Book Review: My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill

My Unscripted Life
by Lauren Morrill
ebook, 288 pages
Release Date: October 11th, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte
Genre: YA Contemporary
Attain a Copy: 
      Amazon | B&N | Book Depository  

Goodreads Summary: Sometimes love stories go off script.

Another sultry Georgia summer is about to get a lot hotter. Dee Wilkie is still licking her wounds after getting rejected by the precollege fine arts program of her dreams. But if she'd gone away, she wouldn't have been around to say yes to an unbelievable opportunity: working on the set of a movie filming in her small Southern town that just happens to be starring Milo Ritter, the famous pop star Dee (along with the rest of the world) has had a crush since eighth grade.

It's not like Dee will be sharing any screen time with Milo—she's just a lowly PA. And Milo is so disappointingly rude that Dee is eager to stay far away from him. Except after a few chance meetings, she begins to wonder if just maybe there's a reason for his offensive attitude, and if there's more to Milo than his good looks and above-it-all Hollywood pedigree. Can a relationship with a guy like Milo ever work out for a girl like Dee? Never say never...

Cindy's Review:

I've been looking forward to a light, summer read and My Unscripted Life is just the one! 

Yes, it may be those cheesy-ish novels where the protagonist falls in love with a celebrity after going through the "he is a jerk" phase. Next thing you know, the main character will slip into the "he is more sensitive than I thought" phase and slowly see the new light shined upon our love interest. The rest is history. I do not really mind the celebrity/normal person romance because you never know, it can be realistic.....though maybe a lot of the times, it isn't. I mean, look at Emma Watson -- she is dating a non-celeb right?

However, the romance in the novel is a little too insta-love for me. There are initial moments where the main character Dee gets mad at Milo's rude behavior but she definitely gave in to him way too fast. I love the love-hate phase in a fictional relationship, but that lasted about two and half chapters in My Unscripted Life. Like it literally went from "I hate you so much" to "ohhh you're  a decent person" to kissing in the rain within the span of a few chapters. I am not too mad about the romance though, since it is a fun, light read. 

Let's introduce the two main characters:
Dee - The protagonist lives in Georgia, about to start her senior year of high school. She doesn't get into an art program -- and her best friend got into a STEM program -- so she does not have anything to do or anyone to hang out with. Then in comes the movie job ... luckybutt, man I wish I got a summer job like that. Dee honestly does not have that much substance to her; just a young girl who came upon young love. I read these kind of books only to pass time because my summer romance is as dead as dinosaurs. 

Milo - On the other hand, this guy is the opposite of Dee's sweet side. Of course he is a jerk. Aren't all celebrities when you first meet them? And then they become the angel you totally though they were when you truly get to know them. It is sort of understandable to why Milo acts like a jerk, but that's truly all the backstory we get to Milo's personality. Besides being a celebrity and someone who wants to live a "more normal" lifestyle, there is not that much substance to Milo as well. *sigh* This is why I emphasize summer read. Not to diss summer reads, of course, because there are some out there that is really good...but the super emotional ones are in my serious reads pile haha. 

All in all, My Unscripted Life definitely does not contain any heavy, emotional scenes: some melodrama, a potential mean girl, and just the main character revealing her love of art. The whole behind the scenes of a movie set was fun to read about as Dee worked with the items in the background of a movie set. Having watched a lot of behind the scenes to dramas and movie bloopers, I totally have an idea of what Dee is seeing.  

So if you're looking for a novel with cute, romantic scenes and not a lot of depth, My Unscripted Life will work well for you. :) 

My Rating (1-5): 4 

Happy reading~

Book Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence
by Kasie West
Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
ebook, 296  pages
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Get a Copy:
       Amazon | B&N 

Goodreads Summary: For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Cindy's Review: 

At a Glance/The Cover: 

So far, I think this book is my favorite of all the Kasie West books. But I have really high hopes for The Fill-in Boyfriend. :) On the Fence is kind of a companion book for The Distance Between Us. There are characters you see in both books, especially Skye. Also, On the Fence took place a little bit after TDBU. 

The Characters/My Opinion:
The storyline for this book is the "I'm in love with my best friend" thing. I love these kind of stories because I like how the main characters already know almost everything about each other. It's cute. I love how they grew up together and shared childhood memories. :) 

Charlie - Charlie is an absolute tomboy. She has 3 older brothers and 1 complimentary one. She's tall, strong, and grew up playing football with her brothers. But she can have a girly side. When she started working at a local mall, she finally got some girlfriends and learned about makeup and checking out boys. But that's when she felt her real feelings for Braden.

Braden - Braden literally sounds like that golden boy that never exists in real life. Charlie described her brothers as hotties, but she obviously can't lust after them because that would be disgusting. Then there's Braden, whose just as hot as the bros, if not even hotter. 

Basically, Charlie and Braden just have to figure out their love life together. The night talks along the fence helps them get even closer, but in a different way. It's cute. They're cute. Everything about this book is cute. Everything Kasie West writes are cute. :) 

Overall Thoughts:
CUTE CUTE CUTE. Looking for a simple, summer read with bubbly romance? On the Fence is definitely a must-read. :)

The Rating :(1-10): 9.5~

Happy Reading~

Blog Tour: Swept Away by Michelle Dalton

 

Welcome to my spot on the Swept Away Blog Tour

hosted by FFBC.

