Looking for a sweet book that will leave you in a sobbing puddle on the floor from the sheer adorablilty? Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the book for you. The third book in Jenny Han's addictively charming To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy, this book is sure to keep you enraptured in its cute, yet relatable story.
Three years ago, I was shopping around in Target and came upon a book with an impossibly adorable cover. I'd never heard of it, but I bought it just for the cover. Later that summer, I actually got around to reading the book. And I absolutely loved it. I found its protagonist, Lara Jean, to be relatable and easily sympathizable, and I found the conflict to be entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and the different relationships, and when I finished? I just started over again.
Then two years ago the second book, P.S. I Still Love You came out, and yep. Han still had the ability to hit very close to home with her writing and just, whack my heart to death. Is this a sad series? NO! Haha, I don't want to leave that impression of that at all, it's actually very cute and light. It just is so cute that it leaves me feeling very... wanting because I WANT BOYS AND A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS! Actually, who doesn't?
Anyway, my point in this little story is, if you haven't read the first two books yet, what are you doing? They're so cute and lovely there's no way you won't become as in love with this series as I am. All of them give you that warm, fuzzy, happy feeling because of their cuteness.  Also, don't continue reading this review because I'm about to start spoiling the first TWO books, so if you haven't read them yet, you should.
On to this book. OH MY GOD. This book was just as perfect as the last two. The characters are just so real. Except not, because Peter is too perfect for this world. Honestly, even from the first page and a half I was sucked into remembering how happy this series makes me. But seriously though, I'm not sure if I'd be able to find a more perfect modern day interest than Peter. He's a LAX BRO who's an actually nice guy. He sees when Lara Jean wants to leave parties and takes her home-- even if he doesn't want to leave. And he read a book series for her. HOW CAN--? Sorry. He's just too precious for this Earth.
I try not to go too much into my personal life in reviews, but I have to bring it up in this because I just have to. I relate so much to this series. Minus the part about letters being sent out and having boys fighting over me. Haha. See, Lara Jean's mother is dead, so's mine. And then, actually there's a ton of stuff, but I'll just bring up why the whole lax bro thing hit me so hard. There's this one guy that I have a thing for-- and he's a lax bro. In my school, lax bros think themselves a big thing, and they're kind of jerks. So Peter being a perfect boy and a lax bro? Ah. Swoon.
Anyway, back to the book. The characters are just so real, they all have their flaws and that just makes them all the more lovable. Not just the characters, though, the situations they're put in feels so real and relatable, too. So not only are these books the epitome of adorable and goals, they also feel like they could actually be obtainable, they're not just that romance book you read because it's a far off dream, they feel like they could actually happen (minus the part about the actually likable lax bro (and by likable I mean decent)) 
I was in kind of a book hangover after reading A Court of Wings and Ruin, and there is no better cure to a book hangover than one of the books in this series. You really can't help but fall completely in love with all the characters. It's just... I don't know why other word to describe it other than adorable. Everything is just adorable. And cute. And perfect in an imperfect way. 
Alright, here's what I have to say to you if you've already read the first two books and are debating on whether or not to read the third-- WHY ARE YOU DEBATING AT ALL? PICK THIS BOOK UP IMMEDIATELY, it's so happy and adorable and perfect, I promise you won't regret it. 
Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

Lara Jean’s letter-writing days aren’t over in this surprise follow-up to the New York Times bestselling To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You.

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

10/10 stars. This book is a piece of art, honestly. I don't think there will ever be a time that this series will ever not make me completely, blissfully happy while reading them (while also depressing me a little just because I'm single and bitter.) 
​Anyway, I hope you all read this one! 

SPOILERS BELOW 
Um. Well, here, I'll be honest with you, I actually read this book almost a month ago and don't have that much of a recollection of things that I actually wanted to discuss other than how perfect Peter is. He's perfect, anyone want to fight me on that? No one? Good. He's a lax bro who will leave parties early when it looks like his girlfriend is ready to go and HE READ A BOOK SERIES FOR HER. Do boys get any more perfect? Oh, and also he's in it for the long haul, not just for sex. Yeah, no. Boys do not get more perfect than that. 
​The college situation was one that did actually feel like a real one. There are no guarantees on anything when it comes to colleges. 
Um. Oh, I really liked seeing John, even if it was for a split second because he's just also perfect, but in a different way from Peter. Funnily enough, I completely forgot about Josh until I went back and reread the first two books because he's hardly even mentioned in this book. Which is kind of sad, because it's a reminder that some people who are always in your life can cease to be in it at all. 
The one little thing that I noticed but didn't necessarily have an issue with, just that I noticed was that all the books basically have the same thing with Peter and Lara in terms of relationship and breaking up. They break up (or something like that) near the end, and then at the very end they kind of get back together (they don't exactly get back together at the end of the first book, but it's alluded to.) 
​

