Tag: contemporary

In The Mood For Pen Pal Romance or Enemies-to-Lovers? — Dear Aaron and From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata {Mini Book Reviews}

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Santos series by Mariana Zapata review

And the romance binge continues!

Though I’m usually a fantasy kind of girl, for the past few weeks I’ve been binging romance books like crazy. And in the midst of this romance binge, I discovered a new-to-me author called Mariana Zapata. An author who’s apparently known for her slow-burn romances. HELLO, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? It only got better when I discovered one of her books featured a pen pal romance and another an enemies-to-lovers trope. I can’t help it, I am drawn to those tropes like crazy so obviously I immediately purchased them, listened to both of them on audiobook and had some thoughts, so please check out my mini reviews below!

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Blog Tour: If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann {ARC Review & Give-Away}

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IfItMakesYouHappyTourBanner-2

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the If It Makes You Happy Blog Tour!

As a huge fan of Claire Kann’s Let’s Talk About Love, I was beyond thrilled to have been chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour for her new book If It Makes You Happy, and to receive an advance copy to read and review. So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

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Blog Tour: Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen {ARC Review & Give-Away}

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FakeItTillYouBreakItTourBanner

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the Fake It Till You Break It Blog Tour!

As a huge supporter of the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes, I fell in love with Fake It Till You Break iIt as soon as I heard about it. I needed to get my hands on it ASAP and luckily for me I was chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour and received an advance copy to read and review.

So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

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Blog Tour: Going Off Script by Jen Wilde {ARC Review & Give-Away}

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GoingOffScriptTourBanner

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the Going Off Script Blog Tour!

As a big fan of Jen Wilde’s previous novel, Queens of Geek, obviously Going Off Script has been on my TBR from the moment it has been announced. And I’ve been so lucky to have been chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour and to receive an advance copy to read and review. So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

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Sweet & Steamy Gender-Swapped Pretty Woman — The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang {Book Review}

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The Kiss Quotient by Helen HoangTitle: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Adult – Contemporary – Romance

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 4 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…
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A Four-Step Guide On How To Get Lindsey To Read A Book About Soccer — Running With Lions by Julian Winters {Book Review}

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Running With Lions by Julian WintersTitle: Running With Lions
Author: Julian Winters
Publisher: Duet Books
Release Date: June 7th, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 3,5 stars
My rating in words: I liked it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Bloomington High School Lions’ star goalie, Sebastian Hughes, should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing and he’s got a coach who doesn’t ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood best friend Emir Shah shows up to summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team’s success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir’s trust. But to Sebastian’s surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town’s streets, and bonding on the weekends sparks more than just friendship between them.

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Don’t You Know Who You Are, You’re My Shooting Star — Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett {Book Review}

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Starry Eyes by Jenn BennettTitle: Starry Eyes
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 3rd, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4,5 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

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Fandom, Friendship and Anxiety — I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman {Book Review}

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I Was Born For This by Alice OsemanTitle: I Was Born For This
Author: Alice Oseman
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: May 3rd, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4,5 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world.

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

Because that’s the problem with dreaming – eventually, inevitably, real life arrives with a wake-up call. And when Angel and Jimmy are unexpectedly thrust together, they will discover just how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

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Boys, Religion, Writing and Love — Autoboyography by Christina Lauren {Book Review}

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Autoboyography by Christina LaurenTitle: Autoboyography
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 5 stars
My rating in words: New all-time favorite

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

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Our Fave Fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore — Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli {Book Review}

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Leah on the Offbeat by Becky AlbertalliTitle: Leah on the Offbeat
Author: Becky Albertalli
Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Release Date: April 24th, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary

Goodreads link

My rating in stars: 4 stars
My rating in words: Really liked it

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.

When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.

So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

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