What I loved:

• Getting the backstory of how Everly and Cole met - there was an authentic sadness that immediately made me want to read more and wish that Everly would receive her HEA
• The imagery of the peach orchard and of Preston's farm (and an awesome description of eating a juicy peach) - READ THE EXCERPT BELOW
• The gradual progression of Everly and Cole's romantic relationship 
• The many ways this story made me laugh - Everly helping to swim the horses is high on the list
• Hot times with the cowboy - yes, this has to be acknowledged, LOL!

I do wish that the cover of THE LINE gave more context to the story. While a bare chested cowboy can be nice to look at, I may not have picked up this book based on the cover alone and I would have missed out on a wonderful story. EDIT: THIS NEW COVER IS PERFECT AND IF I SAW IT I WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY PICKED THIS BOOK UP!!

Favorite Quotes:

"His voice. His stories. They were like listening to the deep timbre base of my favorite song. And I didn't want to miss a beat."

This one is sad, but I still love it: "And I knew he wanted to hold me, but there weren't enough arms in the world to hold all of my pieces."

I really enjoyed reading THE LINE. I loved it for the emotions, for the laughs, and for the friendships, and all of the love! I'm looking forward to going back and reading Knight's debut, SEE THROUGH HEART, and whatever else she writes next.

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Quotes are taken from the e-ARC and may differ from the final published version. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

READ AN EXCERPT

How could it be so damn hot at seven in the morning? I wasn't sure, but it was. Even in a thin tank, cut-off shorts, and my boots, I was melting. I stood at the top of a ladder Cole had placed against a tree so that we could reach the peaches up top. I used the rubber band on my wrist and tied my hair into a knot at the top of my head, hoping that it helped.

Cole climbed up behind me on the ladder and stood a couple of rungs below, but still, he towered over my small frame.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Yep,” I answered, even though I wasn't okay. He was so close, and that familiar earthy, smoke smell I loved almost as much as rocky road invaded my senses.

“Good.” He looked at the peaches. “Alrighty. You see the ones that have that pink color?” He motioned to a cluster of fruit in front of us.

I nodded, trying not to breathe in too much. Because Jesus, he smelled delicious.

“Those look ripe and done. The paler ones behind them don’t look ready yet.”

I nodded again, and Cole grabbed my hand. He pressed his fingers in, wrapping both of our hands around a peach. He pushed the tips of his fingers into mine at the top of the fruit, near the stem.

“Feel the give, how it feels soft there?”

I squeezed my fingers around the stem again without his help and said, “Yep. Feels softer there.”

He smiled down at me. “Good. That’s also a sign it’s ripe for picking. But be gentle. They bruise easily.”

Cole’s front pressed closer to my back, and I shivered. The way Cole taught me to do things here was pure torture. It was also outright ecstasy. I lived for these moments as much as I loathed them. Because the man was a damn tease. He’d sent me back to the big house a sweaty, panting mess more times than I could count, my panties drenched.

He gently squeezed our hands around the peach and twisted and pulled. The peach came free, my tiny hand gripped it and his big, rough hand wrapped around mine. He brought our hands to my face and pressed the peach closer to my nose.

“How does it smell?” he asked in my ear.

I wanted to say, “I don't know. I can’t smell a damn thing but your smoke and leather, and I don't want to.”

Instead, I closed my eyes. I pressed my nose right up against the peach and concentrated on the smell.

“Sweet,” I said, my eyes still closed.

Our hands moved, and I felt the peach at my lips. My heart hammered and fire raced across my skin, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.

Cole positioned himself even closer, and it seemed, in that moment, that every breath he took sucked up every bit of air in the atmosphere.

My own breath quickened, and a growl rumbled low in Cole’s chest.

“Taste it,” he whispered in my ear, his lips so close that I was sure he could taste me on them.

I opened my mouth and wrapped my lips around the fruit, the fuzzy skin tickling my lips. I bit down, and that rumble I heard from Cole made an appearance again. I moaned as I pressed my teeth to the fruit, the juicy sweetness of the peach sliding over my tongue.

“So good,” I groaned as Cole pulled our hands and the peach back. A little juice rolled down my chin and I attempted to lift my free hand to wipe it.

“I got it,” Cole said, brushing his hand over my chin, slowly picking the juice up with his finger, and ever-so-Goddamn-enticingly placing his finger in his mouth before sucking it clean like it was the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth.

“Delicious,” he said, his hooded eyes on mine as he popped his finger out of his mouth.

And f**k me. I swayed on that ladder, my own eyes closing as I willed my cowboy to kiss me with every breath I took. I made myself only will this about once a day, so I thought I was doing pretty good.

He brought our hands holding the peach to his mouth. He wrapped his mouth around it, his lips brushing my fingers, and I felt it deep in my core. I pressed my thighs together and swallowed a moan.

“Perfect,” he said, staring into my eyes. He held my gaze for a moment more before shaking his head and letting my hand, which was still clasped around the peach, go. Then he stepped off the ladder like he hadn't just made sweet, sweet love to that peach with his mouth right here in front of me.

