GRACE GROWS: SHELLE SUMNERS

I will say right off that I can see some people not enjoying this book as much as I did. It kind of goes on and on and in quite a bit of detail. But for me I just got sucked in right away to the details and enjoyed this very much. I do think it is stronger in the beginning as our two main characters meet and grow close together. There is a distinct plot point where I thought the whole story slowed down, but by then I was so invested I was still a happy reader. For me, I related to the whole idea of being afraid to really fall in love and get hurt like the MC, so I liked Grace very much.

BOOK BLURB:

Grace Barnum’s life is precariously balanced on sensible choices and uncomfortable compromise. She dutifully edits textbooks that, she  fears, may be more harmful than helpful to kids. She is engaged to a patent attorney who is steady and reliable. She has a cautious relationship with her  fascinating father, a renowned New York painter, and she prefers her mom slightly drunk.

Always a planner, Grace feels prepared for most eventualities. Until the responsibility-challenged Tyler Wilkie shows up. Fresh in town from the Poconos, Tyler has warm eyes, a country drawl, and a smile that makes Grace drop things. Worst of all, he writes devastating songs. About her.

Tyler reaches something in Grace, something she needs, but can't admit to. Something she wants, but won't succumb to. Tyler Wilkie loves Grace Barnum and ruins everything.  And Grace grows.

A great easy read with a little bit of swearing, and sex scenes that aren't in extreme detail. Read more about it HERE.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US: KASIE WEST

I really want to champion this book, especially since the first Goodreads review is scathing. I adored this. It is just a plain clean, fun love story...the perfect little romance book. Kasie West wrote characters that made me smile and swoon. Including fleshed out fun and interesting secondary characters. The story line was so enjoyable and kept me turning the pages without having the crazy over the top drama that is so popular today. Also it has been a few books ago that I read it, but I believe it is completely clean, void of any bad language. So if you are old with kids (like me), you would feel perfectly fine letting your kiddo read this book (not that she can read yet, but still...one day.)

BOOK BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Read more about it HERE.

SUMMER GIVEWAY HOP: SIGNED COPY OF ON LITTLE WINGS

I have shared this book before, back when it was a little self published book on Amazon. Since then it has won the Amazon Breakthrough award which means now it is a beautiful published book. I was excited to meet Regina this past month when she came through Utah to sign some books. She was a really wonderful, humble, well spoken person. I enjoyed meeting her very much and also loved getting a signed book for me and one for my blog.

If you ever wanted to spend summer in Maine with your long lost aunt and meet people who will change your life in unexpectied ways then you'll love this read.

BOOK BLURB:

Jennifer is an only child, and so were her parents—at least that's what she thinks, until she finds an old photo in the back of one of her mother's books. The woman in the photo looks just like Jennifer, down to the smattering of freckles across her nose. And her mother refuses to talk about it.

Compelled to find answers, Jennifer embarks on a quest that takes her from the wheat fields of Nebraska to the fishing town of Smithport, Maine, home to the one person who can help her solve this family secret—the woman in the photo. But Jennifer learns that it takes the entire village of Smithport to piece together the story of her mother's hidden past. She needs help from Nathan, the genius with the reluctant smile from across the cove; Little, the elderly town matriarch and former movie star; and The Jacks, three weathered fishermen who dabble in pyrotechnics. As Jennifer discovers the lost chapters of her mother's life, she unwittingly begins to write a few chapters of her own.

Elegantly written, On Little Wings is an evocative debut novel about self discovery, first love, and the power of family

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LOVE AT FIRST CLICK: ELIZABETH CHANDLER

I feel kind of silly recommending this because it is kind of one dimensional and just a basic and maybe predictable love story. But I really enjoyed it, I honestly couldn't put it down. It has been awhile since I read something uncomplicated and simple that sucked me in like this. 

BOOK BLURB:

I could no longer deny what the heat in my cheeks meant when I was around Flynn. I was falling for my sister's boyfriend.

There's just something about Flynn. Yes, he's a tall, unbelievably gorgeous, dark-haired football player, but . . . he's also sweet and nice and super easy to talk to. It's lucky I'm the photographer for the school paper, because my camera likes Flynn almost as much as I do. Unfortunately for me, so does my sister, and there's no way I can nab Flynn with her in the picture.

But could this be the real thing?

Growing up with a sister that drew boys to her as easily as I seemed to repel them, I related to this book a lot. It is short and clean and would probably mostly enjoyed by a younger audience. But I'm in my thirties and I still liked it. You can read more about it HERE.

IF YOU FIND ME: EMILY MURDOCH

So, out of all the horrible abusive childhood books I have read, this tells the, hands down, worst story I have ever read. How Murdoch manages to tell this story and still have it feel hopeful and full of some joy is seriously a literary miracle. Beautiful poetic prose without feeling too stuffy or just plain too much. An absolutely amazing debut.

BOOK BLURB:

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

This is a pretty clean read, but it has some very mature moments concerning rape, drugs, and parental abuse. Read more about this HERE.

GOLDEN: JESSI KIRBY

As far as I'm concerned Jessi Kirby has just gotten better with each book. I like each of them more than the last. This is a romantic story within a story, and I loved it from the beginning. Sometimes the main character gets too introspective, but overall this is really well thought out and executed nicely. So far, one of the only 2013 YA releases that stand out to me.

BOOK BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Overall a clean read with a few scattered swear words. Read more about it HERE.

LOVE IS IN BLOOM GIVEAWAY HOP: SIGNED COPY OF ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS

For this hop I am thrilled to giveaway one SIGNED copy of my all time favorite YA romance Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. She is in Utah this week and I am getting my books signed tonight and I'll be getting another one to give a way to one lucky reader.

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