Review: Through to You

Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I never wanted to break her heart. She made the decision to break her own"
This book is truly stunning! As I was writing this review, I looked back at the first pages and reread them, realizing that the end of the book completes the beginning (it sounds confusing but once you read it you will see :)). It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Penn does not know why he wrote it, and Harper is surprised by insanely hot, reliably unreliable, Penn Mattingly's attention. After Harper ditches school with Penn to escape the school nurse (who also plays in the wonderful ending), she realizes that behind his popularity, he is a real person.
Harper is constantly looking into the future, where Penn is living the present. Harper wants to attend the choreographer program at Ballard, where Penn simply wants to play baseball again. Penn and Harper are total opposites, yet they bring out the best in each other and having both of their perspectives really help to create a sense of unity between them.
"Well, even if you have a great love with him, then it will be because of me. Just think, if you hadn't been wearing that tinsel this morning...
Soon Harper and Penn hang out, have fun, talk, and make out, and things just click! Except Penn and Harper have different ideas in what a relationship entails. Harper believes in love at first sight and sweep-you-off your feet love. And Penn just goes with the flow, whatever happens, happens. If only Penn knew how to talk about his feelings because that breaks Harper and everything she thought she knew about Penn.
I probably have spoiled a lot of this book, but I surely will not spoil the end because it is truly too good to waste in this review. This book is so relatable, maybe because I'm a high school student, maybe because I have the same beliefs of love as Harper, but as Harper says, this book is real. If you are looking for a comfort, warming read, this is the one!! :)
"Take a chance on me, Harper. And I'll never hurt you again"


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Review: Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked"

Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to a gossiped outsider with scars covering her arms in one fell swoop. Even Echo herself does not remember the truth about the horrible night. Echo just wants everything to be normal with no dead brother, disappeared mother, and just to simply have a steady relationship.

"...his dark eyes met mine. His shaggy brown hair fell over them, but I could tell he was looking at me... Somehow, he made jeans and a T-shirt look dangerous. Not that I was into girl-using stoners. Yet, I took another peek at him while sipping my drink"

Noah Hutchins is a smoking-hot, girl-using loner who explodes into Echo's life with his tough attitude and warm heart. He has a past of his own; his parents died in a house fire, separating his two brothers indefinitely. Echo's world turns upside down when she starts to tutor him, and their attraction only escalates. Noah is the only one that has seen her scars, and even though Echo does not seem to believe it, they have more in common than what meets the eye. While Echo wants to remember the whole truth of her past, Noah simply wants to unite his family once again.

Noah and Echo's crazy attraction refuses to decimate, and Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and how much she will risk for true love. This book has so many feels, and it seems like real life in many aspects. One can imagine themselves in both Echo's and Noah's shoes and they both seem like real, genuine people. This book is very relatable, and it really portrays true love and what it takes to get there.

"This girl owned my soul and stole my heart. She'd opened herself to me, giving me love and never asked for anything in return. I deepened our kiss, the words I love you stuck in my mind"


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Review: Claim Me

Claim Me by J. Kenner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"An entire empire needing his attention, and yet in that moment, I am his whole world"

OH MY GOSH!!!! This book is beyond belief, beyond amazing, and simply a treasure! The lives billionaire Damien Stark and his girlfriend Nikki Fairchild continue with this gripping second novel. Nikki's nude portrait is finalized, but no one is supposed to know, especially the paparazzi, leaving her a million dollars richer. Their game ends when the portrait is done, and it has finally come to an end. Damien and Nikki are so absorbed into each other that the game never actually ends. Nikki is still tortured by her demons of her past, and her need for pain never diminishes, where the attention of the paparazzi will push her to the limit of her ability to cope. Damien also has demons, but he is a closed book and only shares his when the timing is right. He cares so much for Nikki, and when the emotions run high, they are there for each other. This book is an emotional rollercoaster, and Nikki and Damien will not stop until they have their happily ever after!

"Just one more thing. When I said you could stay? What I meant to say was I love you."

"I look right into him as he speaks, and his eyes are shining. My mouth curls up into a delighted smile, and I find mysef laughing like a child."


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Review: The Calculus of Change

The Calculus of Change by Jessie Hilb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Immediately I want him. Not because he has pierced ears. Not because he has unruly brown hair and gray-blue eyes. I want Tate Newman because he is wearing a two-toned blue handwoven yarmulke atop his head."
One simple word flipped Aden's life. Calculus. The study of change. Who knew that Tate would forever change Aden. Tate spent his summer in Israel with a group of teens on a pilgrimage and
"He's the only one in the group still wearing his yarmulke, and when I look at him, I see audacity and spirit, and I want those things in my life. I decide I want him in my life."
Once Aden decides to want Tate in her life, wanting and having Tate are two separate ordeals.

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