Anyway, thanks for reading this review. I'm sorry that it's choppy, I wrote the first half a month ago and didn't bother to reread it before writing more, so I'm sure I repeated myself a lot. Sorry. 
​-Anj

I've read all of Kasie West's books. Now I have come to expect a large level of cuteness and perfect romances from her stories. This book did not disappoint. 
If you're like me, and you like slightly cliche, heartwarming romances that you just can't help but grin at while reading, then this is the book for you. The biggest problem that I've seen with people's reviews of the story is that it's too predictable. I didn't have an issue with that. With almost all romance books you know how the story will end-- the couple will overcome whatever issue there is and end up together and it'll be happily ever after. It's cliche, it's predictable, but who cares? I don't read romance books to be on the edge of my seat in suspense. I read them to feel good and happy. This book definitely made me squeal in delight at times at just the sheer adorability of it. Since you usually know how a romance book will end, I always say that you read the book for the journey of the romance, not the end/destination. At least, that's why I read the romance books. The events that lead up to the romance. 
Anyway, P.S. I Like You follows this character named Lily. She's not exactly a hipster, but she's definitely not main stream. She likes uncommon bands and is aspiring to become a musician. That is, if she'll ever overcome her fears and be able to actually share some of her songs. This was where I connect with Lily the most-- she doesn't want to share her songs with other people because they're so precious and so close to her heart. She's afraid someone will dislike them, and disliking something that she basically put her soul into would really hurt. While I don't know much about music, and know even less about song writing, I feel the same way about my books. For those of you who didn't know, I really love writing, and I've finished several drafts (and rewrites) of one of my stories, but I don't let anyone read them because they're too close to me. They almost feel private. They're mine, they're something I put my love and care into... It's just... It's hard to explain about why I'm afraid/don't want to share it. It's not just because I don't want people to dislike it, but it's also so... me. I don't know. My point is that I understood where Lily was coming from. 
Back to the point. One day, while Lily is basically dying of boredom in Chemistry class, she scribbles some of the lyrics of one of her favorite songs. 
The next day someone has written the next line. 
This moves on into exchanging letters between the mystery writer. Lily connects with whoever it is on a deeper level, and soon enough, she realizes that she may be falling for her pen pal. That is, until she finds out who he is. 
There's a little mini synopsis. It's a basic summery of what the real synopsis is (which I'll put down below.) 
I have to admit, I knew who her "mystery" writer was from basically the start of the book. Like I said, it's predictable and cliche, but that doesn't make the story any less cute. In case you don't catch on to who her mystery writer is from the beginning, I'll keep it a secret, but I'll just tell you, he's my type. ;) (For those of you who read my blog often, you'll know what I'm talking about.) 
I don't really have much else to say about this book. It's cute, and if you like that kind of romance novel, I highly recommend this one. If that doesn't convince you, I'll just say that Miranda Kenneally reviewed-- aka the author of the Hundred Oaks series. One of my favorite contemporary romance series. This is an adorable story of two characters who never thought they'd fall in love... that is until they got to know each other. I'm giving P.S. I Like You 9/10 stars. It's a fantastic story and I LOVED IT. I can't wait to go back and reread it. This will definitely be one of my go to books for recommending to my friends who basically only read romances as well as a cure for book mourning. It's just so cute, you can't help but feel a little better while reading it. 
The connections and relationship in this book was also enjoyable. I liked seeing how closely bonded Lily's whole family was, as well as the relationship with Lily and her best friend, Isabel. You could tell the two genuinely cared for each other. And then there's that cute romance that this book is all about. That's a relationship to fall in love with as well. 
​
Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.

