Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend (Confessions #2) - Kay Marie

Goodreads summary:

So, I'm no longer a virgin sex columnist—thank you, Ollie—but if I thought that was going to make my life easier, boy was I wrong! John is back in town determined to win my forgiveness. Blythe is more ready than ever to take me down. Bridget is totally onto the new twinkle in my eye. And, well, Ollie is just as distractingly delicious as usual.

So, naturally, I have a few more confessions to make.

Confession #1: I came up with what I thought would be the perfect plan to keep my relationship with Ollie a secret—pretend to get back together with John!

Confession #2: It backfired. A lot.


My review:

4/5

I was so excited to finally be able to read this book! I've been waiting for the sequel ever since I read the first book in this series, over a year ago. After trying to be patient for months, I've been rewarded with an amazing sequel that didn't disappoint me at all. When I started reading this book, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The first book didn't exactly end with a cliffhanger or something that indicated what the sequel could be about, so I was very curious. I didn't think that Skylar could possibly be even more awkward or embarrassing, but she was, which made this a cringe-worthy, yet relatable, novel. I'm a lot like her, which means that I found her anxiety annoying many times, mostly because I knew I would have done the same thing. Reading this series has definitely made me realize a lot about myself because of that, since I got to see some of my reactions from an exterior point of view. I thought that this was really well done by the author, so I would recommend this series to everyone who struggles with self-esteem and anxiety. Once again, I found myself really envious of Skye, Bridget and Ollie's friendship, even though it wasn't as present as in the first book. They truly understand and care about each other and it seems amazing to have such a close group of friends. These three are all amazing and complex characters that I love to read about, so I was really glad to read another book about them. Ollie and Skye's relationship is adorable, but also realistic, especially in this novel. I did get a bit annoyed at them around the middle/end part of the book, but that issue was quickly solved. I truly think that Bridget has a role in their relationship, even though that sounds a bit weird and creepy, considering that she's Ollie's brother. I think that their relationship is even more solid because of their past as a trio, which I'm glad about, since I love them so much. The plot of this sequel is quite complex since Skye put herself in such a messy situation, but I think that it worked. I wish that we could have seen a bit more of Bridget because she is a really interesting character, but I guess that we can't have everything. The ending is a bit cheesy, but I feel like it's like this for a reason. Also, I'm the last person on Earth who would complain about a cheesy romance story - they're my guilty pleasure! If you have read the first book in this series, I would DEFINITELY recommend its sequel. If you haven't read the first one, pick it up right now and you'll discover a cute, funny and awkward story that will make you swoon more than once.

P.S. I Like You - Kasie West

Goodreads summary:

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…


My review:

3/5

This is the first of Kasie West's books that disappoints me, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like it at all.

I liked the characters, although they did annoy me a little bit at some point. I did like Lily's passion for music, which is always interesting to read about. However, I feel like the book doesn't really make its characters open up to the readers. I didn't feel like the book was truly finished when I got to the last page, because I wasn't as close to the characters as I usually am by that point. I think that getting to know them more would have allowed me to understand them more, which would probably have made them a bit less annoying to me. Since I don't feel like I know the characters all that well, this novel hasn't made that much of an impression on me, unlike Kasie West's other novels.

While the plot wasn't all that original, many details about the story were. Lily's big family, her different tastes in music and the jealousy between her and her best friend make this story different from other YAs I've read, even though it wasn't enough to make it exceptional. The romance is predictable, like in most YAs, but since I didn't feel that close to the characters, it didn't make me swoon or even feel a bit giddy.

As a big fan of Kasie West's, I still recommend this novel, because it's not bad, just not enough for me. I will still buy all of her future books, because I truly believe that she's a fantastic writer.

Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks) - Miranda Kenneally

Goodreads summary:

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?


My review:

4/5

Catching Jordan is about football, boys, first crushes and love. If that doesn't scream "perfect summer read", then I don't know what does.

