That Boy by Jillian Dodd ♡♡

That Boy by Jillian Dodd has been coming up on my Goodreads recommendations since the time I started reading New Adult. BookBub emailed me a deal, and I decided to give it a shot. The book is about 4 years old, so the whole series is out (or at least it seems to be).

That Boy is about a girl named Jadyn and growing up with her two best friends, Phillip and Danny. When I say growing up, I mean it. The story takes place from elementary school all the way to after college graduation. And we watch Jadyn's life unfold through ups and downs and lots of boys. Even time where she might be into her best friends.

I thought, when I started, that the book would highlight some of Jadyn's younger years and then skip to college pretty quickly, but college was a small part of the story, which was disappointing. It felt to me that there was too much time spent in the younger years.

The story says it's contemporary romance (which makes its recommendation under new adult frustrating), but it felt more like a young adult title. There was some cursing, but in quite a few places it was bleeped out with symbols, and the narrator doesn't talk about sex because she says she's polite. So the book felt like it was a book to read between YA and NA, with a big emphasis on growing up, but leaving out most of the mature content.

The voice of the narrator didn't change much throughout the story, something I thought should have happened as we watch her go from a child to a working professional.

There were also a few things I would have liked more details about. The story works too hard to set up who she would be with. But skipped over the whole relationship of the other person, the guy who was actually interesting. He ended up with someone else and we don't get to see how Jadyn feels when he starts to get serious or the ways that changes their relationship, even though they had something going on between them for quite some time. All of a sudden he's getting married to some other girl, and we don't get to see how things might change for Jadyn in that situation.

Overall, I wanted to see more from this story. I think there was a lot that could have been done that was instead used to show us most of Jadyn's life in small snippets. I would have preferred a story about her adult life. It's not likely I will continue on with this series.

What do you think? Have you read this series? Let me know what you think in the comments!

That Boy on Goodreads

This is Falling by Ginger Scott ♡♡♡♡.5

This is Falling by Ginger Scott is a book that has been sitting on my Nook for so long, I'm not really sure where I found out about it. I've put it off because I wasn't sure I wanted to read another new adult book about a girl who went through a tragedy where we don't find out what happened until the middle of the story. Been there. Done that. But I'm so glad I picked it up because I was blown away.

This is Falling tells the story of Rowe and Nate. Rowe is going to college a thousand miles from home after being home schooled for two years because of something that has left her damaged in more ways than one. Nate is a baseball player who falls for Rowe the moment he sets eyes on her. And he's willing to take things slow with her, even though he's not sure what happened to her, and Rowe isn't really telling.

So, I normally hate when there's some big secret kept, especially when the story is in first person. It usually doesn't make sense and feels forced, but in This Is Falling, it was perfect to the character. I enjoyed watching Rowe open up and deal with her issues, and watching Nate patiently wait for her and help her along the way was beautiful.

I laughed, cried, and lost a lot of sleep reading this book. I could not put it down! I can't wait to start another book by Ginger Scott, because This is Falling was so good. Her characters were wonderfully written, and she took a difficult situation and turned it into a beautiful story.

Have you read any books by Ginger Scott? What did you think? Any recommendations on what to read next?

This is Falling on Goodreads

Plain Jayne by Lauren Drewry ♡♡♡

Plain Jayne by Lauren Drewry is the first book I have read by this author. I picked it up when it was on sale through BookBub.

The story is Jayne moves back to her hometown to take over grandmother's bookstore after her grandmother's death. Her best friend Nick still lives in town, and they are picking up right where they left off. But the bookstore isn't in good condition and the apartment above in uninhabitable. So Jayne stays with Nick while they get the place fixed up. Each has feelings for the other, and neither is sure if they want to explore those feelings. We watch their story unfold.

I really don't have much to say about this story. It was well written, and it had no grammatical errors that I could see, but something was missing. I didn't really connect with the characters. Also, I'm pretty sure BookBub marketed this book as a new adult (although I can't be sure since I purchased the book some time ago), and it was definitely contemporary romance. The characters were in their thirties, possibly part of the reason I had trouble connecting with them.

But it had all the makings of a good story and a great premise. Have you read this book? What did you think?

Plain Jayne on Goodreads

Play of Light by Debra Doxer ♡♡♡.5

Play of Light by  Debra Doxer was a book I found through NetGalley. And I really did enjoy the story.

Play of Light tells the story of Sarah and Spencer. Sarah leads a fairly boring life until Spencer comes to town. She wants to be good friend to him above everything else, but he makes that difficult with the home life he doesn't want anyone to find out about and his brooding nature. And then everything thing goes to hell when tragedy strikes. They're brought back together 5 years later, and all their demons come back to life.

I thought this was a solidly good story. It was interesting to see Spencer and Sarah grow up together and be pushed back together years later. And their chemistry in the story was great.

The story started in the past, went to the present, back to the past, and then back to the present. I would have liked if the story started in the past and then went to the present. I understand this might be difficult since the characters aren't really established in our minds, but it would have made the story more coherent.

Overall, I think this was a great story, and I would recommend reading it. Have you read any of Debra Doxer's books? What did you think?

Play of Light  on Gooodreads

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker ♥♥♥

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker is one of those books I picked up because readers and authors seem to love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the book. I thought it was pretty good, but missing a crucial element.