Thanks for reading, 
Anj

For anyone who love romance and contemporaries as much as me, I highly recommend this series. Before you get scared about it being a romance series and think that it will have over complicated drama-- do not worry about that! They're technically companion novels, each centering on a different protagonist who lives in the same area, but you should probably read them in order since they're written in chronological order. Though I wasn't the biggest fan of the third book, Things I'll Never Forget, the rest of the series is absolutely brilliant and almost heart stoppingly cute and adorable. The first book, Catching Jordan, and the second book, Stealing Parker, would have to be my favorite two. Not to say the rest aren't great, I love the writing in all of them, I just liked the characters best in those two novels. 
Anyway, Defending Taylor follows protagonist Taylor (shocker) as she is forced to move to a new school where she has no friends all because of a white lie she told to protect someone close to her. Not only is she humiliated, the one thing she could always turn to for comfort, soccer, is even a bit ruined for her. After all, the Hundred Oaks' team used to be her rivals. Now they were supposed to be her teammates. 
There were not many things I could connect with Taylor about, one of the things I could understand is how she pushes herself to have perfect grades and a good transcript. I, too, am constantly worrying about my grades and how everything will look for a future college to see. (Ask my friends, they are definitely getting annoyed with it by now.) Also, Taylor and I share a love for animals. 
The love interest in this book is Ezra, her brother's best friend. I found Ezra to be sweet. He seemed like a really great guy who genuinely cared for those around him. One of my favorite things about Miranda's books are her character's back stories and flaws. Ezra is one of those characters that I enjoyed finding out more about. 
I also appreciated seeing the dynamic between Taylor and her family. It's been a while since I read Racing Savannah, so I completely forgot that it was Taylor's sister that Jack had been dating until it was mentioned later in the book. 
Sorry for another short review, I just don't really have much to say about this book without spoiling anything. The fun about romance books isn't usually the end-- you usually know how that'll end-- it's the journey there. I can tell you, this book is definitely a fun, cute read. I really appreciated the Game of Thrones references thrown in as well. 
Honestly, my biggest problem with the story was something very minor-- I DID NOT GET TO SEE JORDAN AND ______ AND PARKER AND _________. They're my faves and I was very sad not to see them. Sorry, I had to leave blanks at the partners in case y'all hadn't read those books yet. If you haven't, I highly encourage you to. They're so cute, and make my heart jump in happiness every time I reread them, which is often. 
The relationships between the characters was great, too. I especially loved Taylor's relationship with her two best friends, it felt real and I appreciated that. 
I just want to mention one last thing-- the gifts Ezra gets for Taylor are great. Especially the last one he gets her. :) 
Anyway, I'm giving Defending Taylor 7.8/10 stars. It was a cute read, just what I was expecting out of it. I was not disappointed. 
Synopsis: 
​
There are no mistakes in love.

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

Wonderful book filled to the brim with heart stopping emotions and characters to really fall in love with. 
I’ll admit, the reason I picked up this book was because I immediately fell in love with the Me Before You trailer. The movie comes out in June and it stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games Franchise). Emilia plays Louisa Clark, which is a little ironic considering they have the same last name, while Sam will be portraying William Traynor. He really seems to enjoy playing characters named William. Anyway, the trailer looked so cute and adorable that as soon as I heard there was a book, I immediately went online to buy it. 
I brought Me Before You to the pool/beach with me to read while on spring break. And it’s been a really good time for books, because I’ve absolutely loved all three books I’ve read this break (Lady Midnight, First and Then, Me Before You) hopefully I’ll love Never Always Sometimes just as much. 
I certainly did not regret bringing this book with me. It, as mentioned before, is a wonderful book. The characters are quite easy to sympathize with, and I found myself growing attached to the relationships rather quickly. Jojo Moyes has a very excellent writing style, it’s quite elegant and I really flew through this book. I do intend to read more of Jojo Moyes’ books in the future. Starting with the sequel to Me Before You. I highly recommend not reading the title of the second book until you finish the first. The name itself contains some spoilers. I kind of expected of what was to come after reading the title of the second book. 
Louisa Clarke is an average girl. She has a solid life. Works in a cafe. Lives with her parents. And she has a boyfriend- their relationship is going on six years. Her life is turned upside-down when she’s fired from her cafe job and must find a new one. The new job she finds is taking care of a quadriplegic man. A rather difficult man at that. 
Will Traynor used to be a very outgoing man. He was the partner of a successful business, and went on exotic adventures all the time. These adventures included mountain climbing and cliff diving. That all ended when he got in a motorcycle accident and lost the use of all of his limbs for the rest of his life. 
I fell in love with both characters almost immediately. I love Louisa’s quirky fashion and attitude towards life, and I really enjoyed getting to know all the different sides of Will. 
The plot and pace of this book was fantastic. Not too fast and not too slow. I was invested in the characters and story line after only a short period of time. If you’re not a patient reader, this is a good book. If you are a patient reader, this is still a fantastic book. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone. 
For the majority of the book, we see the story from Louisa’s point of view. However, there are a couple chapters that come from other points of views, including Camilla Traynor and Katrina Clarke. Looking back, I really wish I could’ve seen what Will thought of all of this. 
Though the characters in this story are already adults, this is really a story about growing up and stepping from one’s safe bubble to try new and daring things. It’s a sweet, well written story, one that many are sure to fall in love with. 
Jojo Moyes’ writing was especially good with conveying emotions, as well as making the reader really feel and sympathize for the characters. Part of a good book is feeling a good connection to the protagonist, this book made me feel like I had an excellent connection with Lou. 
I’m giving Me BeforeYou 8/10 stars. It was an immensely enjoyable book, and I really cannot wait to read more from Jojo Moyes, as well as see the movie. I went back and watched the trailer as soon as I finished the book. It looks pretty accurate to the story, even directly quoting some of the lines from the book. It’s a rare occurrence to find a good book to movie adaptation, and I have confidence in this one. 
Anyway, here’s the synopsis: 
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR ME BEFORE YOU
Okay, so I already knew how this story would turn out. I knew Will was going to die. I mean, the title of the second book kind of gives it all away- After You. But the whole book I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, Will would change his mind and Lou and him could be happy together. 
Another thing I was expecting was a letter from Will to Lou by  the end of the book, after he died. But I was not mentally prepared to read the letter. I had glassy eyes while I was curled up in the bathtub, reading the letter part. Jojo Moyes is quite good at extracting emotions out of me, I’ve found. 


