Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Walkers Childrens

Release Date: Feb 18, 2014

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.

*Caution: Review is slightly blather because.*

After naming SEND ME A SIGN by Tiffany Schmidt one of my favorites of 2012, I was absolutely aching for her next contemporary and when I heard of Bright Before Sunrise, I almost died. After all, writing two people falling in love in a night was hard, never mind the fact that Jonah practically hated Brighton.

Almost 20 pages in, I already started to sympathize with the characters, especially Brighton. I've never seen a character who was so desperate to look fine or a character who was so...perfect. Or as perfect a heroine could get without being too annoying. She honest-to-God felt bad whenever she even slightly ignored someone or didn't please them or make them happy. She wasn't just pretending to be perfect--it was just in her nature, to make everyone feel as happy as she wasn't. But her flaw was that she kept doing what she thought her father wanted to do and Jonah was right--she repressed herself to be the perfect daughter, though I'm still not sure if she realized she was doing that until Jonah mentioned it.

Jonah wasn't exactly my favorite character at first, especially because he seemed so prejudiced towards everyone in Cross Pointe, but I could see how easy it was to mistake their kindness for snobbier tendencies, but still. Of course, as the story goes on, you start to understand him and his prejudices and you start to love him. He doesn't necessarily go through character development, but his eyes are certainly opened when he realizes the people at Cross Pointe aren't all mean or snobbish or as terrible as he thought. And we readers get to see what he's really like as he comes to Brighton's rescue several times, and in more ways than one.

The side characters were also pretty brilliant, and I loved Carly. While, when we first meet her, she seemed like a bitch. Clingy, possessive, and insecure. The typical mean girl. But through her few scenes, we see that she's more than just that stereotype. She seemed like that sweet misunderstood girl in the story, and I feel like I'd love to see things from her point of view.
Amelia seemed like an awesome friend, and protective of Brighton, but beyond that I can't really say. In the 24 hours of this book, she doesn't really show up much past the introduction, but she did seem like a supportive friend that I would love to have!

While the romance was a tad rushed (after all, they fall in love withing the span of about 5 hours) I did love that they didn't just immediately kiss, and that their love story started out pretty rocky with Jonah using her, then realizing how wrong he was about her. And, perhaps my favorite thing about it, they didn't claim they loved each other or anything and their relationship felt pretty open. We didn't have much resolution, and for once I loved that kind of ending. It just worked with the story! 

So yeah, I absolutely adored Bright Before Sunrise and it feels like the perfect summer read (or reread!) It's a book I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cute fluff or a love story where you fall in love with the characters as they fall for each other. 

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Click to Subscribe L.M. Augustine

Pages: 214
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Indie
Release Date: May 9, 2014

135,789. That’s how many subscribers sixteen-year-old West Ryder has on his web vlog series. But he only has eyes for one of them. As one of the internet’s most prestigious video bloggers, West talks about high school relationships under the name “Sam Green.” As far as he knows, no one from school, not even his best friend, Cat, has seen his videos. But the highlight of the whole thing is Harper Knight, who comments every day at exactly 2:02 in the afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about her aside from the occasional deep philosophical messaging on why pizza tastes so delicious, but as stupid as it sounds, he might be falling for her. So when they finally agree to meet in real life, West’s hope for romance seems more and more in reach. But that all changes as soon as he arrives at their meeting spot and sees Cat walking toward him, wearing the same “I <3 Sam Green” T-shirt Harper promised she'd have on.To his alarm, West realizes he is falling in love with the best friend who has always been a sister to him.

So, after Eileen ranted about this, of course I had to read it. (First of, you must know how I thought that Eileen was just advertising her YouTube thing because she had the words "Click to Subscribe" as her profile pic. What?)

So this was an adorable read that was just so cute! (And sort of highlights how guys can be so stupid when it comes to girls. No offense, guys.) I loved Cat and West's relationship because of how hilarious they were together and how perfect they were! L.M. Augustine did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and their humor was definitely contagious! They acted so realistically and I loved the awkward moments! Because, honestly, those were sort of hilarious.

Now, I haven't had the best experience with Indie books, but Click to Subscribe was one of the few I really liked! It was a rather short read, but definitely enjoyable! And this book definitely made my eyes wet. Surprisingly, there was a subject that was touched in this book, and it made me want to cry. It was horrible, but I also kind of felt bad for his father. I also hated it when West would push Cat away, just because he was her best friend.

Speaking of, I felt like West was just an idiot when it came to his relationships. Maybe this is because I'm a girl or because I sort of could understand how Cat felt, but I really wanted to slap him sometimes. He kept giving her hope, then pushing her away, giving him hope, then pushing her away. I really wanted to cry for Cat sometimes, but I got why he didn't want to risk it. She was his best friend and if their dating didn't go well...he'd be basically alone. But Cat loved him so much, and I just wanted to shove him and give her a chance. He was in love with Harper--he's already in love with Cat.

