Me Before You by Jojo Moyes ♡♡♡♡♡

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was, and I don't say this lightly, probably the best book I've read all year, if not the best book I've read since Easy by Tammara Weber. I wasn't going to review this book initially, because it has already been so popular, but then I loved it so much, I thought I would let people who may be on the fence know, it's worth it!

Me Before You tells the story of Lou, who gets a job taking care of quadriplegic named Will. It is probably the slowest building love story, and I loved every second of it.

One of the reasons I love this story is that it's not just a love story, but it also explored some very serious moral implications and life choices. I picked this book up because I wanted to read it before I saw the movie, but I am so glad I read it. It was a beautifully written, heart wrenching story.

If you haven't read it yet, go read it now!

Me Before You on Goodreads

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen ♡♡♡♡.5

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen is the first book I've read by this author. I found out about it like I do with a lot of books, through BookBub.

The Year We Fell Down tells the story of Corey and Hartley. Corey had an accident before starting college that caused a spinal injury and paralysis, crushing her dreams of playing hockey. Hartley is healing from an accident that's keeping him from hockey, too, but only for the season. We watch as Corey tries to reconcile who is is after the accident, and, of course, we watch Corey and Hartley fall for each other.

I enjoyed reading a new adult book where the characters had real life difficulties. So often, the stories biggest problems are about getting the characters together, and I was happy to read a book that was about something bigger. Corey was a great character because she was so strong, stubborn, and vulnerable all at the same time. And we got to see her deal with her injury, college, and love life in a way that was quite endearing.

I'm looking forward to reading more books by Sarina Bowen, and, hopefully, more books in this series.

The Year We Fell Down on Goodreads

My Soul to Keep by Kennedy Ryan ♡♡♡♡.5

My Soul to Keep by Kennedy Ryan is a book I found out about when it was on sale through BookBub. I've never read any of her other books, but this one caught my eye, and I'm so glad I picked it up.

My Soul to Keep tells the story of Kai, a small town, Georgia girl trying to make it in LA after the death of her mother. Her world starts spinning again when she meets world famous musician Rhyson. We watch as Kai tries to navigate life after losing her mother and the intricacies of being linked to a super star.

There were so many things I loved about this story. The writing was so poetic, I easily connected with the characters, and from the opening lines, Kai had such a distinct voice (when I read it, I could hear her accent, no dialect necessary!). The characters also felt realistic to what people in their positions might be like.

The story does end with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I cannot wait to read the next story.

My Soul to Keep on Goodreads

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ♡♡♡♡.5

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is a book I picked up because I love the Throne of Glass series. And this book doesn't disappoint.

The story takes place in a magical world where faeries live just across a wall. Feyre and her family are barely surviving the winter, and when she kills a faerie disguised as a wolf, she must pay the price by venturing across the wall with Tamlin to live out the rest of her days.

I love faerie stories, and Sarah J. Maas's writing is so detailed and wonderful, I couldn't help falling in love with this story.

A Court of Thorns and Roses straddles the border between YA and New Adult. Probably a bit too mature for most teen readers, but it doesn't necessarily follow many the tropes associated with New Adult. Although I think more stories like this one, where the plot is more than just about the romance, is an example of what New Adult needs if it wants to maintain its staying power.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, A Court of Mist and Fury.

A Court of Thorns and Roses on Goodreads

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas ♡♡♡♡

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas us the third book in the Throne of Glass series. I loved the first and second book, but Heir of Fire was a tough one.

The story continues to tell Celaena’s story, and it chronicles her struggle of coming to terms with who she really is. In an attempt to remain spoiler free, that's all I'll really say of the plot for this one.

This book took me months to read, which was a surprise since the first two took me about a week, maybe less, to finish each of them. But this story was slow moving and followed some new characters who I didn't care for (and their stories are likely set up to come together with Celaena’s in books to come).

Once I got to about ¾ of the the way through, the story really picked up, and for me, that was its saving grace.

I am hoping Queen of Shadows will be a much faster read and a bit more action packed like the first two were. Either way, I can't wait to find out what happens with Celaena.

Heir of Fire on Goodreads

Beautiful Burn by Jamie McGuire ♡♡.5

Beautiful Burn by Jamie McGuire is the fourth and final book in The Maddox Brothers series. I loved Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster, but I have to say, I only really enjoyed Trent story from this new series. The rest, including this one, just weren't there for me.

This book is mostly about Ellie. She is a rich, alcoholic who is used to getting what she wants and hurting everyone in her path along the way. She hooks up with Tyler Maddox about 15 minutes into meeting him, pushes him away, and we watch as they try and make things work throughout the story.

Because I love Beautiful Disaster so much, I was hoping for the same with The Maddox Brothers series, but I have been very disappointed, and Beautiful Burn was no different. Ellie was a fairly unlikable character. Even when I was able to get on her side, the stakes weren't high enough. I understand that wealthy people have problems just like everyone else, but I never believed her parents really wouldn't take her back. The story felt rushed; there were big gaps in time and then Tyler would blurt things out which would quickly move the story along. It's like the story was trying to make sure we saw the whole cast of characters we had met in previous books, but it made the timeline of the book feel awkward.

I think I'm at the point where I say it's okay to love two books from an author, but not enjoy any of the rest. I don't think I will be reading any more books by Jamie McGuire; I loved two out of six books, and think I can be content with that.

Have you read anything by Jamie McGuire? What did you think?

Beautiful Burn on Goodreads

The Score by Elle Kennedy ♡♡♡♡

The Score by Elle Kennedy is the third book in the Off Campus series. I read the first two books in the series back to back, so I was ready to love The Score.

This third installment tells the story of Allie and Dean. Dean is Briar University’s most infamous player. Allie loves to be in relationships. But when Allie and her long time guy break up and Allie spends the night with Dean, Dean starts to reconsider his player status.

Having met Dean in previous books, I was looking forward to getting this story. I enjoyed watching Dean work to be with Allie and seeing their relationship blossom. My only qualm was not seeing much of a change between the characters when they were single and the characters when they were in a relationship. I expected at least some of the ways Dean flirted to change at least, but the sexual innuendos never ended.

Overall, this was a great read. And I'm already wondering if there with be more books in the series!

The Score on Goodreads