Anyway, thanks for reading,
-Anj

First and Then is a story to fall in love with. The characters in the story felt so real and relatable that I instantaneously felt a connection with them. Even though I’ve never been in the situations that any of these characters were in, their reactions and feels were so realistic. 
I flew through this book. Literally. I started and finished it on the plane down to Florida for the beginning of my spring break. And of course, I had to reread it as soon as I finished. And then I reread some more this morning. I just can’t get enough of Emma Mills’ writing style and characters. 
““We have a secret.” 
“What is it?” To my surprise, the question escaped my own lips. 
“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a secret.”” 
First and Then is Emma Mills’ debut novel, and I think she nailed it. Emma Mills is a popular YouTuber, personally I don’t watch her channel, but some people I do follow do and they recommend this book. I was not lying earlier, I really did fall in love with the characters and plot of this story. It’s now one of my favorite contemporary romances. 
”And his pain was my pain, and it hurt, bit it also felt good in a strange way, knowing that we could share in it together.”
Devon Tennyson is the protagonist of this story. She goes from being an only child to having to deal with her cousin, Foster, living with her. At first, she feels resentment towards the small fourteen-year-old misfit, but as time goes on, she must learn to accept him. The amount of character development this short book contains is astonishing, I was quite impressed. As I said before, many, if not all, of the characters in this story are quite relatable. Devon was very was to feel a connection to. 
“My thumbs suddenly became very interesting. All opposable and whatnot.” 
She has been pining after her best friend, Cas, for as long as she can remember, but he doesn’t seem to feel the same way back. That’s a relatable situation. I think everyone has that someone that they liked for so long, and had no idea whether or not that person liked them back. 
Devon’s reactions and thoughts were so realistic and compelling. A good protagonist is one of the key components to a great book. Devon was a good protagonist. 
“I could never really understand. But I could strive for empathy. I could at least do that.” 
Foster is Devon’s little cousin, moving all the way across the country to live with them. That’s a difficult situation, he’s away from everything he knows, and he has to move in with a family that he saw once very four years or so. Add the fact that Devon isn’t exactly welcoming to him, and my reaction to something like that would be to retreat inside and be the most anti-social teenager that town had ever seen. Obviously, Foster and I have different reactions to things. Instead of retreating or acting resentful, Foster is friendly and cheerful, if not a little overly friendly. See, Foster is not exactly the type that understands boundaries very well, as seen in only the first few pages. At first, I found him slightly annoying, but as the book continued on, just like Devon, I began to love the little guy. (Funny that I’m calling him little, ‘cause I’m the same age as him.) 
Cas is Devon’s best friend. She’s been in love with him for a long time. He doesn’t seem to reciprocate the feelings, but Devon still hopes that one day he might- “You Belong With Me” Style. He’s a friendly and charismatic guy. I’d probably love a guy like Cas, if I knew one.
““On an emotional scale of one to ten- one being catatonic and ten being full-on daytime soap opera- Ezra usually hovered somewhere around three.”” 
And then there’s Ezra Miller. He’s the football star, but he’s not the cliche kind (you know, the cliche, cocky, player kind that I’ve been known to possibly fall in love with.). No, Ezra is the quite, brooding type. It doesn’t help that half his team hates him, instead of loves him. Ezra is a quite the complicated guy to figure out. He’s awkward (I really appreciated that) and isn’t very good at expressing feelings. All the same, I found him cute and like all the characters in this book, fell in love with him.   
My favorite side character would have to be Jordan Hunter, Ezra’s best friend. Everyone loves Jordan. He’s the kind of guy you smile around even if you feel like bursting into tears. I really loved his relationship with Devon, and it was evident that he was a really good friend to Ezra. If there’s ever a spin off on this book, I want it to be about Jordan Hunter. (Or maybe Foster and Marabelle) 
““I, uh, wanted to see if you had the notes for German today.” 
“I take Spanish.” 
“Ah,” Jordan bobbed his head and then said,”Well, that’s all. See you later.”” In context, this is one of the most hilarious quotes in the book. 
In fact, a lot of this book had me laughing, and the parts that didn’t had me on the edge of my seat or biting my lip in anticipation or happiness. I’m giving this book an 8/10 stars. It was so cute and enjoyable, yet very relatable. This is the perfect definition of cute contemporary (99 Days, take some notes). The ending was satisfying, but if Emma Mills wanted to write a sequel, you would hear no argument from me. 
Here’s the synopsis:
Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.


Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself. 


It’s said to be a mix between Pride and Prejudice and Friday Night Lights. Hm. Maybe I should start Friday Night Lights, after all, there’s something so attractive about football players. 
I really would once more say how much I loved the amount of character development and realism in this story. It’s one of the many factors that made this book a great one. 
Anyway, in conclusion, I absolutely fell in love with the characters and story of this lovely book. I highly recommend this to all you contemporary romance lovers- it’s an extremely well written and thought out story. I look forward to reading more from Emma Mills. 


(Oh, by the way, any boy who reads a book for me, might be the boy I get married to)


SPOILERs 
“Dev, you have to know by now… you were the secret.” *SCREAMS* That was one of the most beautiful and satisfying lines of the book. One of the things I really loved about this book was how the romance built up on itself slowly, so it was something that the reader could grow used to and love. Ezra Miller- he read a book for Devon, this shows that he really knows how to woo a girl. 
To any boys reading this, the way to my heart is through literature. Not joking. 
GUYS. Guys. We have to discuss my all time favorite scene. Of course, it was Devon saving Ezra in the pool. I have to had read that sequence over fifteen times by now and I only finished the book yesterday afternoon! 
These characters are so beautiful and real. I just want to get across how much I loved this book. Thank you to Emma Mills for writing such a fantastic novel. I’m sure this will be one of my go to pick me up novels. :) 


Thanks for reading, I think we all know what’s going to be posting next (hint: A Lady Midnight Review)
-Anj

99 Days? A more accurate title would be How to be a Horrible Girlfriend 101.

I'm not going to lie. This was mostly a cover by for me. I mean, look at the cover! I was in the mood for a cute and light romance yesterday, so when I entered Barnes and Noble and saw this cute cover, I thought, hey this looks like exactly what I'm looking for... I was wrong. After reading the synopsis, I was even more intrigued about the story an the plot line. Basically, this girl screws up her relationship with her boyfriend with his brother and ran away to a boarding school. Now she's back in town and this is the consequences of her actions. 

Like many other readers of this book, I am still, the day after reading it, highly conflicted about how I feel about this book. I want to like it, and I do like it (in fact, I read the entire book instead of working on the homework I was supposed to be doing), but at the same time, some parts (mostly after the halfway mark) had me wanting to throw this book across the room to shake some sense into these characters. In the end, I decided that, yes, I did enjoy the book, so I've decided to give it a 7.3/10 stars and a 4/5 stars on Goodreads, but it was a hard choice. Contugno's writing is so realistic, it got me hooked from the first chapter (slash day, the book is separated by days), at the same time, the realistic writing was what this book had an issue with, as well. This story was very raw and real, it didn't really try to cover anything up- which I am okay with but the direction it took just had me getting highly annoyed with some of the characters. The main character, Molly Barlow is very, extremely flawed. For the most part, I appreciate a flawed main characters, it makes a story feel more real, but it's Molly's horrible choices that she made that made me really not root for her at the end of the book. 
I should start by giving you the blurb so that you can understand slightly: 

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

Let's start by talking about the characters, shall we? Molly Barlow, as I said before, I found highly irritating. She's the protagonist in the story and in the beginning, I really did sympathize for her and root for her. And then she made a colossal amount of bad choices and yeah, we all make bad choices, but her's were just really dumb choices and it made me feel disconnected from her character. I thought this whole story would be trying to right the wrongs of her past and stuff. Nope, it's just Molly making the same mistakes all over again. Molly is incredibly selfish. I mean, before the book even started, she'd already slept with her boyfriend's brother, but I can forgive that, we all make mistakes ( I mean, maybe not that big of a mistake, but whatever.). As long as she was on a path towards redemption in this book, it would've been okay with me. I like to see a character learn from their mistakes. Does Molly? NO. She just repeats her past mistakes and doesn't even think about the effect her actions will have on others.  That was the most off putting thing about her, all she thinks about is herself. She doesn't even stop to think that her actions might hurt others and it just really pissed me off. Something equally as bad as Molly's selfish actions is that after the bad fallouts of her selfish actions, she just feels bad for herself and doesn't even seem to see her own fault in the situation. How do I come to that conclusion? She's willing to repeat her past mistakes. Ugh. 

