This Time it’s Real by Ann Liang

 

“When seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin’s essay about meeting the love of her life unexpectedly goes viral, her entire life changes overnight. Now she has the approval of her classmates at her new international school in Beijing, a career-launching internship opportunity at her favorite magazine…and a massive secret to keep.

Eliza made her essay up. She’s never been in a relationship before, let alone in love. All good writing is lying, right?” - taken from Goodreads.

When Eliza’s made up essay goes viral, her life quickly spirals out of control. In order to save face, Eliza makes a deal with classmate Caz to fake date in exchange for writing his college essays. The problem is that Caz is a popular movie star. What happens when feelings begin to get in the way? And will Eliza be able to keep the charade up?

Visit Ann Liang’s website.

Seoulmates by Susan Lee

 

“Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out—the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends.

But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah’s life seems to do—he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that’s exactly what now has her on the outs.

But someone who does know K-dramas—so well that he’s actually starring in one—is Jacob Kim, Hannah’s former best friend, whom she hasn’t seen in years. He’s desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he needs… that is, if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them.

Her ex-boyfriend wants her back. Her former best friend is in town. When did Hannah’s life become a K-drama?” - taken from Goodreads.

I was sucked into this story right away as Hannah, a Korean American teenager, doesn’t quite fit in. She isn’t American enough for some people but when a new girl comes to town, suddenly she isn’t Korean enough either. With her plans for summer drastically changed, she receives the news from her mother that their old friends, the Lees, are coming to spend time with him. Angry with her former best friend, Jacob Lee, Hannah is determined to not to forgive him for moving to Korea and becoming a star. Can Hannah find it in her heart to forgive Jacob, especially when she discovers what life is like for a popular K-drama star?

Perfect read for fans of XOXO by Axie Oh.

Visit Susan Lee’s website.

One True Loves by Elise Bryant

 

“Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.

She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.

When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not to girls like her.

Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.

But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.” - taken from Goodreads.

Even though this is a companion novel, there is no need to have read the first book to enjoy the Lenore’s story. Heart broken and not thrilled about her college plans, Lenore is adrift. While on the family's Mediterranean cruise, her parents have given her a deadline, decide her future by the end of the trip. After a different disastrous encounter with the handsome Alex Lee, can Lenore find her one true love and satisfy her parents demands? 

Visit Elise Bryant’s website.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo

“Love has a way of finding you.”

“Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is another book that I pulled off of my TBR pile and I literally devoured it in days. Clara Shin is a prankster and pulls the ultimate prank when she is crowned Junior Prom Queen by reenacting the blood scene from Carrie. Getting into a fight with Rose Carver, her enemy, a fire breaks out, putting an end to prom. To compensate for the damaged cafeteria, Clara's dad makes her work on his Korean Brazilian food truck over the summer. Rose's parents think that this is a good idea and make her work on the KoBra as well 

Slowly, Clara and Rose learn to work together and discover that their perceptions of one another are false. In Clara's life is turned upside down when a cute boy named Hamlet enters her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two girls and their burgeoning friendship. The romance play as a secondary part in the story.

Visit Maureen Goo’s website.

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

“The woods
The stars
And the boy who broke her heart”

“Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a unique take on a romantic tale of friends/neighbors becoming significant others and the many uphill challenges they faced to finally be together again. Thrown together during a glamping trip gone wrong, Zorie and Lennon soon find themselves stranded in King’s Forest National Park. Their friends abandon the two of them after Zorie and her friend Reagan have words. With nowhere really else to go, the two hike through the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to reach Condor Park, where Zorie is to meet a friend for a star watching party. The further they hike, Zorie and Lennon reveal the pain from the past year being apart and realize their feelings for one another still remain. 

What truly makes the story different is that the author drew several maps outlining Zorie and Lennon’s journeys. Definitely loved reading this book! 

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.

Royals by Rachel Hawkins (Royals book 1)

“Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.” - taken from Goodreads.com

All that Daisy Winters is looking forward to is going to Key Con with her best friend over the summer. Her plans drastically change when her sister becomes engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland and Daisy becomes tabloid fodder when her boyfriend sells their prom photo and gives an interview. To keep Daisy’s image in line with the Royal family, she is forced to spend her summer in Scotland. Unfortunately, her hot throb future brother-in-law has other plans. In a hilarious and sarcastic filled book, Daisy sets out to prove that she is not one for all of the royal trappings. Or is she? 

Book two in the series, Her Royal Highness, is due out on May 7, 2019.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

"Austin Szerba narrates the end of humanity as he and his best friend Robby accidentally unleash an army of giant, unstoppable bugs and uncover the secrets of a decades-old experiment gone terribly wrong"--Provided by publisher.

“Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.” taken from Goodreads.com

This is the truth. This is history.

It’s the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it.

You know what I mean.

Grasshopper Jungle is a book that has been on my TBR pile since it first came out. I finally listened to the audio version and I found it hilarious. Austin is writing not only the history of his ancestors but the events that transpired in Ealing, Iowa when Contained MI Plague Strain 412E  is accidentally released into the town and Unstoppable Soldiers, aka six-foot-tall praying mantises, are formed. I will warn readers that language and adult situations occur throughout. The story does switch constantly back and forth between the past and present, which could confuse some. Overall, this was a pretty good read/listen that is in development for the big screen.

Visit Andrew Smith’s website.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Survival. Of the Fittest.

The Corporation is flying the fifty contestants and entire production crew to Paradise Cove for the 41^st Miss Teen Dream pageant when disaster strikes. The plane crash lands on a seemingly uninhabited desert island. Only fourteen contestants survive and none of the crew. Left with a few bottle of water and a handful of bagged pretzels, these fourteen teenage beauty contestants must find a way to survive until they are rescued, if they don’t kill one another first.

Adina Greenberg, Miss New Hampshire, only entered the Miss Teen Dream pageant for an expose on beauty pageants for her school newspaper. She quickly spars with the quintessential contestant, Miss Texas Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins who believes they should continue their pageant preparation over finding a way to survive on the island. When the remaining girls vote to make Taylor their leader over Adina, it’s not long before each girl scrambles to keep their secrets hidden.

In spite of everything, Taylor turns out to be quite the leader. The girls pull together and start to make an existence for themselves in the island. They are quite proud of all the work they have accomplished. Friendships are formed and true identities are revealed. But soon, the realization of their situation begins to set in. Turns out, these teen beauty queens are not alone after all.

Beauty Queens is a hilarious romp part Lord of the Flies, part Lost and a whole lot of girl empowerment that pokes fun at beauty pageants, corporate America, celebrities and every social issue under the sun. No one is safe from Ms. Bray’s humorous jabs, including your funny bone. The author herself reads the audio version of this book. Definitely worth listening to.

Visit Libba Bray’s website.