Olympian Challenger Spoiler Free Review

Olympian Challenger
by Astrid Arditi

Release Date: July 3rd, 2018

Synopsis:

A hero’s tournament. A defiant contender. Does one girl have the courage to take on Mount Olympus?

Hope’s world doesn’t have room for heroes. She barely has time for schoolwork, swim team, and taking care of her ailing mother. But when she’s invited to a mysterious tournament, the all-powerful hosts won’t take no for an answer.

Transported to Mount Olympus, Hope comes face to face with her new trainers—the pantheon of Greek gods. While other contenders train hard to gain a fighting edge, Hope searches for a way out. Instead, she finds a gorgeous shadow god who may just convince her to stay…

As each round unfolds, the ultimate prize draws closer—the granting of her heart’s deepest desire. If she survives the final challenge, her mother’s cure would be within reach…but only if Hope can ignore the tournament’s dark purpose.

Olympian Challenger is the first book in a bold YA urban fantasy trilogy. If you like Greek mythology, forbidden romance, and feats of courage, then you’ll love Astrid Arditi’s heroic coming-of-age tale.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 4 stars. I had a blast reading this book. I was having a bit of a hard time reading some of the ARCs I had, but reading this one gave me the push I needed.

The thing about books like this is that I really love them for the whole competition theme. My only issue is that by the end when everyone else has been eliminated, it just feels so lonely. There is a reason I loved the Hunger Games and my favorite show when I was younger was Total Drama Island, but with all of these the same issue arose: It just isn’t fun anymore when there is a single person left.

The characters were a home run. They were well rounded, dynamic personalities and I wanted them all to be happy. I want only good things for them and hopefully, we will see that in the next book.

I’m a sucker for anything with mythology in it and I am happy to say that I was pretty satisfied with the knowledge the author had of Greek Mythology. There have been a few books I’ve read in the past which were pretty much 95% fabrication of the mythology. I mean it definitely wasn’t the most accurate, but it did have a healthy incorporation of fact.

Overall, I’m excited to get to the next book. This was an amazing start to the series and I want to see some happy things and some exciting things happening in the next book. Fingers crossed.

Finding Rhiannon Spoiler Free Review

Finding Rhiannon
by D. H. Sidebottom and Ker Dukey

Release Date: February 12th, 2018

Synopsis:

When you live your life for Brotherhood, the betrayal of your flesh and blood brother is even more devastating. 

While the fate of the Lilith’s Army princesses relies on that of a traitor, emotions are triggered, and secrets kept locked away spill free, adding fuel to an already raging fire. 

No one is safe with enemies hiding in every dark corner, waiting to pounce. 

Who will survive the chaos as everything comes to a head? Leaving a trail of broken hearts, blood, and carnage its wake.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC for an honest review

I gave this book 4 stars. It was a rollercoaster of emotion and nothing ever went the way I thought it would.

This is not a hard book to get into. Even when I didn't enjoy what was happening I couldn't seem to put it down. I had to read until it was over. Say what you will, but D. H. Sidebottom and Ker Dukey know how to write a page-turner.

My enjoyment of this novel was pretty high, but I did have to take off a star because there were scenes in this book that I had to skip over because they made me physically and emotionally ill. This is definitely not a book for the weak of heart. This book is reminiscent of Ker Dukey's Empathy series, just a bit more intense (which is saying a lot considering that series is the definition of intense).

I loved how characters were constantly surprising me. One character to be exact, I won't spill because that's a bit of a spoiler, but I was incredibly happy with how he didn't do what I expected him to. I am also incredibly torn on how I feel about Brenner. I mean I like bad boys, but he has taken it to an extreme. 

The cliffhanger in this book killed me. I am dead. I need the next book immediately.

Feel free to add me on social media! And you can follow my blog in the sidebar to be notified when I post!
Follow @Bookballistic0 Follow

Mini Reviews

I have a few reviews that I never posted on my blog because they were either too short or I didn't think they were good enough to dedicate an entire blog post to them on their own. So I decided to stick all of those subpar reviews together to maybe make one okay blog post.

Love Between Enemies
Molly E. Lee

Release Date: January 8th, 2018

Synopsis:

Zoey Handler is ready to put an end to her decade-long rivalry with Gordon Meyers. They’ve traded top spot between valedictorian and salutatorian for years, but all that’s over now. Right? But after a crazy graduation speech prank gets out of hand, suddenly their rivalry turns into all-out war. Time to make peace with a little friendly payback.

