July 26, 2018 – Sincerely Karen Jo

bookreview

justfriends

aboutthebook2

Published September 3rd 2015 by Walker (first published August 20th 2015)

Genre(s): Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Paperback, 288 pages

From the writer of Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen and My Worst Best Friend comes this hugely entertaining teen read about falling for the wrong person. The first time Josh sets eyes on Jena he’s hooked. He can’t stop thinking about her; looking for her wherever he is; hoping to turn a corner and find her there. The problem is she’s completely out of his league as his friends never tire of telling him, so Josh decides he will settle on simply being Jena’s friend. But the more time he spends with her the more infatuated he becomes, despite the fact Jena only turns to him when she’s had a fight with her on-again off-again boyfriend. Finally realizing he can’t go on pretending he only wants to be her friend, Josh vows to tell Jena how he feels on Valentine’s Day.

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BOOK DEPOSITORY

reviewrating

1halfhearts

Light and Easy to Read, but Disappointingly Lackluster

reviewthoughts

I love cutesy rom-coms and Just Friends by Dyan Sheldon seemed like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, it was a disappointingly lackluster read. The concept seemed really intriguing, but it just didn’t work for me.

I took such a long time to read this cause I didn’t expect to get approved for so many books on Netgalley. Well, I hate to say this but maybe I should have just left it unread. I wasn’t really a fan of the writing style. It was easy to read, but just felt like it kept going and going and never getting anywhere. While some parts were kind of amusing and witty, the plot just wasn’t that interesting to me. The characters were also annoyingly stereotypical and unlikable. Josh and his friends were somewhat okay sometimes, but Jena and her clique – totally did not like them. I couldn’t figure out what Josh saw in Jena, but she was a big NOPE for me. The ending for me was just mehhh. I didn’t hate it, but it was rushed and just not that believable. I guess it could happen, but it needed more build-up and to play out.

This book was sadly not for me. I actually speed read through about 75% of the book and I rarely do that. There were so just many things I didn’t like and maybe that distracted me. At least I didn’t DNF and still gave it a chance.

I really hate writing bad reviews, but just because I didn’t like this book, doesn’t mean it was horrible. There were a few fun moments and I liked some of the friendships. Ramona was pretty awesome and the one part about this book I did enjoy.

I can’t say I recommend this book, but if you feel like reading a light, easy, and somewhat fun unrequited love story, then give it a go.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you read this book? Did you like it or not? Let me know in the comments. Love to hear what you think.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Have a fantastic day everyone!!!

bookreview

rumorhasit

aboutthebook2

Published May 15, 2018 by Loveswept

Genre(s): Romance, Sports Romance Contemporary

This is one bad boy who’s fit to print. A notorious jock tackles life—and love—after football with a type-A journalist in this sexy standalone from the author of Eye Candy.

Barrett: As a former pro football star, I’m used to playing the field. After injuries cut my NFL career short, my second act as a broadcaster ended on live television when a hot mic picked up a little verbal . . . indiscretion. But this latest publicity stunt might just land me back on top—much to the chagrin of Catarina Everhart, the prissy, beautiful journalist who’s been assigned to date a bad boy (i.e., me) and write about it. Catarina swears I’ll never touch her, let alone kiss those full lips of hers. Based on our chemistry, I’m not buying it. . . .

Catarina: Barrett Fox seems to be doing everything in his power to make me hate him. The cocky egomaniac is infamous for his bad behavior, and now, thanks to my boss’s harebrained schemes, he’s apparently my problem. As one fake date leads to another, I start to see a different side of Barrett. He’s close with his family. He does volunteer work. And, okay, he kisses like a dream. Am I really dating Barrett Fox? Or is he playing me? Because suddenly I’m risking my reputation—and my heart.

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BARNES AND NOBLE – KOBO – GOOGLE PLAY

reviewrating

2halfhearts

2.75 – 3 Adorable and Fun Read

reviewthoughts

Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon was a lighthearted and fun read. I didn’t quite fall in love with it like I expected, but it had some tender moments and charmingly adorable scenes that made me smile.

The premise sounded really intriguing and the first few chapters were fun, but sadly, it started to drag and I just wasn’t feeling the story. The writing was decent and the pacing was good. I don’t think I was necessarily bored with the plot or the characters… I just didn’t find that oomph. Maybe I’ve been reading too many of the same type of stories or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. Whatever it was, this book just didn’t stand out. That being said, I still thought the storyline was entertaining and I liked the alternating point of views. Barrett and Catarina’s chemistry wasn’t sizzling, but they had their moments. I liked their dates and thought their bantering was amusing. I just wish that the push and pull, the angst, and the FEELS were a little bit more intense.

I didn’t particularly dislike Catarina or Barrett, but I also didn’t really like them either. I just struggled with their personalities and was really unsure how I felt towards them. I kind of didn’t really care about whether or not they would end up together and honestly, I wasn’t rooting for them that hard. BUT, things changed and some swoony moments here and there sort of redeemed their story for me… at least a little bit.

Overall, this didn’t quite hit the spot for me, but it was an easy, light and somewhat enjoyable enemies to lovers story. The romance was sweet and had a few adorable moments that I loved. I thought the book wrapped up nicely and once I finished, I was quite satisfied with the ending.

If you’re looking for a quick and decent love story on a lazy afternoon, then you might just like this one. And just because it didn’t completely work for me, doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it, so give it a go and let me know what you think.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you read this book? What did you think? What are some of your favorite enemies to lovers stories? Let me know in the comments below.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Have a fantastic day everyone!!!