Swept Away (Sixteenth Summer #3)

by Michelle Dalton 

Release Date: May 5th, 2015

Synopsis:

Beachfront love blossoms in this refreshing summer romance, in the tradition of Sixteenth Summer and Seventeenth Summer.

Mandy Sullivan isn’t exactly looking forward to the summer months as tourists invade her seaside hometown on the coast of Maine. Her best friend, Cynthia, has abandoned her for camp and her older brother just announced he’ll be staying at college taking classes for the summer, leaving Mandy with nothing to do and no one to hang out with. Hoping to keep herself busy, Mandy takes a volunteer job at the Rocky Pointe Lighthouse. On her very first day, Oliver Framingham asks for a private tour. A new—and incredibly cute—face in Rocky Pointe, Oliver seems more interested in Mandy than the lighthouse and its history.

Without her best friend at her side, Mandy is scrambling to act the right way and say the right things when Oliver is around. Cynthia—not Mandy—has always been the confident, flirtatious girl that everyone wanted to be around. As Mandy and Oliver spend more time together exploring the coast, biking through the woods, and attending the local summer festivals, their budding friendship becomes much more. But with Mandy’s insecurities creeping to the surface, can she open her heart to someone who will only be in town for three months?

Cindy's Review: 
At a Glance/ The Cover: 
Surprisingly, I've actually read all of the Sixteenth Summer series. It's those cute summer reads about romance and the amazing life of a sixteenth year old. What I'll give to go to a beach like those girls and just meet cute boys. I mean, I live in California and everything, but I don't live that close to a boardwalk. 

The cover is also super cute. Just got to comment on that. I wonder if Simon Pulse actually gets real people to model just for this cover. 

The Characters/My Opinion:
Okay, so moving onto the contents inside the book. 
Mandy Sullivan - The main character of the book was enjoyable. Her clumsy personality was cute. Although I really didn't notice her trying to change herself into someone she thinks Oliver will like until she brought it up, that doesn't seem like a healthy relationship and I'm glad everyone urged her to just be herself in the end. 

Oliver Framingham - For a long time, or actually just the beginning, I thought his last name was Farmingham. Okay. Random. I think it's because his name is spelled different in the blurb compared to the book. Oliver was more of a cute, nerdy summer guy. Nope, no glasses. But according to Mandy, super cute. 

To me, this is definitely more like a summer read. A summer fling. I don't feel the long lasting romance between myself and the book or the characters. And there's nothing wrong with that because a summer fling is cute and all. 

The synopsis does make the book seem like it's more about the romance than anything else, but I feel like it's more about Mandy's character building. Her semi-okay relationship with her mom definitely got better. Although there were some fights with her best friend, Cynthia, they learn to accommodate and solve the problem. Mandy's initial belief that she has to be someone different for a person to like her is changed by everyone. 

I did find that both Mandy and Oliver got mad at each other quite too easily. One thing I would like to be added in this novel is an epilogue. It ended with a great deal of character improvement on Mandy's side, but I feel like Mandy's and Oliver's relationship to be explained further. Hope that didn't spoil anything. 

The Rating: (1-10): 8.5

Author Bio: 
Michelle Dalton is one of the many names Carla Jablonski uses when writing. Her two YAs written as Carla Jablonski (published by Razorbill/Penguin), Thicker than Water and Silent Echoes, were included on the NYPL Books for the Teen Age list, and her graphic novel trilogy Resistance (illustrated by Leland Purvis, published by :01 Books) has won several awards, including the Sydney Taylor Silver Medal. In addition to writing novels she is an actor, playwright, and former trapeze artist. A native New Yorker, she is eternally grateful to her friends who invite her to their beach houses.

Links: 

Goodreads

Amazon 

B&N 

Bookdepository 

iTunes 

Kobo 

Sixteenth Summer (Book 1) 

Pulled Under (Book 2) 

Giveaway:

  

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Book Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us 
by Kasie West
Release Date: July 2nd, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen
ebook, 312 pages
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Get a Copy:
       Amazon | B&N | Audible

Goodreads Summary: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Cindy's Review:

At a Glance/The Cover:

This is the type of book I love to read. Those carefree, romantic reads for your reading humps during the summer. And Kasie West is exactly the author you would need to find, because she writes a lot of these amazing YA contemporary novels I'm so fond of. 

And jeez. It's a cute cover. :) Everything about the author and the book makes me smile.

The Characters/My Opinion: 

Caymen Meyers - She's an amazing narrator full of humor. She is hilarious and definitely fun to get to know and follow along with. Caymen grew up as a poor girl who lives above her mom's doll shop. Her rich father left her mom and her when she was younger and so her mom Susan dislikes anything rich. Or more like anyone rich. But soon, Caymen meets Xander but can't help but fall for her charm. 

Xander Spence - Of course, it's always the element of boys to make things a little more interesting. At least for me. :) I love nicknames. I think they're actually really special. Or the other way around. Like you have a special dear name for someone special to call you. Okay. Overuse of specials, but Alexander over here was definitely a real charm. He was a fun guy. And honestly, I think he replied to all of Caymen's sarcastic comments really well. So well that they're seriously flirting if this was real life. :D 

So yep, another fun contemporary read. Probably one of my summer rereads when I'm feeling down or when I could use some excitement in my life again. :D 

Overall Thoughts:
I am so glad I found another author to read. An author that writes books just the way I like it and a whole stack of them to read plus more coming!

I CANNOT wait for The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West because *squeals* that sounds SOSOSOSO cute. I just can't help but gush. :D 

The Rating: (1-10): 9
Happy Reading~