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: 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: 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: Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

The groove has been elusive so far ^_^; However, we're trying :) Enjoy the review!

Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross
self-published in August 2013

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics... I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.

Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary
Series: Letters to Nowhere, Book #1


Ames:  Thank you so much Nath, for bring this book to my attention! I didn’t notice it mentioned anywhere in blogland. And then when I was looking for a book to read and asked you what was the last excellent book you read, you recommended this one and you were right. It was really good!

Nath: LOL, I’d love to take credit for it, but I got lucky as others recommended it to me :) So big thank you to Brie and Li!! Because Letters to Nowhere was really a good book!!

I think what I loved about it is the fact that it wasn’t stereotypical at all. When I first read the blurb and saw that Karen was going to live with her coach, immediately, I thought the worst scenarios possible. Bad coach or bad son… and it wasn’t like that at all. Aside from Karen’s parents’ deaths which is a common theme in New Adult/Young Adult books, Letters to Nowhere was just sooo refreshing!

Ames:  I agree. The whole parental death thing is so overdone, but despite that, Letters to Nowhere definitely stands out among other NA/YA books I’ve read lately.

One aspect I really enjoyed was the gymnastics. She’s an elite gymnast and has to train hours and hours a day. And I found it all interesting, it wasn’t tiring to read about at all. And the dynamic with her teammates and the coaches. I loved it.

Nath: I agree. The gymnastics aspect of the book was well-done and felt real. I think it helps that Ms Cross knew what she was writing about given her experience. I liked seeing the life of an elite athlete - how much of her life is dedicated to gymnastics and how much she had to give up. The fact that she took online classes instead of attending school which actually makes a lot of sense! The fact that her social life was almost non-existent… It is often said that young athletes are very mature… and it’s true. But at the same time, they are very immature, or I should say inexperienced, in some aspects because they are missing out on the regular evolution of growing up and Ms Cross showed it really well in Letters to Nowhere. In addition, I think Ms Cross captured the atmosphere of the gymnastics world very well. I loved seeing Karen’s relationships with her teammates - friends, but rivals at the same time... a fine balance between camaraderie and jealousy. Their interactions with the coaches and the competitions, dealing with the selection committees. This all contributed to make Letters to Nowhere very unique in my opinion :) 

Ames:  Exactly!! Ms. Cross did an excellent job of balancing the story with introducing the reader to an elite athletics world. And showing the maturity with the inexperience. Another thing was Karen’s parents. I like how that affected her in such a visceral way - she was having panic attacks, she couldn’t go back into her house. And how her parents were shown as not being perfect. Her reaction to that revelation made perfect sense to me. I feel like the angst from their deaths really moved the plot forward in a way that I haven’t felt with other YA books I’ve read.

Nath: I think part of it is because Karen had a good and normal relationship with her parents. There weren’t any dirty secrets, any guilt… Karen got along well with her parents even though they had some conflicts. What I loved about Karen’s parents were the fact that they did not push Karen in her gymnastics career, they weren’t obsessive about it. Overall, this was another good aspect of the book that the author handled very well. Even dead, her parents were present in the story :)

What did you think of Jordan and Coach Bentley?

Ames:  I liked the Coach and Jordan. I liked how they had their own problems, as father and son and dealing with a shared loss, that Karen helped them bridge a little bit by her presence and what she was going through. Jordan was the perfect person for Karen at that point in her life. And that made me like him a LOT. A lot a lot. LOL

Nath: At first, when I read the synopsis of the book, I was a bit hesitant. I immediately assumed the story would go in a bad direction, what with Karen going to live with her coach and his son. We’ve all heard about how tough the gymnastics world is and a lot of coaches are portrayed negatively in the media… However, I was so wrong and so happy to be wrong! Letters to Nowhere was a great read because the characters weren’t dark or bad… Instead they were normal and that includes Coach and Jordan   Yes, they had some personal issues, but that only made them more realistic.

