swoonreads – Page 6 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Hello Lovely Bookish Friends and Welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for A Prom to Remember by Sandy Hall hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. I really had fun with this cute contemporary read and hope you’ll enjoy reading my review. Don’t forget to stay until the end for the giveaway!

A Prom to Remember
Sandy Hall
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 24th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Love it or hate it, you’ll never forget it. In this heart-warming novel, Swoon Reads star, Sandy Hall, explores a classic high school celebration, capturing every relatable and hilarious teen milestone along the way.

Cora: Dating Perfect Boyfriend Jamie. Has NO IDEA how to break up with him…

Paisley: Anti-prom. Somehow nominated her anxiety-ridden best friend for prom king…

Henry: Hates social situations. Invited to prom by the most popular girl in school. SEND HELP!

Otis: Half of one of the cutest couples in his class. Not quite ready for a post-prom hotel room…

Lizzie: Shy. Excited to go to prom. With a boy. Whose name she doesn’t know.

Cameron: Loner. Over high school. Just wants to meet the mysterious girl who’s been leaving him notes…

Jacinta: Unnamed Nerd Girl #3. Determined to become the star of her own life, starting with prom…

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, A Prom to Remember, from Sandy Hall (author of A Little Something Different), is a funny and cinematic look at the biggest dance of every high schooler’s life.

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3.75 ★ – DELIGHTFULLY CUTE, FUN, AND ADORABLE

With realistic situations that will take you down memory lane, diverse characters you can’t help but love, and adorable friendships that will make your heart melt, A PROM TO REMEMBER was a pleasantly entertaining read.

This book was delightfully cute, fun and made me smile… but I do have to mention that I had a difficult time keeping track of the characters in the beginning. I actually almost wanted to DNF at one point, but I decided against it since the characters were really interesting. There were just way too many POVs for my liking or what I’m used to. The plot also moved pretty fast, so I hard trouble remembering who was who, who liked who, who was best friends with who, and so on. It definitely took some time to get used to the multiple POVs, but I did get there. Once I was able to remember the characters and make connections, I found myself enjoying the story more.

The characters were all AWESOME in their own ways and I absolutely adored them. I found it quite easy to relate with them and what they were going through. I even saw bits and pieces of teenage me in most of them. They were charming, quirky, driven, realistic, and so darn lovable! They did make some mistakes here and there — they’re teenagers after all… BUT there was something so real and genuine in this crazy fun group of high school seniors that I just couldn’t help but root for them. My favorites were definitely Paisley and Henry. I loved their playful bantering and their frienship was totally cute and heartwarming. I really liked how they challenged and supported each other. They were #bestfriendsgoals and I couldn’t get enough. Of course the others were really great too — Lizzie, Jacinta, Cora, Otis, Cameron, Luke, Madison and yes even the other side characters who seemed annoying at first.

This book wasn’t heavily focused on romance, but don’t worry… there were plenty of swoony and sweet moments between the couples. There may be even one or two romantic grand gestures that will totally make you aww. Honestly though, the different and amazing relationships were what really made this a wonderfully entertaining story. The romance was just a delicious added bonus and I’m certainly glad for it!

Overall, A PROM TO REMEMBER by Sandy Hall was a quick, fluffy, and cute read. I did have a minor issue with the multiple POVs, but I still had a great time reading this book. I really liked the fun friendships, charming characters, cute couples, diverse representation and lighthearted teen drama. The story also wrapped up in an adorable, sweet and memorable way that made my heart full of happy. So, if you’re looking for everything I just described in my review, then take a risk and add this on your TBR.

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

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I’m a teen librarian from New Jersey where I was born and raised. I have a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When I’m not writing, or teen librarian-ing, I enjoy reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr. A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is my first novel.

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Thank you for stopping by! Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below. As always, have a wonderful day and happy reading!

sincerelykarenjo2

The Dylan Dilemma
Patricia B. Tighe
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: April 24th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

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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Kenzie

At the school gym on Monday, I wiped sweat from under my eye with the collar of my T-shirt. Jana thumped me on the back before jogging back to her place in line.

“Keep moving,” she said under her breath.

Right. I threw the basketball to Carly, who jerked when she caught it and then passed it to the next girl. Tension filled the air like when you step outside and a thunder storm is about to hit. Coach Dunbar, gray hair flattened like a steel helmet, prowled among us, her whistle at the ready. We were all freaked about the changes. You could see it in the way my usually confident teammates stumbled over their feet or missed shots or flubbed passes.

This passing drill, normally something I could do in my sleep, was making me crazy. I’d already jammed my index finger on one catch, but after a scowl from Coach, I shook my hand and kept going. No one wanted to get on her bad side, which made us so nervous that we looked like amateurs.

Sneakers squeaked on the gym floor, exclamations rang out, and the girls beside me breathed so hard I could hear it. Holy crap. When would we all settle down? Things just didn’t feel right and last Friday hadn’t been any better. Halfway through, Coach sat us down and gave us a lecture on teamwork because she said she wasn’t happy about what she saw.

Well, neither was I. I missed Coach Shultz. I missed how her happiness gave all of us a lift—even when we were working hard.

“Kenzie!” Carly shouted.

I turned and a basketball hit me in the stomach. But miracle of miracles, I caught it. Coach blew her whistle in one long shrill sound.

“All right, girls!” she called. “This is pathetic. Time for laps.”

Laps? That wasn’t how practice was supposed to go. “But we never run until—”

Jana, who I hadn’t realized was beside me, squeezed my elbow, cutting off my words. What the heck was I doing? I should know by now the woman didn’t appreciate my helpful hints.

Coach Dunbar walked toward me through the crowd of my frozen teammates, favoring her right leg. Maybe Jana had been right and there was something wrong with the woman. “Mackenzie,” she said, her voice hard. “If you have a suggestion, you can raise your hand. Otherwise, if you don’t like the way I conduct practice, you can leave. There’s nothing stopping you.”

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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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