Tag Archives: romance

Book Review: Listen to Your Heart

15 Friday Feb 2019

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Kasie West’s Listen to Your Heart makes a fun Valentine weekend read. Kate doesn’t excel at talking to people but ends up hosting her school’s new advice podcast. Finding herself better than she expected, she gains confidence in her voice. Her development in her craft as well as her crush bring the elements of a teen romantic comedy. Wondering if she or her crush would speak up during their playful banter and if the anonymous caller would get revealed on the show keeps me smiling as I turn the pages.

 

Other Kasie West Recommendations:

PS I Like You

The Fill-In Boyfriend (my review)

Love, Life, and the List (my review)

Countdown to Valentine’s Day: Bookish Shipping

12 Tuesday Feb 2019

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As the Twilight phenomenon blew up across the globe, the prevalence of shipping, fans seriously rooting for a fictional couple, increased. People discussing Twilight wanted to know if the other joined Team Edward or Team Jacob. I started my Twilight reread and started contemplating what bookish couples had me pulling for them.

 

Bella and Edward in Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Say what you want, but this story obviously appeals to a lot of people, including my own dad. The beautiful vampire falls in love with a human, and all the danger of forbidden love breaks loose. Their interest in each other gets intense before they even have a relationship. Teenage angst and immortality meet to give a love story for the ages. Plus, invitations to high school dances abound.

Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing by Shakespeare: My favorite Shakespeare line comes from this play. It begins with Benedick’s greeting to Beatrice: “My lady disdain, are you yet living?” Their witty banter lives on in romantic comedies throughout the ages, including my favorite When Harry Met Sally. Benedick and Beatrice make suffering love so comedically fun and sweet.

Laura Jean and Peter in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: Laura Jean makes such a relatable role model worthy heroine. Her love story with Peter captures all the awkwardness of learning how to talk and relate to boys. Not to mention, the story starts with love letters. Han beautifully blends traditional aspects of romance with modern culture.

Ruby and Nate in Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen: In her usual fashion, Dessen writes another realistic teen story. Ruby and Nate end up as neighbor friends, finding they understand each other’s family situations. They learn how to trust a friend and how to face parents who don’t fulfill their roles. This falls a little outside the Valentine theme, but it has depth and hope.

Jamie and Landon in A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks: It wouldn’t be Valentine’s season without some Nicholas Sparks in the mix. Jamie and Landon get the intensity of the eternal teenage love. Plus, they show the transformation of a perceived bad boy once someone gives him positive feedback and a chance to improve. Love really opens doorways for growth, and Jamie’s adherence to her faith allows that.

 

What book couples would you add to this list? Share your favorites in the comments.

Book Review: Summer by the Tides

14 Monday Jan 2019

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I received a copy of Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter from NetGalley.

 

Summer by the Tides makes for breezy fun at the beach as a positive summer read. After losing her treasured job and her boyfriend, Maddy returns to Seahaven to find her missing grandmother. Her two older sisters, who are estranged from each other, arrive at the cottage as well. The family goes through the physical and emotional process of clearing out the attic and their past. Maddy even finds a nice, handsome next door neighbor. The story unfolds rather straight forward and predictably, making it a comforting read as you imagine beach waves just off your porch.

 

Look for this book on May 21 as it releases just in time for summer.

Book Review: The Perfect Fit

11 Friday Jan 2019

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I received a copy of The Perfect Fit by Mary Jayne Baker through NetGalley.

 

This British romp pulls all the thrills of a staged pantomime. As Becky finds her personal life script veering, she finds her acting group as her constant. Her new male friend Marcus teaches her how to juggle, and she soon finds herself juggling two men in her heart. The storylines on stage and off stage bring fun and heart to the story. Some of the secondary characters start to blend together, but they make a good ensemble. Overall, the theme of community makes a good message. The story also shows how important it is to “play the honesty card” in conversations with people in your close circle.

Book Review: P.S. I Still Love You

14 Friday Dec 2018

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My best friend and I continued our buddy read of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy with the second installment. P.S. I Still Love You didn’t hit that sweet spot quite as strongly as the introduction to Lara Jean and the recipients of her love letters, but it did still hit the spot.

This story continues Lara Jean’s first steps into romance as she faces the aftermath of her fight with Peter Kavinsky and the release of a video of them online. As she navigates confronting the issue and enduring the ridicule of her peers, Lara Jean demonstrates how her actions as well as others’ actions can have a tremendous effect on her life. Of course her sisters and dad continue as her constant support, and she makes new friendships with a couple older and wiser ladies at the nursing home where she interns. Lara Jean’s experiences make a good example of how internet shaming greatly impacts people and how teenagers and young adults face significant pressure when it comes to relationships. I appreciate how Han creates a likeable character who reminds us of the vulnerability of developing relationships and communicating boundaries. Lara Jean models a realistic approach to balance cultural pressures with her personal values and makes a good example of voicing her wants rather than following her peers’ expectations.