I liked that both Coach and Jordan  understood what Karen was going through and wanted to help her. Ames, you say that Jordan  as the perfect person for Karen at this point in her life, but I think so was Coach. And I liked how Coach, Jordan and Karen were all looking for their footings in this new relationship :)

Ames:  I didn’t include Coach because I felt like there was something left unresolved between him and Karen. They did come a long way together and that feeling of unfinished business does not take away my enjoyment at all. I think I just wanted a wee bit more there.

This book, although very enjoyable, had some major emotional stuff going on and I thought that the author handled it very well. Karen went through a major trauma and I thought the author dealt with her grief in a realistic way. She didn’t heal instantaneously, she went through the whole process and it was good to read about that. Nothing was glossed over. I appreciated how down to earth this book was. And a major thing here was that life goes on. Karen lost her parents, but her life, especially gymnastics, went on and she had to learn to cope with that loss and the fact that she had to keep moving forward.

Nath: For sure, the relationship between Coach and Karen is not perfect. I think it’s the newness of it. They haven’t known each other long and suddenly, Coach Bentley is not only coach, but guardian and parent and so both are struggling to find the perfect balance to their weird relationship. Still, I want to see that relationship develop :)

Ames, you nailed it. What I appreciated most is that Ms Cross didn't go with the destructive road for Karen like so many other heroines. Instead, Karen dealt with everything - the tragedy, her grief and the aftermath - the best way she could, relying on the people around her when she could.  I liked that nothing was instantly resolved. I think the most interesting was seeing Karen deal with her future, take decisions that she knew her parents hadn't been 100% in favor for before their deaths… especially in her gymnastics career. Many other heroines would have continued on the path their parents would have wanted, because it was their “last” wishes. It took courage for Karen to make her own decisions and I really admired that about her. 

What did you think of the romance between Karen and Jordan   I thought it was sweet and can’t wait to read more about it!

Ames:  I like that Karen forged her own path too.

Ok, the romance. I loved it. Karen’s never had a boyfriend before and I like how at first she didn’t care for Jordan but then they got to know each other and things grew from there. Jordan was so great. He was very empathetic with Karen’s situation and he helped her so much. He was just so cute. I could go on and on about all the things I liked about him but I think readers should find out for themselves how cute he can be. :P

Nath: Me too, I loved the romance. It just simply worked and felt natural :) I liked how Karen didn’t just see Jordan  nd started crushing on him. They got to know each other and be friends. I think in the end, they were both there for each other and that’s the sign of a good relationship. Also, I liked that they are taking their time, that Karen doesn’t feel pressure to take the next step right away… and I liked their honesty to each other. Also, there was a lot more to Jordan than simply being a 17 years old boy and that was interesting :)

Letters to Nowhere was an excellent book :) In the sea of YA and NA books, it definitively stands out for the writing and the characters. I’m giving it an A- :) I loved it, but thought there was still some loose ends… I’m so glad that there’ll be a sequel soon!!

Ames:  I know! I’m excited for the sequel. :P I’m giving Letters to Nowhere a B+. A really enjoyable read and I totally agree that it stands out.

***

Because we enjoyed this book so much and want to support the author, we're doing something we haven't done in a long time, a....

GIVEAWAY!!

You have till next Saturday, November 2 11:59pm EST to leave a comment to be eligible for the giveaway. The lucky winner will get an electronic copy of Letters to Nowhere :) However, if you already own a copy of Letters to Nowhere, it'll be our pleasure to gift a copy of the sequel, Return to Sender!!

Buddy Review: The Distance Between Us

All right, it has been a while since Nath and I did a buddy review.  But hopefully we're back into a groove.


The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
published by Harper Teen in July 2013

Money can't buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Genre:  Young Adult
Series:  n/a

Nath: So, so, so Ames! What did you think of The Distance Between Us? :P For me, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but in the end, I did enjoy this book :)

Ames: I know what you mean. I was kind of thinking it would be a bit of a miss for me because of the wealthy/not wealthy aspects of the story. But luckily, I enjoyed it. I mean, I had some issues, but overall I enjoyed it.

