REVIEW: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

(Summary from Goodreads). Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt - with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy.

This book was a little harder to get through. Kate is a very devote Christian and I understand their beliefs and respect it and all. The church she goes to has so many rules and the fact that Kate takes them to heart and uses them to guide her life is a little too much. 

I feel bad for her and her friendship with Emily. It seems like Emily was more of a free spirit and wanted to do things her own way instead of following the rules of her church. Kate found it hard to understand other people's beliefs and she would judge them because they didn't follow her rules. It was just hard to read. I understand Kate and get why she is the way she is. 

I've loved seeing parts of Jeremiah in this story… and WILL. I love Will so much. I am going to reread the books "in order" once I read Chasing Jordan. I love that this series all takes place within years of each other so you can see the characters grow even more… even if they just appear as cameos.  

I'm glad that Kate found someone who respects her beliefs, and at the same time let her find herself. She was able to find that her relationship with God is a special one that should not depend on the relationship that other people have with Him. 

I really loved the characters in this book. I loved that it had cameos from various people who were in other books (but it also took place before the books that I read before this one). 

4.5 out of five stars! 

REVIEW: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

(Summary from Goodreads). Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

I LOVED this story… WILL. I was reading Racing Savannah and wanted to know more about Will… I read this book next and omg…. I LOVE WILL. I want someone like Will in my life. Haha. I honestly love that you don't have to read these books in an order. I have been wanting to read Miranda's books for a while now and couldn't believe that it took me this long. Her books are exactly what I love. 

I thought I liked Brian at first, but… no. No no no. I loved Will (Corndog/Corn fritter). I love Parker's dad… I couldn't stop laughing each time he brought up "Corn fritter." 

Finding yourself, finding love, and finding friends. What more could I ask for! Honestly though, read these books. They are very contemporary romance and anybody who likes those typical swoon-worthy boys will love them. 

Five out of five stars.

REVIEW: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

(Summary from Goodreads). They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack.

I really really like this author's books. I love that the characters are all from the same town, but… different parts of it. I also like that you can read the books out of order… but beware, you spend half the time trying to remember where you recognize names from. HAHA. I read this one before Stealing Parker… THE WEDDING. OMG. The feels. 

I honestly love this author's books. They are so easy to read, but fun and interesting. Each one is special and different in their own way. I LOVED Jack from the beginning. I loved that Jack's family wasn't the conventional rich family you think of in the south. His family is SO GOOD to the staff that I would want to quit my job, move to the south, and work for a family like them. HAHA. Savannah is a character that everyone can look up to. She is strong willed, empowering, and determined. She knows what she wants from life and won't let anyone get in the way of her dreams. She meets people who influence her to choose a direction in life that she didn't think she wanted and it changed her for the better. I love stories like this. 

I said when I read Breathe, Annie, Breathe that this author's stories are just like Sarah Dessen's… and I stand by that. 

Five out of five stars. 

REVIEW: Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

(Summary from Goodreads). When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him. 

For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance. 

Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.? 

One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

I'm not sure how I felt about this book. I liked it just fine, but also didn't like it... I find that this author's books are good and well written, but lack something… I'm not sure what. It just feels like something is missing, you know? I liked the story. It was interesting how it was all happening in 24 hours and it alternated in POV. 

The ending was not my favorite. I want to know more. I want to know what happens with Jonah and Brighton and how Jonah confronts/deals with Paul. 

I've been wanting to read this book for a while now and I'm happy I finally read it. It was good and simple. It was an easy and fast read. It was short and sweet and got to the point. I liked that. 

3.5 stars out of 5. 

REVIEW: Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

 (Summary from Goodreads). Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

I can't express how much I really loved this book. It was just so cute and heartwarming. Annie is going to run a marathon for her boyfriend who passed away. It makes me want to get up and go for a run (even though I hate running… and exercise). 

Jeremiah is so swoon worthy! I loved all the parts with him in it. I love his and Annie's relationship so much. They are just so cute together. THE FEELS. 

I love stories about friendship, finding yourself, and finding love. It gives me an unrealistic expectation of love… BUT I'm addicted. 

This is the first book I'm reading of her series… I didn't know it was connected to those other books! I've been wanting to read those for a while, but never picked them up. I'm so addicted now. I love that they are similar to Sarah Dessen's with the same setting, but different people. 

Five out of five stars.

REVIEW: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

(Summary from Goodreads). When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
 
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

I have been a big BIG fan of Gayle since the beginning and this book does not disappoint. Her books are not lighthearted reads… they always have big meanings and I honestly loved this book. It is a captivating read that touches on the really important issue of depression and suicide.

I loved Ben. He was hard to love because he had a past with Meg, but after you find out what happened… it is hard not to love him. There is so much that goes on in this story and it is just so good and heartwarming.

This book is everything. I love it as much as I love her other books.

Five out of five stars.

REVIEW: The Summer After Me and You by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

(Summary from Goodreads). Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

I received a copy of this book for an honest review. 

Lucy had a really hard year when she fell for her summertime neighbor, Connor, and didn't get a call from him after the Hurricane and their night together. This book was about finding yourself and finding your true love. It is a really cute and sweet story that is very similar to other contemporary books. I was honestly thinking Jessi Kirby and Morgan Matson-esque while reading it. 

I really liked all of the characters. Especially Lucy and Liam. I have a thing for twins. I find twins fascinating. Whenever they are in books, I'm captivated. I love the "twin telepathy" between them and the bond that they usually have. 

I knew that Lucy and Connor would end up together. I really liked Andrew, but the fact that he wanted to leave Lucy to drink at prom was just ridiculous.  Her friends were really interesting. I would love to have another story about Liam and Kiki or even Meghan and Mateo (and of course another story about Lucy and Connor). 

The thing that was a little confusing (reading this on a Kindle) was that the flashback scenes weren't in a different font or in italics. I would get a little thrown off when it would just switch to a flashback without any warning. 

Great fun, fast read. I really enjoyed it! :)

Four out of five stars.