Genre: Romance

The Crown by Kiera Cass (Selection Series #5) | Review

Posted May 23, 2016 in Reviews / 10 Comments

I think it’s clear to everyone that this series has stunning covers and an addictive presence, and therefore makes many a reader and blogger hit the “purchase” button even if we’re on the fence about this series. This has both served me well and disappointed me depending on which book in the series I am reviewing, as some of the books (The Selection, The One, The Heir) I’ve found decent, quick reads, while others (The Elite, the novellas, etc.) were a chore to read. I went into The Crown with high hopes, seeing as I much preferred Eadlyn to America […]

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West | Review

Posted March 21, 2016 in Reviews / 4 Comments

The Distance Between Us came highly recommended to me after my first, rather lackluster, experience with a Kasie West novel, The Fill In Boyfriend. There seems to be a consensus that The Distance Between Us is the best of West’s contemporary novels, so I decided to assign it my “lunchtime read” at work (which is where I choose a short novel to keep in my desk and only read exclusively on work breaks). I didn’t go into the book with that many expectations, and found it to be a cute and quick read with some plot holes and characters who […]

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright | Review

Posted January 11, 2016 in Reviews / 8 Comments

One of the most coveted items I received in my Christmas Haul, I was so incredibly excited to get my hands on The Heir and the Spare as I am a total sucker for anything featuring the modern-day-royalty story line. Two of my favorite reads from 2015 were The Royal We and Royal Wedding, so I was sure this was going to be another book that I could indulge in. In fact, it’s the first book from my Christmas Haul that I dove into. However, I wound up being extremely disappointed by the quality of the writing, predictable plot elements, […]

Book Buddies Review: Snowed Over

Posted December 30, 2015 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 1 Comment

Cristina and Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a discussion style review I participate in every other month with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the month, read it, and the have a discussion where we both discuss themes and aspects that really stood out to us. Book Buddy Reviews are posted during the last week of the month.You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! 1) Do you feel this really fell into the “New Adult” category? Why or why not? C: […]

Book Buddies Review: Nantucket Blue

Posted September 3, 2015 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 3 Comments

Cristina and Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a discussion style review I participate in every other month with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the month, read it, and the have a discussion where we both discuss themes and aspects that really stood out to us. Book Buddy Reviews are posted during the last week of the month.You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! 1) How big of an impact did the romance aspect of the book have one you? […]

From Plot to Personal: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E Smith

Posted August 26, 2015 in Features, Plot to Personal, Reviews / 2 Comments

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between deals with the dilemma that so many young couples face upon graduating from high school: to break up or not to break up. Over the course of one evening, Jennifer E. Smith’s novel explores Aiden and Clare’s last night in their hometown before they embark on their journeys to colleges on opposite coasts. The premise of this novel really struck me because I was in the exact same position when I was there age. I was in a happy relationship and had been for about two years, was going away to school a significant […]

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon | ARC Review

Posted August 17, 2015 in Reviews / 14 Comments

My Review “You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”-pg 186 Everything, Everything was quiet in its execution but deafening in its impact. It’s the story of Madeline Whittier, who lives in her white room with her white furniture in her white clothes and eats her white food. She’s trapped due to the fragile nature of her own body, struck with an auto-immune disorder that makes the outside world one giant disease. Madeline’s story is one of what ifs: What if she wasn’t sick? What if she could go outside? What if she could go to school like a normal kid? […]

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot | ARC Review

Posted June 1, 2015 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 17 Comments

*Many thanks to HarperCollins for this review copy! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2015. There were literally squeals of happiness when I found out I was getting more of Mia’s story. And it did not disappoint. I was thrilled to have gotten an ARC of this at YALLWEST considering I was in the middle of an entire series re-read in preparation for the new installment. I was over the moon and rushed home and binge read the last few installments so I could get to this one. I had 100% faith in Meg Cabot that she’d […]

April Book Buddies Review: These Broken Stars

Posted May 1, 2015 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 3 Comments

Cristina & Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a discussion style review I participate in every other month with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the month, read it, and the have a discussion where we both discuss themes and aspects that really stood out to us.Book Buddy Reviews are posted during the last week of the month.You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! *This discussion contains some spoilers. 1) The premise of These Broken Stars relies on an often overused romance […]

Just One Night by Gayle Forman | Mini Review

Posted April 27, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

“The truth and its opposite are flip sides of the same coin.” I’m so glad I was able to read this series when it was completed, because if not the wait for finding out how Willem and Allyson’s story concluded would have been excruciating. This novella is short and sweet, and finally gives life to that agonizing ending of both Just One Day and Just One Year when Allyson and Willem are finally reunited again. The narrative is told through a third person perspective, which is a little jarring since the previous books were narrated by either Allyson or Willem. […]