ARC Review: Where I Found You, Brooke O'Brien

I'm not sure how I got this book because I normally bypass young adult romance but somehow I got this one. So we have to split this review in two. On the one hand, if you love YA romance with some angst, decent character development and a plot with a few twists and turns, you might actually love this book. If you are like me and you love really grown up adult erotic romance, this definitely is not the book for you.

When this book opens, Ellie is trying her best to start over. We don't find out until later in the book exactly what is lurking in Ellie's past. We do know that some really bad things happened to Ellie (like the creepy stepdad kind of bad things so mind your triggers) and that she has finally made the choice to pull a Kelly Clarkson and breakaway (that was a song, remember? I love that song). Before her journey into her new life can really begin, Ellie meets Callum at a bus station.

Callum is hot as he is gruff. He's got issues and a history that are his own and he happens to be headed to the same place as Ellie. Callum's instinct to care for Ellie kicks in almost immediately. Ellie's instinct to protect herself and her general distrust of men, however, prove to be somewhat problematic. Things start off a little bumpy but have no fear. That tricky girl, coincidence, brings our two leading characters together repeatedly.

What happens next is somewhat expected. Callum and Ellie develop a really deep emotional bond. In fact it's one of the most well described and developed relationships I've ever seen in a book like this (not that I've read many but still). Callum and Ellie, throughout the book, both have to face down the really scary demons from their past. Ellie's demons even become a bit more concrete through some things that happen in the book.

So back to the beginning. If you like YA books, this is a great book for you and will probably be in the 4 or 5 star range. I'm just not a YA girl and this was too angsty and not enough eroticism for me so not my favorite.

**ARC provided by B&B Promotions**

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ARC Review: Belle by Anonymous Girls

I will admit that a big part of me was intrigued by the unknown here. Belle by the Anonymous Girls is written by a writing duo that have chosen to not reveal who they are, but are said to have been authors that I had read before. That little bit of mystery to go along with this blurb were enough to get me to take a chance on this story. 

Belle is just as they have described it, Gossip Girl meets your classic fairytales. But this story isn't like anything you would expect or have seen before. Adam ("Beast") is high school royalty, while Belle is considered to be on the bottom of the totem pole. But when Adam decides to buck the system, Belle finds herself going from peasant to more. From there everything gets shaken up and drama ensues. 

I did like the characters and I was glad that this one was different that what I was expecting. It did contain plenty of angst and a ton of drama. For me, the secondary characters names got to be a bit much, I understand trying to make this book similar to what readers know of fairytales and Disney while making it new, but I just thought it went a bit too far. This one kept me guessing though and that is what really worked for me

I do think that this book will be a bigger hit with a younger crowd as it is a bit heavy with the high school drama. Fans of YA, fairytales and Gossip Girl will want to check this one out for sure. I did enjoy it though, and I look forward to seeing what the Anonymous Girls have in store for us next.

**ARC Provided by Author**

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ARC Review: Off the Ice by Julie Cross

After a friend told me about Whatever Life Throws at You by Julie Cross and I read and loved it, I couldn't wait to read more from her. That book was so much fun to read, it was refreshing and sweet and everything I love in a good YA/NA sports romance. So I jumped when offered the chance to read Off the Ice, especially since I am a huge hockey fan. So it was a bit disappointing that I struggled so much with this book. 

Claire O'Connor returns home from college to help her dad and the family business, with the promise to herself that her time there will be short. As soon as things return to normal, she will be gone again. But once there, she finds that Tate Tanley isn't just a part of her past, and he is no longer the same guy she remembers. The attraction between them is stronger than ever, and besides the fact that she is leaving again, Tate is about to become the hockey team's new star player. While she swore off Juniper Falls hockey players, Claire soon realizes that there just might be more there between her and Tate than she can ignore.

I had a tough time relating to these characters and because of that I never felt fully invested in them. I couldn't connect with them and it felt like there was so much going on around them that they were hardly the focus of the story. I wanted more hockey and more romance, and instead we got more of Claire's struggles with her dad and the business and Tate's being scouted. It just felt like the romance and relationship were a bit lost here and I wanted to see more of that than I felt like we did. 

