Young Adult High School Romance
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"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." Emily Bront
It's A very promising introduction for Jayson and Brooke when seeing the author include this quote in the foreword. This story is set in a high school with the male and female leads in their senior year. Some familiar themes of the star football player needing the smartest, shyest girl's help in order to play for a division 1 school. What is unique to this story is the amusingly awkward and down right stalkerish behavior of the male lead. Jayson's POV drives the majority of the story, although we do get Brooke's as well, his is a bit more dominant.
Jayson has wanted a way to get closer to Brooke for some time. He's been longing for her for many years. It's his voice that's dominant more than his actions. He's actually a bit insecure. The reason for this is touching, he is young, but he is already a man. Jason is also a senior in high school and being a football player is a large part of his identity. However, he is not at all arrogant. He's a sweetie, he clearly loves his momma, and he's found his soulmate.
The story itself is told with a great deal of heart and soul. It's just so pretty, the way it's written:
"Her creamy brown skin was practically flawless only spotted by flecks of paint or smudges of charcoal on her fingers from her incessant sketching. He wasn't sure if she knew about her rainbow beauty marks but he loved spotting them on her."
If you are a fan of young love, or a fan of Romeo and Juliet you will be extremely pleased with this book and an instant fan. She called him Romeo is cleverly told using the book to parallel the star crossed lovers lives.
Reviewed for HeadTripping Books by A. Bookhooker!
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Scott and Jared have weathered high school, now it's on to college! They've managed to sustain and nurture their relationship through some pretty serious ups and downs, and have vowed to stay together forever. But when reality comes crashing down on them, in the form of pressure from their conflicting schedules, and they discover that the college world is vastly different than what they've known before, <lj-cut text="they're faced with some decisions that have the potential to tear them apart.">

Life is good as Scott and Jared celebrate their six month anniversary together with roses and Italian food. Jared's mother announces her impending divorce from his abusive father and all's well. Freshman year ends, on to sophomore. Things change when they find themselves in different dorm rooms.

Scott is still tutoring in math, and not just forJared (although he's the only one who gets the strip algebra advantage!). He joins a club for math tutors and there he meets Daniel, a young and handsome Asian man. They become fast friends, even though he questions Scott's engagement, thinking it's happened too fast, especially at his age. Scott feels more attracted to Daniel than he should, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

Jared befriends a fellow psych student who introduces him to his study group--and his older brother Taylor, who's in his thirties. Jared and Taylor become good friends, and he learns that that the big guy is gay too. Is Taylor crushing on Jared perhaps?

Junior year things only get worse, and when Jared demands Scott cut back on his tutoring, in order to get more personal attention, Daniel guilts him into keeping with his grueling schedule. Something's gotta give--will it be the tutoring, or the relationship between Scott and Jared?

Let me start out by saying that this is a YA novel, not a romance novel, so don't approach it thinking that it's the latter. Maybe there's romance in it, but that isn't the same thing at all. I think the difference in the two has to do with the approach that the author takes. Ms. Danielson has a very bare bones, to the gut style of writing that is not flowery or romantic, and simply tells it like it is. Some of her descriptions during the sex scenes between the two boys are very graphic and not romantic at all--she is fond of comparing her characters to fountains when they orgasm, and spewing is not a romantic word at all. But she's talking about teenage boys who just want to get off, so it works.

Where Ms. Danielson excels, rather than in the beauty of her language, is the depths of her characters, even if her situations border on or cross the soap opera line, which they do. She is fond of the dramatic and it shows. She creates characters that are more realistic than some romance novels. They have warts and blemishes and they need to use the bathrobe, and they have weight issues and self-esteem issues. And they're far from perfect in the choices that they make. I would comment that she also builds a world where parents are accepting of their son's sexuality without blinking and have frank sex talks with them. While that sounds nice, as the mother of five children now past those years, I know what I'd get if I'd tried to discuss their sex lives with them, and I can't repeat it. But this is the world she creates, so suspend your disbelief when you enter it.

Frankly, I think the editor dropped the ball on this one, not in grammar or spelling, but in continuity and logic issues, but one can't fault the writer for that. Perhaps as an editor, I tend to think that way, but I would think another editor would too.

If you enjoyed Love by the Numbers, you really should read the sequel, to see what happens with the boys, following their tumultuous lives. If you haven't read the first one, then read it. They're good enjoyable reads that will stick with you for some time afterwards.
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A quick read...a story of high school sweet hearts first love. The flame continues to burn long after 10 years of distance and many other life events. Good steamy romance as well.
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This is a sweet young adult romance. It is filled with the drama of growing up and learning to stand up for yourself and not take abuse.

