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

The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford

Goodreads Blurb

Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia--a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she's been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?
As June approaches--when Laura must return to the United States--Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She's only nineteen and doesn't think she's ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn't she take it?

Oh, I had such high hopes for The Boy on the Bridge. It sounded like something I would absolutely love and something that would break my heart at the same time. And while I did enjoy it, it just wasn't something I really loved. 

There was definitely something about the writing, though, that just captivated me. I was just drawn into this so-different world, both fascinated and horrified by the conditions of a 1982 Russia. Standiford does a wonderful job recreating the world with little seemingly insignificant details that make the writing stand out.
And the writing! It's simple yet beautiful in a way and just pulls you in more. It's an intriguing story that just makes you question everything.

Like did Alexei (or Aloysha) really love Laura? I was pondering that the entire story. It was undoubtedly suspicious, but I felt like he really did love her. On the other hand...well, like I said. It was suspicious. You have to love a love story you're unsure of!

But, the love story? It was sort of horrible. It was so rushed and pretty much insta-love. Laura risked so much for someone she barely knew and she snuck him into a foreigners-only place. When they'd only met twice before. It was ridiculous! Laura was so naive, saying Aloysha loved her after only a few meetings, when already, as Laura's best friend said "half our group are already half engaged" (or something like that. I did it from memory!). She stuck up for Aloysha when she should've been suspicious and just trusted him way too much. It was just really rushed and I hated how ignorant Laura was, how she just fell so quickly in love with just a few glances and meetings.

I couldn't really connect with Laura either. She was a bit of a flat character and we never get to really know her, and it didn't seem like Standiford understood her own character that well either.
I did love seeing the other characters and how the interacted with Russia and its locals. I enjoyed reading about Karen and Dan, Ninel and "Binky". They added a sense of humor to this book that was definitely needed.

All in all, The Boy on the Bridge wasn't a terrible read, but it wasn't the best either! I'd recommend trying it out, but it wouldn't be on the top of my list.

Pages: 256 

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

The Rules For Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Goodreads Blurb

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.
Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.
But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

This was simply amazing! I knew it sounded interesting, but I honestly wasn't sure whether I'd love it or hate it, or have no feelings at all. But I'm  SO glad to say that The Rules of Disappearing had me captivated from start to finish!

I think this is a blend of a Thriller and a Romance. It was adorable, but there was a definite edge to the plot that made you aware that this was also a Thriller in it's own way, but it wasn't quite as Oh-my-gosh what's going to happen? thrilling. It was just it's own style which I loved!

I'm just putting this in now, but we discover the real reason their in the Witness Protection Program a little less than halfway through the book and the rest is...well, you'll have to figure it out!
I loved the pacing in The Rules for Disappearing; it fit the book perfectly and I never got bored and never wanted to put it down! And I didn't. It's a one sit-one read book! But while it was never slow, the action significantly picks up in the second half and that's where the pages turn faster and faster until the end, where helllooooo cliffhanger!

The romance in this was, like I said, completely adorable! I was in love with Ethan from the start and I was cheering them on since page one! Every time Meg would push him away, I wanted to push them closer together--they just fit each other like little pieces of a puzzle, excuse the cliche, and together, they were just wonderful!

Ethan was a mix of sweet golden boy with just a little bad boy and just the type of character I loved as a love interest. He was so nice to Mary and so concerned for Meg and incredibly, incredibly clever. Surprised me for sure! Here's a slight SPOILER: He figures everything out on his own, which is more than I can say for some characters, so there was that!

Meg was a character that's easy to like and easy to connect with. She's hungry for answers and she loves her family, despite all their dysfunctions--she just doesn't always realize it. She tries to do what's best for others and she strives to be indifferent--something that we know firsthand isn't easy. Falling in love, getting comfrotable, making friends--all against her Rules for Disappearing. But then, she can't really help herself!

The Rules for Disappearing is it's own unique book that fans of Chick Lit and Mystery will enjoy, also giving off a type of fantasy vibe without the actual fantasy! If you're looking for an edgy, but light read, this is definitely the one I'd recommend!

Pages: 320
Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Contemporary
Series: Rules for Disappearing #1
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Rating: 5 stars