Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Rating: 4 stars

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: arc, ALA

Status: standalone but When Ashish Met Sweetie is its companion

Summary:

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?


Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Review: Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Rating: 4 stars

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: paperback, gift

Status: standalone, but Love & Luck is a companion

Summary:

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.


People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Blog Tour: Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: January 13, 2015

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC & ARC, from the publisher

Status: Book 2 of the Superlatives companion series
Links: Biggest Flirts review (also 5 stars)

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour, which was organized & hosted by The Fantastic Flying Book Club. The full tour schedule can be found HERE. Please go give my fellow tour hosts some love!

Summary:

Perfect Couple is #2 in the Superlatives series about seniors at a Florida high school who are selected for their class's superlative categories in the yearbook, and how the labels change the way they view themselves and alter the course of their lives.

Can your heart be put to a popular vote?

As yearbook photographer, Harper is responsible for capturing those candid moments that make high school memorable. But her own life is anything but picture perfect. Her parents' bitter divorce has left her wondering what a loving relationship would look like. And ever since the senior class voted her and star quarterback Brody the “Perfect Couple That Never Was,” her friends have been on her case to ask Brody out.

Brody doesn’t lack in female admirers, but Harper can't see herself with him. He seems confused about why they were matched together, too. They’re total opposites—the last people in the world who would ever be compatible, let alone the “perfect couple.” Yet ever since the class paired the two of them, they've found themselves drawn together--first by curiosity, then by an undeniable bond.

The trouble is, though they're very attracted to each other and both of them admit this, they have a hard time getting along or even communicating clearly. If they’re the perfect couple, this shouldn’t be so difficult! Soon it becomes clear their class was wrong, and they throw in the towel. But after they walk away, both of them feel so changed from making the effort that they can’t forget each other. What if that means this match made in hell is the perfect couple after all?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

by Sarah Ockler

Coming June 2015

Simon Pulse

Summary:

Sometimes, there are no words…

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

Why I Want It:

SARAH OCKLER *glomp* I fell in love with Sarah's books two years ago when I binged on Twenty Boy Summer (*sobs quietly*), Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet. Now, I wait anxiously each year for her to announce a new project. And then I wait anxiously on the title. And the cover. And especially the book itself. I love Sarah's books because they're fun to read, but there's still depth to these sweet contemporary tales.

Why I think you should want it:

Sarah Ockler, in addition to writing amazing stories, is a champion for diverse ya books. Best of all, she's vocal about diversity online (READ THAT LINK!!!) AND in her books, but what she writes in her books isn't diversity for the sake of diversity. Her characters are real, dynamic people, not just flat caricatures of diversity. Bonus points for creating sympathetic characters that are highly relatable despite cultural differences. If you're looking at that gorgeous cover above, you know this is going to be a book that accomplishes this. MAD PROPS to Simon & Schuster for having not one but two biracial romances (that I know of) scheduled for 2015 (the other is Jennifer Echols's Most Likely to Succeed). I'm also very intrigued to see Sarah's take on the playboy-who-has-inner-depth. If you would like to read further about my crush on Sarah's books, check out my review of The Book of Broken Hearts and the interview I did with Sarah for #scandal.

What are you waiting for today? Please share your picks and links in the comments, as well as your thoughts on The Summer of Chasing Mermaids!

Blog Tour: #scandal by Sarah Ockler

Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! I am SO excited to be a part of Sarah Ockler's #scandal tour and especially to have the opportunity to interview her! I have loved Sarah's writing since I first read Twenty Boy Summer two years ago. I read Fixing Delilah and Bittersweet immediately, and then had to wait an entire year before The Book of Broken Hearts came out, which was a horrible wait for me. Sarah remains one author on my must-meet-before-I-die author list, and her books are 100% must reads. I really enjoyed #scandal (it's one of my favorites of 2014 so far!), and I hope you do to! Enjoy my interview with Sarah and enter to win signed copies of four of her books in the tour-wide giveaway!

 

Rating: 5 stars (review coming soon!)

Pub Date: June 17, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: new adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: DRC, from the publisher

Status: standalone
Links: Check out my review of The Book of Broken Hearts HERE for more reasons why I love Sarah

Summary:

Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.

When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.

By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation.

Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.

There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...

Waiting on Wednesday: Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Perfect Couple
Superlatives #2

by Jennifer Echols

Coming January 13, 2015

Simon Pulse

Summary:

Can your heart be put to a popular vote?

As yearbook photographer, Harper is responsible for capturing those candid moments that make high school memorable. But her own life is anything but picture perfect. Her parents' bitter divorce has left her wondering what a loving relationship would look like. And ever since the senior class voted her and star quarterback Brody the “Perfect Couple That Never Was,” her friends have been on her case to ask Brody out.

Brody doesn’t lack in female admirers, but Harper can't see herself with him. He seems confused about why they were matched together, too. They’re total opposites—the last people in the world who would ever be compatible, let alone the “perfect couple.” Yet ever since the class paired the two of them, they've found themselves drawn together--first by curiosity, then by an undeniable bond.

The trouble is, though they're very attracted to each other and both of them admit this, they have a hard time getting along or even communicating clearly. If they’re the perfect couple, this shouldn’t be so difficult! Soon it becomes clear their class was wrong, and they throw in the towel. But after they walk away, both of them feel so changed from making the effort that they can’t forget each other. What if that means this match made in hell is the perfect couple after all?