Nath: Nod nod, I had a few niggles as well, but more on that later! Why don’t we start with the good aspects of The Distance Between Us? :) One of them for me was the characters. There was a nice cast of characters although I have to say, Cayman and Xander made the book for me :) I liked that they were flawed which made them feel more realistic.

Ames: Yes, I really enjoyed the characters as well. Cayman has that sarcastic sense of humour that I get so well. And Xander. He was a good character as well. He was not what Cayman was expecting and I liked that. He wasn’t a stuck up rich kid. He was genuinely nice and definitely yummy. I also liked Cayman’s friend and the band members.

Nath: That’s actually what was so interesting between the two! Xander was genuinely a nice and yummy young man... but he’s had a privileged upbringing. And while he didn’t lord it over Cayman, there were still instances where it showed. Like not knowing where stuff were in his own kitchen, the beckoning movement, etc. It doesn’t make Xander a bad guy because his family is rich and I’m glad that’s how Ms West portrayed it. I’m also glad that Cayman wasn’t embarrassed by her own lifestyle. That she wasn’t over-conscious about being poor. In a way, Cayman and Xander saw each other as equals and that was very refreshing. That’s why the book worked so well and made their romance believable :)

Between, I also liked Cayman’s friend and the band members :) Although they didn’t have such a big presence, Ms West was able to show that there is more underneath the surface, that there is depth :)

Ames: The other thing I liked about Cayman and Xander were the ‘non-dates’ they had. Their excuse to hang out with each, by finding out what potential careers they could have, I thought that was cute and something that could happen in reality.

And now the good stuff, what didn’t you like? LOL

Nath: LOL, okay. This is not a real big issue, more like a niggle, but I thought Cayman and Xander should have been college-age instead of high schoolers. The whole emphasis on their career was actually quite interesting and I think, something real that people really face… but the way Cayman and Xander behaved, some of the stuff they actually did, it seemed a bit too mature for 16-17 years old. Just one or two years older would have made it better in my opinion… especially in Xander’s case since his father is pushing him into the family business. By the way, I liked that the parents were present in The Distance Between Us and that Cayman and Xander actually had interactions with them.

Ames: I agree. I thought Xander acted way older than his age. For Cayman, she was very mature, I felt like she tried to put a lot on her shoulders, trying to help her mom out. I liked that the parents were present in the story as well. But that was one of the things that frustrated me - Cayman’s mom. She had some big secrets and it bothered me that she was trying to hide stuff from Cayman.

Another thing was the grandparents that showed up at the end of the story. I felt like things were left unsaid between them and Cayman and with her mom too. There needed to be a heart-to-heart somewhere in the ending and we didn’t get one.

Nath: I kind of understand why Cayman’s mom kept some secrets - at least, the business ones - from Cayman. Cayman already shouldered a lot of the responsibilities, knowing how badly the business was doing… In a way, she was just trying to protect her daughter. The secret concerning her background though, she definitely shouldn’t have hidden it. I think there’s just so much you should do because of pride… Depriving your daughter from good grandparents and a better lifestyle, I don’t think it was worth it.

I agree with you about a heart-to-heart talk. I think there should have been an epilogue or something more. Perhaps there will be a sequel? Otherwise, my only other complaint about The Distance Between Us was Tic… not the character, but his relationship with Cayman. It was just too vague… He was like the third party, but without really being one because I don’t think Cayman was really interested in him… I think Ms West should have either left it out or really make him into a love rival for Xander, not the in-between stage that it was.

Ames: Tic was interested, but he could see which way the wind was blowing. I’m glad that he wasn’t a rival. I know Tic’s presence made Xander realize that there were other people interested in Cayman. I was ok with that. There are enough love triangles in YA. LOL

Any final thoughts?