It is a lovely read, well written and compelling. It is clearly a young adult novel, though. So don't expect an adult story.
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Review:
I have received this book as part of a blog tour in exchange of an honest review.
Im always up to reading a book that deals with some kind of forbidden love story as long as it is well-written.  Love Edy fits the description.
I liked the characters in this book, especially Edy, and thought they were realistic. I think the book deals with an interesting issue and the author did a nice job developing the relationship between the main characters.
All in all, Love Edy is an interesting young adult, romance. The book is well-written, nicely paced and interesting.
If you are a fan of romance and young adult books, you might enjoy this book.

Rating:  Somewhere Between Readable and Worth Your Time (3  Stars)

Posted at: http://librarymosaic.blogspot.pt
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Oh, the angst of high school! Cheating boyfriends. Fighting friends. Scheming girls. If you enjoy over-the-top teen drama and want to read a book with lots of romance then I suggest <em>Slow Burn</em> by Nicole Christie. Though I thinkthe book isnot realistic at all,drags at points, and reads like a high school girl's journal, I did enjoy <em>Slow Burn</em>.

In <em>Slow Burn</em>, Juliet (the heroine) foolishly changes high schools to be withher new boyfriend, football player Johnny Parker, for her senior year. Unfortunately before school even starts,Johnny is caught cheating and Juliet breaks up with him. Throughout the rest of the story, Johnny determinedly tries to win her back but Juliet is not sure about him any more. In the meantime, Julietis stuck hanging out with Johnny's friends, football players, cheerleaders, and Johnny's hot step-brother, Dean, who used to bully her when she was younger. The football players are friendly but the girls make Juliet miserable at her new school. And as Juliet gets to know Dean, she begins to like him more and more.

Pros
For me, the character Juliet made this book worth reading. She has avery funnyinner dialogue, and her observations about herself and others are hilarious. Here are two examples

"she's looking at me like I'm a lizard who did an interesting trick"

"He shows me the contents of his refrigerator and pantry, and I think there must be some kind of mistake--is this where they keep their animal feed?"

In addition, Juliet isa likable teenage girl. (I know an oxymoron, right?) She is generous and loyal toher friends, and a little too forgiving and kind at times.

The other character I enjoyed reading about was Dean. He's not like the other cocky boyfriends you read about in romancebooks. Dean is gorgeous but he is quiet, thoughtful, and closed off. It was fun guessing if Juliet would pick him or Johnny.

The other pro for me was the unique beginning of the book. Juliet already had a boyfriend, instead of meeting some new guy. It left me wondering where the story would go from there. There were also some twists in the book that added more excitement and mystery to the story.

Cons
The number one complaint? The book needs proof reading and editing.

Second, I thought at times the book read like a journal, giving me too information that I felt was extraneous and boring.

Conclusion
If you want to read a book that is upbeat with a humorous heroine, I recommend reading this book.
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Kate Spivey  is not so different from a lot of college girls.  She is 21 yrs old and in her junior year of college.  And, like many before her, she has become caught up in the party-girl lifestyle which causes her to get in trouble with her parents, lose her scholarships, and end of in therapy due to an alcohol problem.  Her parents decide in an effort to get her back on the right track, they will send her to North Carolina to stay with her Aunt Patrice who owns a bed and breakfast called The Willoughby Inn.  As long as Kate stays out of trouble and away from alcohol, her parents will then pay the tuition for her senior year.

  The Willoughby Inn is pretty popular with the tourists as it was used as the setting in a popular romance novel.  Therefore Kate is told that she needs to become familiar with the book so that she can be helpful to those who visit.  She seems to be doing okay adjusting to living with her aunt, when she gets a flat tire while out driving one day.  This is where she meets Reed Black.  Now Reed is known as the towns "bad boy", so Kate is told by some of the locals that she should stay away from him.  I never really understood how exactly he got that label - I would have appreciated a little more background on him so I could better understand his story.

  Kate and Reed develop a sort of hot-n-cold relationship.  She starts to get close...he pulls away, but doesn't want to lose her - that sort of thing.  All is all I thought it was a sweet New Adult romance, I read it pretty quickly and was satisfied with how everything turned out.

  I received this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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In the over saturated YA romance genre My Life Next Door stood out for its well rounded and fleshed out characters and the rich intertwining story lines.