Step one? Make him believe they’re now friends.

Step two? Show him the time of his life at an epic graduation party.

Step three? Don’t fall for his tricks.

Step four? Absolutely, positively, do not kiss him again.

So what if he’s cute? (Okay, hot.) So what if he’s charming? (Heaven help her, tempting.) So what if he apologizes? (That has to be fake.) She knows the real Gordon. And no matter how much her heart begs her to stop, there’s no turning back.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one epic party, complete with every high-schoolers-gone-bad shenanigan, and two rivals who discover maybe they could be something much more…if only they’d stop fighting long enough to notice it

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 2 stars. Not my favorite book, it actually annoyed me quite a bit. Also pretty cheesy at times. I didn't hate the book with a burning passion, but I'd rather never see this book again.

As I’ve said before, having likable main characters, or at least ones you respect, is very important in novels. As for this particular novel, I only liked Gordon. Zoey was immature, spoiled, and just plain annoying. Gordon did something to mildly embarrass her because he thought she did something awful to him and her solution was to destroy his entire future. Good job Zoey, you’re a fucking bitch.

I liked Gordon. Although he was a bit misguided in the beginning, he realized he had done something wrong and wanted to make it up to Zoey. Gordon is also a bit too forgiving in my opinion, but he’s noble and can’t hold a grudge.

I was pretty annoyed throughout the book because of Zoey, but I kept reading mostly because I wanted to see if she could somehow redeem herself. Spoiler alert, she didn’t. She did some nice things, but I don’t think she really grew as a character.She admits that she feels bad about everything she did because she loves him, but what if she hadn’t loved Gordon? Would she have felt okay with just ruining another person's life? 

Plot-wise it wasn’t my favorite. It mostly takes place at a high school party with all these characters that I don’t know too well. So if you do plan on reading this book I would suggest reading the first book in the series first. I didn’t feel anything for a lot of these characters because I didn’t know them too well.

Wingless 

by Faith Nichola

Release Date: March 18th, 2017

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old June Mason is the bullied ugly duckling living in her school’s basement until kidnapped into his world of dreadlocks, wings, and lust. He, is the seven-foot-tall killer, ordered to guard her. Struck by his staggering beauty, his sapphire eyes and skin, black as ash, June desperately wants to return to her world to bear more practical torment, but as she learns more about his feelings for her, will she be able to return without him? 

Guard Me unfolds over multiple volumes approx.30,000 words each.

My Thoughts:

I received a copy for an honest review

I gave this book 3 stars. Not my favorite but has a lot of potential to be a lot better in future novels in the series.

Wingless was short but a bit difficult to get into. I felt our protagonist felt more like 13 or 14 than 17. I was actually confused there for a bit because I forgot she was 17 and was wondering how on earth it could possibly be an NA novel.

I did however like that it felt different. The style of the story felt very innocent considering it’s NA. It was a really quick read, wasn’t that long, therefore, I could get past a lot fo the problematic things quickly. 

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the protagonist, but I can see that changing as I continue on in the series. I would like to get to know more about her and see how she handles different situations. I really want to see some character development with her.

Considering this is a romance, I feel that it is still a bit unclear who the romantic interest is supposed to be. It’s most likely Akili, but I feel like our attention was brought to several different characters abruptly several times so I can’t be too sure about this.

Overall, I so want to see where this goes and what the author will do with this.

Heartborn

by Terry Maggert

Release Date: September 1st, 2016

Synopsis:

Her guardian angel was pushed.

Keiron was never meant to be anything other than a hero. Born high above in a place of war and deception, he is Heartborn, a being of purity and goodness in a place where violence and deceit are just around every corner.

His disappearance will spark a war he cannot see, for Keiron has pierced the light of days to save a girl he has never met, for reasons he cannot understand. Livvy Foster is seventeen, brave, and broken. With half a heart, she bears the scars of a lifetime of pain and little hope of survival.

Until Keiron arrives.

In the middle of a brewing war and Livvy’s failing heart, Keiron will risk everything for Livvy, because a Heartborn’s life can only end in one way: Sacrifice.

Fall with Livvy and Keiron as they seek the truth about her heart, and his power, and what it means to love someone who will give their very life to save you.