Overall, there were some good parts to this story but it just wasn't what I was expecting. Because I had loved everything about Whatever Life Throws at You, I expected this one to be similar and to really see Tate and Claire really shine here. Unfortunately they felt like such a small part of this story and it just ended up being okay for me when I think that I could have really loved this one.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame

I felt like I had waited forever for Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame, so I was so excited to get my hands on it. This is the third installment in the trilogy, and it cannot be read as a standalone. If you haven't read the previous books, you will need to start there since this is the continuation of Tyler and Eden's story. Though I have really enjoyed this series from start to finish, this book left me with mixed feelings. 

A year after Tyler left Eden behind, she has done her best to move forward. Just as Eden thinks that she is finally over him, she heads home from college for the summer. But Tyler is also back home, and determined to get Eden back. But can Eden forgive him and take a chance, risking her heart once again?

Let me just say that despite any mixed feelings I have had over the course of this series, Tyler is by far worth the read. His development and character have been amazing to watch from start to finish, with him making so much progress. I have loved seeing him grow and mature, even when I wasn't happy with things that happened. It was so good to see these two take their relationship from a childish love and turn it into the kind of love that endures every obstacle thrown their way. They had chemistry and an undeniable connection that never dimmed, regardless of whether they were together or apart.

As much as I loved Tyler and this series though, this book wasn't my favorite. While I liked seeing them really come into their own and for once be on solid footing as they embraced each other and their relationship, this book was a bit lackluster. Not a lot happened, and I kept waiting for something that just never did. It just felt like sort of anti-climactic ending to this series that had the potential to be so much more. Though I was happy with the end result, it was a bit disappointing to think that I had waiting so long for not much to happen. I still enjoyed this series a lot, and Tyler is absolutely amazing. If you like YA romance stories with a lot of depth and development, this series is one you will definitely want to check out.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Children of Eden by Joey Graceffa

The setting is a world where humans destroyed our Earth. Trees and animals no longer exist. About a large city's worth of people were all that survived, and now they dwell in a sanctuary called Eden. Since the rest of the world is a wasteland, they only have a limited amount of space. Therefore, each family is only allowed to have one child. Rowan, our protagonist, was unfortunate enough to be born only a few minutes after her brother.

Rowan grew up in secret never leaving her family's home. Since her eyes were never corrected (like everyone's in Eden), they'll give away what she is to anyone who sees her. As is typical for these types of situations, Rowan hits a breaking point and sneaks out to see the rest of Eden. She has quite the adventure, but not long afterward, it's discovered that her existence has been detected by the authorities. Rowan and her mother flee, hoping they can get new lenses and a new family for Rowan.

And so Rowan embraces a new life that is nothing like her past. She makes new friends and experiences romantic love and affection for the first time in her life. Rowan is almost constantly in danger throughout the story, and little by little we learn more about this society and all of the skeletons in its closet.

I was very impressed with the language in this story. though written for a young adult audience, they used some words I had to look up. It wasn't overdone and made the book better. I like that they didn't feel that they needed to dumb it down for younger readers. There is a weird love triangle that seems to be forming, but it wasn't completely clear what Rowan's feelings were. I couldn't tell if she was feeling butterflies or just happiness for friendship and interaction. It kept it interesting, and I hate love triangles so that has to mean something.

I really liked this book. Rowan's journey to interact with other people, find out who she is, and the mystery of what really is going on in this society kept my attention and curiosity. It was action packed, but it had those sweet and caring moments, too. The explanations of the scene at the beginning (which can be overly boring in a lot of these book types) were done well and spaced properly so as to not detach from the story too long. I'm excited to see where this story leads.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Daring the Bad Boy by Monica Murphy

Daring the Bad Boy by Monica Murphy is a standalone story in the Endless Summer Series. I have to admit that I have struggled with young adult stories lately, but I am a fan of Monica Murphy's and this cover was absolutely adorable. I knew I wanted to give this one a shot when I first saw it, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me at all. 

Annie is looking to break out of being the shy girl, and summer camp is exactly the way for her to do it. She sets her sights on hottie Kyle, but with her fear of water, she has no way to get close to him since that is where he likes to hang out. When a game of truth or dare ropes counselor Jacob into teaching Annie how to swim, he knows that he has to be careful since the camp has a strict no fraternization policy for campers and counselors. But soon Annie wants to learn more than just how to swim and Jacob and Annie find themselves doing more than just swimming together. But if they are caught, Jake could find himself in trouble, ruining everything between them.