Why I want it:

I am in a perpetual state of waiting on the next Jennifer Echols book. She's one of my all-time favorites!

Why I think you should want it:

This series is brilliant. High school superlatives narrow people down into one flat characteristic, one label they're stuck with forever. At any reunion, they will forever be known as Mr. or Miss or Biggest or Most whatever. Jennifer plays on this stereotyping with each couple in the series. Sure, each character has been pigeonholed into whatever label their classmates stuck them with, but Jennifer allows them to tell their story and become more than the title. Will and Tia proved there was more to their relationship and, more importantly, more to them as individuals than Biggest Flirts, their official titles, or even the Snobby New Guy and the Slacker Girl, the unofficial titles they're trapped by. I have no doubt that Jenn will do the same for Brody, the Daredevil Jock, and Harper, the Artsy girl. Can't wait! If you need more convincing, check out my five star review of Biggest Flirts for further explanation why this series is amazing.

Review: Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: May 20, 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult contemporary romance

Format/Source: ARC, from the author

Status: First book in the Superlatives companion trilogy

Summary:

The yearbook votes have been cast. Senior year is about to get interesting.

Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laid-back swagger.

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing away Will drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirt along with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will's new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started out as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…

Waiting on Wednesday: #scandal by Sarah Ockler

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

#scandal

by Sarah Ockler

Coming June 17, 2014

Simon Pulse

Summary:

Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.

When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.

By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation.

Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.

There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...

Why I want it:

I loved Twenty Boy Summer. And Bittersweet. And The Book of Broken Hearts. And from what I'm getting from #scandal's description blows them ALL away. Sarah has this really fresh writing style that knocks out beautiful contemporary romances that always cleanse my palate in between intense series. I always get really emotional when I read Sarah's work because everything is so real, so relatable, but they're so unique.

Why I think you should want it:

Sarah's a master of standalones, which is not something a lot of people can brag. She gives really amazing, full, well-constructed stories with plot AND characterization in 400 pages or less. THAT, my friends, is talent. These stories are quintessential high school stories, but there's always an air of being More. It's more than just high school drama. Sarah gives life to your inner teenager, gives voice to all those hopes and dreams and fears and crushes and the passion, the excitement, the crushing despair. Everything comes out in the pages of her books. You'll feel like you're in high school again, but not in a bad way. The story just...envelops you. THAT is why you should want this book. Because Sarah can do all that. BAM.

Also, seriously, look at that title, that cover, that summary. I DARE YOU to tell me that the idea of a book taking on social media doesn't make you excited to read about it.

Review: The Program by Suzanne Young

Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Pub Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: young adult contemporary science fiction
Format/Source: hardcover, borrowed from the library
Status: book 1 of The Program duology

Summary:

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Review: Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Rating: 4 stars

Pub Date: March 5, 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: young adult paranormal romance

Format/Sourced: Hardcover, borrowed from the library

Status: First book in the Sky Fall trilogy

Summary

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.
 

Review: Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: August 27, 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse (imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Genre: young adult, contemporary romance, "sliding doors" alternate reality

Format/Source: DRC from Edelweiss

Status: Standalone

Disclaimer: This advanced DRC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

Cover Reveal: Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

As most of you regular readers know, I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Echols's work. Yesterday, she finally shared the cover for her upcoming novel Biggest Flirts, and I knew I had to share it with all of you. Biggest Flirts is book one of her new young adult romantic comedy Superlatives series.

Biggest Flirts

by Jennifer Echols

Coming May 20, 2014

from Simon Pulse
A Simon & Schuster imprint

Summary:

The yearbook votes have been cast. Senior year is about to get interesting.

Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laid-back swagger.

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing away Will drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirt along with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will's new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started out as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…

Personally, I'm in love with this cover. It's goofy and fun, which perfectly encapsulates the feeling of flirtiness and high school. I also like that it's set apart from Jennifer's other books. Her other romantic comedies have a different style of cover. Major Crush, The Ex Games, and  The Boys Next Door all feature cartoony covers that sold well about seven years ago, but not so much anymore. Then Winter's Kiss, Endless Summer, and The One That I Want morphed into photographic covers, but they look more on the serious side. Also very dreamy and romantic. I like this switch to a more playful and realistic cover. If the covers for Perfect Couple (December 2014) and Most Likely to Succeed (August 2015) keep with this style, it'll set the Superlatives series apart, not just from other authors' work but from Jennifer's previous books as well, and that's really cool. What do you think?

Biggest Flirts is not up at Amazon or other book retailers yet for preorder, but you can add it to your Goodreads TBR list here. And be sure to check out Jennifer's official website here for information about all her other young adult, new adult, and adult books.

Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Rating: 4/5 stars
Pub Date: May 21, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
Format/Source: ARC obtained at TLA 2013 conference
Status: Standalone

Summary:

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Review:

I really have to hand it to Sarah Ockler. She practices what she preaches. I was surprised when I realized that Broken Hearts's heroine Jude is from an Argentinian family and love interest Emilio is Puerto Rican. Why the surprise? Well, honestly, because the majority ya fiction is about white kids, to be completely honest. Then a few months ago, I stumbled on Sarah's beautifully written blog post Race in YA Lit: Wake Up & Smell the Coffee-Colored Skin, White Authors!, which is completely inspired and brilliant as it scolds us all to include more racial diversity in our reading and writing without just throwing in a stereotypical flat character to break up the monotony and appease the masses. Brava, Sarah!