If you've got as far as reading the reviews I'm sure you've read the blurb and as it pretty accurately sums up the main points without giving away any spoilers I won't bore you with a re-hash of the plot.  The main focus of the novel is on the developing relationship between Samantha Reed and her next door neighbor Jase Garret. Coming from completely different backgrounds Jase and Samantha are alike personality wise as both are driven, focused, mature and capable of introspection in a way not all seventeen year old's are. The romance between them is slow burning and develops over time and although those hormones get the better of them and there is a focus on the physical aspect of their relationship the bond between them is a pretty accurate portrayal of the intensity and insecurity of first love.

Unlike other books in this genre the relationship between the two of them doesn't eclipse their every day lives.  Like most seventeen year old's they still have familial obligations and input and both are answerable to their parents.  There's quite a lot of parent and sibling involvement as they hang out at each others houses and become entwined in each others lives.  I feel this is often absent from YA romance novels, particularly if the protagonists are meant to be mature. I tend to find that the parents are mainly absent from the story and this is normally portrayed as been because they "trust" them.  In this novel Samantha has a complicated relationship with her largely absent senator mother who she is still accountable to, and Jase's  parents rope Samantha into babysitting and offer Jase cringe worthy (but sensible) advice on sex.  It was nice to see a novel that shows teenagers that although they may think they are adults at 16/17 parents still have an active role in their lives.

A lot of Samantha and Jase's personality and the dynamic of their relationship was shown and developed by things going on around them. Samantha has been friends with siblings Nan and Tim nearly all her life. Tim is having an on going battle with drink and drugs and Nan is an academic perfectionist who places herself under an enormous amount of stress to perform well.  The way Jase and Samantha cope with the issues that these characters bring into their lives really shows what they are made of. The way they interact with Jase's many siblings also gives them chance to develop and show a more fun side to their personalities.

As well as portraying parents as been part of their lives, Samantha's mother also gets a massive chunk of story line herself.  The novel examines the mother/daughter relationship throughout but Samantha's mother is also falling in love at the same time as her daughter.  Her mother loses herself in her boyfriend with disastrous consequences for both families and the fall-out from her mother's mistakes make for plenty of drama.  Fortunately Huntley Fitzpatrick is able to maintain the drama without it becoming melodramatic.

With romance, strong characters, and a good plot which touched on teenage issues of substance abuse, sex, academic pressure, class and moral dilemmas this is an engrossing, moreish read which straddles the YA/Adult readership divide nicely. As the book closed I just wanted to keep on reading, partly because the loping easy style had sucked me in, partly because I was so invested in the lives I'd been reading about and partly because just so many things could have been expanded. Although there is a conclusion to the book I just wanted more.  There were a lot of things which could have been explored.  This is the main reason I didn't bump this up to 5 star.  However, I was delighted to find out that there is a sequel novel and I'm rushing off to find a copy now.....
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Clare and Aidan have always had their ups and downs with their relationship but the two have remained together. Now though on the night before they are to leave for college they know that they are going to be separated for the next few years, the question before them though is this going to be goodbye for now or for forever?

Over the next twelve hours before the pair are expected to pack up and go Clare and Aidan have a night planned to retrace their relationship. They will visit special places, familiar landmarks, friends and family. This night will decide for them whether they should try to hold on to their relationship or move on.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is part romance but underlying the relationship in the book is the basics of young adults coming of age. The story really would relate to anyone at any age that is putting something behind them and moving on wards to something new in their lives just as this couple is heading off to college.

There were ups and downs and emotions all throughout the book. Also this was sort of like visiting the entire relationship this couple had in a fast forward type of situation since you know where they are now but you learn about what they had been through together during the book, a nice twist to a romance read.

Overall, enjoyed this sort of coming of age young adult romance.
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Miranda Kenneallys newest release, Defending Taylor, is a young adult contemporary that deals with some very relevant topics such as prescription drug abuse, intended and unintended consequences of decisions and family expectations.

Seventeen year old Taylor Lukens is the overachieving daughter of a Senator who is expelled from her exclusive private school after she impulsively takes the blame for something her boyfriend is responsible for.  Now attending the local public high school, she is struggling with the repercussions from her decision after the scandal becomes public knowledge.  With her fathers chances for re-election slipping, she feels a little abandoned by her family when they distance themselves from her publicly.  With college deadlines looming, Taylor is slowly realizing her familys expectations for her future are not necessarily what she wants but she is not sure she can disappoint them considering how her recent actions have affected them.  It is not until she reconnects with her former crush, Ezra Carmichael, that she finds the courage to stand up for what she wants, but will Taylor convince him to do the same?

