blogging – Page 28 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Hello bookish friends and Welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for The Dylan Dilemma by Patricia B. Tighe hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. I cannot wait for you to meet Kenzie and Dylan in this sweet and adorable YA contemporary romance.

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ADORABLY SWEET AND HEARTWARMING

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PUBLISHED BY SWOON ROMANCE APRIL 24, 2018

GENRE(S): YA, CONTEMPORARY, ROMANCE

BUY: AMAZON

High school senior Kenzie Harper-Shea has no time for dating, especially after the arrival of the basketball coach from hell. Now Kenzie has lost her confidence, is in a slump, and in danger of losing out on a scholarship to play college ball. The last thing she needs is her “vacation boyfriend,” Dylan McCoy, distracting her with warm smiles, inside jokes, and swoony kisses.

Dylan, however, is totally ready to date. He finally lives in the same town as Kenzie and is not about to lose the chance to let their relationship grow into something more. But for now, he’ll stay in the friend zone because he’s determined to find out what has her running scared. It can’t be just about basketball.

As Kenzie spends more time around Dylan, her feelings become a jumbled-up mess. It’s obvious they’re into each other. So, why does she panic whenever she thinks about dating him? Is it connected to basketball or to something deeper? She’s not sure. Does she have the courage to examine her heart, even if it means breaking Dylan’s?

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About Last Summer by Patricia Tighe was the first book I ever reviewed here on my blog last year on May 26, so this moment is quite special. To be reviewing a book by the first author who took a chance on me is pretty amazing. I’m always so grateful for all the times I get approved and receive free review copies. It’s crazy how it’s been almost a year since I first started this blog, but I’ll go into that on my blogiversary. Today, I want to rave about Kenzie and Dylan’s story and hopefully by the end of this review, you’ll fall in love with them too.

THE DYLAN DILEMMA was a such delightful read that made me smile, swoon, laugh and teary eyed a few times. It’s sweet, funny, heartwarming and so amazingly entertaining and I loved every moment!

This book was just as adorable as About Last Summer, but I have to admit… I actually enjoyed The Dylan Dilemma just a tad bit more. The storyline was fast-paced, cute, hilarious, and so full of heart. There were plenty sweet moments that had me smiling and some very serious ones that made me ache for the characters. The romance was fluffy and absolutely gave me the feels. Kenzie and Dylan were great together and I loved their chemistry. While Tighe kept the story on the lighter side, there were still enough drama and conflict which made everything much more interesting and fun. I even had to hold back tears cause I didn’t want to cry in public.

The characters were incredibly well-written and I just love them all to pieces — Kenzie, Gabby, Noah, Dylan, Geoff, Molly and everyone from About Last Summer. It was positively wonderful being able to spend time with such a great group of cast. I really had fun catching up and also really enjoyed meeting some new characters. I’ll always love how Kenzie and Gabby are close and always there for each other, but it was so great to see Kenzie bonding with Jana. Kenzie and her family were just too adorable and I wouldn’t mind coming over to eat dinner with them. Not to mention Kenzie’s little sister, Piper, who was so spunky and cute and funny. She definitely made an impression and was my favorite character in this book. Well, aside from Dylan of course.

Tighe writes beautifully and perfectly balances her stories with humor, intrigue, romance, important life lessons, friendship, and family. The Dylan Dilemma was no exception and I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a lighthearted and sweet YA contemporary romance.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher, Swoon Reads, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.

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Patricia-B.-Tighe

The mother of two grown sons, Patricia B. Tighe lives in West Texas with her husband and dog. She eats way too much pizza, drinks way too much coffee, and watches way too much NFL football. On the bright side, she also reads and writes teen fiction. She promises to include as much romance, angst, and adventure as possible in her books.

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Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Hope you enjoyed reading my review! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

sincerelykarenjoendsign

Hi Everyone!!! I thought I’d do a recap of my mom’s birthday party. It’s been two weeks or so and I am still trying to get back into the groove of things. My mom turned 60 on April 4 and had a masquerade birthday party on April 15 which I had been planning since last year. Let me just say that for my wedding ceremony, as much as I want to do a lot of DIYs, I am definitely going to hire a party planner for the day of the event. I was literally running around the venue trying to make sure we were on schedule, taking pictures and videos, and trying to enjoy the night and have some fun. I actually didn’t even eat that much, so it was a good thing I ate during the food tasting. We did end up taking 4 trays of food home (grilled salmon, chicken and beef kabob, veggies, potatoes, Persian rice, and pasta) and 1/4 of the cake, so the next day I ate and savored every bite.

The party planning process was actually kind of fun and I’m quite proud that it turned out really well considering there were last minute changes and issues. Also, it was a good thing that the party wasn’t a surprise since I knew my mom would want certain things and I just didn’t want to risk doing something she might not like. That being said, she was able to give me her input here and there and I had some help from friends and family too. Things seemed to be going great and I was checking stuff off the list, but the next thing I knew… we were 2 months away from the event. Time went by so fast and I still had a lot to do. By March I was busy trying to get everything done and ready. I actually spent my birthday, April 6, running around doing errands and I was actually still working on the centerpieces, program, and the slideshow Saturday night before the party. It was pretty crazy and I didn’t think I was going to get everything finished… BUT, thank goodness I did! Many thanks to EVERYONE who helped out — glueing feathers on the centerpieces, cutting the programs, punching holes on the program, tying ribbons, setting up for the event, taking pictures, and so on. The party was great and I’m really happy everyone enjoyed and had a great time.

Here are some pictures from the event which was held at Legacy Ballrom Glendale California by L.A. Banquets.

(If you are ever planning an event around Los Angeles or Glendale, then definitely check out L.A. Banquets. They are absolutely great and their customer service is incredibly amazing.)

My mom’s outfit for the night. She bought her gown from David’s Bridal, shoes from Macy’s, and masquerade mask from Amazon.

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Those Clear Diamonds in the pictures are actually place card holders. I bought them on Amazon to use for the Candy Station, but it turned out really amazing as props too!! I’m actually planning on purchasing them in gold to use as props for bookstagramming.

Here’s my MOM!!!

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We decided to do this pictorial the day before the event because we knew we would be really busy Sunday. We didn’t hire photographers because it we couldn’t find one within our budget. She said that $2,000 to $3,000 was too much and she wasn’t getting married to spend that kind of money on pictures and videos. For the event, the photographers were my brother’s girlfriend, my boyfriend, family friends and of course me.

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These were all DIY projects. I bought the masks, bird cage, foam flowers, and the crystal flower pins on Amazon. Ordered personalized M&M’s online. Printed the labels at home. Got inspiration on Pinterest for the program booklet. And picked up ribbons, sticker rhinestones and other embellishments from Dollar Stores and Michaels. I honestly don’t know what I would do without Amazon, Dollar Stores, Pinterest and Michaels.

Here’s a close up of my Mommy!!

Here’s us being silly

My mom and big bro

My Grandmommy and Mommy

The Boyfriend

My Brother’s Girlfriend

Mom’s Boyfriend

Champagne Tower inside the venue.

Gorgeous ceilings and lights.

The Dance Floor

The Presidential Table

Candy Station Area

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Some pics of the Appetizers. We had Mediterranean/ Persian food which was so delicious! There were about 25 appetizers and 4 main courses. Grilled Salmon with Vegetables, Alfredo Pasta with Chicken, Beef and Chicken Kabob with potatoes and Beef and Chicken Lule with Persian rice.