Review: A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodness gracious, that is all I can say about this book! My fourth time reading it, I cried too many times to count and was awestruck on Landon and Jamie's story. Landon Carter is a senior in high school and is excited for his future. At the start of the year, instead of taking chemistry, he decides to take drama; no tests, studying or stress, perfect for Landon. Landon becomes the president at his school, and with it comes decorating for dances (which he has to attend as well). His mother offers that she would accompany him to the dance, but he decides to bring Jamie Sullivan instead. Jamie Sullivan is also a senior in high school and Landon has been in school with her since kindergarten, but they never have truly talked to one another. Also, Jamie's father is a minister at his church, and never really hit it off with Landon because he would constantly make jokes and rumors about Hegbert.

"But it wasn't just the way Jamie looked that made her different; it was also the way she acted... Jamie carried her Bible wherever she went... [and she] seemed to enjoy it in a way that was completely foreign to me"

Jamie is the girl in town that everyone (that is the adults) have a soft spot for. She rescues animals, people, and helps with anything she can do. Her most significant volunteer work though, is her work at the orphanage, which is her passion. She believes everything that happens in life is in the Lord's plan, and even the challenges come from God. She goes to the dance with Landon, and she makes him promise not to fall in love with her. Landon shrugs it off like it is no big deal and even thinks that she is kidding.

Landon and Jamie go to the dance and it does not really turn out to what he believed it would be. Landon's ex gets drunk and pukes all over the bathroom. Jamie calms her down and she and Landon take her home. Through all of the hectic night though, Jamie still thanks Landon for a fun time. :)

After the dance, Jamie asks Landon if he would play leading role in the Christmas play. He reluctantly agrees, for he doesn't want to be seen with her more than he has to. PS, the play was written by Jamie's father, and is especially significant this year because of his daughter playing the angel. Landon begins to truly play his part in the play and goes out of his way to make it that much more special for Jamie.

Anyways, so the play comes up really fast, and Landon cannot get the part right when he sees the angel (Jamie for the first time. On the opening night of the play, he sees Jamie for the first time with her hair down, a trace of glitter in her hair, and light makeup. "She looked exactly like an angel... I'd nailed that line for the very first time". After the play is said and done, Landon finally sees the beauty inside and out in Jamie. I feel like I'm spoiling the entire book because I kinda am, but there is a really emotional part that I left out because it is one of my favorite parts in the book.

"Being in love with a girl like Jamie Sullivan was without a doubt the strangest thing I'd even been through. Not only was she a girl that I'd never though about his year, but there was something different in the whole way my feelings for her had unfolded... I hadn't done any of the things that I normally did with girls, yet somehow I'd fallen in love"

I am gonna fast forward a lot, but Landon comes to the realization that he loves Jamie. After Christmas and New Years, she shares with him that she is sick, and is dying. She has leukemia, and she had known since last summer. The weeks pass and it gets colder and Jamie gets weaker and weaker. Landon reads the Bible with her everyday, and she comes to the point when she cannot go outside anymore. This is the part in which I cant stop crying, but Landon's love for Jamie is so strong at 17, and he decides to marry her. The wedding is just like Jamie imagines, and it is purely just a beautiful day. She finally succumbs to the disease, and Landon still loves Jamie with all of his heart forty some years later. This is a heck of a long review for my all time favorite book!! :)

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Review: Airports, Exes, and Other Things I'm Over

Airports, Exes, and Other Things I'm Over by Shani Petroff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a senior in high school and off to college the following year, Sari Silver couldn't be happier. She has a loving family and boyfriend, Zev. When Sari meets Zev at a party and caught him kissing his ex, their romantic Florida vacation is ruined. As an aspiring guitarist and singer, Sari uses her music to pass the hard times, and while in Florida with her Grandmother, her guitar is the cure for her broken heart.

When she gets the call that she, Sari Silver, gets to play a gig a the prodigious Meta, she does everything in her power to fly home to NYC. Mother Nature is not in her side though. A storm is brewing that cancels flights all over the country. While with her Grandmother, she meets Captain America Fitz, who also turns to be at the airport, flying back to NYU. After hours of finding flights canceled and waiting for a flight, Zev appears at the airport. Zev is a really sweet guy that realizes his mistake, in which Sari doesn't know that his ex kissed him (not the other way around). Zev only wants Sari and him to rekindle their love for each other, but at this point, it is up to Sari. As mad as Sari is at Zev, she cant help but miss what she had with him, and she cant spend a few minutes without thinking about Zev.