As the youngest child in the family, Taylor feels an enormous amount of pressure to follow the same path as her older siblings.  Expected to attend an Ivy League college and work in her familys business after graduation, she is extremely focused on padding her college resume with extracurricular activities and volunteer work while maintaining a high GPA and acing her SATs.  Unfortunately, some of her classes do not come easy to her and she spends an inordinate amount of time studying so she sometimes pops Ritalin when she is feeling stressed about doing well on exams and assignments.  With such a strong desire to live up to her familys expectations, Taylor never really deviates from the path they have set for her but after she begins attending Hundred Oaks, she reevaluates her plans for the future but can she disappoint her family again?

Taking the semester off from college amid objections from his father, Ezra is well aware what can happen when personal dreams conflict with family expectations.  Taylor cannot help but feel there is more to his decision than he is willing to admit to her, but she has no choice but to back off when he asks her to.  Ezra understands what she is going through with her parents but since she once had a crush on him and he broke her heart a few years ago, she is quite hesitant to resume their friendship.  Once Taylor moves past her initial reservations, it is clear the spark between them burns brighter than ever but will she risk her heart again?

Defending Taylor is a captivating young adult novel with a compelling storyline and an appealing cast of characters. Miranda Kenneally has an engaging writing style and she never hesitates to tackle some difficult subject matter.  A heartwarming story that I recommend to readers of all ages, this latest addition to the Hundred Oak series can be read as a standalone.

I received a complimentary copy for review.
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I downloaded Fractured Light as a free book from Amazon. Definitely a YA (young adult) read. The protagonists are senior year of high school (17-18 years old) and miss some pretty obvious clues a more mature character would probably (hopefully?) see from a mile away. There's the typical high school angst, awkward romance, and bullying-- but high school  troubles are not so obnoxious they overtake the story line, which was simplistic but enjoyable. This was a good, clean read for the target audience and I'd be interested in where it goes in book two.
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Cascading Petals by Jane C. Brady is a perfect story for teens and young adults. The story follows Jewel Hart as she is about to enter her senior year of high school. Jewel meets Kaiden and they fall in love, they are challenged from the constant bullying that Jewel has dealt with her entire life in her small town. The story addresses the very real affects of bullying and suicide. The characters are written so well it feels like I was there watching it play out. The book itself isn't really the typical YA/Romance. It seems really short because it reads so smoothly. Honestly it makes me think of 13 Reasons Why the way it sometimes changes character perspective while addressing the common struggles that teens face on a daily basis these days. Though it does remind me of similar story lines I really feel this story stands out exponentially due to how well Brady depicts her characters.
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As she turns 18, Laken Harrison feels that her life has nowhere to go but up. Estranged from her parents, struggling to deal with a sexual assault that happened two years before, dependent on her boyfriend's family even while their relationship unravels, Laken feels college offers the promise of a new start and a way out. This romantic coming-of-age novel follows Laken through college as her new relationships offer the promise of both the stability she needs and the intimacy she both craves and shies away from.
I'm not normally a reader of romances, but I stumbled across this one and really enjoyed it. The characters are complex and real, and their interactions are authentic. The plot moves forward briskly and the dialogue is snappy, often touched with humor. Scar is a young writer and her writing would benefit from her developing a relationship with a good editor: the book was marred by typos, too-abrupt transitions, and occasional lapses into cliche. But she has a good feel for story and character and I hope she will continue to develop her voice.
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This is a young adult novel, written in an epistolary (as in letters from one character to another) format. The story is told in a series of letters that Zoe, a British teenager writes to a death-row inmate in Texas, Stuart. Zoe tells her story of falling in love with the cute guy at school and killing him some time later. Zoe, in addition to being a killer, has a ton of other problems on her plate, including parents who fight all the time, an ailing grandfather, and a younger sister who is deaf. I thought that I had figured out the storyline about halfway through, but then the story took an unexpected turn. Most of the story's problems were addressed by the end of the book but there were one or two minor things, side stories that I would have liked to see addressed, but overall was rather satisfied. I read it in a day, so, no long term commitment either. :)
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* A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review.

Its the ultimate high school reunion! Alec and Valerie banded together as only outcasts can to survive the dreaded high school years. The two best friends shared more than just their unpopular social standing back in the day, they had bullies and terrible parents to add to the list of craptacular things to worry about. Ten years later and the two friends are attending their high school reunion together. When a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven goes too far, Alec and Valerie find that their friendship is becoming a little less friends and a little more benefits.

