Bite-Sized Reviews :: Edition Seventeen

Well! Here I am again, cleaning out my to-be-reviewed list. I am sooo behind on my reviews! As always, I know, it seems I'm constantly saying that, doesn't it? I'm sorry. Every time I think I'll get caught up, life happens and I get way behind again. *heavy sigh* Perhaps that should be one of my 2016 goals! To keep on top of my book reviews. Yes! Now let's just hope I can, right? :)

Geek Girl by Holly Smale
This was so much fun! I absolutely loved Harriet. From her clumsy introduction to modeling and her own unexplainable fascination with it, to the cute (and frustrating) guy she has to work with, to the way she grows and learns who she is and what she wants, it all combines to make for a hilarious story! All great stories have awesome characters and Harriet is definitely one of those. Watching as she stumbles her way through figuring out what she wants to do with her life makes for such a fun ride. I laughed and cried with her and finished the final page with a grin on my face. "Popcorn entertainment" that I couldn't put down. What more could you ask for from a book? :)

Straight to You by Liwen Y. Ho
A great mix of sweet romance and real life. By which I mean, Ashlynn and Jeremy are all kinds of adorbs! But their romance isn't just about the falling in love part, it's also about the choosing to love part. Neither of them are perfect people and they have things in their pasts they each have to work through, separately and together. Their journey together takes compromise and choosing each other time and time again. It feels real! And it's not easy either, but watching them come together and become even better as a couple is so wonderful to see. So glad I read this one!

True to You by Liwen Y. Ho
This is another great romance from Ms. Ho! After meeting Ben and Melanie in Straight to You, I was happy to find out how they ended up together. :) Their story is full of chemistry and fun, but it's got the real life element as well. Because while there's an immediate connection, neither one of them was looking for it. In fact, Melanie is engaged to a very nice man already. I confess that love stories that begin with one of the protagonists engaged to someone else make me a little leery, but Ms. Ho handles this very well. I appreciated that Melvin was a genuinely nice guy and that their breakup wasn't full of dramatics (except maybe from Melanie's mother :). Because once Melanie meets Ben...well. You'll have to read it and find out for yourself! :D

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
I haven't ever read a story with a main character who has schizophrenia before. But Ms. Zappia does a fabulous job of getting her readers to sympathize with and like Alex. She is an amazing character! And her story completely blew me away. I was sucked in and turning pages as fast as I could! Living with a daily question of whether anything or anyone she sees is real or imaginary would be tough. But Alex is one determined young lady and desires to live life on her own terms. Her journey is real and heart-wrenching, but filled with little bits of happy that help get her through. This is a very thought-provoking read with a twist I did not see coming at all! You should read it. I highly recommend!

Pairing Off by Elizabeth Harmon
I've loved watching figure skating for years, so when I saw this book had a romance between two skaters, I knew I'd want to try it. Am I ever glad I did! Carrie and Anton's lives aren't easy and when they come together it's explosive. In a good way! :) Their chemistry is sizzling. I loved all their interactions, especially on the ice. Ms. Harmon described the skating scenes so well it was as if I were out there skating with them. I loved that! There were a couple plot points that I was not expecting, but there were some predictable things as well. Overall, I absolutely loved this story and will look forward to more from Ms. Harmon. :)