Buddy Review: All Broke Down by Cora Carmack

Rowena and I just have two more reviews left over from 2014. Here's one of them. :P

All Broke Down by Cora Carmack
published by William Morrow in October 2014

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, corrupt corporations, and politicians you name it, she's probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail overnight, she meets Silas Moore. He's in for a different kind of fighting. And though he's arrogant and infuriating, she can't help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it's trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He's met girls like her before fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn't think he's broken, and he definitely doesn't need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about: his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Series: Rusk University #2


Rowena: Playing catch up on our buddy reviews has been a lot harder than I thought it'd be, considering how much time I have on my hands these days. Weird. I blame you, Ames. :) Haha.

Anyway, the book we're reviewing for November is All Broke Down by Cora Carmack. It's a book that follows Silas Moore, the bad boy from All Lined Up. The guy that both Ames and I didn't even like since he was kind of a douche. I'll be honest, when I first heard that this book was going to be Silas' book, I wasn't even sure I was going to read it but then I got over myself because it's a Cora Carmack. Of course I'm going to read it.

And I'm glad that I did.

I ended up really enjoying this one. I thought that Silas and Dylan were such a great fit and watching the two of them come into their feelings for each other was such a treat.

What did you think, Ames?

Ames: I had the same hesitancy as you about Silas being the hero of this book. But I had faith in Cora's writing and that she'd redeem his character. Which she totally did in my opinion.

I really enjoyed All Broke Down. I thought Dylan was a great heroine. Sometimes the do-gooder types can come across in books as very annoying but Dylan was cool. And I love how her and Silas meet!!

Rowena: Oh yes! Their first meeting was wow. I've never read a first meet quite like Silas and Dylan's. I liked it a lot.

I really enjoyed Dylan. I thought she was pretty great and loved that she was trying to be a good influence on Silas and help him be the better guy that she knew he could be. I liked how she was always there when Silas needed her most and that she didn't scare off easily.

But my favorite part of the book was Silas. Holy crap did he turn out to be a pretty fantastic character. Seeing him grow into the person he was at the end of this book and seeing him try to figure things out was such a treat. I liked seeing him grow into a person that even Dallas was starting to like was just great. He was strong, fiercely independent and so hot damn sexy...he reminded me a lot of Tim Riggins. What do you think?

Ames: Silas was definitely a great character! I like how Carmack transformed him from a total douche to a guy with an interesting, troubled backstory and how he's just trying to outrun where he comes from. And yes, definitely had a Tim Riggins feel to him! We learned what motivated him and that shed a new light on his behaviours.

I liked how him and Dylan's relationship developed. Remember when they were working on the house? I thought that was cute.

Another thing Carmack did really well was flesh out Silas' friends. Like Stella and Torres and the other members of the team. I really felt the friendships there.

Rowena: OMG, Stella! I really liked getting to know her. Do you know if she's getting her own book? I want to say that she is, especially considering her part in this book but I can't remember if that's wishful thinking or not.

Silas' back story left me sighing all over the place because I would have never guessed any of that from meeting him in the first book. I'm glad that we got his background because it made me appreciate him more as a character as the story progressed.

I can't think of anything that I didn't like about this book. You?

Ames: Oh, there was something I didn't like! But I understand it's inclusion and how it pushed the plot ahead, especially in regards to Silas' behaviour. The sexual assault. It is just so close to real life and I like to read fiction to escape all the bad shit that happens in real life. But I liked Silas' reaction to it and shows his growth overall in the book.

I just hate that it happened and who it happened to. I don't want to say who because spoilers.

Rowena: I hear you. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am pretty anxious for the next book. I liked the development of both main characters, I loved seeing Silas' journey and I really liked how the secondary characters really popped and didn't feel like add-ons. They each added something to the scenes they were in and I dug it.

Cora Carmack wrote another winner of a story for me and I will definitely be back for more. This book gets an A from me. What about you?

Ames: I'm giving this one a B+. Despite my hesitations over Silas being a hero, he was redeemed in the end. Good stuff!

Buddy Review: The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

Even though it is now 2015, Rowena and I have three more reviews from 2014 to post. And for October's review, we roped Holly into reviewing with us! Holly and I both read the Ivy League series by Sarina Bowen and Wena took our word for it on how awesome this series was. Here's our thoughts on The Year We Fell Down.

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen
published by Rennie Road Books

The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else.

What now?

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.

Also, he’s taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.

They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult
Series: The Ivy League #1


Wena: I'm so glad that you both told me to get these books read because I didn't stop reading the series until I was completely done with the books. I absolutely loved all of them.

Holly: I have to be honest, I liked this book a lot, but I didn't love it. The hero dragging his feet with his ex and the heroine's tendency to brush everyone off frustrated me.

Ames: Ok, I really enjoyed this book too and I have to agree with you Holly, Hartley staying with his girlfriend so long got on my nerves too. But at the same time it created a delicious tension between him and Corey that I just ate up. I loved how their friendship developed and created those moments of tension. So good!

Holly: I liked the progression of their friendship, too. I really felt their connection. I also liked how Hartley adopted them and took them home.

Wena: I hear you, Holly. When Hartley kept the girlfriend around after she got back, I wanted to strangle him.

The tension was delicious. I loved seeing their friendship grow and then kind of stall when Stacia came back. The way that they were both struggling, I loved all that angst. 

What do you mean, brush people off?

Holly: She didn't connect with other people, and held everyone at arms length. It isn't that I don't understand why, it's just that after a while it started to read like she was constantly feeling sorry for herself.

Wena: I guess because I understood why she thought the way that she did, it didn't bother me.

Ames: I felt like I understood why she kept people at arms length, so her attitude didn't bother me.

Holly: Like I said, I understood. I didn't even hold it against her. As a matter of fact, I mentioned on Goodreads how impressed I was with her overall attitude - and how realistic it seemed based on the circumstances. Still, there were times I became impatient with her.

I like that she was pragmatic about her injury, but a lot of the time her actions didn't match her thoughts/the things she said about it.

I did like how once they committed, the drama between them was done. There were still outside conflicts, but they were solid as a couple. I also liked how quick Hartley was to claim Corey once he came to his senses about his girlfriend.

Wena: Same here. I liked that Hartley didn't wait a week before claiming Corey the way that he did. The way that he did it made me smile. I just really liked him. I liked the person that he was with Corey and I really liked the way that he brought Corey and oh crap, what's the roommates name again? Anyway, I really liked that he took them home with him for Thanksgiving.

Ames: And yes! Once Hartley decided to go for Corey he was all in and things were good. The other thing I liked was how Corey decided to join a sports team again. She showed she could do it and I thought that showed real growth for her character.