Okay so Best Friends with Benefits wasn't a good fit for me for many reasons. I couldn't understand or relate to two grown people who felt it was so important to attend a high school reunion with the same people who made their lives miserable when they were younger. It didn't serve any purpose to me and sounded kind of petty, juvenile and like neither character really grew up in the ten years since they graduated. Alec and Valerie should have just been better than that.

I couldn't really get over the immaturity and over the top level of angst in this story. It felt more like a New Adult novel the whole way through so I checked out the author and yep, Candy Sloane is the pen name for a YA and NA author. Now thats not a bad thing but here I thought I was getting a Brazen novel with mature, adult characters and Best Friends with Benefits just wasn't it. Sure, it had a pretty high heat level but other than that it definitely had a New Adult feel to it.

The plot, while not to my liking was solid and well thought out and the pace was smooth and even. When it came to the love scenes, I had no reason to complain.

Even with Best Friends with Benefits feeling more NA than Adult Contemporary, it had a few gems. Alec and Valerie had such a close friendship that was built on their outcast status when they were younger. It shaped them and they depended on one another in the past as well as in the present. I enjoyed their playful banter and the seemingly unconditional support they gave each other. I felt like no matter what happened at the reunion, Alec and Valerie were still going to be the best of friends.

Final Verdict: This wasn't a good fit for me because Im not into NA novels and Best Friends with Benefits falls into that category in my opinion. Alec and Valerie were a bit too immature and allowed way too much drama into their lives for my liking. However, if NA is your thing, then please do pick this book up. Its spicier than most NA romances but still a solid NA romance.
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The second installment in this series is once again a well written romance for very young adults. This story is about the lead singer in the band Justin and a young tattoo artist Allie.  Justin uses the young college girls around him to do his homework, wash his clothes and anything else he can think of including having sex with who ever is available at the moment, with no strings or promises attached.  He is not a character you feel close to, however he meets Allie in a tattoo parlor and he begins to have feelings he has never felt before.  Allie is a struggling mother, college student, tattoo artist who is dealing with her business and ex-husband.  The last thing she needs to deal with is an egotistical lead singer of a college band.  It is a very good story for the young adult audience.
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IM NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL is the first young adult contemporary release from Gretchen McNeil, the author of TEN, POSSESS and several other titles. When the novel begins, the main character, Beatrice Giovanni is entering her senior year of high school. Her whole life she has been a target for school bullies along with her best friends, Spencer and Gabe. Fed up with always being a target, Bea uses her math knowledge to create a formula that will guarantee the three friends popularity and happiness in school. But everything still isn't perfect for Bea. Her boyfriend, Jesse, dumps her for the new girl, Tolie, a quintessential manic pixie dream girl. Bea adopts a new manic pixie formula and sets a plan into motion to beat Tolie at her own game.

This book was a super fun read! It looks into the social aspects of high school in a new and relatable way. The tropes that the characters aimed to fill were developed well. I was especially interested in the manic pixie dream girl trope, which Bea adopts. Overall I found that the way the friends altered themselves to fit specific stereotypes were displayed perfectly and spoke volumes about the social environment in most American high schools.

I was also really interested by the addition of formulas to the plot. As someone who is not a big fan of math, it was interesting to see how Beas brain worked in relation to math. McNeil continuously included subtle references to math in Beas everyday thoughts as well. Even though some of the math references and formulas were lost on me, I still found them super interesting to think about.

My biggest problem with this book was its predictability. When reading a book I love to be surprised and I found that I was rarely shocked when reading IM NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL. There were various moments where I knew what the next plot twist would be, chapters before it actually happened. However, there was one plot twist that was able to catch me by surprise. It didn't completely make up for the predictability throughout the majority of the book, but I was definitely happy to be shocked by that moment.

IM NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL has a strong and important message. I definitely think that high schoolers can especially benefit from the themes in this book. It discusses popularity in a high school setting as well as the feeling of needing to change yourself. It especially explores the idea of needing to change yourself for someone else, rather than for your own advantage. As a high schooler, I really understood a lot of the thoughts and feelings expressed by the main characters of the book. I think I learned a bit about social perception in high school and can now take some of that with me to school every day now.

I would obviously recommend this book to high schoolers. Whether they consider themselves popular or a nerd, they will benefit from seeing a new perspective on the classic ideas of high school social status. It is a pretty easy read so even someone who isn't a frequent reader will be able to get into the story and understand it. IM NOT YOUR MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL is a fun, enlightening and interesting read, unlike anything I have ever experienced before.

Reviewed by Danielle F.