My Thoughts:

I received a copy through Netgalley

I was a bit frustrated with Heartborn. It read pretty well, I genuinely enjoyed the authors writing style, but I didn’t really enjoy the second half of the book. I thought everything was going in one direction and then it went into another. It didn’t help that I was reading several books while I was also reading this one so I kept taking breaks because it was engaging me as much as those others. In all honesty, this book was a lot like a filler book to me, much like a lot of other fantasies I’ve already read. I don’t think I would recommend for you to spend time reading this one unless you want a more basic fantasy to fill the time.

This is Not a Love Letter

by Kim Purcell

Release Date: January 30th, 2018

Synopsis:

One week. That's all Jessie said. A one-week break to get some perspective before graduation, before she and her boyfriend, Chris, would have to make all the big, scary decisions about their future--decisions they had been fighting about for weeks.

Then, Chris vanishes. The police think he's run away, but Jessie doesn't believe it. Chris is popular and good-looking, about to head off to college on a full-ride baseball scholarship. And he disappeared while going for a run along the river--the same place where some boys from the rival high school beat him up just three weeks ago. Chris is one of the only black kids in a depressed paper mill town, and Jessie is terrified of what might have happened.

As the police are spurred to reluctant action, Jessie speaks up about the harassment Chris kept quiet about and the danger he could be in. But there are people in Jessie's town who don't like the story she tells, who are infuriated by the idea that a boy like Chris would be a target of violence. They smear Chris’s character and Jessie begins receiving frightening threats.

Every Friday since they started dating, Chris has written Jessie a love letter. Now Jessie is writing Chris a letter of her own to tell him everything that’s happening while he’s gone. As Jessie searches for answers, she must face her fears, her guilt, and a past more complicated than she would like to admit

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 4 stars. It was a rush and had it’s ups and downs. Very exhilarating. 

I felt a little disappointed with the ending of this book. I was so engaged for three fourths and then we got to the end and I was just sad. This is not a happy ending book and I didn’t feel like much was really resolved. It just goes on long enough to make us cry. 

This book definitely delivered with the mystery element. There were so many different angles to consider, each equally probable. I think the author did an amazing job of that. Finding out what really happened was a bit of a downer, but I don’t think the book was long enough to go with the other option.

I liked that there was talk about how damaging racism is. I’ve noticed that a lot of YA won’t touch the subject unless that’s the entire plot line. It’s a controversial topic but it must be talked about.

I obviously share a first name with the protagonist and to me that was important. I was constantly holding her up to very high standards. You see, I haven’t liked any of the protagonists named Jessie that I’ve read about in the past because I hold them to the highest standards. I need to be able to relate to them and generally like them. I assume that’s how it is with anyone who shares a name with a protagonist. I am happy to say she lived up to my standards. She is Jessie approved.

Overall, although I was unimpressed by the ending, I would definitely suggest giving this one a read.

Pretty Dead Girls Spoiler Free Review

Pretty Dead Girls 
by Monica Murphy

Release Date: January 2nd, 2017

Synopsis:

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she's next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she's never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There's something he isn't telling her. But there's something she's not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I’m not much of a mystery reader as I have terrible patience, but I loved this book.

I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, I guessed who the killer was about halfway through the book, but this didn’t diminish my enjoyment. What made me love it more was the fact that the author says she was inspired by Scream Queens, a show I love. 

I originally thought this book was going to go in the direction of Heathers, because, if you’ve ever seen Heathers and read the synopsis of this book, you know it’s not a hard conclusion to jump to. There’s also the fact that we saw some moments from the murders point of view, but it’s in first person along with our protagonist, so at first, you think they are the same person. At least I did as there was no indication of any shift in perspective, that is maybe the one thing I disliked about this book. You don’t know that the perspective has changed until someone dies.

I’ve read Monica Murphy’s books before, but only ever her romances. I have to say that her transition into Young Adult was well done. I may even like this book more than any of her other novels.

Cass had so much past and I loved hearing about it, I do wish we could have found out more about what happened with his parents, but I guess they never had time to fully breach the subject so I will forgive them. Cass was also very adorable. He had these moments where he would get so excited or smug or just have these bursts of charisma that I found engaging. 

I still can’t decide if I like Penelope. I don’t dislike her, but she definitely isn’t my favorite character. She had moments that I found unreliable as she is supposed to be this spoiled rich girl, but she still managed to be down to earth at the same time. It really depended on what was happening in her life.

I would highly suggest reading this if you love YA contemporary romances and maybe want to try reading more mysteries. It’s not a cozy read mystery, more like a thriller mystery, but it’s still a good one.

