Paper Hearts

Ali Novak

4.5 ★ Swoon Worth Stars

Published by Sourcebooks Fire July 4, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Paperback 384

Buy Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Half.com

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she’s had the full weight of her mother’s expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.

Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned-like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he’d flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he’d turn out to be a member of the world-famous Heartbreakers band, Alec.

Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity’s missing sister. And she’s about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be..

4.5 Swoon Worth Stars!!!

This book is just so darn cute and had me smiling the entire time. I started Friday evening and was instantly smitten with the story. I would have finished this in one sitting over the weekend, but adulting and doing errands had to come first.

I thought all the characters were pretty great and likable. They each had their own charm and quirks and that made reading much more fun and entertaining. The friendships were just awesome and I loved that Alec and Felicity both had great friends who supported them throughout all the drama and craziness. Also, can I just say that The Heartbreakers boys were all so cute — their bond was so endearing!!

Felicity frustrated me a bit, but I loved her simple and down to earth personality. She’s also smart, creative and very passionate. Alec… where do I even begin. HE IS JUST SO ADORABLE. There’s this mystery and sweetness about him that just lures you in and make you swoon. I certainly did and I wanted to know more about him.

I love romance stories with all the FEELS and I can honestly say that Paper Hearts definitely did not disappoint. There’s enough swooning to keep you turning the pages and have you daydreaming about first crushes and first loves. While Felicity and Alec’s relationship was the main focus (and they’re soooo cute together), I appreciated that you get a glimpse at the romance between the other characters too.

Some aspect of the plot was obviously not very realistic, but the absurdity and cliches made it that much more amusing. Definitely the perfect escape that had teenage me doing a happy dance as I lived out my fangirl fantasies through Felicity. The mystery though was kind of a letdown for me. The revelation wasn’t all that shocking, the confession not really that intriguing and the confrontation not very emotional. This is probably very subjective, but I love love love drama. If there’s going to be some soap opera kind of drama, then you better make it damn crazy.

I’ve never read a book by Ali Novak, but after Paper Hearts, I can definitely see myself being a big fan. I’ll be checking out The Heartbreakers really soon because I already miss my boys and can’t wait to read about Oliver and Stella.

With swoon worthy guys, great friendships, fun antics, drama, and a cute love story, Paper Hearts is a fun delightful read. Take it with you on a road trip, to the park, at the beach or in bed before you sleep — if you have a weakness for a lighthearted YA contemporary romance, then this book is perfect for you.

Sincerely Karen Jo

Kiss Me Kill You

by Larissa C. Hardesty

3 ★ – Cute Paranormal Romance

Published by Entangled Publishing, LLC June 12, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

Pages: Ebook 196 pages

ISBN: 9781633759626

Buy: Barnes and Noble, Amazon

I received a ARC of this book from the publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Emmy Duivel believes in true love: heart-stopping kisses, candlelight dinners, and a connection that lasts forever. But not the kind of kisses that land your date in the hospital. Emmy always knew she was different, but not in the supernatural sense. Not in the succubus sense.

Paul Andinn had only one job: watch over Emmy and make sure she doesn’t expose the supernatural world. It should have been easy, but the moment he looked away, she kissed that boy, and everything changed.

He should be more upset. But he can’t. Not when he’s falling hard for her

It’s been a while since I read a young adult paranormal romance, so I was really excited to read Kiss Me, Kill You. The synopsis really intrigued me and of course I was excited about the promise of a forbidden romance. However, as much as I wanted to really love this, the story just felt a bit rushed and all over the place.

First kisses should be legendary—not deadly.

I devoured Kiss Me, Kill You in less than 8 hours and usually, about 99% of the time, that’s a really good thing. The first few chapters got me hooked – there was humor, intrigue, and some mystery. But after reading about 30% of the book, I felt like I’ve been running a marathon without a breather that I just wanted to stop. I was slowly losing interest. Everything was just being thrown out there without enough oomph. I ALMOST DNF this book, but since some parts were quite enjoyable and amusing, I continued to read.

Looking at the whole story, I wish that there was more story development and world building because that would have been fascinating to read. The premise of Kiss Me, Kill You is unique and one of the reasons why I was drawn to this book. The story line had such great potential and I kept reading hoping I would be immersed in the succubi/incubi paranormal universe. Instead, I got bits and pieces here and there. The story tried so hard to be mysterious and suspenseful, but there just wasn’t enough build-up for those moments to have an effect on me. I found myself kind of laughing or having no reaction in situations where I should have been feeling anxious or terrified. There’s obvious threat, death, pain and sadness, but I just couldn’t feel for the characters. The story also ended so suddenly and felt like there was no closure. One minute you’re going through the climax then bam the end. I walked away thinking “What the fudge cake was that?” and a long list of unanswered questions.

Since there’s a forbidden romance between Emmy and Paul, I expected there to be more excitement, thrill, butterflies and A WHOLE LOT of feels. I wanted that strong push and pull,  and the undeniable attraction between the characters. Sadly, I really didn’t like the love story that much. I did like Emmy and Paul together and thought they could have been such an adorable couple. They had some cute scenes and a lot of kissing that did make me smile, but the moments that should have sent butterflies through the roof didn’t really do that for me. I needed more background information about their feelings for each other and the chemistry needed a little more build-up.

I normally enjoy reading dual and multiple POVs (they keep the story interesting and it’s fun to know how the other characters are feeling), but I just wasn’t into it with this book. I didn’t really like Emmy’s POV very much and found her to be quite dense and flat which just annoyed me. I couldn’t relate to her at all and felt no emotional connection. Even the times when I know I should be feeling some type of reaction to what was happening to her in the story, I actually could care less. On the other hand, Paul’s POV was much more interesting, relatable and enjoyable to read. He was charming and adorable as a love interest, but also flawed, conflicted and vulnerable. Paul’s inner struggles as he tried to fight his feelings for Emmy kept me turning the pages. I didn’t swoon over him that much, but he definitely gave me the feels and made me care about the story. That was pretty much the saving grace because without Paul’s POV, I think I probably would have DNF at some point.

Kiss Me, Kill You is an easy read, quite fun and a cutesy romance with a paranormal twist. It didn’t sweep me off my feet and make me feel all the feels, but I still enjoyed some parts of the story.

Sincerely Karen Jo