Nath: So true. It’s not that I really wanted a love triangle, it’s just that I would have liked Cayman to be more assertive where Tic was concerned, with her feelings.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Distance Between Us. It wasn’t without flaws, but the writing style and voice, as well as the characters made up for them :) And I think the not knowing, the fumbling feeling just made what Cayman and Xander were going through more real, because it was new for the both of them. I’m giving this book a B :)

Your final thoughts, Ames?

Ames: I’m giving it a B as well. I enjoyed it but some things bothered me. In the end though, I really liked Cayman and Xander. :P

Buddy Review: You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

All right you lucky people!  Wena and I have another buddy review for the month of April.  At the end of this review I've posted what book we're going to read for May, in the hopes that you'll read it too.  :P

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
Published by Simon & Schuster in April 2012

Emma and her neighbor Peter are both lonely in a way that only bothers them on occasion. They both come from families they don’t quite understand. They both feel like something big is missing from their lives—and they’re both about to search for answers. When Emma makes a discovery that shakes the foundations of her identity, she convinces Peter to join her for a road trip. Each of them has something to find: For Emma, it is a grave—a grave that may be her only connection to her family. Peter is seeking something harder to define, but perhaps easier to navigate—a freedom, a sense of something more than what he has. Together, they take to the open road, engaging in a universal quest to make sense of who they are and where they come from…and learning a thing or two about love along the way.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Series: n/a

Ames: I was pleasantly surprised by You Are Here. I enjoy road trip novels and I thought this one was cute. What did you think?

Wena: Like you, I love road trip books and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn’t my favorite road trip book. For me, it was hard to connect with Emma. I kept reading through the book and wanting to come to like her but I just couldn’t. Now, Peter? I connected the hell out of him. This story moved because of Peter’s story. He was such an interesting character.

Ames: I know what you're saying about Emma...but I felt like there was enough growth with her character at the end that I was pleased with the story. When she realized how bad of a friend she was to Peter? I like that she saw that and changed it.

Peter I liked too. He was an interesting character. I liked his love of maps and geography and civil war battlefields.

Both Peter and Emma had to deal with the loss of a family member. Peter's mom from when he was born and Emma just figuring out that she was a twin. But it was an interesting set up because of the parallels in their families. For Peter it was just him and his dad and his dad refused to talk about stuff. For Emma, she had her parents and 3 older siblings who never even mentioned the twin. I could see how hard it was for them to try and get their family to open up. But I do have to say that Peter's situation broke my heart. And I cried when Emma finally talked to her mom. I loved her brother for asking her to get that salad bowl. Awww.

Wena: That was my exact problem with Emma. She was really selfish in the way that she thought, the way that she acted and Peter deserved so much more than the kind of friendship that Emma gave him. I don’t know, after that kiss attempt when they were camping, my heart completely broke for Peter (I cried) because it really sucks to like someone that doesn’t like you back and Peter, for as great a guy that he was, I wanted more for him then…Emma. And that’s not the usual reaction that I have for the main character of the book.

I do agree with you that over the course of the book, Emma starts to change for the better and it was good to see it but I guess, for me anyway, that I spent so much time being annoyed with her that a part of that annoyance never went away. It’s stupid but there it is.

What were your favorite parts of the book?

Ames: Oh I wanted to shake both of them when he kissed her! LOL Peter for just going along with Emma's reaction and then Emma for not doing anything. Just a complete shutdown. (But hey, she comes by that naturally, with her family.)

I did like how Emma brought her family together at the end. I felt bad for her, the way she felt like the odd duck out with all the intellectuals around her and then having older siblings who were off living their own lives already.

My favorite parts were with the hitchhiker they picked up. I wasn't expecting that and I thought he was a cute character. When Peter fell asleep at that battlefield in Tennessee and the cops were there when he woke up. The way Emma got them out of that other interaction with the cop and then at the end, when I cried when Emma found that box and photo album.

What about you?

Wena: I really liked when they first got to Gettysburg and the way that Peter was when they got there. The way that he knew the timeline and history of the entire place, the way that he was so happy to be there. How in awe he was to be there. I really liked that.