Tamsin Spoiler Free Review

Tamsin
by Abigail Strom

Synopsis:

It’s junior year at Hart University, and theater major Tamsin Shay knows exactly what she’ll be doing: focusing on acting. She also knows what she won’t be doing: 

Guys. 

Daniel Bowman knows what he’ll be doing, too. Football, engineering classes, volunteer work with his church. One thing he won’t be doing: 

Girls. 

When they find themselves in a class together, the arguments begin. He’s conservative; she’s liberal. He’s traditional; she’s not. The only thing they share is their determination not to give into sexual attraction. 

What could possibly go wrong? 

My Thoughts:

I received this book through Netgalley

I gave this book 3.5 stars. It was gritty, down to earth and wasn’t a typical NA romance and I enjoyed it.

Tamsin was an incredibly quick read. Mostly because I read it while sitting in a doctors office without wifi for 3 hours. Despite the terrible circumstances, I did really like this book.

I think it did a good job of showing both sides of the story, but I did find it to be a bit biased. It seemed like the author set out to write it as this huge Liberal vs. Conservative love story, but I don’t think Daniel was that conservative. I was expecting more arguments and drama. There was a bit of both of those, but not quite as much as I would expect. I thought it would be more provoking and gritty with passion on both ends, but I felt like Daniel just wasn’t as conservative as Tamsin was Liberal. Maybe I’m reading to much into this as it is a NA romance, but I kind of wanted more.

Daniel was such a sweetheart honestly. He was willing to look at things in a different way and never slutshamed Tamsin like a lot of men fictional and real would have done. Daniel was conservative but not a shitty person and I liked how the author made that known. 

Tamsin was a great lead character. She wasn’t ashamed of her past. She decided that wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore and made those changes in her lifestyle, but she never once regretted those things she did in the past because it made her who she is and she was proud of that. Tamsin is the type of character we all need to be.

A Penny Lost Spoiler Free Review

A Penny Lost
Aspen Bassett

Synopsis:

Penelope Grace, usually forgotten under the shadow of her twin sister's perfection, tries her hardest to hide her freakish ability to see into anyone's soul. 

Until she senses an unusual energy like a human shaped void in the universe. When Penny investigates the source, she gets tossed through a crack in time along with the cute boy next door. The Void follows them through history, increasing the dangers as if testing Penny. But what is it testing for? And why does it claim to know her better than even she knows herself? Even as Penny searches for answers, she must fight to survive the tragedies of both the past and future in order to get back home. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4.25 stars. My first ever .25 starred book. I couldn’t give it a 4 and I didn’t think it was quite a 4.5 so 4.25 seemed the most logical to me. 

A Penny Lost was a bit I didn’t expect to love, but did. I’ve had a copy for a while and just never got around to actually reading it until now, and reading this left me wondering why I waited so long in the first place. 

It really took me no time at all to fall in love with the characters and the plot. Penny was a flawed but relatable protagonist and I loved that about her. She was very human and I felt her emotions along with her. There was part near the end where she was upset about something (which I can’t disclose because spoilers) and I could actually feel myself on the verge of tears. I didn’t cry, but I almost did.

I know what you’re expecting. I’ve been pretty vocal about how I don’t think time travel novels would ever be possible because of many different factors, but I feel like everyone is getting tired of hearing it and I’m getting tired of saying it so I’m just gonna say that I liked it. It added so much needed drama and adventure.

There are many questions I had after finishing up this book that I hope will be answered in the sequel. The most prominent question being: What is Stranger’s name? I would really like to know.

Overall, if you are into young adult and time travel books then this is definitely the book for you. I would highly recommend giving this a read, it’s so easy to fly through.

Blog Tour: Between the Blade and the Heart Review and Giveaway

Between the Blade and the Heart
by Amanda Hocking

Release Date: January 2nd, 2017

Publisher: Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press

SUMMARY:

When the fate of the world is at stake
Loyalties will be tested

Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner in this commanding new YA fantasy inspired by Norse Mythology from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

As one of Odin's Valkyries, Malin's greatest responsibility is to slay immortals and return them to the underworld. But when she unearths a secret that could unravel the balance of all she knows, Malin along with her best friend and her ex-girlfriend must decide where their loyalties lie. And if helping the blue-eyed boy Asher enact his revenge is worth the risk—to the world and her heart.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Amanda Hocking is the author of over twenty young adult novels, including the New York Times bestselling Trylle Trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her love of pop culture and all things paranormal influence her writing. She spends her time in Minnesota, taking care of her menagerie of pets and working on her next book.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Powells

Social Links:

Author Website: http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Twitter: @Amanda_Hocking

Facebook: @AmandaHockingFans

Author Blog

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 4 stars. It’s an incredible start to a series and I have no doubt it’ll bloom into an even better series. 

