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.

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!

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.

HOPPY EASTER GIVEAWAY HOP: SIGNED COPY OF THE SHADOW PRINCE

I'm giving away a SIGNED COPY of the awesome new series by the darling Bree Despain.



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UNFIXABLE: TESSA BAILEY

So I've been over the whole New Adult genre for awhile now, I'm not sure what made me want to read this one, but I did...and surprise surprise...it was actually pretty good. 

It is pretty sexy (as the cover suggests), but it has some heart to it. I just really loved reading about our two lovebirds and their tension filled drama. It did take me a minute to get into this because it seemed a bit silly for my tastes at first, but I just went with it and it was a perfect mindless read. A new adult book that fits the purpose of the genre to a tee.

I haven't read any of Tessa Bailey's other books, but there are some old characters you get to see again if you like to catch up with your old flames.

BOOK BLURB:

Willa Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup,she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.

Shane Claymore just wants to race. The death of his father forced him off the Formula One circuit, but he’s only staying in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get things in order for his mother and younger sister. He never expected the sarcastic American girl staying at the inn to make him question everything.

But even as Willa and Shane’s fiery natures draw them together, their pasts threaten to rip them apart. Can Shane give up racing to be with the woman he loves, or will Willa’s quest to resurrect the tough-talking, no-shit-taking girl she used to be destroy any hope of a future together?

You can read more about it HERE. Thanks NetGalley for the read.

FOOL FOR BOOKS HOP: SIGNED COPY OF ROOMIES

For this hop, I am giving away a signed copy of Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando's book Roomies. It is signed by both authors.

I just realized I never reviewed this, so here is my review for those of you who might care to know what I think...;)

I was lucky enough to go to a book signing and hear both author's talk about the process of creating Roomies. It was really fascinating because after reading the book I almost didn't believe them when they shared how they wrote this book. Which was pretty much writing chapters to each other back and forth without planning on where the story was going. The fact that they pulled this off so seamlessly is just proof of their mutual talent.

I loved Roomies, it totally took me back to that out of high school-going to college-this is my last summer feeling. Not only was the whole mood spot on, but so was the dynamic between the soon-to-be roommates. The way they reacted to each other in both their lives and in emails was so honest and took me by surprise. Sara Zarr can really do no wrong in my eyes, and Tara Altebrando's chapters were equally delightful. A great collaboration.

BOOK BLURB:

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

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YOU HAD ME AT HELLO: MHAIRI MCFARLANE

First off, I love British Chic-Lit. It is like my favorite thing. I think it should be its own special genre. I am always disappointed at how hard it is to get some of the best Girlie British books in the hands of American gals like me. Fortunately, some books do well enough in the UK, that we finally get to read them easily here. This is one of those books. 

Now, it didn't flow as easily as I usually like. Part of it had to do with all the sassy sideline comments, which were funny. However, they were also quite British and a lot of them went over my head. In fact, sometimes when I would actually get one of the Briticisms in this book (because I do read a lot of British stuff) I would be reminded about how many of them in this book I WASN'T getting. Kind of like reading an old book with a lot of words you don't understand so you just skim over and keep plowing ahead.

Overall though this was adorable. Just my thing. And it goes back and forth in time and I didn't find it annoying like I usually do. The past/present actually worked in the book's favor and moved the plot along nicely. This story consumed me, keeping me from real life, until the last page. 

BOOK BLURB:

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart.

It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

From the moment they met they’d been a gang of two; partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on. Ben is married. Rachel is definitely not. In fact, the men in her life make her want to take holy orders…

Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

If you love David Nicholls and Lisa Jewell then this is the book for you. Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first ‘hello’.

A splattering of swearing, and talk of sex, but nothing overly descriptive. You can read more about it HERE.