"Only Zev would spin a story like that and wind up giving out a book recommendation while simultaneously taking the fall for me. He was such a dork. It was part of the reason I'd fallen for him"

Just because Sari needs to get somewhere, the last flight to NYC is cancelled. Fortunately Fitz's friend Dylan is able to pick them up; but only on downside, Zev has to come along too. Zev is still adamant to talk to Sari about their relationship, and after a minor car accident and spending the night in a hotel, Sari realizes that she has feelings for Zev still, just as he does for her.

"I'm not going to let you do that. You were the one who showed me that if something's important to you, you don't give up... You would have done almost anything for a shot. That's how I feel about you. I'm going to prove it..."

This book is so sweet because it honestly shows relationships true to life. Relationships are built on trust, and Zev and Sari show this to be true. This book has heart, sass, and you can't help but sympathize with Zev and Sari. I truly recommend this read!!! :)

"You're always beautiful, but when you're on stage, you light up."

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Review: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I could never quite tell whether she was oblivious or just didn't care what people thought, but no matter how chaotic she was, she always managed to give off an innocent, unintentionally wild vibe"

Hazel Bradford is a lot to handle, and most men frankly don't want to put up with someone as wild and carefree as Hazel. Ultimately, Hazel is a kind spirit in search of honest fun. Josh Im has known crazy Hazel since college, where he found that her craziness was incompatible with his calm personality. (She threw up on his shoes, even giving an oral presentation on the anatomy and function of the penis in Human Anatomy). Josh Im sees Hazel in college more as a spectacle than a friend. 10 years later, Josh's life is turned upside down with his cheating girlfriend, and he sees going out with Hazel as a breath of fresh air.

""being too Hazel-y?' She is all of these things, but it's actually why I like her. She's entirely her own person..."

Although right from the beginning Hazel has had feelings for Josh, at the start it is a one way street. They keep their relationship solely as friends who simply get dates for each other and go on other dates. It seems that every double date they have, it brings Hazel and Josh closer, for their dates always seem to connect with each other, leaving Josh and Hazel on their own. Pretty soon, Josh realizes that he also has feelings for Hazel but neither one of them admit it. The have "casual" friend-sex twice, and both are afraid of what is to become of their relationship.

"My eyes dart to Josh's. Like the soul mate I always knew he'd be, Josh is already looking my way"
"I don't answer. I can't, because it feels like the idea of saying it breaks something inside me open, exposing this precious organ. I've been avoiding tor word since I stepped back from her bed, found my clothes in the dryer, and left her apartment. I gave love so easily to Tabby, ad compared to what I feel for Hazel?"

Christina Lauren always is flawless with their books' and this one doesn't disappoint. The chemistry between Josh and Hazel is cunning, witty, and caring, and from the moment you start reading, you can't help but fall in love with both of them! :) Whether you have read Christina Lauren or not, this book is sure a crowd pleaser!!!

"To fall in love, to be loved. The reality that we are together now is enough by itself to make my breath grow tight and hot in my chest. And to be here, with an ultrasound photo clutched in my hand... The mind, it reels"

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Review: Trouble Brewing

Trouble Brewing by Suzanne Baltsar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"He swept his hand through his hair that wasn't quite brown or blonde, straight or curly, but rather an artful mix of all it flipped to the side in a clumsy sort of style"

Piper Williams and Blake Reed cross paths one fateful day when she enters his gastropub in Minnesota. Piper has just left a disastrous relationship and proves to herself that she can be an independent woman in an industry full of testosterone-filled men. She currently works her brewery out of her garage and ponders on the idea of starting her own business, or at the very least sell her beer at pubs around. From her first encounter with Blake, it is safe to say that it is love at first sight. She told herself she wouldn't get involved with her only vendor, for it may spread rumors and risk her growing business. Blake also has feelings for Piper.

"Piper was pretty; tall-is, pale oval face, and freckles on her nose. But what stood out was her hair, the color of a red apple. And her eyes. I'd never seen eyes so big and green before. Innocent and wild all at the same time. When she looked at me, it felt like a quiet challenge"

When one of Piper's former bosses spots her with Blake, he warns her that rumors can spread in an instant and she should really contemplate her choices. So, a bet is set that Piper have to gain two more vendors to go out with Blake. The day comes and Piper has a total of three vendors, and they go out on their first date. :) They are a PERFECT couple and bring out the best in each other. I am not going to spoil any of the best parts, but Ill just note that there are plot twists and tension begins to rise dramatically.

"Like was such a stupid word to use. I didn't just like Piper. I adored her. I cherished her. Even when she didn't call me back. I treasured, idolized, and worshipped her. I loved her."

