Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West — 5 stars
Kasie West writes the cutest YA romances, and I was especially excited for her latest, Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss, because I am a sucker for stories taking place on movie sets. Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss was such a fun read and I couldn’t get enough of it! I loved Lacey and her outgoing personality and how it contrasted with Donovan’s more quiet demeanor. I really enjoyed watching Lacey on set and how she interacted with the cast and crew. Plus, the movie script was included in-between chapters provided a fun addition. I definitely recommend this book! Be sure to check out the aesthetic I created for the book.
Paper Hearts by Ali Novak — 3.5 stars
Paper Hearts is the second novel in the Heartbreakers Chronicles. I read the first, The Heartbreakers, several years ago so I honestly don’t remember too much about it. Paper Hearts was a fun read full of masquerade balls, road trips, and of course lots and lots of music. While it was fun, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, which disappointed me. Even though the love interest was part of a famous boy band, this book didn’t really seem like a celebrity romance. The focus was definitely more on Felicity, her friends, and her family—which isn’t a bad thing, just not what I was looking for when picking up Paper Hearts. While on their road trip to find Felicity’s sister, they do stop and spend the night with Alec’s bandmates, so fans of the first book will love the cameos! Be sure to check out the aesthetic I created for the book.
the mermaid’s voice returns in this one by Amanda Lovelace — 3 stars
After reading the previous two poetry collections in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series, I knew I needed to check out the conclusion, the mermaid’s voice returns in this one. Amanda Lovelace continues on with many of the same themes from her previous collections as she pulls from her personal experience as well as many others’. While it deals with an important and powerful subject, it did seem similar and almost repetitive of what we saw in the previous collections. One different aspect was that there were several poems included from a few different guest authors. I had not previously read anything from these poets so it was neat seeing their styles. Of the three poetry collections, the princess saves herself in this one is my favorite.
You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn — 4 stars
You do not want to miss out on You’d Be Mine! Full of music, angst, and heartache, this debut is perfect for YA contemporary fans looking for an older and darker romance. The story is a lot darker than the cover suggests, but I still enjoyed it immensely. It rings true to country music and is definitely similar to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s story. While there is a lot of references to country music, non-fans of the genre will still love Clay and Annie’s story. While Annie and Clay grow pretty drastically as individuals and with each other, I would have loved to see a little more romance between the two. They go through some pretty dark stuff, but their relationship sometimes seemed as it was just this inevitable thing instead of something they really worked towards or wanted. Read my full review here!
Glad you had a good March! I appreciate these mini reviews and hearing your thoughts on your reads. Thanks for sharing!
I like mini reviews too! Sometimes it’s just easier to say a few sentences about the book rather than several paragraphs.
I really enjoyed You’d Be Mine! I thought Annie was really mature for her age. She knew what she wanted to be, and who she didn’t want to become. It strained her relationship with Clay a little, but I loved it when he became Jefferson for her. It was a slow-burn romance that was worth the wait. Glad you enjoyed it, too!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
It was most definitely a slow burn romance! I’ve always been pretty mature for my age so I really related to that aspect of Annie.
Definitely need to finally read You’d Be Mine!
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
It’s a good one! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!