May 2017 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Happiest Book Birthdays to these amazing stories and all the other awesome books released today!!!

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

by Maurene Goo

4.5 ★ – A Fun and Cutesy Read

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux May 30, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover 336

Buy Barnes and Noble, Amazon

An endearing and hilarious story about a girl who’s on top of everything… well almost everything. Desi Lee has never had a boyfriend and always ends up in humiliating situations whenever she flirts with her crushes. Always the romantic disaster and a “flailure” – a term her best friends created to tease her, Desi has finally had enough. Her solution? Use K-dramas as her ultimate guide to win the heart of the super gorgeous Luca Drakos. But nothing ever goes the way you expect when it comes to falling in love… specially if you’re using a formula that only works in television. Full Synopsis on Goodreads.

I was really lucky to get a signed ARC copy at a book festival (Yallwest). I was in line for Maurene Goo’s signing and I actually got the last book!! (Woohoo) Maurene is such a sweetheart and remembered me from Instagram! I was totally fangirling.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love is so adorable and fun. I smiled A LOT, had many LOL moments, and even some tears…My heart was so full of happy and I could not stop reading. I even stayed up late and probably looked like a zombie the next day at work, but so totally worth it. An easy read with great characters, swoon worthy moments, and awesome father-daughter relationship. This is most definitely my kind of YA romcom.

When Dimple Met Rishi

by Sandhya Menon

5 ★ – Irresistibly Adorkable

Published by Simon Pulse May 30, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover 380

Buy Barnes and Noble, Amazon

A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married. Full Synopsis on Goodreads.

So I’m more than halfway done and I’m seriously in love with Dimple and Rishi. They are so adorable together and my new favorite OTP. I’m giving this 5 stars already because it’s honestly that GOOD!

Full Review to come.

About Last Summer

by Patricia B. Tighe

4.5 ★ – Pretty Darn Cute

Published by Swoon Romance May 30, 2017

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Kindle Edition 342

Buy: Amazon

See full Review Here.

A sweet romance with a lot of heart and humor. If you’re a fan of lighthearted YA contemporary romance, then you’ll definitely enjoy this story. Full Synopsis on Goodreads.

Eliza and Her Monsters

by Francesca Zappia

Published by HaperCollins May 30, 2017

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover 400

Buy: Barnes and Nobles, Amazon

Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a wildly popular webcomic, but when a new boy at school tempts her to live a life offline, everything she’s worked for begins to crumble. Full Synopsis on Goodreads.

I’m so happy that I received a signed hardcover from my May Owlcrate book subscription. I’ve been hearing so many great things about this book and the synopsis sounds like it’s such a cute/fun read. Definitely adding this to my summer TBR!

Sincerely Karen Jo

About Last Summer

by Patricia B. Tighe

4.5 ★ – Pretty Darn Cute

Published by Swoon Romance May 30, 2017

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Kindle Edition 342

Pretend to be from Spain? Act like she can barely speak English? Sure, why not? It wouldn’t be the first time Gabby Vega had agreed to a challenge from her best friend, Kenzie. Besides, it’s only for a week of vacation with Kenzie’s cousins. Gabby will prove to Kenzie she can keep up the fake identity for the whole trip—that she’s not a quitter.

There’s just one major surprise. Noah Jernigan is also staying with Kenzie’s cousins. Noah, the boy she fell in love with at drama camp last summer and the boy she had to dump when it was over. The boy who knows who she really is.

Noah can’t believe it when Gabby appears at the Bryson’s vacation home in the New Mexico mountains. He hasn’t seen her in a year. It practically took that long just to get over her. And now she’s Gabriela from Spain? All he wants is to get as far away as he can. Or maybe the exact opposite. Stick as close to her as possible and find out what the heck happened last summer. And definitely get some payback.

Now Gabby has to keep Noah at arm’s length as she pretends to be Gabriela. She doesn’t want to answer his questions or rehash last summer. Because one thing is clear—the more time she spends with Noah, the more she’s in danger of falling for him all over again.

I received an E-ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Before I go into my review, let me just say that I have a weakness for cutesy, fun, and fluffy YA contemporary romance. There is just something about them that always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and leaves me with this wonderful dreamy high… and this book most certainly does not disappoint.

This is the first book I’ve read by Patricia Tighe and I can honestly say it won’t be my last. About Last Summer is such an adorable romance story. I was hooked from the beginning that I stayed up late one night because I couldn’t stop. If it weren’t for Mother’s Day weekend, I would have locked myself away and devoured this book. Yup, it’s that good!!! I’m 30 years and I freaking love this book… and nope I am not ashamed. There are so many swoon worthy moments in this book that I practically had a permanent smile on my face. I was seriously grinning like a total dork while reading. There are so many parts of the story where I laughed just a little too loudly and earned some questioning looks from my BF. I even got teary eyed on a few scenes because I was aching for the characters. This book definitely had all the feels…

But what I love most is you get a lot more than what you expect. It’s not just about the romance…It’s also a story about self-discovery and having the courage to face your insecurities. A story about first crushes, heart breaks and learning how to move forward. A story about honesty, forgiveness and taking chances. A story about the importance of family, friendship and spending time with those you love. Patricia does an amazing job weaving all that, a little quirkiness, a lot of humor and so much more into this story. I already miss the whole gang.

About Last Summer is such a beautifully well written story. A sweet romance with a lot of heart and humor. If you’re a fan of lighthearted YA contemporary romance, then you’ll definitely enjoy this story.

Sincerely Karen Jo