Book Review: The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Sun is Also a Star

By Nicola Yoon 

Release Date: November 1, 2016

Source: Publisher

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Oh my, this book. I knew that I was going to enjoy it because I LOVED Everything Everything. This one sounded like it was going to be a cute YA romance and I couldn't have been more right! 

Natasha is someone who believe in facts and science- forget romance and fate. When her father runs into trouble and the government discovers that they aren't actual legal citizens, Natasha and her family are being deported to Jamaica. Tonight. Natasha knows she has to find a way to save her family and herself from leaving the only life she's known. Daniel, on the other hand, is Korean American with high exceptions from his parents to be the perfect son. Daniels doesn't want to go to an ivy league school and be a doctor, but his parents don't understand. When Daniel sees Natasha on the street, he believes fate brought them together and that he met her for a reason. But Natasha is harder to convince and she knows nothing could ever happen between them if she isn't even in the same country the next day…

I am still shocked that this whole book only took place in a day. There is so much growth and exploration in not only Natasha and Daniel's relationship, but also in the relationship between each of them and their parents. When Natasha and Daniel meet, Daniel is swept off his feet and knows that he could seriously fall for Natasha. That doesn't mean he was instantly in love with her, though, so the whole horrifying intsa-love trope is thankfully avoided. Instead, you get to watch them start to fall for each other as they challenge each other's views of the world, of love, and of themselves. I loved how different Natasha and Daniel were, but also how much they grew to love each other as they spent more time together. 

While Natasha and Daniel were the main characters of this book, the lives of all characters were explored. There were little snippets of people from their families and even from people they had little encounters with. Nicola Yoon explores the complexity of human lives and how interconnected we all are. She shows how one action of one person affects another person and how we all have reasons for the way we act. These moments were each only two or three pages of the entire book, but they added so much depth and complexity to the story and the world that Natasha and Daniel were living in. 

I am still so in love with this book and it's been over a week since I've read it. Daniel and Natasha's love story was unconventional, but it was so believable and had so much depth to it. And BOTH characters are diverse characters, which I loved. And that ending! I loved how unique and unexpected it was. I want more! I need more! Every YA contemporary fan, especially those who already love Nicola Yoon, has to pick up this book!

Sports Romance Recommendations

If you've been following me for awhile, then you know that I absolutely LOVE sports romances. They're probably my favorite sub-genre of romance because there's just something about a man in a uniform that makes him that much more attractive. Not to mention athletes are insanely in shape and completely dedicated to the sport they play. I am a sucker for a good sports romance and here are some of my favorites!

 

               My Review                   My Review                  My Review

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Stacking the Shelves (216)

 

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!

From Amazon

I bought two books for my kindle this week and I am so excited! Spanish Lessons is a study abroad New Adult book and I am SO EXCITED to dive into it. I've heard good things, so I hope I enjoy it!

That's it for me! What did you all add to your shelves this week? 

Book Review: Ruled by Elle Kennedy

Ruled (Outlaws #3)

By Elle Kennedy 

Release Date: November 1, 2016

Source: Publisher

In the latest novel in the series with the “sexiest, baddest, hottest”* outlaws around, one woman must choose between the two men who want to claim her...
 
...Or does she?
 
Despite his magnetic personality, Rylan can’t seem to seduce Reese, the deadly leader of their town of outlaws. Winning her over is a welcome challenge, but her indifference isn’t the only thing standing in his way. If he wants Reese, Rylan must also win over Sloan, her stoic protector...
 
Sloan has always loved Reese, but their painful past has stolen his chances of a future with her. Rylan’s interest in Reese only intensifies the tension—until Sloan begins to wonder if the reckless man might be the one person who can bridge the distance...
 
The last time Reese fell for the wrong man, she had no choice but to kill him. Now, she desperately wants to take what both Rylan and Sloan are offering. But if she makes the wrong call again, she risks losing them both.

These books are so unique, addicting, and HOT and I have been dying for this third book! I have been intrigued by Reese's character ever since we met her and I couldn't wait to see how her story would turn out. 