Now add Gabe Donnelly. I was rooting for Gabe this entire story, even from the beginning. That's why Molly's actions pissed me off even more than they regularly would. She hurts a lot of people in this book, especially Gabe. Who is Gabe? Well, he's the brother that Molly cheated with. I thought I probably wouldn't like him, I mean, he did sleep with his brother's girlfriend- but I actually loved his character. He's so sweet and it's evident from the beginning that he really cares for Molly. He's very forward about what he wants, yet he doesn't push anything on her. Gabe is very charismatic - which is the exact opposite of his brother, Patrick, but more on that later. Just like Molly, Gabe is flawed. Contugno has that going for her, she writes very realistic characters with realistic flaws. Gabe's biggest flaw is that he really likes getting what he wants (but don't we all?) but other than that, Gabe is a good guy. Out of all the characters in this book, I found myself liking Gabe the most. 

Patrick Donnelly is Gabe's younger brother and Molly's ex boyfriend. For the first part of the book, you mainly get to know Patrick through a series of memories Molly has about him. They grew up together and eventually just started dating. I was never rooting for Patrick, but from the beginning I thought Molly would end up with him, I mean, spoilers he's on the cover. Even though I wasn't rooting for Patrick, I could see the appeal from when they were younger. He's very aloof and separate from the world. I guess he's the brooding dark type next to his light, charismatic and friendly brother. I can deal with that, there's nothing wrong with the brooding dark type. Except as the story continues along, I got to realizing something. Patrick is a grade A dick. The first sign is from Molly's memories, though he may complain about Gabe being annoying when he doesn't get what he wants, so is Patrick. He was a bit of a controlling boyfriend, from what I could see, and then the things he does in the second half of the book are just unforgivable. Add to that some of the things he says? No. I really ended up disliking Patrick Donnelly's character. Like Molly, Patrick makes dumb, selfish choices and doesn't even seem to think about how it might effect others. His and Molly's choices end up hurting a lot of people, including themselves. Even though, yeah, Patrick was hurt a lot in this book, I just couldn't sympathize for him because in the end, he brought it on himself. 

Usually I don't look at the themes of books, but the themes in this book really stood out to me. I read a review that said one of the themes in the book is that you don't get infinite second chances. And I really agree with that statement. This book shows that you do not always get a second chance and your actions and choices can ruin some of the best things you have in life. Seriously Molly Barlow is a perfect example of what not to do in life. When running into any bad choices, just do the opposite thing Molly would do and chances are, you'll be good. Another evident theme in this book is LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. Especially if those mistakes lead to ruining a family. Seriously. A third topic covered in this book is the double standard. If a girl sleeps with a guy she's considered a slut, but the guy seems to be able to get away with it, without being shamed. Yeah, that's an issue this book really did cover. 

Molly's relationship with her mom was something that really hurt my heart to see. Except I could see why their relationship was the way it was. Seriously, this book is just full of bad things. If you just do the opposite of basically anyone in this book, you'll probably have a good life. This book has Bad Parents, Bad Friends, Bad Lovers and just about bad everything else as well. What did Molly's mother do that was so bad? She wrote a book that revealed her daughter's deepest darkest secret. A message to all the parents out there, if your child is willing to trust you with their darkest secret, DO NOT WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT AND HAVE THE BOOK PUBLISHED. If you do that, I think you should have instead written book called Bad Parenting 101 or How to Estrange your Child From You In 10 Easy Steps. Never the less, seeing Molly's relationship with her mom hurt me, because, as some of you might know, my mom just died about three months ago and I now thoroughly believe in showing your loved ones how much you care for them. 

Anyway, if you're considering reading this book, I advise you to go into it expecting a lot of bad choices to be made. It is a good read, the writing style is enjoyable and the plot did have me unable to tear my eyes away from the book. But I just could not bring myself to really love the book because of all the dumb, selfish decisions made over the course of the story. This book had a lot of potential to be good, and, in my opinion, only use about thirty percent of it. I think there were a lot of other routes this story could've taken that would've made it a five star book, but it fell flat there. The characters are so realistically flawed, so if you like realistic stories, this is definitely one you should read. It certainly is one of those raw and real things. Not the fluffy cute story I was looking to read yesterday. 

Anyway, thanks for reading my slightly rant-ish review. Hopefully I'll be able to get another one up soon, but with exams just around the corner, I'm not so sure. If you're interested in seeing my actual thoughts while reading the book, feel free to friend me on Goodreads, I'm Anji Cooper. I can tell you that all my thoughts posted while reading this were very angry thoughts. 
​-Anj

How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading. 
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book. 
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast. 
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more. 
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one. 
Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing. 