I watched him walk off to another tree, place a ladder against it, and climb up like nothing in the world had happened. I kicked the rung of the ladder and turned back to the tree. Damn peach molester.

About the Author:

Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma's books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn't reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to '90s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can't imagine living anywhere other than the South.

Connect with Amie:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoramieknight

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authoramieknigh

Instagram: www.instagram.com/amie_knight

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/amieknight

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Amie-Knight/e/B01N01F24V

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Review: I'M NOT IN THE BAND by Amber Garza

I'M NOT IN THE BAND

by Amber Garza

Publication Date: June 12, 2017

Published by Entangled Teen (Crush)

Source: Publisher | Netgalley

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Synopsis

I like Kassidy Milton. There, I said it. She’s funny, beautiful—even though she doesn’t know it—and my favorite kind of weird. But I can’t tell if she’s into me or just trying to get close to me for a chance with my famous twin brother instead. I mean, it has to be me. I am the better-looking one.

But Kassidy has some demons, and she’s not good at letting people in. That happens when you’ve been hurt by someone close to you. I can relate. Trust is a funny thing; it’s hard to gain but easy to lose. I might just learn that the hard way.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book includes a snarky heroine, a swoon-worthy hero, crazy best friends, your favorite music, and lots of feels.

My Thoughts

When a book starts out with the characters going to a concert, then it is my kind of book.

I love the cover and the title of I'M NOT WITH THE BAND. Both of those things attracted me to this book and played a huge part in my desire to read it.

Even though the book isn't about the guy in the boy band,  there is a love of music and some silly attempts at rap to woo the girl.

What I liked:

• I like that I'M NOT IN THE BAND is a short quick read. Sometimes that is exactly what you need.
• I liked the hashtags and the Facebook status updates and the texts. There were a fun way to share the story and catch up with the characters.
• The storyline of being accepted for who we are and not who we know and who are our best friends. Kassidy and Archer need authentic friendships.
• When their friends give them advice. It's as though Kassidy and Archer can't see what's in front of them and they get in their own way.  
• All of the brotherly banter

Favorite Quote:

 "I'm not the lead singer of the biggest boy band in the country. Social media's all I have. Don't take this from me." - Just some of Archer's wit. And YES! He posts everything going on in his life.

I'M NOT IN THE BAND by Amber Garza is sweet and sensitive and full of funny wit. It's another great addition to Entangled Crush. 

Disclaimer:  I requested this e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: MY BEST FRIEND'S EX by Meghan Quinn

MY BEST FRIEND'S EX

by Meghan Quinn

Publication Date: June 1, 2017

Pages: 405

Source: WordSmith Publicity

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Synopsis

When I found an eviction notice taped on my apartment door, I had two options: find a comfortable cardboard box to call home, or move in with Tucker Jameson. 

Seeing that cardboard makes me feel itchy, I chose the latter. Which shouldn't be that big of a deal since Tucker is one of my good friends. And because he's still pining after his ex-girlfriend and I'm trying to finish my nursing degree, there is nothing to worry about in the romance department, making my last semester an easy one to conquer.

Boy, was I wrong. 

Rules are set, dinners are made, conversations are had, and a shirtless, swoony roommate walks around in nothing but a pair of black briefs, ruining me for every other man. 

Before I know it, I turn into a panting, lust-filled woman begging for Tucker to kiss me, touch me, and show me exactly what is hiding under those briefs. 

But with great orgasms, comes great consequences. 

Tucker might be my friend and roommate but he’s also my best friend's ex-boyfriend, making him completely off-limits. At least that's what my brain is telling me, my heart is speaking an entirely different language.

My Thoughts

MY BEST FRIEND'S EX sure did make me laugh. It was fun, sexy, silly - sometimes a little over the top, but I enjoyed reading the latest novel from Meghan Quinn. With all of the laughs I had, I did like the serious, more intimate moments.

I loved that Emma and Tucker had a history of friendship. There was an immediate comfortableness between them because they knew each other from high school. Yet they didn't know everything, so there was this period of discovery and getting to know each other on a deeper level. Tucker wasn't just the hometown heart breaker and Emma was more than the caregiver/party mom to her friends.

What I liked:

• When Tucker and Emma make the house rules - and Tucker's in depth interpretation of the rules
• Discovering a new drinking game - Beauty Parlor. I may be too old to play, but it sure would be fun to witness
• All of the fun teasing, the banter, and the easiness that Emma exudes
• Experiencing Tucker's ease - the more time he spent with Emma, his worries lessened and he began to enjoy life again 

Favorite Quote:

"The kiss. How can I even describe it? It's the defining moment of any new beginning. It can either make or break what's to happen next.
. . . The kiss, the kiss is everything, Tucker." - Emma hits it right on the nail. The first kiss is everything. And when the kissing starts, you don't want it to stop. Like Emma, readers will want MORE.

MY BEST FRIEND'S EX is the second book I've read by Meghan Quinn. It was fun and quite enjoyable. If you're looking for a book that will tug and your heart and then turn around and make you laugh yourself silly then this is a book for you!

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinnauthor

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