Rylan is always the carefree guy ready for a fun time, but no one really knows what he's been through or what he wants. Neither does Rylan, for that matter, until he finally wins over Reese and breaks down her resistance to him. Rylan knows, though, that if he wants anything to do with Reese, he has to win over Sloan, Reese's right hand man. Sloan will do anything for Reese, but both Reese and Sloan could never give into their desires for one another if it meant putting their friendship in jeopardy. Reese knows she should be focusing on taking down the Enforcers and protecting her town, but she can't seem to get Sloan or Rylan out of her head. 

Whoa, this book. It's no secret that these books are hot. And I mean HOT. But this book definitely took those other books to another level. I absolutely loved Rylan's character in the first two books and how carefree and playful his character is. In this book, though, we get to see a much more vulnerable side of him as he finds himself becoming connected to both Sloan and Reese. He opens up much more about his past and what happened to him before he came to live with Conner at his camp. Reese, on the other hand, has always been the kick-butt, serious woman who has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Like Rylan, we get to see a much more vulnerable side of Reese and I absolutely loved her character. She had a rough past and it was so sad watching her struggle with certain things in this book and trying to resist confiding in someone, or two someones in this case, and showing that she doesn't actually have it all together. 

While there wasn't as much action in this book as there was in the other books, I still loved the suspense and anticipation of if the Enforcers would catch Reese and take down the community she has worked so hard to build. I kind of wished there was more action in the end instead of a kind of easy solution to what happened (sorry for the vagueness…I don't want to spoil anything!), but I still enjoyed the moments we got with Reese acting as the leader and having to make some serious decisions regarding how they were going to try and defeat the society the had hurt her so much when she was little. 

This was definitely another hit in Elle Kennedy's Outlaws series and I am so sad I read it so fast because now it's over and all I want is more. Ruled turns up the heat and gives a real look into the emotional, vulnerable lives of characters who seemed like they had it all together. I fell so hard for Rylan and Reese and their tragic pasts. While I wasn't as huge of a fan of Sloan's character, I still enjoyed the trust and comfort he brought to their relationship. Needless to say, anyone who has not started this series yet is absolutely CRAZY. If you love action, heat, and extreme steam, you have to pick up the Outlaws series?

Waiting on Wednesday (160)

 

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of!

Crazy Pucking Love (Taking Shots #3)

By Cindi Madsen 

Release Date: November 7, 2016

I just met the girl of my dreams. 

Megan Davenport is funny and smart, and she’s as much of an insomniac as I am. She’s also my team captain’s little sister, which I only found out after our passionate kiss. 

Megan is completely off-limits—her brother makes that very clear—and I know better than to think I can keep a relationship going during hockey season anyway. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be late-night friends, right? 

The only problem is, love makes you do crazy things, like breaking all the rules.

--------------------------

I haven't read any of the books in this series yet, but I saw a picture of all three covers on Instagram and knew that I had to read them. It turns out that the third book is coming out next week and it sounds so good! I love a good hockey romance and this one sounds like it's going to be very interesting. I love how the main character thinks that he can keep things secret and casual with the captain's sister when we all know it's definitely going to turn into something more…I can't wait! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Romantic Suspense Novels

 

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Romantic Suspense Novels

This week's topic was to pick any topic that has to do with Halloween. In case you didn't know this about me, I do not do scary. I am terrified just watching the previews for scary movies, so I stay far away from actually watching scary movies or reading scary books. That doesn't mean I don't love a good suspense! There isn't the whole slasher, scare you out of your pants aspect, but there is enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. So here are my favorite romantic suspense novels! 

1. The Girl in 6E by AR Torre

2. First Touch by Laurelin Paige

3. Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams

4. Midnight Pursuits by Elle Kennedy 

5. Midnight Action by Elle Kennedy 

6. Midnight Captive by Elle Kennedy 

Book Review: If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson

If I Fix You

By Abigail Johnson

Release Date: October 25, 2016

Source: ALA

When sixteen-year-old Jill Whitaker’s mom walks out—with a sticky note as a goodbye—only Jill knows the real reason she’s gone. But how can she tell her father? Jill can hardly believe the truth herself.