This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with. 
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?) 
Here's the synopsis: 
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing. 

Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come. 
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II. 
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series. 
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet) 
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book. 

Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year. 

Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good. 
​Released March 29, 2016.

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!) 
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun. 
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016

P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out. 

A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am. 
release date: August 30, 2015
No cover released yet. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015. 

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books. 
Release date: April 5, 2015

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute. 

Never Always Sometimes: 

Never date your best friend.

Always be original.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

first and Then: 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done! 
​
Here's the synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.

Synopsis: 
Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released) 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers. 

release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released. 

The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. 

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book.  Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!) 
Release date: August 2, 2016

Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy.  Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...) 
Released: February 23, 2015
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess.  I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it. 
Released: May 24, 2016

Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
​-Anj

A month and some days later I finally make another post. I've been apologizing for not posting a lot lately. I'M SORRY! High School has been a lost busier than I thought it would be and I haven't gotten a lot of time to read in. And the books I have read, I don't have too much to say about them. So instead of writing a bunch of short and boring reviews, I decided to recommend some of my favorite contemporary romances to y'all. This is in no specific order, just the first ones I saw on my shelf. If you haven't read any of these, I highly recommend them all. They're amazing and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 
The first book / series I'm going to tell you about is the Hundred Oaks books by Miranda Kenneally. I read the first book in this series this... March? and absolutely fell in love with the writing, plot and characters and I just had to get the next books. This series isn't exactly a series, they're more companion novels but I suggest you read them in order because they are in chronological order and you'll be horribly spoiled if you skip a book. So don't! 
The first book in this series is called Catching Jordan and the romance/characters in this book is definitely my favorite out of all of them but they are all spectacular. I've reviewed all of them, so after this post, feel free to check out my reviews. :) Here's the synopsis of Catching Jordan: 
​ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

I actually just reread this book tonight and it is still as amazing as it was the first time I read it. The next book is called Stealing Parker and it's just as fun as the first book. Miranda has an excellent writing style and I really love how the books make me laugh and my heart squeeze from the sheer adorability. Also, with contemporaries, the endings don't usually surprise you, but the endings for these books might ;)

The next book I'm going to recommend is called To All the Boys I've Loved Before and it's by the fantastical author, Jenny Han. There is a sequel to this book- P.S. I Still Love You and it is just as quirky and fun as the first. I've reviewed both these books on my blog, too, so check them out if you're interested! 
The thing I love the most about both these books is how realistic everything feels. Lara Jean's feelings are easily relatable and you can really feel for her. These books are as I said before quirky and fun reads and they sure are hilarious and adorable also. If you have the chance, I'd say you should really give these books a chance. You won't regret it. 
Summery:
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

I still really love the Anna and the French Kiss Series by Stephanie Perkins. And I still highly recommend them. And yes, I did review them so check it out if you want to. Actually I think it's just one. Yeah, the ending is no surprise in these books but the ride and journey to the end is what makes the end just so great. I absolutely love the relationships in these books and you really feel an attachment to these well written characters. After reading Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After, your heart will ache for a romance like theirs. Now, like the Catching Jordan books/ Hundred Oaks series, these books are technically companion novels, but if you read them out of order, you'll be spoiled SO DON'T DO IT. 
Synopsis: 
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

I really love Kasie West's books. These are my two favorites of her works. (does that sentence make sense? Yeah? No? Okay) These two books contain no spoilers for the others so you can read either one before the other. Both are fantastical so I suggest you read both and then Kasie West's other three books because all of them are just amazing. 
Oh and yes, I did review both these books on this very blog so...
On the Fence:

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fill-in Boyfriend: 
When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Another great two contemporary books are My Life with the Walter Boys and ​The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak. Both of these books were first published on Wattpad but there's a difference between the online version of the books and the published version, so I recommend you read both. Though, if you can't, it's okay to just read one of them. Both books are super fun to read. You'll find yourself laughing a bunch while reading them and having your heart ache for the gorgeous guys these stories contain. 
​PS: I have reviews on these books too
My Life With the Walter Boys: 
My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.

Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then...

Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.

Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians.

Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect
The Heartbreakers:
"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."
Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she'll never see him again.
Except, Stella's life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?
But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver — dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band — when her sister could be dying of cancer? 
Ali Novak wrote her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was just 15 years old, and has since penned her next book, The Heartbreakers. First a hit on the online community Wattpad, her second novel has over 38 million reads and is loved by readers around the world.