This is the only realistic love triangle I have ever read about and probably the only one I will ever read about in the future. We have a bisexual protagonist who can’t decide between her bombshell ex-girlfriend and a sweet sexy new guy in her life. It wasn’t as dramatic as you may think, I honestly had such a good time reading about it. If you’ve been following my blog then you know how much I hate love triangles. This is the first time that I haven’t absolutely detested one and that’s huge for me, therefore this book can do no wrong.

I’m loving this influx of books based on Norse Mythology. A few years ago I had maybe one series centered around Valkyrie and now there are so many and I love it. Valkyrie are something I personally have always found incredibly intriguing so any book about them is guaranteed to have me reading.

I’m slightly confused about the setting. It wasn’t exactly clear is the story was set in our world with a secret underworld, or if it was our world but everyone was open about being supernatural, or if it was complete fantasy. 

Our protagonist is a bit emotionally stunted which seems to cause quite a few problems in her life. This all ties back to her mother. I personally hated her mother, she was awful. Malin however, feels a bond towards her mother despite her mother barely being just that, a mother. It bothered me that Malin cared so much about her mother when her mother obviously didn’t care at all about her. It’s understandable since that is her mother, but it’s still really annoying.

I’ve read this author's writing before and this is so completely different from what I’ve read that I was a bit surprised that it was even the same author. This is in no way a bad thing, just an observation.

Overall, I would highly suggest this book to those who love upper YA and fantasy novels. It was in short, epic.

Giveaway:

Rules:

• This giveaway will run from January 1st to January 3rd
• The prize is one finished paperback copy of BETWEEN THE BLADE AND THE HEART
• U.S. entries only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pulse Spoiler Free Review

Pulse 
by Danielle Koste

Release Date: January 1st, 2017

Synopsis:

Rowan Platts is addicted to success.

When she's presented with the chance to work on a top secret project fronted by her idol, renowned virologist Dr. Margot Miller, Rowan signs her life away without second thought. The realization she’s gotten in over her head comes only after the subject of their study is revealed: a boy with a bad attitude and an uninhibited taste for human blood.

He's a medical anomaly. Having the ability to crush metal with his bare hands and hear a heartbeat from across the room, it would make Rowan’s career if she was the one to discover what made him so unusual.

Easier said than done, with a subject who prefers snapping necks over answering questions. 

My Thoughts:

I received a copy for an honest review

I gave this book 5 stars. It was one of those books I was unsure about but ended up not being able to put down. It was such an engaging sci-fi/new adult romance. I would highly recommend it.

Lyall was unexpected. I thought because of what he was, that he was going to be a basic brooding bad boy that was so moody that would be the only thing anyone could focus on. This was not the case. Lyall was such a little shit. Playing without protagonists emotions and just messing with her for fun. It was playful and I loved that.

As for the story itself, I was very pleased with how it played out. The story felt almost metaphoric at times. I don’t know how to describe it. It was very fast paced. The book was around 300 pages and I read the entire thing in two sittings (I decided to take a shower halfway through and then continue). This book will be done in no time.

I loved how his condition was never given a name. I know everyone thinks vampire right away, but I like how it was rationalized and how there was that scientific element to a classic myth.

The story felt edgy, almost like a plotline in American Horror Story but with a happier ending. The atmosphere of the story was creepy. It felt isolated because we only had about 5 important characters, the story was very contained to just a few of them. 

Overall, creepy and engaging, I would definitely recommend that you give this book a read. It’s refreshing and I think it adds something new to the genre.

All the Wrong Chords Spoiler Free Review

All the Wrong Chords
by  Christine Hurley Deriso

Release Date: December 12th, 2017

Synopsis:

Scarlett Stiles is desperate for a change of scenery after her older brother, Liam, dies of a drug overdose. But spending the summer with her grandfather wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Luckily, Scarlett finds something to keep her busy--a local rock band looking for a guitarist. Even though playing guitar has been hard since Liam died, Scarlett can't pass on an opportunity like this, and she can't take her eyes off the band's hot lead singer either. Is real happiness just around the corner? Or will she always be haunted by her brother's death?