I have to admit that a lot of my issues here were the characters. Annie was sweet at first, and while I didn't love her I did like her. But then it seemed like she had a massive personality swap and she suddenly became this brat that I couldn't stand. She seemed to go crazy, and I just didn't understand what had happened to her. It felt forced, as though the author was trying to inject drama into the story that would have already been there anyways. It just felt unnecessary and I couldn't get behind it at all. Jake was okay. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great. I was just not invested in them, and while they had a cute romance it wasn't anything unique or special.

I also felt like the story itself had a lot of issues. Besides things feeling forced at times, the story was choppy. Things seemed to skip around a lot, with time seeming off. There were times that I didn't know how much time had passed and it seems like we were missing things. There was also way more tell than show here, and I wanted to see things happen rather than just have the author tell us. It wasn't a naturally flowing story, and the whole thing just came off as contrived. Unfortunately as much as I wanted to like this one, it just never got there for me and when Annie's personality suddenly became so out of character I was just skimming to finish at that point. I have read and loved YA stories and stories from Monica Murphy, but this wasn't one of them and isn't one that I would recommend.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: The Hard Count by Ginger Scott

The Hard Count is my first book by Ginger Scott, but I have heard so many great things about her books that I just had to give this one a shot. It was such a great story, and I can't believe I haven't read her books before now. The Hard Count is a standalone YA sports romance, and this is definitely a book I would recommend. I just loved it and couldn't put it down! 

Nico Medina and Reagan Prescott come from very different worlds, yet they are both lost. She is the coach's daughter and he is the QB from the wrong side of the tracks. They argue and bicker, yet are able to find some common ground. As they start to grow closer, they realize that there is more between them than they ever could have expected. Yet their relationship is forbidden, and they have obstacles coming from every direction.

I really liked both of these characters. They were unique and different, and I really enjoyed the banter between them. These two started off disagreeing about just about everything and Nico irritates Reagan on a daily basis. Yet once she sees him playing football, she soon starts to see another side of him. They were sweet together and I really loved seeing them get to really know one another and watching them find common ground. I just couldn't get enough of these two and I loved everything about them. This one was different from your typical YA story, and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. 

Overall, this is one that I highly recommend. I enjoyed it a lto and thought that it had everything that you could want in a great YA romance story. There was a great balance of emotion, football and romance to keep me flipping the pages and Ginger Scott has a way with words that draws you in to the story and holds your attention. This book was so much more than just about a couple of high school kids and football, and I think that a lot of readers will really love this story and be able to relate to so much here. I can't say enough good things about this book, but if you are a fan of sports romance stories this is definitely one you are going to want to check out!

**ARC Provided by Wordsmith Publicity**

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ARC Review: 26 Kisses by Anna Michels

I am going to be really honest here and say that this book just didn't work for me. When I first read the blurb for 26 Kisses by Anna Michels, I was expecting something cute, light-hearted and funny. It sounded like an adorable summer read, and I was really looking forward to it. But honestly this book just drove me nuts, and I am beginning to wonder if maybe I am just getting old enough that these YA stories aren't working for me anymore. 

26 Kisses starts off with Veda's boyfriend dumping her. She is left heartbroken and humiliated, when her best friend comes up with a challenge for her to kiss 26 different guys, one for each letter of the alphabet. But just as Veda starts making her way through the list and thinking she has things figured out, she meets a guy who changes everything. She knows that after just breaking up with Mark that she isn't ready for a relationship, but can she allow herself to open up to the possibility that she can take a chance again at love? 

Part of my problem here was Veda. She was such a doormat, letting pretty much everyone in her life bulldoze right over her. She was weak, and I couldn't connect with her at all. She wasn't that into the challenge and seemed to have to force herself through it half the time. Then she meets Killian and continues to go along with the challenge, even when she knows it doesn't feel right. I know they weren't together officially, but it just left me with an icky feeling how they were developing feelings for one another and yet she went out and kissed someone else. The characters felt very immature, often acting childish and petty. I just grew more annoyed as the story continued and honestly I was just over it by the time I finished.