I also liked that scene at the end when Nate sends Emma down to the basement to get that damn salad bowl and she finds the photo albums. I thought it was a sweet scene and it was good to see Emma’s family be the kind of family that she’s always wanted.

I also liked the scene when Annie and Emma have it out when Emma finally gets to Annie’s house and the boys find them in the kitchen are unsure how to handle the situation.

There were a lot of scenes that I liked and my only complaint was that misconnect with Emma. I just couldn’t get there with her and I wanted to. Oh, well.

Ames: Those are all good scenes. I liked the one with Annie in the kitchen too.

That's too bad you didn't connect with Emma.

Wena: I mean, this was a solid story but because of my disconnect with Emma, I didn’t enjoy the book nearly as much as I’ve liked our other books. Peter’s journey through this book was more interesting to me and I was bummed that we didn’t get enough of it, at least for me. So, I’d give this book a C.

Ames: I'm going to give this book a B. I liked the growth I saw in Emma's character and there was so much going for this book, the cute hitchhiker, Peter's whole gig and then it made me cry. I liked it. :)

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And Wena and I had an idea to tell you what our next book is going to be.  So if you want to discuss it with us, you'll be prepared.  :P Our pick for May is going to be Abbi Glines' Fallen Too Far.

Buddy Review: Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg

After Wena and I had so much fun reviewing The Reece Malcolm List together, we decided to do a buddy review once a month. And so here is our March buddy review!

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Published by Point in March 2013

Don't mess with a girl with a great personality!

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny...but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

The time has come for Lexi to step out from the sidelines. Girls without great personalities aren't going to know what hit them. Because Lexi's going to play the beauty game - and she's in it to win it.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Series: n/a

The Story: Lexi is the girl with the great personality. She’s not ugly, but she’s definitely not one of the girls in the popular clique that are made up to the nines and goes out with a football player. She’s funny and smart and she’s also getting tired of overlooked. Her mom is living vicariously through her 7 year old sister Mackenzie, who does beauty pageants. Lexi helps out each weekend at the pageant and gets no recognition for it. Pageants are her mom’s life, and there’s no room for anything else. But when Lexi starts to dress like a girl (as opposed to a shapeless lump) it definitely has some repercussions at school and home.

There may be some minor spoilers.

Ames: All right sweet cheeks, what did you think of Revenge of the Girl?

I liked it but my beef is that I read it way too fast!!

Wena: I hear you, I was so mad at myself when I finished it last night. But I’m so glad that we chose to read this one. Eulberg always provides those delightful contemporary YA reads that always put me in a good mood…even when it’s 2am and I should be sleeping for work the next day. =)

What did you think about Lexi?

Ames: I liked Lexi but I also got annoyed with her too. I can understand why she puts so much emphasis on looks but her transformation annoyed me a bit. Even though it wasn't her choice, she really ran with it once she got going! LOL I did think this was balanced out by her toning it down in the end though. And I felt bad for her, with a mom like that, who needs bullies?

What did you think of her?

Wena: Yeah, she definitely annoyed me too but what annoyed me more was her treatment of Taylor. Her insistence that he only wanted her because of her transformation and the way that she thought what she thought and that was that. I mean, hell I thought that Taylor was going to punk her over too but I didn’t think that he deserved that instant brush off from Lexi. He was nothing but nice to her right from the jump and the way that she treated him was not cool.

Her mother got on my hot damn nerves too. When Lexi finally loses her shit (sorry) with her Mom while her Mom was at work, I couldn’t be mad at her for putting her Mom on blast like that because damn, that’s a lot of money and Moms are not supposed to do shit like that to their kids.

What did you think about Mac?

Ames: I agree with you over her treatment of Taylor. I loved how they were joking around and having fun when she was helping him shop. She wouldn't even listen to him at the end when he told her that's when he noticed her, not after her makeover. Stubborn wench! But remember when they started dating and she went gaga over Logan on their double date but went to chase Taylor down and they had their little moment alone? I liked that scene.