Wena: Like you, Ames, I really liked that Corey tried to get out and get her own life instead of feeling sorry for herself.

Holly: I liked that Corey found her own sport, too. I loved when she put the team captain in his place. It cracked me up how she took advantage of them not wanting to hurt her.

Ames: Ok, how cute were they playing the hockey video game? I loved that!

Wena: I really liked seeing the game RealSticks show up throughout the entire series. It was great. The hockey video game was adorable. I loved how Corey practiced to beat Hartley. Haha.

Hartley had a really great outlook on life in general and I really liked that his eyes were opened to the way that things were for Corey. And when he told her that he loved her that first time? When he said, "I love you, Corinne" and used her full name? I about swooned. LOL.

I loved what he did for his Mom in the end after reconnecting with his Dad and the relationship that he had with her. They were good together and I was glad that she was so open and willing to love his friends along with him.

Ames: I liked how the whole series was connected. RealSticks was a good common theme besides the hockey team itself.

Hartley was definitely swoon worthy! Definitely a good guy. One of the better heroes I've read this year, actually.

His mom was awesome.

Holly: His mom was really awesome. The side plot with his dad was interesting. I was curious about him and I liked the way that played out.

Wena: I also really liked the friendship between Corey and her roommate. What the heck was her name? Della? Delia? Dana? I can't for the life of me remember. But I liked the friendship that blossomed between them. The way that the roommate was a friend to Corey first and foremost and didn't treat her like an invalid.

Besides Stacia, was there anything else you guys didn't like about the book? I can't think of anything.

Holly: Just how closed off and almost whiny Corey was. She wasn't quite annoying, she just occasionally skirted the line. But, again, Bowen saved her - and the story, really - when they got together and all that angst was done.

Ames: I really enjoyed the book and can’t really think of anything that I didn’t like enough to complain about. Haha. Friends to lovers always gets me and this is classic friends to lovers.

Ok, I’m giving this one 4 out of 5 stars, or a B+. What about you guys?

Wena: My grade is 4.5 or an A.

Holly: I'm going to give it a 3.75 out of 5, or a B-.

Buddy Review: Whatever Life Throws at You

**After taking a bit of a break, Rowena and I have decided to catch up on our monthly reviews. So this here is September's review. You can blame me for the delay since my reviewing muse up and left me this year. I think she's making overtures about coming back, but we'll see. **

Whatever Life Throws At You by Julie Cross
published by Entangled Teen

Life loves a good curveball...

Seventeen-year-old Annie Lucas's life is completely upended the moment her dad returns to the major leagues as the new pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals. Now she's living in Missouri (too cold), attending an all-girls school (no boys), and navigating the strange world of professional sports. But Annie has dreams of her own—most of which involve placing first at every track meet…and one starring the Royals' super-hot rookie pitcher.

But nineteen-year-old Jason Brody is completely, utterly, and totally off-limits. Besides, her dad would kill them both several times over. Not to mention Brody has something of a past, and his fan club is filled with C-cupped models, not smart-mouthed high school “brats” who can run the pants off every player on the team. Annie has enough on her plate without taking their friendship to the next level. The last thing she should be doing is falling in love.

But baseball isn't just a game. It's life. And sometimes, it can break your heart...

Genre: New Adult
Series: n/a

Ames: All right Wena, what did you think of Whatever Life Throws at You?

Personally, I really enjoyed it! I was wondering how Julie Cross was going to manage a teenage heroine falling for a baseball player but I thought she did a really good job of the age thing and explaining how Annie and Jason got to know each other and develop a relationship. It was sweet.

Wena: Me too!

I was curious to see if I'd like this because I HATE the older person and younger person story line but I thought Cross did a great job of showcasing Jason's struggle with his feelings for Annie. I loved that she didn't breeze over the fact that she was a minor and make it out to "not be a big deal". I also thought that their story is a real story. It happens more than we think and it was nice to have an author pay attention to the little details of Jason and Annie's relationship. The little things that brought them together because I may hate older guys who date minor girls but I was rooting for Jason and Annie throughout the entire book.

Ames: I agree, I liked that Cross didn't gloss over their age difference. It created some good conflict too. Especially when one person wants to take their relationship public and the other doesn't.

There was so much else to like about this book besides the main characters. I loved Annie's dad and that he had a physical handicap. And the team's PR person...what was her name? And even the characters I didn't care for, they were well drawn and fleshed out. You know who I'm talking about, the owner, Annie's friend's dad. Jerks.

Rowena: I know exactly who you mean. I can't stand parents that let their kids get away with stupid shit and try to buy their way out of things. Discipline your kids and they won't go about town acting a damn fool. Ugh. The owner was a POS too. I didn't like him at all. But you're right...they were well written characters. Fleshed out and not one dimensional at all.

Crap, what the heck was the PR lady's name? That's going to bother me because I really liked her. I thought she was a good fit into Annie's life. Well, both Annie and Jason.

Cross did a great job of writing all of those different relationships. This review is probably going to be boring because I can't remember if there was anything that I didn't like. Hmm, let me think on it.

Ames: LOL I know what you mean. Even Annie showing her age, sometimes acting immature, didn't bother me because Cross did such a good job describing her character. What makes this book so good for me was how the relationship developed between Annie and Jason. Like their first meeting? When she pretended to interview him? And their texting and even how they were there for each other during the tornado. All the other good stuff was gravy to their main dish.

I also liked that Annie was an athlete in her own way. Yeah Jason was a baseball player, but she was a serious athlete too and I loved how they ran together. So good.

Rowena: Oh yeah. When he showed up at her first meet and tried to be all undercover about it, I was grinning like a madwoman. It was so freaking cute.

I really liked seeing Jason and Annie come together. From their first meeting (that interview was pretty awesome) and all of the other meetings in between, you saw their relationship grow. It wasn't one of those love at first sight things. They struggled with their feelings, with each other and trying to find middle ground with each other and I loved reading about it all. Like Brenna would say, their struggle was real. LOL.

I also liked that the Dad had a handicap and I also liked that it wasn't shoved in our faces and forced into the storyline. It was just one more element to the story that just felt real. This was one of those real life, real problems kind of stories and I completely loved it. Why in the world have I not read anything by this author before? I'm trippin'.

Ames: Ok, for some odd reason I thought you did read this author before? If you haven't, then you definitely need to. She does the athlete heroine well. She has a series about a gymnast and another one with a young genius doctor who's forced to go back to college. She's really good!

Rowena: Nope, this was my first Julie Cross book though I think that I have read a short story of hers in one of those anthologies but looking back, it didn't really stick out to me. But this book? Yeah, I won't be forgetting these characters any time soon. Adored them!