This book is witty, funny, and romantic all in one. I am so happy I came across this book and read it as quick as I did. I always love books that have two perspectives, and this book made me enjoy it even more! Piper and Blake are amazing characters that really show their love for each other. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! :)

"Blake was my missing puzzle piece that made everything better. He was my lobster"



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Review: You Will Be Mine

You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have never ever read something as thrilling and emotional as this book! Lylah and her brother Riley have gone a long way since the death of their parents on Valentine's Day. So when all the romance and emotions of February appear, Lylah (at school without her brother) decides to let loose from the stress of life and school with her friends. Plus, Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor will bring Chace (her best friend who she also has a crush on) closer. Before they leave for the party, the girls are touching up their make up and the guys are slipping on their jackets when an anonymous note addressed to Sonny (a roommate) appears. They all laugh it off, but when he never returns home, another note arrives that says Your turn.

"Order something you don't have to cook, and I'll try to eat. I want you to have more protection, Lylah. I want you to have the entire f***ing army surrounding you. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. I can't lose anyone else."

Quickly in the novel the tensions begin to become high and it triggers Lylah's emotions from the death of her parents. I don't want to spoil this book because there are SO many plot twists, but the notes appear more frequently the closer to Valentine's Day it is. However, with these high emotions, it finally brings Lylah and Chace together! :)

"Chace takes my cheeks in his hands, his touch feather light. I open my mouth to tell him I love him. But I'm not sure if the words come out. All I can gear is my pulse working overtime, thrumming in my ears..."

This book has so many emotions and feels and it is truly a masterpiece. The ending is so unexpected so I don't want to spoil ANY of this amazing read. There were really tender moments and really high anxiety moments, but this book is truly a must read! Thank you!!!!

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Review: Flirting with Forever

Flirting with Forever by Kendall Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“How did I miss this entire chapter of my life, waiting so patiently for me to turn the page?”
This book is a sweet best friends-to-lovers romance. Jack, Cam, and Natalie became the three musketeers in high school, and now at 29, they still depend on each other to laugh, have fun, and to be there for the ups and downs. Jack as a bartender, Cam as a physician, and Natalie as an office worker are an iconic trio who are just friends (for since the first time Cam and Jack met Natalie, they vowed to only stay friends with her, and never more).

"How much do you want to bet I can make it a whole month without hooking up with anyone?"

This is the bet Cam and Jack make after Jack gets dumped by his girlfriend of a year. Once this bet is set, however, Cam begins to show feelings for Natalie, and Natalie doing the same. At this point in the story, every encounter between Natalie and Cam is becoming what they both yearn for, a relationship. After Natalie's "boyfriend" breaks up with her and too many drinks, Cam and her cross the friend zone, and once they do, there is no turning back. Cam nor Natalie still don't want to admit their feelings for each other, but after Jack finds them sleeping together, they admit everything.

"To answer his question, I kiss him hard on the mouth with enough momentum to send us both tumbling backward onto the plush bed."

This book has heart, sass, and scorching intense moments that are jaw-dropping. I truly enjoyed this read and the development of Jack, Cam, and Natalie, for they change but remain the same throughout. Anyone looking for a short read is in for a thrill with this one!! :)

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Review: Perfect You

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Vitamins had ruined my life"
Kate Brown's life went downhill faster than she could stop it. She has to work with her dad selling vitamins at the mall and her best friend acts like she is invisible; the worst combination for a sophomore in high school. Unattainable and gorgeous Will is also in the picture, who Kate "hates" for some unbeknownst reason that no one can figure out. Kate does not realize it, but her selling vitamins actually help her, for she meets the true Will, the one outside of school, the one who likes to have fun, who has problems just like everyone else but makes light of it. Kate meets the true Will.
"Will BLUSHED. I didn't know he could do that. I know I should say he suddenly seemed vulnerable and I felt a connection to his soul or whatever, but the truth is I just wanted to tackle him and then make out for the next three thousand years"
Kate continues to put up this facade that she hates Will, and it truly breaks my heart to see how much he tries to go out with her. Kate and Will are such different people but they seem to bring out the best in each other, and they are there for each other when things aren't going right. In the midst of making out by the trashcans in the mall for nights on end, Kate finally realizes that she has feelings for him, and it is not just to make out, it is deeper than that.
"It's just... today has really sucked, and when you're around stuff doesn't seem so crappy"
This book is pretty good, it has elements that are really heartwarming and make you feel happy for these characters (You can tell its a good book when you sympathize with the characters). I enjoyed Will and Kate's adventure and I loved how their problems were true to life. This short read is one to remember! :)
"But things change. Stuff happens. And you know what? Life goes on"
P.S. If you like this book, I suggest to listen to Life Changes by my favorite and love of my life Thomas Rhett!!

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