Review: Winter Untold - Book #3 Summer Unplugged - Amy Sparling - December 2013 You know those mornings where nothing quite clicks? I started my reading day with a thriller that turned out to be a firm DNF, so I did what any self-respecting bookworm does, I scrolled my Kindle looking for a rescue read. That's when I landed on Winter Untold by Amy Sparling, a book that had been sitting in my library for a while. I knew going in it would be one of those cutesy YA romances ,light, a little fluffy, probably not a lot of substance and honestly? Sometimes that's exactly what you need. The story follows Bayleigh, a teenager navigating the trials of a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Jace, who's making waves in the world of Motocross. Enter Chase, the adorable new neighbour who's just moved in next door and, naturally, has taken a bit of a shine to her. It's classic YA setup territory, and Sparling leans into it fully. Here's where I'll be honest thou...

Review: Notice Me - Suzana Thompson - December 2015 You know that feeling when you scroll through your Kindle and realize you have titles from years ago just gathering digital dust? I’ve decided that this is the year I finally stop ignoring my "backlog" in favor of flashy new releases. That’s how I found myself tucking into Notice Me by Suzana Thompson. We’ve all seen the setup before: the quiet, bookish new girl arrives at school, hoping to blend into the wallpaper, only to catch the eye of the campus playboy. Our protagonist, Emma, has been through the wringer. After having her heart shattered by the double betrayal of her ex-boyfriend and her best friend, she just wants to be invisible. But then there’s Tyler. Popular, charismatic, and used to getting what he wants, he initially views Emma as a "challenge" a conquest to be seduced. However, what started as a shallow game quickly shifts into something much deeper. What I appreciated most about Suzana Thompson’s w...

Review: Making a Play - Book #5 The Field Party Series - Abbi Glines - August 2019 When all else fails for me, I know that no matter what an Abbi Glines book will keep my interest as it's true I recently read an article that said as we get older, we are less likely to keep our attention alive with boring books and we become more fussy. After reviewing for over 14 years, I have found that the case. The good thing though is that like most readers, I have my favorite authors and one of them is Abbi Glines.  Years ago, I started her The Field Party series and then put it to the side, so this year I decided to go back and finish the series and now I am up to Book #6 as this morning finished Book #5 Making a Play.  In Making a Play, it is Ryker's turn to be struck by the love bug - to find that special someone who will change his life forever.  This book goes deep to redeem Ryker as he was an asshole in earlier books and very shallow, but after Book #4 and seeing how words ...

Review: The Do-Over - Lynn Painter - November 2022 To clear my print bookshelf, I have been trying the last year to read more paperbacks as I had about a 2-year stint where I only read ebooks. This one was given to me as a bookstagram gift and it is the third book by Lynn Painter, I have read.  I have read one of her adult books and two YA reads now and I have to admit, I think I am more suited to Lynn's YA reads than her adult ones. There is just something about the YA ones that gives me happy and good vibes and a bit of reminiscing feel-good moments. One of my favorite themes in books is Groundhog Day, the re-living of a day over and over again until one day you get it right and finally can move on with your future. The Do-Over by Lynn Painter is Groundhog Day but set on Valentine's Day. We meet our female character Emilie, who has on paper the perfect boyfriend but she is about to discover that IRL he might not be the perfect guy for her as her Valentine's Day ends up o...

Review: Under the Lights - Book #2 The Field Party - Abbi Glines - August 2016 I have been finding myself in little slumps and with that comes not wanting to read any new books and struggling as nothing grabs me, when I get this feeling I tend to go to authors that I know, no matter what I know I will love their books and one of those authors for me is Abbi Glines. This series, I read the first one years ago when the series was first published and then never got around to reading the rest as you know life chucks more books in your way and as readers, we get distracted by new shiny titles. In Book #2 we meet Willa who has had a rough last year as she lost not only her best friend but also her best friend's little sister and a family that was like her own. Her mum remarried and soon there was nowhere for Willa to go. So Willa is heading back to the small town where she grew up with her Nana, she hasn't been back here since she was 11-12 years old. When she was younger, she had ...