I'd give this book an A. You?

Ames: You definitely need to check out her other contemporary books. I can't say anything about her paranormal series.

I'm giving this one a B+. I highly recommend it.

**Ok stay tuned for three more reviews! Hopefully we can get them done...oh shoot! I was going to say hopefully we can get them done by the end of the year but that's so soon!! Christmas is right around the corner!! How did that happen?!**

Buddy Review: Make It Count

**Rowena and Ames are back together! I got over my dreaded epic slump (4 books read in July, wtf??) and was able to get us back on track for August. Thanks to Nath for covering for me in July. :P **

Wena: Our August book of the month is Make it Count by Megan Erickson. It was Ames turn to pick a book and when she suggested this one, I was all about it.

Make It Count by Megan Erickson
Published by William Morrow

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

Genre: New Adult
Series: Bowler University #1

This book is about a boy and a girl, the boy is a nerd and the girl is the nerd's best friend. She needs a tutor and Nerd Boy becomes her tutor and a bond is formed, then feelings grow and BAM, they're in love with each other. This book caught all of the highs, the lows and most definitely all of the drama.

Rowena: You're not going to believe this but on my drive to San Francisco, I made Brenna (my 15 year old daughter) read this book out loud to me. It was like having my own real life audiobook. She didn't read for that long but she read long enough that I was curious enough to want to read on.

I liked this book. It wasn't perfect but I did like it. I liked Alec. I liked Kat. I liked the secondary characters, even Max. Do you think Shanna and Cam will end up together or someone completely different?

What did you think?

Ames: Lol! Did she talk with different voices for the dialog?

I agree. At the beginning some writing stuff popped out for me but as the book went on those issues smoothed out. But right from the get go I was into these characters. I liked Kat and loooved Alec. I had quite a few lol moments.

As for Shanna and Cam, I'm going to say no. I want to know what happened between them but don't want to see them together. Let's switch things up and avoid the obvious sequel bait!

Rowena: Are you kidding me? She read in a monotone that if I had to sit and listen to for hours on end, I'd be bored to death. LOL. I had to pay close attention to the words she was saying because it was that, that kept me interested. She's a terrible audiobook reader because she kept stopping to laugh at whatever Kat and Alec were thinking. Crackhead.

I was expecting to like both of the main characters so I wasn't surprised that I loved each of them off the bat but there were things about the both of them that made me want to smack some sense into them.

With Kat, it was how quick she was to assume the worst in everyone. And at times, how dramatic she was about everything under the sun but through all of that, I still really liked her character. I liked how she never once hid the truth about her crush on Alec from herself. Lie to everyone if you have to but I don't like when characters lie to themselves. The same with Alec. I liked that he was upfront about his feelings from the beginning. And his guilt? Yeah, I liked it but the thing that bothered me about him was how mad he got at Max about, well, you know what. I felt like, be angry at Max but keep in mind that you aren't exactly an angel either.

You don't think Shanna and Cam are going to get together? Oh man. I want them to. I want to see Shanna tame Cam's wild self.

Ames: Ok, as much as Kat annoyed me, I did feel for her. But at the same time, I was wondering how she could be so clueless. When I was in high school we learned about learning disabilities and even in university, people could volunteer to take notes for students that couldn't do it themselves (and yes I did this). However, despite how I grew up, I get that she would be defensive about being seen as dumb (since she thought she was and everyone but Alec treated her that way). And Alec. I liked his cluelessness. That's such a guy thing. I really liked Alec. And you know what else I liked? That dancing scene. That was HOT!!

I hate to say it but I predicted that ish between Max and whats her name (dont want to give it away). I saw that one coming a mile away. LOL But I still want to read Max's book! He wasn't a total douche canoe.

Rowena: I hear you. I didn't like the way the whole thing with Max ended in this book. I wish that it had happened differently. Like, I wish that Max didn't end up taking the brunt of the blame for everything. I wished that they could have fought about it (the boys) and then they could have eventually fixed their differences. I didn't like that Max had to be that guy in order for Alec and Kat to be together. I wasn't a fan of that.

I liked that dance too even though I was like, "What are you doing Alec? Max is YOUR BEST FRIEND!" the whole time. Because no matter how much of a dick Max was to Kat, they were still in the wrong for that dance. Just ask Cam. :)

Do you know if this is going to be an ongoing series or like a trilogy or something like that?

Ames: I think I saw a couple more books on Goodreads but I didn't want to peek ahead. Lol

That was part of why I liked the dancing scene. It was so taboo. And Max kept throwing these two together, and he admitted to doing it on purpose.

Rowena: After I finished this book, I peeked ahead and I'm not mad that I did. LOL. I figured I knew who was getting a book and who was going to end up together and I'm glad for the next book. I'm looking forward to reading it.

So what are your final thoughts on the book? Are you glad you read it? Best book you've read all year?

For me, this book was good but it wasn't the best book that I read. I mean, I liked it but I didn't LOVE it and want to have its babies. There were some issues that I had with it but overall, I had a good reading experience and will definitely be reading more from this author and this series. My favorite part of this book was Alec. I loved how open and honest he was, even when he was being a butthead. It was a good book and I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

You?

Ames: I agree with you. It was very enjoyable and I will definitely read more from this author. I am going to give this one a B (3.75). I liked Kat's sense of humor. She said a few things that cracked me up and overall I enjoyed this romance. :)

Buddy Review: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Surprise! Actually, double surprise as 1) we haven't forgotten this buddy review and 2) it's me buddy reviewing with Rowena and not Ames. Poor Ames, she got the reading blues back in July... Lucky for us all, I had read Since You've Been Gone and was only too happy to step in!

Enjoy!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
published by Simon & Schuster in May 2014

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just...disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.

On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?

Apple picking at night?
Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn?
Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger?
Um...

Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she'll find?

Go skinny-dipping?
Wait...what?

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Series: None

Nath: Since You've Been Gone... I really loved Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. That book made me fall in love with Ms Matson's writing. Consequently, I expect to be blown away with every new release. While Second Chance Summer wasn't perfect, there was something to the story, to the writing. It was just so poignant. Unfortunately, with Since You've Been Gone, I feel Ms Matson missed the mark. It wasn't bad per se, but I have to say I struggled a lot with the heroine, Emily, and I guess that affected my overall enjoyment of the book.

Rowena: Aww man, I'm sad to hear that you didn't like this one as much as I did because I did...like this one, a lot. I thought it was cute and I'm not at all ashamed to say that I grinned like a crazy person throughout the entire thing. Her whole romance with Frank and seeing Emily come into her own? I really enjoyed it. This is my second favorite book by Matson, the first being Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. I thought Emily was hard to connect with at first and I wanted to smack her upside her head for relying so much on Sloane to have a life but you see her growth over the course of the book and her journey to having her own life was enjoyable for me.

