Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

 

“High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town's community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.” - taken from Goodreads.

Eliza Crowley is literally Fairfield royalty. Her family is wealthy and her father owns the Crowley Cardinals, the town's baseball team as well as the town’s stadium. She is excited to spend the summer working as a lighting director for the town's production of Romeo and Juliet. Life soon mirrors the theater when Reed Fulton returns to town to be the pitcher for his grandfather's revitalized team, the Fulton Hawks. Knowing that their respective families get along as well as oil and water, circumstances soon bring the two of them into each other's orbit. When the feuding steps up over which family will own the town’s stadium, can Reid and Eliza's burgeoning relationship survive the fight between their families?

This is the perfect read for fans of Kasie West and Lynn Painter.

Visit Cassie Miller’s website.

As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter

 

“Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid have never been on the same team. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, of course Natalie finds herself up against her nemesis once more. She’s fighting to direct the school’s first ever student-written play, but for her small production to get funding, the school’s award-winning band will have to lose it. Reid’s band. And he’s got no intention of letting the show go on.

But when their rivalry turns into an all-out prank war that goes too far, Natalie and Reid have to face the music, resulting in the worst compromise: writing and directing a musical. Together. At least if they deliver a sold-out show, the school board will reconsider next year’s band and theater budget. Everyone could win.

Except Natalie and Reid.

Because after spending their entire lives in competition, they have absolutely no idea how to be co-anything. And they certainly don’t know how to deal with the feelings that are inexplicably, weirdly, definitely developing between them…” - taken from Goodreads

Reid and Natalie have competed against each for years. When their childish prank war ramps up with some serious collateral damage, the two are forced to work together to develop Natalie’s play into a musical. In putting aside their differences for the greater good, the two begin to see one another in a new light. This book was a fun enemy-to-couple story.

Visit Marisa Kanter’s website.

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

 

“Shouldn't a girl get to star in her own love story?

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare's R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Once again I was blown away by these authors’ story. Set against the backdrop of a school production of Romeo and Juliet, Megan Harper, aspiring director, is the school's biggest flirt. All of her ex-boyfriends have gone on to find true love after their relationship end. So she never takes her relationships very seriously. Now with college on the line with the need for an acting credit on her transcript and her family situation is in for some dramatic changes, Owen Okita is the last boy she would usually fall for.

When Megan sees Will building a set for the play, she decides that he will be her next boyfriend and it list Owen’s help in the end ever. Ever the rehearsal of the play, Megan begins to realize that she deserves to be happy and some of the best things in life are right in front of her 

Visit Emily & Austin’s website.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

“A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.

The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn't supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn't know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they're both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia's ever seen. As Claudia's world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Emma Mills is now an auto-read author on my reading list. In Foolish Hearts, Claudia is forced to team up with Iris, the girl Claudia overheard getting dumped by her girlfriend. After a failed joint English paper, the two agreed to work on the upcoming play in conjunction with the neighboring boys' school. Working on costumes for the production, Claudia begins to spread her wings and finally begins to make friends at school.

When Claudia catches the eye of Gideon, a popular boy, she fights her attraction. As she continues to hang out with Iris, a new friendship between the two flourishes. When several problems arise in her family, Claudia learns that she needs to take a leap of faith and live her life.

With the plot revolving around the play A Midsummer's Night Dream and a couple of fandoms, readers will stay up all night to see how Claudia story ends.