So far this trilogy has provided some great conversation, a likeable and admirable character and a sweet story with the awkwardness, angst and fun of being a teenager and discovering love. I highly anticipate the third book, and the first goes in my top ten books I’ve read this year.

 

In case you were wondering, the Netflix movie adaptation of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before does a great job capturing this fun story on the screen. They cast the characters well, they kept the heart of the book, and gave it an authentic feel with their attention to detail on screen.

Book Review: Doon

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

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I now have had my second experience with the Brig o’ Doon, and I must say I have enjoyed this young adult retelling much more than the movie my college roommates and I watched years ago. This magical twist on time travel and fantasy makes for a fun adventure and of course includes plenty of romance. It even adds a thoughtful layer of faith and community.

As best friends Mackenna and Veronica find themselves crossing the mythical Brig o’ Doon and entering Doon’s kingdom during their trip to Scotland, they find themselves on an adventure much different than they imagined. They stick together to contribute to the community and ultimately to save it. Along the way, they learn how to deepen their faith in what will unfold for their fates as well as that of Doon and to trust each other. We see that sharing burdens of truth and uncertainty makes it easier to handle situations than facing them completely alone, as Veronica does in a prideful attempt to protect her friends. The strength of friendship and community ultimately wins the day.

Between the unique people and kingdom, the general sense of adventure and unique way to look at faith, I have enjoyed my trip to Doon. I look forward to continuing the series to read what happens next. I’m also curious to check out the source material. Though the movie I’ve seen has generally low reviews, the TV special with Robert Goulet has positive ones. Here’s to the next adventure having singing and dancing!

Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

16 Sunday Sep 2018

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Last night, I finished reading To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han as my latest buddy read with my best friend. I must say it fulfilled all my return to high school fantasies as the new school year progresses. The story followed Lara Jean as she embarked on her journey to experience love’s possibilities, spurred by her secret love letters mysteriously getting sent to her past crushes. The progression of events reflected anyone’s fears of embarrassment in front of a love interest or group of peers. It made me cringe in relating to the angst of saving face, and it made me laugh as she journeyed through the awkwardness of learning how to relate to boys.

The simple, upbeat book flowed smoothly and even had the feel of a romantic comedy movie. I vividly imagined the high school setting and its characters and their homes. I even felt Lara Jean’s angst as she wondered how to handle her crushes holding the letters revealing her private feelings about them. Jenny Han realistically portrayed the confusion of navigating high school and relationships; I appreciated how she even depicted Lara Jean’s nervousness and clear lack of readiness to trust a boy and develop a romance with him.

I absolutely enjoyed this book and the feeling it gave me of returning to the precious high school period in my life. It made me thankful for my true friendships at that time, appreciative that I had a perfect gentleman for a prom date, and grateful that I made it through with a sense of belonging. I went to sleep after finishing the book looking forward to reading the rest of the series, especially since I noticed the third installment includes Lara Jean’s senior prom. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read, especially one to discuss with your high school buddies.

 

See Me Sparks a Last Place Spot

10 Saturday Dec 2016

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I recently finished reading Nicholas Sparks’ second newest novel See Me. Though I consider myself a big Sparks fan, I did not enjoy this story nearly as much as his other books. Seeing him write a story with a greater thriller aspect showed a range in his talents, but the story didn’t get as deep as usual.

The characters were in their mid twenties like me, and I wouldn’t have guessed that. Colin attending college classes gives him a younger aspect, but Maria didn’t seem to hold many similarities to me or any of my friends my age. Unlike most of us, she got right into a good career track and in law, a tough field. To top off the two dimensional characters, the suspense had hit and miss elements. The mystery itself for the stalker had its strength and would have fit into the thriller genre as far as I can tell since I don’t read many books in that genre. However, it took multiple paragraphs to get to an assailant sneaking up to Maria. Even I knew the forthcoming action and didn’t feel added suspense waiting those extra descriptive paragraphs just for the actual event.

I still enjoyed the book and still love Sparks. This book just might rank last in all the ones I’ve read. I suppose one has to land there. It shows Sparks can flex his writing muscles in genres outside love stories, and it demonstrated the power of a close knit family (Maria’s) and how people and look out for and comfort each other.