Ten Tiny Breaths is Kacey’s story. After a horrific car accident where Kacey witnessed her parents, best friend, and boyfriend die, Kacey has built a thick casing of armor around herself. But when the uncle she’s living with drunkenly attempts to get in bed with her younger sister, Livie, Kacey moves them from Michigan to Miami to start over.

In Miami, Kacey starts to live her life again. She starts making friends and forms a sexually frustrating relationship with her neighbor Trent. But she still refuses to talk to people about her accident, refuses to get help, refuses to forgive. Everything comes crashing down around her when Kacey finds out Trent has a dark past of his own. And she’s not sure she can reconcile his past with the person she thought he was.

I really enjoyed reading this story. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. And I especially enjoyed the side characters. They were so heartwarming and real. But those things didn’t really make up for the lack of a relationship development between Kacey and Trent. We don’t learn much about Trent so Kacey’s attraction to him appears to be mostly physical. And because of that it was difficult to feel much of anything toward the main characters. It’s hard to feel their joy and pain with them when you don’t feel like you really know who they are. Which was disappointing because the other characters were so well written. Also, if you’re looking for a steamy read, this is not the book for you. The story demanded more in that area, although the lack of it didn’t distract from my enjoyment.

So many people really enjoyed the story that I would give the book a shot. Let me know what you think!

Ten Tiny Breaths on Goodreads

Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine ♥♥♥

Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine is the first book I’ve read by this author. She has a slew of other books, but Best Kind of Broken was on sale and lots of authors were recommending the book on Twitter, so I decided to check it out.

Best Kind of Broken tells the story of Pixie and Levi. They’re both working and living at Pixie’s aunt’s small town inn for the summer. There’s plenty of tension between them, sexual and otherwise. They used to be best friends, but tragedy tore them apart, and now they don’t know how to exist around each other. We watch their struggle through both of their eyes; each story is heartbreaking.

This story took a bit of time to get into. We don’t learn what tragedy tore Levi and Pixie apart for a good amount of the book. We can see that something big and tragic happened between them, but we don’t know what it is. I think this was intended to add tension for the reader, and because the characters themselves are so unwilling to discuss the issue. But I thought it really took away from the story to let the reader wonder what was going on. By the time we learn their secret, I think the reader can figure out most of the details. I just wish we would have known sooner. But I really loved the characters, which is why I really kept reading. Both Pixie and Levi were believable and likeable characters.

The next books in the Finding Fate series have some great reviews; I’m really excited to read the rest of the series.  Even though Best Kind of Broken starts out a bit slow, I would say give it a try. There’s a good story waiting at the end, and it's a series, so there's more to read. Let me know what you think!

Best Kind of Broken on Goodreads

Definitely, Maybe in Love by Ophelia London ♥♥♥♥

Definitely, Maybe in Love by Ophelia London was a good read I got for a low price. And lucky for you, it has a very simple summary. Have you read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Yes? Then you already know the story, although there are a few changes. Haven’t read it? What are you waiting for? Go read it!

For those of you who haven’t read it, I’ll give you some information without all the spoilers that come from having read the original.  Spring is pretty much a liberal hippie (and vegetarian, of course) working on a thesis like project for her major. Henry, a conservative lawyer type, moves in across the street. Henry happens to be what Spring needs to get a good grade on her project. Now, I’m not going to spoil anything, but their two very different worlds collide in a big way.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Having already read Pride and Prejudice, I found the story a little difficult to get through. I was continually trying to figure out how this story lined up with the original. So, if you read this story, try to put the Elizabeth out of your mind. This is Spring’s story, and it has merit on its own. This was a great adaptation, but also a lovely, timeless story on its own. If you get the chance, give the book a read Henry is a great Mr. Darcy. You will fall in love him, and you will fall in love with their story.  

Definitely, Maybe in Love on Goodreads

Relentless by Cassia Leo ♥♥♥.75

Relentless is the first book in the Shattered Hearts series by Cassia Leo. If you’re looking for a good, short read this could be the right book for you. But don’t think there won’t be any punch to the story just because it’s short. You’re in for a few surprises with this one.

Claire dropped out of college due to a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know about, least of all her hot new neighbor, Adam. As she and Adam grow close Claire worries about not only the secrets between them, but her first love, Chris.  Not only did Chris break her heart, but with his rise to fame there aren’t many ways to avoid him. Everything comes to a head when Chris comes back into her life, and her secret is revealed to both Adam and Chis.

There were a few things I didn’t enjoy about the book. I’ll get that out of the way so I can get to the good stuff. Something small, but bothersome, was the chapter titles. They all had the book title, Relentless, in them, it was a bit distracting. I think numbers would have been better. The other thing I thought was off putting were the links in the e-book (if you can get this in paper form, I doubt the links are there). It pulled me out of the story, and made me feel I needed too much guidance from the author. The links actually made me think of ditching the book. I’m glad I didn’t though.

The book had real heart. Even though the story didn’t take place at college, it still felt like a New Adult book given that Claire is trying to figure out who she is. She’s had a difficult life and has dealt with it so well. It was great to see a book with real life struggles with no good answer as to what’s best for the people in Claire’s life.

It was beautiful to watch Claire and Adam come to trust each other, and how they handled Chris walking into their lives. I’m glad to have read this book, and I’m looking forward to reading more by Cassia Leo. 

Relentless on Goodreads