Suddenly, the girl who likes to fix things—cars, relationships, romances, people—is all broken up. Used to be, her best friend, tall, blond and hot flirt Sean Addison, could make her smile in seconds. But not anymore. They don’t even talk.

With nothing making sense, Jill tries to pick up the pieces of her life. But when a new guy moves in next door, intense, seriously cute, but with scars—on the inside and out—that he thinks don’t show, Jill finds herself trying to make things better for Daniel. But over one long, hot Arizona summer, she realizes she can’t fix anyone’s life until she fixes her own. And she knows just where to start . . . 

I went into this book with really no expectations. I had never heard of this one but I had an ARC from when I went to ALA this summer, so I decided to give it a try and ended up not being able to put it down. 

When Jill's mom walks out on their family claiming to be suffocated by them, Jill and her father are left broken. Jill knows why her mom really left and knows that she could never tell her father, no matter how much it's killing her. Spending her summer working at her dad's garage doing what she loves, Jill uses the garage as an escape from her longtime best friend and crush who has done the unforgivable to her. Jill is trying to keep it together, so when a new guy moves in next door, Jill finds someone else to focus on and someone to open up to like she never has before. 

Like I said, I had no idea what I was in for when I picked this book up. The thing that really intrigued me about this book was the fact that Jill worked in her dad's garage. I absolutely loved her relationship with her dad and how much she loved working with him on cars. So many things in this book tested the relationship between Jill and her dad, which was so heartbreaking to me because they were really all each other had left. I was definitely intrigued by Daniel, the new boy who moved in next door just when Jill was feeling completely alone. Daniel had problems of his own and I loved the unique relationship that grew between Daniel and Jill. There was an age difference and I normally hate it when the guy is a lot older than the 16 year old girl, but their age difference didn't bother me because it was done so tastefully. They were both very aware of their age difference and just found solace in each other due to the fact that they were both feeling alone with their family troubles. 

While this book did have a romance, I don't think I would classify this as a romance. There was so much more substance to the friendships and family relationships in this book that it wasn't just about who Jill would end up with. And even though there were two guys who she was kind of into, it wasn't at all your typical love triangle. I loved how much Jill really needed the relationship she formed with Daniel while her relationship with Sean was up in the air and trying to mend itself. Jill was in a really tough spot and she just needed someone to just be there with her in her time of understanding her mom and watching her dad fall apart. 

Overall, I absolutely loved If I Fix You. With such complex relationships and a real look at what it means to be a family and a friend, Jill goes through a summer of just trying to fix herself and understand the relationships she has always depended on. If you want a complex book that deals with family, love, and friendship, you have to pick up this book.

Book Review: A Place in the Sun by RS Grey

A Place in the Sun 

By RS Grey 

Release Date: October 24, 2016

Source: Author

When her mother’s incessant matchmaking hits an all-time high, Georgie Archibald does what any sensible woman would do: she flees the country.

Seeking refuge in the picturesque seaside village of Vernazza, Italy, Georgie’s only plan is to lie low, gorge herself on gelato, and let the wine and waves wash her troubles away... that is until she wakes up in a bed that belongs to the most romantic-looking man she’s ever seen.

Gianluca.

After going out of his way to rescue her, the former London financier turned mysterious recluse makes it clear that despite acting as her white knight, he has no plans to co-star in her fairytale.

But Georgie isn’t asking for his heart—she’s merely intrigued.
 
After all, Gianluca isn’t just gorgeous—tall and tan from days spent in the sun—his touch sets her world on fire. With him, Georgie experiences the most intoxicating passion she’s ever known, and it only takes a few steamy nights for her to realize that sometimes running away from trouble is the best way to find it.