If I wasn't already having enough problems with the characters and their actions, the ending of this one pretty much ruined it for me. There was a ton of drama and it got to be over the top and ridiculous. Once that was all resolved, things were barely wrapped up and it just felt like it was rushed and someone thrown together. I wanted a couple more chapters or an epilogue or something, because there really wasn't a satisfying ending here and I ended up feeling like I wasted a bunch of time for no reason. Overall, this isn't a book that I would recommend but if you think it might be one you would like it might be worth giving a shot. Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you wont, but honestly I think that there are far better YA reads out there that are more worth of your time and money than this one was.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Wanderlost by Jen Malone

Wanderlost is my first book by Jen Malone. It was cute, light and easy to read and I really enjoyed it. The one thing I will say is that the book itself is unrealistic and there are quite a few holes throughout, but if you go into this one and ignore all that for the story I think that this is one that a lot of readers will enjoy. 

After her sister finds herself in trouble, Aubree goes to Europe for the summer to lead the tour Elizabeth was supposed to. She must pretend to be Elizabeth in order to help Elizabeth save her future job. But Aubree doesn't know anything about the places she is supposed to be guiding the tour through and she never expected to meet Sam. Sam and Aubree instantly click, but with Aubree pretending to be Elizabeth, Sam has no idea who she really is. Can Aubree come clean with Sam and see what they have together, or will the truth change everything? 

I really loved Sam! He was so adorable and I felt like he was the reason to read this book. I loved how he and Aubree were right off, and how he took an embarrassing situation for Aubree and turned it into something more. They were really cute together and had great banter. They were funny and you could tell that they enjoyed one another, yet you could also see that what they were building was more as well. I liked that they got to know one another and that things felt so natural with them. 

The secondary characters here were great. The senior citizens on the tour really stole the show and I loved how much personality they each had. Aubree was at times frustrating and naive, so it was really nice to see the other characters have such big roles to sort of lighten the mood when I found myself irritated with her. Overall though, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it for anyone looking for a light and easy read. I would have liked an epilogue to sort of tie it all together at the end because I felt it was a little abrupt at the end and things were a bit up in the air, but I think YA fans will still enjoy this one as much as I did.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: True Born by L.E. Sterling

True Born is story about a 17 year old girl on the brink of her and her twin sister's birthday. Lucy and Margot live in the future after a Plague swept over the world The Plague affects all people differently. The ideal situation is when you are physically able to have gene splicing to counteract the Plague. This is only an option though if you can afford it and if your genetics are attuned for it. They are called Splicers. The alternative situation is where you don't have the correct genetic makeup for Splicing and/or you cant afford the procedure, These people are just waiting to die basically. They are called Lasters. A third and very rare outcome is if you are True Born. They seem to be some sort of mutant existence where your genes go backward in the evolutionary path and you have animal traits like turning into an animal or having horns or feathers.

At the upcoming 18th birthday celebration, the girls will learn their fate. But the odd thing is, Lucy and Margot have been undergoing a lot more testing than is normally necessary. That combined with unusual abilities the girls possess leave everyone high strung and confused. Their government working father is upping their security due to rising unrest from the Lasters/Rabble. This new security team consists solely of True Borns, and one of them catches Lucy's eye. Margot gets kidnapped and its up to Lucy and the True Born team to save her. This leads the girls on a somewhat exciting and confusing set of events to just stay alive and protect each other.

I had a hard time visualizing what was happening during scenes. Stirling doesn't do the best job in my opinion of describing actions and movement. The dialogue also wasn't done very well. Conversations were very short and always assumed the reader understood what wasn't being said. I wasn't able to follow it very well. I really had to focus and reread scenes to be able to follow what was happening. That and the plot being somehow boring and far fetched really turned me off with the story. What I did love about the book was how Stirling described certain things. The "set" we should say was described distinctly. Her metaphors and similes were refreshingly unique. She was very gifted in her word choice.

Unfortunately, the book didn't have enough of a hook to make me want to read the next one. I felt a lot of the scenes were just fillers and this left me bored. Her twist on the dystopian plague type future wasn't exciting for me. I wish I felt differently, because of parts of her writing style but oh well.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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