Even though an entire football team is a lot of characters for a single book, Miranda Kenneally managed to make me remember the most important of them and love them to no end. I swear, if any of those teenage boys came to life right now, I'd want to date him without any doubt. Instead of being the usual stupid football players, each of the characters have a distinct personality, with qualities, passions and quirks. I discovered them as caring, kind and protective of Jordan, not only because she's a girl, but because they love her - not all in a platonic way. JJ is probably my favourite supporting character, because his dinners with Jordan always ended up surprising me. Of all the main characters, Henry was my favourite, because I love how he knows everything about Jordan and he doesn't care about looking stupid.

Although I have to admit I didn't understand much about it, I loved how important football is in this story. Books centered around a passion always make me want to work harder with mine and do everything I can to get better. Jordan's determination inspires me and I wish I had as much of it as she does. She makes great sacrifices because of her dreams and she doesn't care about the risks, except when they are about her football career. I liked reading about a teenage girl with so much courage.

I liked how feminism is important in this book, because girls playing football must not have an easy life. In fact, I was surprised that Jordan would play against boys, because it must be really dangerous, even though Jordan seems to endure it pretty well. Her difficulties when trying to find a college sounded very realistic and I enjoyed watching her realize many things about what she wants and what she doesn't want.

The thing I enjoyed the least was probably Jordan's relationship with Ty, because there isn't much to his character and he annoyed me. Also, I don't like when a girl starts acting in such a girly way because of a guy, no matter if she's already girly or not, because I think it simply looks stupid. 

I enjoyed reading this novel and I think if you're looking for a summer book, this one would be a great choice.

Major Crush - Jennifer Echols

Goodreads summary:

Tired of the beauty-pageant circuit, Virginia Sauter tosses her tiara, pierces her nose, and auditions for the most unlikely of roles — drum major of the high school marching band.
Virginia wins, but is forced to share the title with Drew, whose family has held the position for generations. Sure, Drew is hot, but because of his superior attitude, he and Virginia are constantly arguing. That is, until they share more than just their half-time salute...

But as the drum major's heated competition turns to sizzling romance, explosive rumors threaten everything — including the band's success. Love seemed to be a sure hit, but Virginia and Drew may be marching straight into disaster.


My review:

3.5/5

That was such a lovely read and it definitely lifted my spirits! Once more, Jennifer Echols proves how good she is at writing short and sweet romance novels.

If you're in a bit of a down, pick up this book, or a book similar to this one. It'll cheer you uo and make you feel all giddy and happy again. I finished this novel grinning like a fool, happy with life in general and full of hopes and expectations (I'll deal with those later).

Love stories between enemies is not the kind of books I read often, because I'm more of a best-friends-fall-in-love-with-each-other girl, but I truly liked this one. I don't think the summary is actually giving a good idea of the story, because I was expecting this to be more about Virginia giving up beauty-pageant and going in a completely different direction, while this novel seems to take place much later in her life. It's okay, but I wasn't expecting that.

I liked how Virginia and Drew's relationship evolved, although I didn't like the fact that he had a girlfriend in the beginning. Sure, she's a bitch and they're not serious, but he shouldn't be flirting like that with other girls. It's just a big no-no. Although there are admittedly some very cheesy parts, they're the ones that made me smile the most, so I'm not complaining.

I like how marching band is important in this book. There has never been any marching band at the schools I went to, but I still like Learning about them and reading about passionate people. I wish there'd been a bigger part about them though, because it's clear that romance is a much bigger part than this.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I don't know what else to say about it, so I guess that'll be it!

View all my reviews

The Boys Next Door - Jennifer Echols

Goodreads summary:

Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys. 

But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.

But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girlfriend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard....


My review:

4/5

Need an adorable book? Here you go!

This novel is sweet, funny and light-hearted, which we all know is something we crave for once in a while. It's predictable, but mostly because that's the way we want it to end, too. The only thing that really made me cringe was the ending, because it's too cheesy, even for me, which is something you won't here me say often. However, I still loved reading this novel and I'm convinced Jennifer Echols is one of the best cheesy writers out there - in a good way. 

I'm warning all of you about the cheesiness, but if that's what you need, pick this book up right now and you won't regret it.