Novel Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA/NA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon & Shuster

Release Date: 2018

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Smart and funny, with characters so real and vulnerable, you want to send them care packages. I loved this book.” —Rainbow Rowell

From debut author Mary H.K. Choi comes a compulsively readable novel that shows young love in all its awkward glory—perfect for fans of Eleanor & Park and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

For Penny Lee, high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she’d somehow landed a boyfriend, they never managed to know much about each other. Now Penny is heading to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer. It’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.

When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to, you know, see each other.

Review:

Penny is finally away from home, in college, and away from her high school life. Sam works at a coffee shop and tries to write, but is currently stuck where he is. Neither of them really know how to interact or what to do with themselves. Penny has a new roommate, and is trying to get away from her immature mother, and Sam is trying to move forward.

This was a really good, solid book. Penny stuck out more than Sam to me; she has a lot going on, what with the drama of her roommate and college, and attempting to grow away from her mother and yet also thinking her mother needs her help in order to survive. The romance was sweet, and both characters are sweet, though Penny is a bit more dramatic. I appreciate where Penny and her mother's relationship went; they have a few issues, but they ended up growing in a really healthy way, I think.

This isn't one of my favorites, but it was a really good read, and I would pick up her next one.

Manga Review: After Hours, Volume 2, by Yuhta Nishio

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There’s always something going on at night. Sooner or later, you’ll find your scene.

Emi Ashiana is 24, unemployed and not really sure what she wants to do with her life. When a friend invites her to a dance club, Emi doesn’t expect much. But what she finds will change her world!

Review:

Kei's DJ group have agreed to put on this huge rave-like show, in which they set up everything. Kei and Emi get to figure out how to set up the venue and everything that goes with that.

Amidst all the party planning, there's also some relationship drama. Kei and Emi have been spending all of their time together, but they haven't made it official. And Emi hasn't tied up all of her other loose ends, either. They both have to make some decisions as they realize this, and confront each other about their feelings.

This volume didn't really hit me, I think. I just wasn't feeling it as much, though I'm not sure why. Kei is trying to plan everything and make sure it all goes well. Emi is trying to help, and also realizing that she needs to figure out her living situation for good.

I'm happy with how all of that turns out. Emi and Kei are sweet together, and even though it's rather fast, I think they're a good couple. The next volume is the last, and I look forward to seeing how it all goes.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Say I Love You, Volume 16, by Kanae Hazuki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

Goodreads Synopsis:

COLLEGE CONUNDRUM After graduating high school, Mei and Yamato begin to venture towards their futures. For their careers, they have decided to go to different schools and come into new environments with new experiences and friends. But the excitement of college life also brings challenges into the relationships of Mei and her former schoolmates. And when a mutual friend strays from his high school love, the distance between Mei and Yamato starts to create uncertainty in their lives.

Review:

Of course now that they're in college, Yamato has to meet some woman who immediately starts getting in the way. Of course.

I really hate these kinds of stories. I really do.

So. Yamato and Mei are doing different things, and while they're talking on the phone, they're not really seeing each other much. Mei is trying to branch out, while Yamato is meeting people and has made a new friend in this girl who is clearly interested. Then Asami and Takeshi start having problems, so this leads to even more worries.

Near the end, it looks like Mei is going to speak with Asami about some things, and I hope that happens. She needs to be more open with her friends about these things.

Then there's Megumi. She's doing better as a person, I guess, but she's also struggling as a model. I still want her to get closer to Kai, as well. I'm not really sure where her character is going from here, though.

I love college stories, but I also hate all these relationships that end right after high school. Ugh. I hope the next one is better, and that Yamato and Mei actually get to talk. We'll see, though.

Manga Review: Say I Love You, Volume 15, by Kanae Hazuki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: August 2016

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

FRIENDSHIP? FORGET IT! Mei Tachibana has no friendsand she doesn't need them! Ever since her "friends" betrayed her in elementary school, she's sworn off friendship entirely. All it leads to is betrayal and heartbreak, and she's well enough on her own. But everything changes when she accidentally roundhouse kicks the most popular boy in school! However, Yamato Kurosawa isn't angry in the slightest in fact, he thinks his ordinary life could use an unusual girl like Mei! He won't take no for an answer, and soon Mei and Yamato embark on an unwanted friendship that will change both of them forever. PRAISE FOR THE ANIME "Surprises with its honesty, its sensitivity, its quality. Always it is smarter, more poetic, more touching, just plain better than you think it is going to be." Anime News Network

Review:

Two surprises in this volume.

Firstly, we have a love confession. It's not a surprise how it turns out, because no one doubted that, not even the confesser. But Mei is completely taken off-guard by it, because she had no idea. She doesn't know how to respond, either.

And then they graduate. We knew it was coming at some point, and yet it still didn't seem like there was enough warning and then it happened. It's a bittersweet moment, because they have to say goodbye to high school and their friends, but it's also good because they get to start something new. They get to become adults and start working for careers and college and whatnot. The button-taking thing was fun, too.