My Thoughts:

I received a copy through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 2.5 stars. The first half of the book was really hard for me to get through. I felt no connection to the protagonist and the story felt pretty dry to me. The ending picked it back up a lot but still doesn’t deserve 3 stars. 

The love triangle felt so forced. First, we were introduced to Zach who right off the bat seems pretty cool and we can definitely see him getting with our protagonist. Then all of a sudden Scarlett meets Declan, Zach’s friend, and there are absolutely no sparks or anything to suggest that he and Scarlett should get together. Scarlett doesn’t even seem to be into him all that much until after their meeting when she tells her sister she’s in love. Their entire exchange was just her thinking about how guys always hit on her sister. 

This love triangle was the trigger for me finding the protagonist unbearably annoying. She just got mad at her sister for such stupid things that were not her fault and just overall being a spoiled brat. I don’t respect her as a character much less like her. As anyone who reads books, you know how important liking, or at least respecting, the protagonist is. Without that liking or respect, the story behind it isn’t going to be very good for you no matter how good the plot actually is.

I also felt that the protagonist was incredibly oblivious or just naive. She just goes along with whatever she is told. She gets blown off and she thinks to herself “of, it was just a misunderstanding” and then goes on to believe even more lies. The girl needs to get a clue. She also overreacts. There is a secret she finds out near the end that I won’t talk about because of spoilers, and she just gets so upset that no one told her. I mean I do understand her getting upset about it, but she started bringing up completely irrelevant things to express to these people how much they have wronged her. It was irritating that these people were obviously sorry for not telling her and she just reacted like they were plotting against her or something. 

Overall, not my favorite. I’m also glad I started this book months ago because it took me a while to read. I might suggest this if you don’t mind love triangles or even like them.

The Heartbreak Cure Book Tour - Spoiler Free Review

The Heartbreak Cure
by Amanda Ashby

Release Date: December 4th, 2017

Tour Schedule: http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-the-heartbreak-cure-by-amanda-ashby/

Synopsis:

How to get over a heartbreak:

Step one: Eat your body weight in brownies.

Step two: Throw yourself into your dreams of becoming a famous writer. 

Step three: Beg your (hottie) ex-neighbor to act as your fake boyfriend. 

Step four: Skip step three unless you’re ready for some serious fallout.

After being dumped and humiliated over the summer, Cat Turner does what any sane girl would do. She asks bad boy Alex Locke to be her fake boyfriend and show the world (and her editor at the school newspaper) that she's fine. Problem is, the more time she spends with Alex, the more she risks getting her heart broken. For real this time. 

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a swoony bad boy who will melt your heart, brownies, and witty banter. One, two, or all three might prove addictive… 

My Thoughts:

I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review

I gave this book 3.5 stars. It felt like it ended a bit soon, it would have been nicer if it was a bit longer and everything was a bit more fleshed out, but I still had a good time.

As you may know, I’ve been really into contemporary romances lately and have been reading lots of those to fuel my flame. After reading this one I feel I have finally been satisfied and can now move on to reading more of other genres. This isn't a bad thing at all, it wasn’t like I was so completely disgusted by the book that I couldn’t read another in this genre. It was more like I’ve finally read so many in the past few months that I need to read something new.

Birdie was an amazing character, she was the character that I think every person real and fictional needs in their lives and I was so happy that these characters had her around to be a good influence. She’s crazy and wise and really helped the characters out with their transitions.

A character I didn’t expect to like was Isabel. We don’t actually see much of her, but throughout the book, we are led to believe that she just isn’t a very good person and we dislike her because of the protagonist's perception of her. In the end, she somehow managed to win me over and I’m glad. Our protagonist needs some more friends, she seems a bit lonely. 

Our two protagonist go through a lot together and I’m glad they managed to help each other and had a healthy relationship. They were really good to each other and it was nice reading a romance where both parties treat each other with respect. 

Overall, maybe not the most amazing thing I’ve ever read in my life, I’ve read better, but this is still a pretty good book that I would definitely support you reading.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult and middle-grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture. She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age.  Because she’s mysterious she also writes middle-grade books under the name, Catherine Holt and hopes that all this writing won’t interfere with her Netflix schedule. 

Giveaway Details:

$20 Amazon Gift Card International

a Rafflecopter giveaway