What didn't work for you?

Nath: Oh I agree, certain parts of the book were great and I did smile. I liked Frank and their entourage and I liked the idea of Emily completing a list of 10 random things. What didn't work for me was Emily. It's exactly as you said... I wanted to smack her for relying so much on Sloane. You were able to overlook this, but I guess I couldn't. Perhaps it's because it hit a bit too close to home... I'm a person who values friendship a lot and it's great to have a best friend who's bigger than life... but it's never okay to me to have no identity. To be happy to be known as 'Sloane's friend', that wasn't okay with me. That was very sad as well as Emily's lack of backbone because of Sloane's absence. For me, Emily was just too dependent on Sloane and the whole "Sloane this, Sloane that" got old very fast :( Yes, she grew throughout the book, but it was a bit too late...

Rowena: I guess because Emily is a teenager, I was okay with letting that stuff slide because in the end, she did learn that it wasn't okay to live in Sloane's shadow and she ended up being her own person so I was glad. The new group of friends that Emily made over the summer was proof that she did learn from her mistakes. They were her friends but she had a personality and a life outside of them. I thought they were really good for her and I thought they were all adorable together.

I loved seeing Frank and Emily grow closer together. I loved the Emily that she was around Frank. She didn't want to be his friend but that didn't stop him from pursuing the friendship anyway. He was so completely different from Emily but so completely perfect for her too. He didn't let her get lost in their new group of friends. She wasn't a sidekick. She was a part of something real and I liked that for her.

Nath: Oh there was definite growth in Emily and it was very well-done. It was good to read about Emily coming into her own person, making her own friends. I also understand that she couldn't just forget/give up on Sloane and in the end, her perseverance really paid off... But at times, she'd think of Sloane and that would annoy me because it would be like almost undoing all her growth ^_^;

I quite liked Frank and the other secondary characters, Dawn and Collins. They were a good group and I enjoyed their interactions... I also thought that some of the things Ms Matson brought up was very realistic such as Collins being a bit jealous of Frank and Emily's friendship and Dawn's reaction to Emily and Frank's kiss. I also really liked Emily's family. Unconventional, but very fun LOL.

Rowena: Yeah but that's only natural when you're trying to build something that you didn't have before. Emily didn't have the confidence to be her own person. She was happy to live in Sloane's shadow so when Sloane up and disappears, she's thrown for a loop. She was forced to build a life for herself and not one that she could share the spotlight with anyone. Everyone slips up every now and again and I thought the slip ups that Emily had were realistic and did show just how much she'd grown over the course of the summer because those slip ups didn't keep her down. It kept her real. She wasn't perfect and I liked that. I liked that she liked the person she was becoming without Sloane and she kept right on fighting the good fight until the very end. And I think my very favorite part of the book (after the romance with Frank, of course) was that even when she built this new life where she was the main show, she didn't forget about Sloane. She needed closure from Sloane's split and she got it.

Overall, I thought Emily proved that she was a lot more than Sloane's best friend and I thought Matson did a fabulous job of showcasing her strengths. I was a grinning machine while reading this entire book. The whole thing just worked for me. I loved the main character, the love interest and the other friends that Emily made along the way. I even loved Emily's family. They were a treat too.

Nath: You're right about Emily not forgetting Sloane. That part, I did like. She changed and grew, but didn't put Sloane in a box labeled "Past" and that was nice. She's definitively loyal :)

I guess I just didn't have your patience. I enjoyed the story and the writing. I really liked the list and how Emily managed to accomplish it :) It's just at times, Emily really got on my nerves and that dimmed my enjoyment of the book a little. As such, I'm giving a B- for Since You've Been Gone.

Rowena: If this had a heroine that was much older than 17 than I probably would have had less patience with the heroine but I just keep the age thing in mind when dealing with YA books. They're young and do dumb things because they're still young where it's still okay to make them. Had they been older, yeah, I'd be right where you were.

I'd give the book a high B. It was very enjoyable for me.

Buddy Review: All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Series: Rusk University #1


Rowena: So our buddy review book for the month of June was All Lined Up by Cora Carmack. It's a series that was said to be reminiscent of Friday Night Lights, a show that both Ames and I have loved so how could we not buddy review this one?

The story takes place at Rusk University in the great state of Texas. The college's head football coach has a daughter attending Rusk University and when she meets up with QB2 (that's FNL speak, ha!) at a party, they don't know who the other is until it's too late and they're hooked on each other.

So what did you think, Ames? Thumbs up or down?

Ames: I'm giving this one a solid thumbs up! I loved the idea, a football coach's daughter who kind of has some resentment towards the game who ends up falling for a QB. And the new guy on campus falling for the Coach's daughter without knowing who she is. There was a lot going for this story and it lived up to the promise.

What did you think?

Rowena: I really liked it. I thought that both Carson and Dallas were a great couple and I loved their flirty relationship. From their first meeting to every single meeting until the end, I loved it all. I really liked Carson. I liked how he treated Dallas and I loved how even though he was super serious, with Dallas, that flirty side came out and I ate it all up. The only thing that I hated about Carson was his football number. #12. I'm a Los Angeles Lakers fan and that number leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Of the two of them, I think Dallas drove me more crazy but I didn't hate her. I liked that she was a dancer and that she knew what she was about. There wasn't any waffling about where she was concerned and I loved the way that her relationship with her father came around throughout the book. That was nice to see.

Ames: I liked Carson and Dallas were a good couple too. I like how they had their rules for their friendship and both wanted honesty from each other and an explanation if things were to not work anymore. I thought they were unique. They communicated with each other. I don't see a lot of that in NA. Also, their baggage wasn't crazy angsty. Like Dallas had to deal with her dad and the way her high school relationship ended and Carson just had to buckle down and learn to have faith in himself.

One thing that came across as odd for me was the issue about Dallas' virginity. I mean, maybe its just me reading too much contemporary romances but I was like why does everyone care so much? Like even Stella being hurt because Dallas had lied to her. WHY?

I did like that Dallas was a dancer. I like that she had her own stuff going on and wasn't just a hanger on to Carson's football career. And I agree, I did like the way things played out with her dad. I like that he was able to listen to Dallas and he took her side, especially with that fiasco with the picture.

Also, the whole Levi thing kinda got dropped. Like once he was gone, he was never mentioned again. It's not like he wouldn't have been released, you know?

Rowena: That was weird, huh? The whole virginity thing with Dallas. I'm still seeing a lot of virgins in these contemporary books. Why is it still such a big deal? Will readers not buy books about girls who aren't virginal before they meet their love interests? Weird.