I'm sorry but when her mom pulled that stunt I wanted Lexi's dad to freaking call someone and have that woman committed!! Also, Lexi's dad should have opened an account up with her so that her mom wouldn't be able to pull that kind of stunt again. Her mom seriously needed some help.

But the people who kept Lexi sane in all of this were her great friends. I loved her friends and that's a great strength of Eulberg's writing - the way she can write friendships like that.

Mac was a spoiled brat but I like how her and Lexi opened up at the end. Have you ever watched Toddlers and Tiaras? I used to watch it and Mac was written perfectly. She definitely could have been on that show. LOL

Wena: You’re talking about the moment with Taylor, right? The one at the pizza place? I loved that scene, where he got jealous and she finally noticed him. He was such a cutie patootie, I swear.

Lexi sure did have a sucky parental unit. They were both such selfish pricks that now that I think about it, it makes sense that Lexi would react the way that she did. Most of the time. You’re right, she had a great support system in her friends. Both Cam and Benny were so good for Lexi and after the crap hits the fan with Lexi’s Mom, I was so glad when Benny and Cam came to be with her when she faces her Mom. Cam was the best friend of all. She’s the kind of friend that all girls should have in their lives. She’s a ride or die chick and how can you not love someone like that? She was always looking out for Lexi and the way that she had Benny’s back in the mall that one time? I loved it. Benny was pretty great too. I was so glad when him and Chris got together. I liked to see him find happiness before they went to New York.

I really liked the way that Lexi’s relationship with Mac evolved. They came a long way from that first part where Mac calls her ugly and Lexi responds back.

I kind of hoped that there would be more to the ending, more with Taylor but overall, I really liked this book.

Ames: Cam was a great friend! I also cracked up at the scene when she hit on Grant so Lexi would have a friendly face at that varsity dinner thing. She's definitely ride or die. And I thought Bennie was so cute.

I thought Mac was really cute and I'm glad Lexi stepped up as a big sister and helped her out the way she did. I kinda wish we had a picture of Lexi in her get-up at the end because it sounds hilarious too!

I wish there had been more with Taylor as well. But yes, overall I really enjoyed Revenge of the Girl. Eulberg always keeps it fresh! LOL

Wena: So I guess that was it with the Mom, huh? Things weren’t really resolved with her but Lexi was moving on from it, anyway. I mean, she had her friends and she had Mac so she wasn’t really worried much about how things ended up with her Mom, right? I kind of hoped there would be more resolved by the end of the book but I can’t say that I’m all that surprised. I just couldn’t believe how selfish and irresponsible the mother was with her money and with her kids. It really surprises me that there are women out there who are just like Lexi’s Mom. That makes me so sad for those kids.

Alright, be honest...who did you think was going to be the love interest at the beginning of the book?

Ames: I think that was it on the mom-front. I wish we had a more firm resolve in regards to their mom but I think it's safe to say that Mac and Lexi working together means no more crazy from their mom. And yes, watching Toddlers and Tiaras, with a lot of the parents, moms especially, it was like they were living through their kids, in an unhealthy way.

I honestly thought Logan was going to be the love interest. I mean, how often does the girl end up with her guy friend?

Wena: I’ve never been interested in watching Toddlers and Tiara’s but now? I’m curious. I mean, I’ve heard of Honey Boo Boo but I refused to watch that show because, well…it looks really dumb. I’m more of a Duck Dynasty kind of gal, anyway.

Same here, I thought that Logan was the love interest too because well…she didn’t immediately get with him the way that she did with Taylor. That was what threw me off and then the whole thing with him being there for her when all of that stuff went down with her Mom at the store? I was all kinds of confused.

Ames: I just wish that there was some way that her and Logan could have remained good friends, because he was there for her.

I like Duck Dynasty too. Was never into Honey Booboo. Lol.

Wena: You're right. I do wish that Logan and Lexi could have remained friends. I liked them in the beginning even if I didn't want them to end up together.

What grade would you give it? My grade would be a B.

Ames: I would give it the same, a B. A good quick read.