I fell in love with RS Grey's writing when I read Scoring Wilder, but unfortunately haven't loved anything by her as much as that book since then. RS Grey has released some pretty great books, but I think that Liam Wilder has ruined me for all other men. That doesn't mean, though, that I haven't enjoyed all of her other books and the romances she's created. When I got this book, I couldn't wait to read Georgie's story and watch her fall in love in Italy. 

Georgie is tired of her mother constantly setting her up with men who just don't live up to her standards of the man she can see herself falling head over heels in love with. Her solution? Drop everything and fly to Italy to find a real man to fall for. Georgie finds herself in the quaint town of Vernazza where she is rescued from exhaustion by two good looking Italian men. Georgie is immediately taken with Gianluca, but she couldn't have chosen a more broken man to fall for. While their chemistry is intense and Georgie believes Gianluca could be the key to her happily ever after, there is something bigger than the both of them standing in their way that Gianluca is nowhere near letting go of. 

This book definitely started off adorable, fun, and lovable. I loved Georgie's character in Settling the Score and she was definitely as entertaining then as she was in the beginning of this book. All of the people Georgie meets are so wonderful and I loved how they were trying to help her find the perfect Italian man to fall for. I was bothered, though, by the fact that Georgie is British and this book read very un-British like except for the occasional "mum" or "bloody." I didn't buy Georgie's background, which bothered me, and I wish that it was more authentic or Georgie just wasn't made to be a British character. Another aspect about Georgie's character that bothered me was how she just up and went to Italy and stayed for months with no obligations whatsoever. I get that her family was super rich, but she literally had no one telling her she needed to be back (except her family once or twice) and she was a 26-year-old woman with no obligations or expectations back home. I get that that was to make the story able to happen with her staying on in Italy for as long as she wanted to, but as a twenty-something myself, I found it a bit annoying and unbelievable. 

Going on to Gianluca, I really liked how he was this brooding man who really had no interest in Georgie, or any woman for that matter, when he first met her. I was a little annoyed with how infatuated Georgie was with Gianluca and how she would do anything to get him to like her. That seemed a bit cliche on her part. There were more cliche moments throughout the story (that I can't mention because I don't want to spoil the story) that were added for drama and I really hated what the focus was on in the epilogue of this story. That one aspect of Gianluca's life kind of took over the story halfway through this book and I didn't want it to be about that. Georgie really lost her spark and spunky attitude halfway through the story and I wanted her back. While I didn't cry in this book, it was definitely emotional and I get why Georgie changed the way she did. There was a lot of emotion in this book and you got a close look at how much people really give of themselves in a relationship. 

Overall, this was not my favorite from RS Grey, but it definitely made me want to hop on a plane and visit Italy ASAP. The setting was gorgeous and I loved what Georgie ended up doing when she was in Vernazza. I wasn't as into the romance as I wanted to be, but it was still a very emotional story with absolutely lovable characters. If you want a book that will give you the travel bug and a roller coaster romance, you should pick up A Place in the Sun.

Release Day Blitz: A Place in the Sun by RS Grey

Title: A Place in the Sun
Author: R.S. Grey
Release Date: Oct 24, 2016
Add on Goodreads

When her mother’s incessant matchmaking hits an all-time high, Georgie Archibald does what any sensible woman would do: she flees the country.

Seeking refuge in the picturesque seaside village of Vernazza, Italy, Georgie’s only plan is to lie low, gorge herself on gelato, and let the wine and waves wash her troubles away...that is until she wakes up in a bed that belongs to the most romantic-looking man she’s ever seen.

Gianluca.

After going out of his way to rescue her, the former London financier turned mysterious recluse makes it clear that despite acting as her white knight, he has no plans to co-star in her fairytale.

But Georgie isn’t asking for his heart—she’s merely intrigued.

After all, Gianluca isn’t just gorgeous—tall and tan from days spent in the sun—his touch sets her world on fire. With him, Georgie experiences the most intoxicating passion she’s ever known, and it only takes a few steamy nights for her to realize that sometimes running away from trouble is the best way to find it.

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.