I'm a big fan of this series, and I'm really interested to see where it goes next. I typically like when series expand beyond high school and into college, but I know a lot of series go downhill or lose popularity. It also can mean bad things for high school romances. I'm really excited to read the next one.

Novel Review: LoveSick by Jake Coburn

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Genre: YA Realistic Romance

Publisher: Speak (Penguin)

Release Date: 2005

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ted's drunk-driving accident has ruined his life. it cost him his basketball scholarship, ended his plans for college, and forced him into AA. But just when Ted has resigned himself to his new life, Michael appears. The wealthy father of a bulimic Manhattan rich girl has a tempting proposition. He has agreed to pay for Ted's college tuition, but there's one catch. Ted has to secretly keep tabs on his benefactor's daughter, Erica. A seemingly simple task, with only one minor problem: Ted never expected to fall in love.

The Cover:

This cover is just okay. It's average, not eye-catching, and gives just the feel of the book, not really an idea of what it's about. It's pretty meh.

Review:

This book was mostly meh.

Erica is finally going away to college with her father’s permission, since she’s supposedly recovering from an eating disorder. Ted is a recovering alcoholic starting college just out of high school, and he’s been hired to watch Erica.

Given this plot line, of course this book is going to be dark. I expected Ted’s problems, what with not drinking in general, let alone as a college freshman living in the dorms. I didn’t expect Erica’s problem, or the detail in which it was going to be described. The detail was rather off-putting.

I liked the way that the book was written, though. With alternating points of view, as well as the emails exchanged for Ted’s job with Erica’s father and IMs between Erica and her therapist. I liked the ending, where the characters were at that point. The romance, though, and the actual writing, was pretty meh, though. I didn’t feel much chemistry between the characters, or why they were supposedly feeling more than simply attraction. The writing didn’t pull me in.

This book was average in the end. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.

Novel Review: The Boy Most Likely To (My Life Next Door, #2) by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Dial (Penguin)

Release Date: August 2015

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han 

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.

The Cover:

I do really like this cover. I think it gives a good feel for what you're getting, and the models' positions work for the characters. It's not my favorite of her covers, but it's good, and it's nice for the book.

Review:

I don’t even know where to start with this book.

I mean, I expected to love it for reasons. I didn’t expect this…

Tim is on his way toward being a better person. And then his parents kick him out, and Jase’s family takes him in. Can I just say I love the Garrett family? Because I love every one of them.

Tim and Alice clearly have feelings for each other. Tim flirts with her always, even if he believes he has no chance with her. Their relationship developed slowly, although it was apparent through the whole book.

The biggest part of the book was not their romance, though. I won’t spoil what it was, because it was a huge surprise. And then it totally worked its way into my heart and I loved it completely and it broke me in the end.

The ending is what has me so conflicted with this book. Because I wasn’t expecting it to be so heartbreaking in the end, with that ending. It makes sense, because I guess it wasn’t his time for that, he still needed to grow… But it was so good and sweet and also kind of what he needed? I loved it completely. It just upsets me how sad the ending was for him.

I like where Tim and Alice were in their relationship by the end, but I didn’t like where that big plot ended. It makes me want to sob and throw the book. It depresses me terribly so and I hate it.

This book broke my heart, to sum it up.

I will definitely be reading any book Fitzpatrick releases ever, I’m sure. I just hope that her next one has a better ending.

Novel Review: Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: MTV Books

Release Date: 2009

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. BookDepository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

The Cover:

The cover works, don't get me wrong. It fits with one of her previous books, and the style of it is all right. But I'm generally not a big fan of the super close image of the faces. It works, and it's not terrible, but not really eye-catching, and it doesn't make me want to read the book. It doesn't really show me what I'm getting with the book, either.

Generally, though, I think her covers need a re-do, especially to go with her newer books. They could be a lot better.

Review:

I wasn’t expecting this. I ended up picking this up by chance, and now I’m wishing I’d started it forever ago, and that I already had all of her other books waiting. I loved it.

Meg is getting into trouble left and right. Having a casual fling with any guy as long as he doesn’t care anymore than she does, drinking, speeding. Her parents have had enough. And all she wants is to get out.

And then she gets caught, and is put on probation in the form of riding along with John, a new cop who wants her to get her act together. There’s an immediate attraction between Meg and John, and they’re only a year apart. But they’re both so closed off that they’re going to push each other too far.

I loved the chemistry between them. John is very reluctant, but they’re both very closed off and secretive, with something big in their past that they can’t get over. They push each other too far, because of how little they really know about each other. And despite that, I loved them together, and I loved the ending.

The things they’d been through was very believable to me, as with their reactions to them. Meg’s rebellion, and the way John grew up too fast and became a cop so quickly. It all made perfect sense to me, and I loved the way everything was revealed. The secrets were always ther, but I had no real idea what they were until they were revealed, and the timing was perfect. As was the conclusion.

I loved this book even more than I thought I would, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on more.