Title: Maybe This Time

Author: Kasie West

Pub. Date: July 9, 2019

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?

Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year’s Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.

Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn’t so bad after all . . .

Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.

This will be a spoiler free review.

This book fell flat for me. It wasn’t horrible and I did enjoy it, but I don’t think it really worked. I liked the idea of just seeing snippets of this year in Sophie’s life, but I didn’t really feel any emotional connection. I wanted to really love this book, I’ve loved a few other Kasie West books, but something about this one just didn’t do it for me. It was cute, and the way it was written was different, but I never found myself rooting for her or her and Andrew. I just felt no connection to either of them.

Though, there was one moment, when they were fighting, and something happened. It was a very iconic scene and I kind of loved that moment between them. It was perfect and easy to picture, and I loved it. But overall, I just wasn’t satisfied with them. It’s like their relationship was too easy, even with the constant bickering. Ultimately, I just think the emotional weights were off in this book. The stakes weren’t high enough, and they were resolved way too easily.

I honestly don’t know what else to say about this book. I don’t think I went in with high expectations. I mainly picked it up because I’d liked a bunch of her other books, so I guess I expected to enjoy it. I did, on a base, ‘it’s an enjoyable read, where the stakes aren’t that high, and you can breeze right through it’ kind of a way. I just don’t really feel much for this book, it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t amazing, it just was.

This isn’t going to turn me off of her books, because I’m always down for a good rom com/fluffy contemporary.

Let me know what you thought of this book, or what your favorite Kasie West book is!

Today’s Book Review is going to be formatted a bit differently, as I’m was fortunate enough to be chosen for the Blog Tour of Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute! I’m super excited and grateful that I get to be part of this (my first ever blog tour!!) and for such a good book! I loved every minute of this book and you’re going to want to pick it up as soon as possible!

If I can’t sell you on this wonderfully fantastic read, maybe these authors can –

“Tweet Cute delivers in every possible way: a perfect enemies-to-lovers romance, a whip-smart plotline, and endearingly real characters. I devoured it.” – Francesca Zappia, author of Eliza and Her Monsters

“Sweet and fun! An adorable debut that updates a classic romantic trope with a buzzy twist.” – Jenn Bennett, author of Alex, Approximately and Serious Moonlight

“A witty rom-com reinvention for the Twitter age, Tweet Cute pairs delicious online rivalry with deeply relatable insights on family pressure and growing up. This fresh, funny read had us hitting ‘favorite’ from page one.” – Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of Always Never Yours and If I’m Being Honest

Title: Tweet Cute

Author: Emma Lord

Pub. Date: January 21, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account. 

 Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time. 

All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built. 

 As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

I want to thank Netgalley and St. Martins Press for gifting me an eARC of this book and allowing me to take part in the blog tour. As always, this will be a spoiler free review, and all opinions are my own honest ones.

I went into this book expecting to really enjoy it, really like it. What I didn’t expect was to stay up until 4:30 AM grossly immersed and utterly in love with this book. I literally did not stop reading it until I hit the end, and only then did I look at the clock and think ‘shit…I have to get up in four hours’…this past Saturday was rough. The lack of sleep was totally worth it, because getting that lost in a book is the best feeling ever…even if you’re a zombie for the rest of the day.

If you’re a fan of the movie, You’ve Got Mail, or you enjoyed Tiana Smith’s How to Speak Boy or Brigid Kemmerer’s Letter’s to the Lost you aren’t going to want to miss this book. It has it all, unrequited love in an online chat room, a social media Twitter war, budding romance between two school friends and so much drama that Emma expertly weaves together to tell an engaging and funny story.

Between the snarky tweets full of memes and backtalk, to the constant ribbing between Pepper and Jack, and the near soul bearing moments between Wolf and Bluebird – you’re automatically hooked.

Speaking of Jack and Pepper, I loved them. I loved their chemistry, on and off the screen. I loved how well they complimented each other, even when they were mercilessly roasting each other. Even individually, their relationships were real, and hard, and full of overbearing parents and the pressures of trying to be a teen. Individually they deal with so much and when they come out the other side…well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out how it all ends, and where they end up. Trust me, you want to know.

Pepper has to deal with so much, and I’m amazed she was able to function. From trying to stay at the top of her class, college interviewing, Social Media managing, baking (I really want to try Monster Cake), blogging and an overbearing mother, life isn’t exactly easy for her.

Jack has similar pressures, feeling like he’s the second-best twin – forever in his golden brother’s shadow, college and what he wants to do in life, and feeling guilty about wanting things other than to take over Girl Cheesing.

Between sending snarky tweets and chatting about swimming and bearing their souls, Jack and Pepper feel like such real representations of teens. It made it really easy to relate to them. I remember the pressures of high school, and trying to figure out what my place in the world might be and how I would fit in. It’s stressful, and I think Emma captured that feeling perfectly. Especially the parts where Pepper and Jack have arguments all because of miscommunication. Emotions run high when you’re a teen and sometimes your first reaction is a bad one. They learn quickly and are able to smooth things over, so there’s that. They’re more mature than a lot of teens (lol).