Regarding the thing with Levi, I agree with you that he just sort of disappeared from the planet once that drama with him went down but I'm wondering if that had anything to do with him getting his own book in this series and that leads into my next question. What do you think about him and Silas getting their own books? I didn't like either character in this book and initially, I had no interest continuing the series because why waste time on two characters that were disgusting to me in this one? I mean, even though Silas came around, he was still a pretty big douche and I didn't care for him at all but are you interested in reading their books at all? I think I changed my mind and am definitely going to read Silas' book.

And if I'm being honest, I really want to see Stella's story too. But now that I'm actually looking it up, I can't find anywhere where it says that Levi gets a book so maybe he doesn't. It would be interesting if Levi ends up with Stella. Hmm. What about Ryan? I wouldn't mind reading a book featuring Ryan as one of the main characters.

Ames: Maybe we're just getting jaded, Wena. LOL I did like that this book wasn't chock full of sex scenes though. The scenes where they did get intimate did forward the plot and it created some good tension between Carson and Dallas.

I would not read Levi's book unless his character has some growth in other books before he gets his own. Like if Silas gets a book and Levi is in it and he changes, I would potentially read it. And yes, I think Silas can be redeemed so even though he started off the book as a douchecanoe, I do find him interesting. I thought the football aspect of All Lined Up was really well done. It didn't overwhelm the story. And I would like to see Ryan and Stella get their own books (if they don't end up together in some screwball way).

Rowena: Us, jaded? No way. :P

As it stands right now, Levi is a no go for me. But I would probably read Silas' story, especially since I was looking through Cora Carmack's blog and I saw a picture of Silas that she uses on one of her picture card things and guess who she uses as Silas? MATT BARR!! Psycho Derek from One Tree Hill, haha. I heart that guy (not in OTH though, eww) so that went a long way in convincing me to read the next book. And the heroine's name is Dylan, I love that name for a girl. ;)

I thought Cora Carmack delivered the goods with this book and I was glad that I chose this book for us to read, ha! I'm glad that football didn't overwhelm the story and I really liked how Carson and Dallas came together. They were good characters apart but I really liked them together too so that's something. I'd give this book a 4.5 out of 5 or a low A. What about you?

Ames: I like girls that have guy's names too, so Dylan is a win for me. I'll have to check out Cora's blog to see her inspiration for Silas.

All in all, I really enjoyed All Lined Up and since this was the first book I read by this author, I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

I'm going to give this one a B+, or 4 out of 5. :P

Rowena: And we’re done. *drops mic*

~~

All right peeps, that's it for our June review!

For July, Rowena and I are looking back a few months to May's Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. In case you were interested in reading along. :P

Buddy Review: Breakable by Tammara Webber

All right peeps! Rowena and I are going strong with our monthly buddy reviews. And this month we decided to read Breakable by Tammara Webber since we both loved Easy so much. So yeah, if you haven't read Easy our review may be spoilerish since this is Easy from the hero's point of view. :P

Breakable by Tammara Webber
published by Berkley in May 2014

He was lost and alone. Then he found her.
And the future seemed more fragile than ever.

As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.

All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…

As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.

Genre: New Adult
Series: Contours of the Heart #2

Rowena: I feel like it's been a long time since we've done a buddy review and it was just last month. A few weeks ago, Holly read this book and she enjoyed it so it brought the first book in this series (Contours of the Heart) back onto my radar. It also made me want to read this book so I was really hyped up to read the book but while I enjoyed the book, I don't think I liked this one as much as I liked Easy.

Weird.

What did you think about Breakable, Ames?

Ames: It does feel like it's been a while! Maybe because we're trying to repress the last book we read. LOL

I re-read Easy not too long ago to get familiar with the story again and doing so made me eager to read Breakable. I felt that it was slow to start but then I got sucked into it. I didn't like it as much as I liked Easy but it was still fun to read things from Lucas' point of view.

One thing that surprised me was Lucas' view of their relationship. He went into it thinking they'd be together for the semester and then they'd go their separate ways once school finished. And he felt like that for a long time! But he admitted he loved Jacqueline. He just didn't see it being a long-term thing. Thinking back to Jacqueline's point of view...I did not get that sense of things from him at all. LOL

Rowena: I should have read Easy again before I started this one because I forgot a lot of stuff from that book. Huh, you're right though. Lucas' view of the relationship was completely different from what I thought it was when reading Easy. But I didn't doubt that he was in love with Jacqueline. Well, not much anyway. There were times when I didn't feel like he felt the connection as strongly as I remember it from Easy.

But it was nice to read the story from Lucas' point of view. It was nice to really get to know Professor Heller and his family. I also liked seeing the people in Lucas' life before Jacqueline. Meeting Boyce and Pearl and hell, even Melody. It did a lot to make Lucas even more real to me than he was in Easy. I absolutely loved him in Easy but in Breakable, I remembered why. He was such a good guy and the guilt he carried after his Mom died really gutted me. The feels, there was a lot of them in this book.

Ames: If someone was to come into this book without having read Easy, I think they'd wonder about Jacqueline's connection. We know she fell for Lucas because that's what Easy is about. But from Lucas' POV? When he thinks she just wants a rebound guy...one can doubt her feelings. I didn't see that while I was reading, but thinking about it...yeah, her feelings don't come across as strongly.

It was good to see things from his side. I liked the look into his life before he met Jacqueline. Like you I enjoyed Boyce and Pearl. I hope they get a story. And to see the pain he went through, losing his mom and grandfather and his father pulling away emotionally. So basically losing everyone in his life. I'm glad Heller came through and helped him out. And that makes me mad at his dad, he couldn't even pull his head out of his ass to help his own son. Sheesh.

Rowena: If Webber wrote Boyce and Pearl a story, I'd read it. I would really like to see more into their backgrounds. They were decent characters and it'd be a treat to get to know them better.

What's your final grade for this book?

Ames: All in all, I enjoyed Breakable and give it a B. However, I don't feel like it can be read as a stand-alone. Definitely read Easy before reading Breakable. You?

Rowena: I agree. I'd give it a B but feel that book needs to be read after reading Easy. The full effect is needed to enjoy this one.

~~

For June, if you're interested in reading as well, Rowena and I are going to read and review All Lined Up by Cora Carmack.

Buddy Review: Out of the Shallows by Samantha Young

So Wena and I chose Out of the Shallows to read for our April buddy review. Things didn't go quite as planned...

Oh and spoilers!

Out of the Shallows by Samantha Young
self-published April 2014

Somehow, after everything they’ve been through, Jake Caplin and Charley Redford made their way back to one another. But finding each other and staying together are two completely different things.