Cat was my favorite character. She was fiery and hilarious! She made me laugh and I loved how she was okay to accept not being a couple with the guy she loved per his request. I loved how she said she'd never give up on him, and I loved how sweet she could be! Not to mention she was entirely snarky and I'd love to have her as one of my close friends!

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Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Goodreads Blurb

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.
Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how. 
One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

I'm always a sucker for those kind of good girl/sweet bad boy (and/or broken) romances so when I heard of Promise of Amazing, I was thrilled! Sure it sounded a bit cheesy, but a romantic wants what a romantic wants.

And while the romance was sweet, it just wasn't all there for me. 

The romance was pretty much instalove and while I understand why Grayson would've been captured by Wren (after all it's not every day someone saves your life) it was like he had an obsession with her after that one moment. And then he (and she) couldn't stop thinking about each other. Then he picks her up from school which I found a little bit creepy. I, personally, wouldn't really take a ride from a random guy I saved and knew nothing about. But it seemed Wren didn't really have those kind of reserves.

After all, they did say "I love you" maybe two weeks in (at most). And that was when I got a bit irritated. 

I sort of let it go though, because Wren and Grayson were just so adorable around each other. They just seemed so in love and so cute together that I couldn't help but smile at how goofily they acted around each other. Although throughout the entire thing, I think Grayson only took Wren out on one proper date. 1.5 if we're counting the coffee shop (and Wren hates coffee. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?) so I do wish we got to see their relationship develop more.

Not to say, of course, that I didn't love the unexpected and (surprisingly) drama filled plot. Grayson has a few secrets up his sleeves--ones I definitely didn't expect. And it was an interesting ride, seeing our two protagonists deal with it, Wren struggling to pry out the truth and Grayson trying so desperately to hide it. 

The only complaint I have towards the plot was that our antagonist seemed to get off easy, despite all the pain he caused. And that's all I can say because, as Whovians (and, well, regular people) would say, SPOILERS!

The Promise of Amazing was a quick, light read that I enjoyed, but found a few problems with. I'd recommend it if you're a bit desperate for a cute fluff that'll cheer you up, but if you're looking for a more...meaningful book, I'd suggest something else! 

So, unfortunately, there's no promise of amazing.

See what I did there?

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Release Date: Dec 31, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Goodreads Blurb

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. After all, real life will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. But when an unexpected event proves they're missing out on the full high-school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. The trio makes a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge and totally rock it.
Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed; it could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes—until now.
These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want—but that might mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . .

Smart Girls Get What They Want was recommended to me by the ever awesome Eileen. And while it sounded cute, we very rarely agree on contemporaries. But God I loved this one! It's a super adorable read that I blew through, squealing internally.

It's very rare when you find us nerds so aptly described in a book. It's unbelievably easy to relate to these flawed characters and just fun to see myself reflected in them! Do I study? Yes. Do I like getting straight A's? Definitely. Do I spend all my time studying without having any social life whatsoever? No. I hope. (Maybe. I think twitter takes up most of my time!)  

Gigi's voice was just so hilarious and teen that I couldn't help but laugh along or sympathize with her. She was an independent kind of girl who really only needed her friends to support her, though she wasn't immune to a boy's charms. Definitely not! And sometimes, shemay have made a bad decision or say the wrong thing, but don't we all? 

Bea was an awesome character, the fiery best friend to balance out Neerja's more shy personality. She stood up for her friends and wouldn't take crap from anyone trying to hurt those she cared about. While she definitely blew a fuse once in a while, she couldn't stay mad at her BFFs and I loved that about her. Neerja's the more soft spoken one but still as amazing. Throughout the story she deals with her own boy problems and she's, basically, the glue of the trio. 

The three had an amazing best friend dynamic going on and definitely the most relatable characters I've ever met! They're perfectly flawed and, while a little annoying sometimes, were excellently written!

The romance(s) were adorable sweet and made me want to cuddle the characters. Like most YA novels, we have the crush, then the annoying boy who's a little more deeper than expected. While the idea is a tad cliche, the way it was executed put a unique and endearing twist on it! I squealed and giggled many-a-times (and also may have wanted to whack a certain character over the head.) and lets just say I think that that ending? It's perfect. Just. So. Perfect. 

Smart Girls  isn't just a cute romance though. It's a book on discovering who you are, what you want, and the things you have to face to get the. Our characters go through some character development and watching our characters grow into more outspoken people was definitely one of my favorite parts! 

With a real teen voice and admirably relatable characters, Smart Girls Get What They Want is definitely more than just a light fluff. It leads us through the life of a teen navigating a startlingly real high school life with a startlingly real situation. It's a laugh out loud kind of book, but also one that makes your heart thump and your hands sweat, just like when you're back to high school, talking to your crush for the first time. A must read for teens and even more so for adults! 

