Saturday, May 31, 2014

LOVE AND OTHER FOREIGN WORDS: ERIN McCAHAN


This is the book I have been looking foward to for years, and I am not exaggerating YEARS. Erin's first book is featured along with my smiling kissy face in my goodreads photo, that is how much I loved her first book. I so want other people to find her work and love it too. I was equal parts excited and nervous to finally get this book in my hands...what if it just wasn't as good as her debut? I am happy to announce it was better.

So smart, so delightful, so special. I loved it. It featured my favorite kind of character which is a loveable and flawed person that thinks so differently from the rest of the boring world. It took me a bit to get the flow of the way she talks, but soon I couldn't get enough.

Also, I don't think I will ever think of the specific way I talk (or my language) the same after reading this book. I felt like I leaned a different life language just by reading it.

BOOK BLURB:
Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands.


Just like with her previous book it is a clean and sweet read along with being smart and funny. Please check it out! You can read more about it HERE.

Friday, May 30, 2014

TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE: JENNY HAN


I keep putting off sharing that I read and loved this book, and I need to before it gets too late. I honestly wouldn't have read this until the second book came out (I just hate waiting for the conclusion to Jenny Han books), but I read this because Jenny came to Utah and I got to meet her and try not to act like a crazy adult who loves her (which I am). It was one of my favorite readings, usually when an author reads out loud from their books I have a hard time staying focused. But Jenny was hilarious and her voice added so much to the character in this book that I already really loved.

The book wasn't what I expected and I just adored it.

BOOK BLURB:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

Guess what?! I have a signed copy I will be giving away in the future, so look out for that darlings!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

OPEN ROAD SUMMER: EMERY LORD

This was a bit of a slow start for me, but once it got going I was completely hooked. Great full of life characters, fun swoony romance, true best friends...a great read. It also has some really beautiful lines that take you by surprise sometimes because the writing isn't overly flowery or trying to hard. I don't know, kind of the best kind of summer read.

BOOK BLURB:
After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

A tiny bit of swearing, plenty of kissing but nothing more, our MC has a bad past, but her story is handled in a non-watered down yet sweet way. You can read more about it HERE.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the read.