When Charley’s world is flipped upside down, she begins to question the choices and decisions she’s made since her arrival in Edinburgh, and in an effort to grip onto what she holds most dear she believes she must sacrifice her love for Jake.

Returning to the States for her senior year, Charley struggles to find peace and happiness. While everyone else seems to be finding themselves in college, Charley is terrified that, along with almost everything else that’s important to her, she’s lost herself.

While friends and family deal with their own tumultuous lives, there is one person resolved to uncover the reason behind Charley’s sudden defection and unhappiness. Refusing to give up without a fight, Jake believes he is the only one who can truly understand what Charley is going through, and this time he’s determined to prove he’s there for her no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way.

However, as Charley strives to make it through the biggest personal journey of her life thus far, there is no guarantee that the woman she is becoming will still need Jake as much as the girl she once was did...

Genre: New Adult
Series: Into the Deep #2

Ames: Even though I wasn't over the moon for Into the Deep, I was letting some excitement build for the sequel to Jake and Charley's story. Big mistake. Out of the Shallows was not the book I was expecting. What about you?

Rowena: I felt like this book was a big let down. There was a lot that got on my nerves with Into the Deep (Jake was a big one) but I was still invested in what these characters were going through. So at first, I wanted to read Out of the Shallows but then you started reading it and I started losing interest. But I had to read it for this review so I dug my heels in and holy crap did I ever understand what you meant every single time you emailed about your progress through this book. It's like Charley took every single nerve in my body and set them on fire. I wanted to punch her in the face so many different times. So much so that I need to gather myself before my blood pressure shoots through the roof, again. :)

Ames: At first when I started, I had some real anxiety going on! Like, what happened to Charley's sister? Was she dead? And then all the jumping around got on my nerves. And then stuff with Charley just kept getting worse. I'm sorry I emailed you but I had to vent as I was reading. And then you did the same so we're all good. LOL

And I agree with what you say about Charley and your nerves. I found her so incredibly selfish in this book. I was annoyed with Jake in book 1 but Charley honestly took the cake in book 2. She took the cake and smashed it into our faces and laughed gleefully about it. Ugh.

Rowena: Ha! And to think that we thought Melissa would be the one to bring the drama in this book. Oh how wrong we were.

This was the book that was supposed to be about Jake and Charley working through all of the drama that wasn't resolved in Book 1 but instead, we get a whole lot of stupid Charley, her family being incredibly selfish and stupid then anxiety thinking someone is dead...and THEY'RE NOT. WTF? And all of the woe is me shit going on with Jake? Ugh, just ugh.

Hell, even Beck and Claudia got on my nerves in this book. And all of the jumping around, six months ago, last night, two weeks ago, that pissed me off too. Stay in one place and time, this isn't a freaking time travel story.

Ames: I really wanted Melissa to pop up and cause more drama. But nope.

I felt bad for Claudia. She really got the shaft from all the adults in her life. I did like how things progressed between her and Beck and I honestly wished we got more. There was a lot of times when Charley did not want to discuss how things were going with her best friend and Beck and there's yet another example of her being selfish. However, I would like a Beck and Claudia book. If he becomes a rock star and how they deal with that. I think that would be nice. And give her some damn resolution with her bio dad! That was one plot point that was kind of left dangling and them made me wonder why even bother if that's how you're going to leave it?

But through all this, the worst part of Out of the Shallows was Charley. She breaks up with Jake for the dumbest reason in the world and then doesn't talk about it with anyone. Why did she have to be such a fucking martyr? UGH

Rowena: Amen!

Beck's back and forth crap with Claudia got on my nerves because with everything that was going on in her life and the way that she was treated by her parents, she didn't need his indecision. He knew what she was going through and yet he kept right on hooking up with girls left and right. I will say that when he finally jumps all in with Claudia, I came to love him. I would definitely want more of their story, instead of getting their story told through Charley's dumb ass POV.

Everything about Charley drove me batty in this book. Her reasons for pulling away from Jake, her reasons for letting her parents dictate what she did with her future and then the way she uses Lowe. Claudia wants a distraction from Beck so Charley's answer is for Claudia to start hanging out with Lowe. He's the perfect distraction. You can get drunk with him, you can cock tease the hell out of him but you don't have to have sex with him and don't worry about putting him in the middle of your relationship with HIS friends. Don't worry about any of that. She's so full of shit that I don't remember why I even liked her in the first place. All of that made me want to punch her in the face. The thing about all of it though, is Lowe let her get away with all of that and Jake just kind of lets her run all over him with absolutely NO explanation. Seriously, just UGH.

Ames: I hated how poor Lowe was treated in this book. He was such a good character and I rooted for him on one level to get Charley in the end. But not after this book. Charley needs to grow the hell up. The way she reacted to everything was extremely immature and I wondered at the end how could Jake even want her with the way she acting?

And I get why he let her walk all over him. He had to prove to her that he'd changed. He pulled the same crap on her and broke her heart. But Charley had him waiting for her for a whole freaking year. Seriously bro, he needed to move on. The back and forth was awful. And honestly, I hated the crap where they'd all hang out (like Claudia and Charley going to that birthday party) knowing how hard it would be to see each other. Especially if they were flirting with others.

Rowena: Was there anything that you did like about this book?

Ames: As much as I love Samantha Young's writing, I have to say no. I don't even like that Charley and Jake ended up together. He deserves better. LOL What about you?

Rowena: Yeah, I didn't like a hot damn thing about this book. But I still love me some Samantha Young. I give this a 1 out of 5. You? Anything else that you want to add?

Ames: Not really. Just that I really enjoy Samantha Young's writing and its such a shame this one didn't work for me. And I agree with the grade you gave, a 1 out of 5.

Okay, Wena and I haven't chosen a book yet for May but wish us luck that it won't be another dud!

Buddy Review: Third Degree by Julie Cross

Third Degree by Julie Cross
published by Random House Publishing (Flirt) in March 2014

I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Series: None

Nath: Last year, I discovered Ms Cross through Letters to Nowhere. This was my first foray in New Adult and I really enjoyed it! So when I heard that Ms Cross was writing another New Adult book, it was a no brainer to pick it up… and share it with Ames :)

So Ames, what did you think of Third Degree?

Ames: I am so glad you brought this book to my attention! I’ve quickly become a fan of Julie Cross’ new adult books and Third Degree was no exception. The heroine, Isabel, reminded me a bit of Christina Yang from Grey’s Anatomy in its early seasons. And I loved Christina’s character.

Nath: That’s actually a very good comparison, Ames. Indeed, Isabel lacked some social skills. I don’t think it was so much because she didn’t have the social experiences that everyone did… but more because she was simply very blunt. I liked that her awkwardness was not all about her IQ like so many genius characters that we’ve seen and the fact that she wasn’t sheltered.