Pages: 368

Genre: Contemporary/Drama

Series: Stand alone 

Publisher: Blazer + Bray

Release Date: June 26, 2012

Rating: 4.5

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Goodreads Blurb

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.
Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

I had such high hopes for Wild Cards, but it fell a bit flat. It followed a typical New Adult book, and maybe it's because I've been reading a lot of New Adult lately, but Wild Cards just seemed so...cliche. I know bad boy falls for good girl is usually Elkeles' books usually go, but somehow, Wild Cards didn't make me fall in love with it like Perfect Chemistry did.

The beginning was absolutely amazing and it hooked me right in. I was in a book slump at the time, but Wild Cards made me suddenly enthusiastic about reading again with it's hilarious pranks and meetings, the witty banter, and the awesome characters! But, once Derek and Ashtyn met (so really early on actually) things just spiraled down from there.

It was insta-love at it's finest, I think. I was so desperately hoping for a hate to love relationship, but instead, it was hate with a reluctant insta-love. But still insta-love. They couldn't stop thinking about each other, they were weirdly defensive/protective of each other from the start...basically a lot of signs of insta-love. And that was some major points off, especially for a romantic contemporary.
But that wasn't all of it. They just rushed into a romance, despite so many reasons not to and I, personally, have no idea how they were really attracted to each other besides looks. By their first kiss, they barely knew anything about each other and they didn't really have a basis for their relationship.
But it was actually pretty sweet and I did enjoy reading about it (most of the time)!

Speaking of their relationship, I didn't really...get those? I mean, Ashtyn's dad was pretty horrible, and yet...the end...if he felt that way why would he be so negligent? And Derek and Ashtyn's relationship was so hot and cold that sometimes I actually wasn't sure if they were together or not. It was just super sudden. And then Brandi was just sort of...awkwardly there. I did, however, love Ashtyn's relationship with her teammates. And seeing Landon getting one uped and duped was just hilarious and made me squeal happily. He was horrible.

So while I didn't absolutely love Wild Cards like I'd hoped to, it's still a pretty good summer read that I'd recommend to hardcore fans of Perfect Chemistry! I've been reading a lot of NA lately, so maybe that's why I started comparing it, but Wild Cards just wasn't really for me. While it was witty and hilarious, the romance sort of turned me off!

Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary/Romance
Series: Wild Cards #1
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Release Date: Sep 24, 2013
Rating: 3 stars

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Goodreads Blurb

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

In all honesty, Fangirl didn't sound like my kind of book. But after reading Eleanor and Park, of course I had to give it a try. I mean, with all the feels I had then...well Fangirl was bound to give those feels too right?

Yes. Yes it was.

Cath was such a real and complicated character. She's, quite possibly, the most relatable character I've read in quite a while. Cath's one of the ultimate fangirls, something we book nerds can definitely relate to. But it's not just that. She, like so many other characters, is trying to find who she is without her sister, her twin. She's trying to figure out her life and watching her grow as a character was so heartwarming. She dealt with familial issues, romantic issues, academic issues, but throughout it all she tried to keep her head up and her shoulders back. She made her mistakes and she tried to fix them without losing herself, something that was way harder than she expected. And she was awkward so many times. She was (as we bloggers so often say) a brilliantly flawed character.

And then. There were our other characters. They were all so well written and so...well I'm going to use that word again. They were so real. And seeing how they helped Cath along their way, how they each showed her different things, it was, well, enlightening. And it was so realistically written and so well done, I couldn't help but fall in love with their story.

Levi was by far my favorite character (I think I love him more than Cass actually!) He was so adorable and so sweet. He made me want to strangle him when he made some...not so smart decisions, but he always redeemed himself in the end. I couldn't help but fall in love with this sweet, unbelievably flawed boy who's lanky and tall and goes out of his way to make everyone, from babies to the elderly, feel special. He's officially made it to my list of Top Ten YA Boyfriends. And my friend, that's something very hard to accomplish.

There's something about the way Rowell writes her stories. They have a simple concept, but the way she writes them makes the story flourish into something that's hilarious and heartbreaking in a way that can only be described as subtly sad. The writing is beautiful and gorgeous and so Rowell.

To sum up the review in one sentence? I fangirled over Fangirl. It's enthralling and it's so raw and it shows how we fanatics are! It's sweet and hilarious, yet heartbreaking at the same time. While it's not a perfect book, the flaws make it as amazing as it's characters and it's a book that you can't stop from falling in love with. It's stunning and endearing and something I absolutely must recommend!

FANGIRL WITH ME.

Pages: 405

Genre: Contemporary/NA

Series: Standalone

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: Sep 10, 2013

Rating: 5 stars