And my last contemporary romance to recommend y'all is Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg. It's a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I do believe it's my most recent favorite romance and I really regret taking so long to read it. The friendship between Levi and Macallan in this books is #goals but would their romantic relationship be similar? Read the book to find out. Oh, by the way, I do have a review on this spectacular book, too. 
Summery: 
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

Please! Read these books so I have someone to talk to about them! Actually just read them because they're great books and I think you'd really enjoy them. Have any good contemporaries I didn't talk about? Feel free to leave comments on some of your favorite romances :) 

Wonderfully cute and romantic and yet at the same time perfectly awkward and adorable. We Can Work it Out is a perfect sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club. Sure, I wanted Penny and Ryan to have a perfect happy ending but seeing the twists and turns in their relationship was so realistic it sometimes hurt. Okay, that made this book sound bad. It's not, in fact, it was a great book. Quirky and realistic. I loved almost every minute of it. Although, the awkward and sad moments I found myself enjoying but not at the same time. I don't really have too much to say about this book aside from IT'S GREAT, READ IT. If you have yet to pick up The Lonely Hearts Club, I have no idea what you've been doing with your life. Pick it up. You'll be sure to love it just as much as you'll love the sequel. 8/10 stars for being absolutely fantastical. 
Synopsis: 
When Penny Lane started The Lonely Hearts Club, the goal was simple: to show that girls didn’t need to define themselves by how guys look at them, and didn’t have to value boyfriends over everything else. Penny thought she’d be an outcast for life…but then the club became far more popular than she ever imagined it would be.

But what happens when the girl who never thought she’d date a good guy suddenly finds herself dating a great one? She doesn’t need a boyfriend… but she wants it to work out with this particular boyfriend. And he wants it to work out with her.

Only, things keep getting in the way. Feelings keep getting hurt. Words keep getting misunderstood.

Penny Lane worked hard to declare her independence. Now she needs to figure out what to do with it — and how to balance what she wants with what everyone else wants. In We Can Work It Out, Elizabeth Eulberg returns to the world of her first novel, The Lonely Hearts Club, and gets to the heart of how hard relationships can be… and why they are sometimes worth all the drama and comedy they create.

I had high expectations for this book. I was not disappointed. Miranda has yet to let me down with her marvelous romances. 
Warning: This book may contain spoilers to all the previous books in the Hundred Oaks books. This part won't have spoilers to Jesse's girl but if you haven't read the previous books, read at your own risk. 
The thing I was most excited about was Sam and Jordan. I heard they had a large part in this book. Okay, compared to the other books, yeah, they did. But I was hoping to see more of them. I feel like a spoiled child, asking for more even when I got plenty. But I would seriously enjoy a book about Sam and Jordan going grocery shopping. That's how much I love that couple. They will forever be my favorite pair in the Hundred Oaks books. 
Like all of Miranda's books this one was a fun, cute, funny, romantic read. There were times you'd find yourself bursting out laughing because of the humor in the book. There were also times you'd find yourself cringing at the awkwardly real feeling moments. But there are times where you'll find yourself sighing, wishing you could find a romance like this. This book was the full package. Only a quarter of the way through I found myself already shipping Jesse and Maya. 
Maya is a bit of a spit fire. Following in Sam's footsteps there. She has a lot of Sam's personality traits but she is her own person. Maya is particularly found of music. Like all of Miranda's books, the protagonist has a strong love for something. (i.e. football, baseball/softball, christianity, horses, running) 
Jesse is a pretty cool guy. He's fun and a little rebellious. He also has trouble trusting people because of his fame but all in all he's a sweet guy. 
"Can I cut in?" 
"No, you may not." 
God, I love Jesse. 
"He's still holding his ICEE like he expects someone to steal it from him." 

"I heard all the foul language and figured Sam and Jordan were here." 
I absolutely loved seeing Jordan and Sam in this book. Whenever they came into the story my happiness level soared. A lot of their relationship is based on fighting, which I found rather entertaining. And it also had me shipping them even more (which I didn't even know was possible). The two of them are living together in these books and THE FEELS. Ah it's great. 
Just a reminder of how great Sam is. 
(While talking about Career Day) "And I said I wanted to be an exotic dancer but I got detention." 

"You doubt my lawyer's ability to be annoying? That makes you one of a kind." 

9/10 stars. This book was fantastic. I still like the characters from Catching Jordan better, but this book deserves it's extra star.

All in all, this book was a fantastic novel and if you've read the other Hundred Oaks books, why haven't you picked this one up yet? The only thing I miss from Miranda's books are the plot twist half way through. 

Synopsis: 
Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo? 



SPOILERS BELOW


I don't really have any other spoilers I want to talk about other than the fact SAM AND JORDAN ARE ENGAGED.  I thought they'd get engaged in this book and I wasn't wrong. YES! I really hope in the next book we'll see their wedding... I'm just saying that Jordan yelling at Sam for being protective is great. Jordan and Sam are just great. I love them. I want a Sam Henry in my life.