Ames: I agree. She had a genius IQ but going through school so fast made her miss out on very important socialization and rites of passage typical to average children and teens. Plus she was arrogant. She’s almost hard to like at the beginning. But we see her vulnerability so that made me empathize with her character.

Nath: Yes, the arrogance was an issue and so was her inability to accept blame as the psychologist said. As a result, I thought Izzy going to normal college wasn’t a bad idea at all. She needed to interact with people, to understand them a bit more. And seriously, she’s lucky she ran into Marshall! He was such a nice and understanding guy, trying to help her out!

Ames: Marshall was a great character, and I liked his story, not just the fact that he’s a hot nice guy. LOL It was an interesting dynamic considering Izzy’s medical background. Plus with RA’s having rules not to hook up with people on their floor, I just liked their whole set up. :P

Nath: I really liked Marshall’s character and his story. What I liked is that he showed Izzy the other end of the spectrum, what it is to be sick and to care. Sure, it was a bit coincidental that he’d happen to have a chronic disease, but it definitively worked :)

The RA thing didn’t work as well for me. The whole “forbidden” relationship is so over-used nowadays and I’d have rather Marshall be just another guy in the dorm than a RA. Especially given the way it was resolved, you know?

Something else that I would have liked Ms Cross to address was Izzy’s issues with her parents’ divorce. Izzy was put in foster care at a young age and moved around a lot until her parents adopted her. She needs stability and her parents divorce is threatening that stability. I feel that part of the story got swept under the rug and that’s unfortunate.

Ames: I didn’t mind the RA stuff. It gave a bit of an impediment to them getting together right off the bat. It also gave a bit of distance to them at the beginning, which is how Marshall was able to get through Izzy’s defenses and for her to lighten up and let him in.

I agree that the stuff with Izzy’s parents was left unresolved. I wonder if there’s going to be a sequel?

Nath: I think it’s a high possibility, especially since New Adult is so popular right.

As much as I enjoyed Izzy and Marshall’s characters and interaction… I still feel that Izzy was far from being comfortable with normal people. She did open up and I especially liked that she kind of developed a friendship with Justin… but I wonder… Izzy will never be “normal” what with her age and genius IQ, but is there more she can do?

Ames: Hmm...I think maybe Marshall will continue to be a good influence on her in that way. And she did learn not to be afraid of her emotions. I think there’s still room for her to continue to grow. I thought the book ended on a hopeful note. It did for me anyway.

Nath: It definitively did :)

So what’s your grade for Third Degree? For me, it’s a B. I enjoyed Ms Cross’s writing, the story and the characters, but I thought something was missing.

Ames: I’m giving it a B+. I really enjoyed it overall.

Buddy Review: The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

Rowena: Alright, so March brings our buddy review of The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram. I wanted to read this book because both Nath and Izzy read it and adored it. I thought it was something that Ames and I would enjoy so we decided that this will be our March buddy review book.

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram
published by Bluefields in May 2013

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Series: n/a


Rowena: What did you think, Ames? First impressions?

Ames: It lives up to the hype! I was so happy reading this book. I loved Avery and everything she went through. What about you?

Rowena: Oh, it definitely lived up to the hype for me. I completely adored this book. I loved Avery. I loved Grayson. Hell, I even came to love Aidan...but most of all, I loved the geeks from the Science Club. And Avery's best friend. She had me laughing out loud so many times.

Ames: Oh yeah! It was a great cast of characters. I like how Avery and Grayson weren't super friendly at first and how she mistrusted him but how quickly he proved he was there for her. I loved him right from the get go. Avery was great but Grayson is the absolutely awesomest. That scene in the shower? Hahaha

Rowena: I hear you. That shower scene was one of my favorite scenes in the book. There was a lot to love about this book. I liked seeing Grayson's feelings for Avery grow with every nice thing that he did for her. The protective way he was with her. That first day back at school, at lunch when he's so worried about her and how pissed off he is at Aidan? It was all just so great. What I liked most about this book was how one minute I was laughing my ass off and the next minute, something extremely sweet was happening and I was sighing. I loved seeing Avery go through each stage of a broken heart and I loved the way that everyone rallied behind her.

Avery was a strong character. She was also very smart and at her core, she was a really good person. With a big heart. I loved how loyal she was to Aidan too. How worried she was about him and how even though her heart was completely broken, she wanted to support him in whatever he had going on. And then Aidan proves to be a big bonehead. Haha, oh man I wanted to smack Aidan in the head so many times.

Ames: Sometimes the heroines in YAs can get on my nerves with being wishy-washy and Avery was the complete opposite. She may have been socially awkward but when it came to standing up for what she thought was right, she did it with no hesitation. I really liked that about her. And she didn't make a fool of herself over Aidan. Part of that was Grayson. And I agree with you, one minute I was laughing and the next I was falling for him too. haha

Another thing I liked about Grayson was how smart he was about social stuff. Like his friends were cool. And even though they were the popular crowd, they weren't cruel about it. His girl friends welcomed Avery when they saw how cool she was. And her best friend with the cat t-shirts and sexual confidence? Loved her!

I was a bit worried about how things would go down when Aidan realized what a huge mistake he made, but Avery's reaction to his turnaround and her revelation about her true feelings was handled very well. It was a real touching scene and I'm glad it went down the way it did.

Rowena: I'm starting to wonder if there's ever going to be a time when we disagree on a book. Because I completely agree with everything you said. Avery was pretty fantastic and I liked that the popular kids in this book weren't automatically mean people or jealous and petty. I also really liked how the Science Club kind of snubbed Grayson at first because he wasn't smart enough to hang out with them. I thought that was hilarious and the way Grayson just rolls with it and wins them over was just more greatness on top of even more awesome sauce.

For me, this was a great contemporary YA. I feel like I would definitely re-read this over and over again. I liked it that much.

Ames: LOL We do have similar tastes in books. And I will be adding this to my rotation of feel-good re-reads. This book had it all. A nerdy main character, a hot jock, high school cliques, friends to lovers. I liked the journal aspect of it too. Grayson's journal *sigh* haha

Rowena: Oh yeah, Grayson's journal. How awesome was that? I definitely give this one an A. What about you?

Ames: An A from me as well!!



Ok for those of you following along, in April Wena and I have chosen Samantha Young's Out of the Shallows, the second Jake and Charley book. :P

Buddy Review: Into the Deep by Samantha Young

Rowena and I made a pact that we would buddy review at least once a month in 2014.  January was a bit of a dud because I picked a crappy book that Wena couldn't even finish. LOL So for February we decided on Into the Deep because a) we realized neither of us had reviewed it and b) we both wanted to re-read it. The sequel comes out in May and I know I wanted to refresh myself on this story.