I feel like I’m running out of things to say. I thought this review was going to be super easy and quick to write. I loved the book, I want everyone to read it, but I guess my thoughts are still stuck on the let me shove this book at your face and demand you read it while I scream about how much I loved it and how much you’ll love it if you give it a chance. And the characters – the setting – just everything about this book is so fun and enjoyable and you’ll love it. Trust. Me.

Yes, I know that’s so helpful, but don’t we all just want to be able to dive into a book, and forget that the real world exists for a bit and just wholly occupy our minds with something else? Isn’t that what we all strive for when reading books? For me, Tweet Cute did that. I was able to get sucked into the snarky, fun, dramatics that is Pepper and Jack’s life and I’m thrilled that everyone gets to now read it.

If you’re looking for a fun, dramatic rom com, with tweet wars, anonymous online chat friends, and romance, you’re not going to want to miss this book. You’re not going to want to miss falling in love with Jack and Pepper’s easy banter and great chemistry. Out today, so make sure you pick up your copy of Tweet Cute!

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, grilled cheese, and a whole lot of love. Her sun sign is Hufflepuff, but she is a Gryffindor rising. TWEET CUTE is her debut novel. You can find her geeking out online at @dilemmalord on Twitter.

You can also purchase your copy through this link, which will direct you to a page that lists every place it’s available for purchase! I hope you enjoy!

Buy Tweet Cute here

Title: The Bone Charmer (The Bone Charmer #1)

Author: Breeana Shields

Pub. Date: May 21, 2019

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.

This will be a spoiler free review.

UM, why didn’t y’all tell me about this book sooner? Why’d you let me sleep on it for so long?

Say hi to my second 2020 FIVE STAR READ.

Yep.

You heard me…well, read me.

Second 5 STAR READ of 2020.

I wasn’t expecting it. Hell, I figured I needed to give the book a fair shot if I was going to be moderating a signing that Brigid and Breeana would be at. I wanted to be prepared, or at least attempt preparedness.

I devoured this book in a handful of hours. I stopped when life got in the way – i.e. dinner, chores, basic needs and the act of finally printing out a picture of my dog to go in his urn (sorry, sad, I know, but it needed to finally get done). But I think I read this book in probably 4 hours total? I never wanted to put it down and fell easily back into the story each time. I was freaking hooked. Now I’m sad I finished. What am I supposed to read now?

I’ll be honest, my expectations weren’t high – mainly because I basically knew nothing and hadn’t heard much about it. I’m so glad that they were exceeded. I loved this book, the characters, the world. There were moments I dreaded and some that made me laugh, and others that shocked me. All signs of a great read.

I was about half way through and I thought I was reading the plot very well, and knew how it was going to play out.

Nope.

I was wrong.

So, so wrong.

But, like, in the best way possible.

Because what actually happens is so much better and exciting and kind of rage-y than what I anticipated. In fact, what I thought was going to happen, would have been really boring, and now I’m questing myself as a writer…just kidding…sort of.

I loved Saskia as a character, and I loved the dual realities that happen in the book. I really enjoy how events mirror themselves in both. I also liked Saskia’s character growth and how she’s basically the “Chose One” without being overly glorified. She struggles just like everyone else and using her magic does not come easy for her.

After reading a few books where once the “Chosen One” has their awakening and everting comes super easy, and they’re basically prodigies with everything, this was refreshing. I liked watching her start to grow into her powers and stopped shying away from them because of what her mother wanted.

The magic system * chef’s kiss * I loved it (do I sound like a parrot yet?) and had no trouble following it. It wasn’t overly complicated, but not so simple it felt lacking.  I thought maybe I’d be a bit put off by *bones* but as it turns out, not a problem. I thought it was really interesting how there were three different levels in being a Bone Charmer, but many levels of using the magic in bones. I also really loved the idea of the tattoos appearing – like how cool would that be?

Side note was never a fan of Declan…he was a little too, childish.

Bram on the other hand…I guess I have a thing for brooding, silent, outcasts. He needs some hugs. Lots of hugs.

I really enjoyed the growing connection between the two of them and how it started out as this child fear and trauma and then started to grow into something more and then [REDACTED] happened.

I could list out all the individual things that I enjoyed immensely about this book, but those would be spoilers, and this is spoiler free. But overall, the book just gave me this feeling of pure enjoyment and even that’s not most accurate world. I just look at the book and I have no words, but tingles build in my chest and – I’m literally tossing my hands in the air, because I either don’t have a word, or can’t think of one – but fine, enjoyment. I loved this book, the world, its characters, every little, shock, funny remark, tension filled moment. I’m already in desperate need for book 2 – I’ve already wished for it on Netgalley and I’m so glad I decided to pick this up and give it a chance.

You should too.

For sure.

Read it.

Ps. I seriously need book 2. I need to know what happens next.