Into the Deep by Samantha Young
Self-published August 2013

Live young. Live hard. Love deep.

Charley Redford was just an ordinary girl until Jake Caplin moved to her small town in Indiana and convinced her she was extraordinary. Almost from day one Jake pulled Charley into the deep and promised he was right there with her. But when a tragic incident darkened Jake’s life he waded out into the shallows and left Charley behind.

Almost four years later Charley thinks she’s moved on. That is until she takes a study year abroad in Edinburgh and bumps into none other than Jake Caplin at a party with his new girlfriend. The bad-boy-turned-good attempts to convince Charley to forgive him, and as her best friend starts spending time with Jake’s, Charley calls a truce, only to find herself tumbling back into a friendship with him.

As they grow closer, the spark between them flares and begins playing havoc with their lives and relationships. When jealousy and longing rear their destructive heads, Charley and Jake struggle to come to grips with what they mean to one another.

And even if they work it out, there is no guarantee Charley will ever trust Jake to lead her back into the deep...

Genre: New Adult
Series: Into the Deep #1

Ames: Ok, the first time I read Into The Deep I loved it. I didn't care that it ended on a cliffhanger. But re-reading it? Oh man! Jake got on my nerves then Charley got on my nerves. And yet in the end, I still love it. Go figure. haha

Rowena: Same here. When I first read this book last year (I read this book in October of last year so it wasn't even that long ago), I loved it. I thought it was the bomb and I loved both Jake and Charley (though Jake did get on my nerves from time to time) but this time around? Everyone got on my nerves, except for Charley's Dad and mostly Charley's whole family. I seriously wanted to throat punch Jake with a hammer throughout most of the book, but I also wanted to smack Claudia upside her head too.

If Claudia would have taken her head out of Beck's ass for a minute, she would have seen the truth of the matter where Jake was concerned, in Charley's eyes. As her best friend, it was her duty to put Charley's needs first. And she never did. And that pissed me off.

Ames: Oh yeah, Charley's dad is great. I can't wait to see his reaction in book 2 to recent developments!

I agree about Claudia. She saw Charley's breakdown after she ran into Jake the first time. Why would she keep forcing her to hang out with Jake and his friends? Also, Charley should have grown a freaking pair and just stopped hanging out with them on her own. Like she's an American in a foreign country...so she's just going to hang out with other Americans and not get friendly with the locals?

I think the whole point of Charley continuing to hang out with Jake and co. was to show how even though she wanted to be over him, she really wasn't. And that was annoying. LOL I just wish she'd have made more of an effort to stay away.

Rowena: I think I would have liked this book more if Charley kept running into Jake around town, and not because her bestie was trying to bang his best friend, forcing her to hang out with the lot of them. I agree about Charley growing a pair. Take a stand and stop catering to your selfish bestie. STOP HANGING OUT WITH JAKE!

I think I stayed mad at Jake because he took so freaking long to break up with Melissa. Charley's first reaction to him wasn't at all good, so he had to have been an idiot to not know that she wasn't completely over him and it was cruel of him to bring A FREAKING GIRL ON CHARLEY'S TRIP! I can't get over that. I was really bothered by it and that he didn't break things off or not bring Melissa around Charley. I was mad at the whole lot of them. Everyone that wanted Charley to see things from Jake's perspective, give him a chance to explain.

FUCK HIM! She didn't owe him a damn thing and to hell with all of HER FRIENDS trying to tell her otherwise. This is why I was such a big fan of her family. Charley's Dad's reaction to seeing Jake at the airport? OMG, best part of the entire freaking book!

Ames: Ok, not to defend Jake, but he says he met Melissa at the meeting for kids who wanted to study abroad. So Melissa was planning on coming on the trip anyway.

Who know else was a true friend to Charley? LOWE. He took her side in all of this and thought Jake was a freaking idiot.

Jake put himself in an impossible position and it didn't help once he broke up with Melissa. Look at how quickly he ran back to her when she was upset. And then stayed with her until 2 in the morning. Honestly, I can see Melissa saying she's pregnant or something in the next book to create drama for them.

Rowena: Sure, I'll give him that...but that doesn't change the fact that by the time they got to Scotland for CHARLEY'S TRIP, Melissa was his girlfriend. The whole reason he was going to Scotland in the first place was in hopes of seeing Charley. And yeah, he thought that she might have moved on but that doesn't change the fact that after he found out that Charley was on the trip and he reaction to seeing him on the trip with his girlfriend, he stayed with her. He still wanted to be around Charley...it was a total dick move and Jake kept making it over and over again.

I completely agree with the whole Lowe thing. He was a really good friend to Charley and probably a shit friend to Jake, considering Jake was his friend first. Ha!

Jake was an asshole in this book. There's no getting around that. Regardless of his feelings or where his head was, he did put himself in an impossible situation and he kept making all the wrong choices. When he ran back to Melissa after they broke up and was with her until 2am, I was almost completely done with him. To be honest, I have no idea why I even liked this book...but I did. What's wrong with me? Haha.

Ames: OMG I was just thinking that! Why did I like this book? But I did. I don't doubt the love that Charley and Jake feel. They're both young and immature but once they cement their bond again, they'll be good. I don't doubt that. But I think they're going to have a few more curveballs thrown at them.

Also, our tolerance for bullshit is going down. And Jake is so full of crap his eyes are brown.

Rowena: LMAO! Oh man do I love you, Ames. You're right, Jake is full of crap.

I was thinking about the book and why, after all the stuff that I hated about Jake. What it was about him that completely wrecked me. The stuff that made me fall in love with him even though he made every dick move in the book. It was his speech after he punched Lowe out. It was, like you said, not doubting the depths of their feelings for each other. Jake's feelings for Charley and vice versa. They loved each other and they had a lot to work on but their love for one another wasn't it. That was rock solid and I know that things are going to be rocky in the next book but, I have every faith that they'll fix things. For them (and for me), it'll be worth it.

So now that all of that is out of the way...what grade are you going to give it this time around?

Ames: Exactly!! I don't doubt their love. Plus Jake as a high schooler, when he's wooing Charley to begin with? That's awesome. He's not douchey-Jake at that time. LOL

As much as everyone annoyed me, I still finished the book with an "awww shucks" and a big smile on my face. So a B+. haha You?

Rowena: Haha, same. We're a pair, huh?

Ames:  Yeah. LOL

Next up:

For March, Wena and I decided to read the Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram. Nath enjoyed it as well as Izzy, so we're intrigued. :P