yabooks – Page 23 – Sincerely Karen Jo

bookreview

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a fantastic week. Mines has been quite busy, but I am so darn excited for this weekend because of Yallwest!!! But more on that later one. Today, I want to share my review for this fun and charming YA contemporary romance.

outofleftfield

4hearts

Cute, fun and entertaining

aboutthebook2

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance Sports

Release Date: May 1, 2018

There’s no playing it safe in love or baseball in this sparkling debut, perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Kasie West.

Marnie has never had a hard time fitting in with the guys. It would take a lot more than their goofy antics to keep her from joining them at the neighborhood sandlot to do what she loves best: play ball.

An added perk of hanging out at the sandlot? Spending time with Cody Kinski, their high school’s star pitcher and Marnie’s best friend. Sure, he can be stubborn and annoying. He also knows how to make her laugh and respects her skills on the mound. And when he gets nailed in the arm by a bone-fracturing pitch, Marnie becomes the team’s best chance at making it to the playoffs. Except no one told the guys they’re supposed to be on her side.

With her own team against her, Marnie begins questioning her abilities. And when fate throws her a curveball, can she play without losing the game, Cody, and her belief in herself?

reviewthoughts
Out of Left Field by Kris Hui Lee is a lighthearted and charming YA contemporary read!

I’m not really into sports that much, so I don’t find myself immediately drawn to sports-themed books. I just never really know if I’ll enjoy the plot since I don’t do sports at all and most likely wouldn’t be able to relate to the characters. But, I do love romance and friends-to-lovers stories. The premise for Out of Left Field also sounded really cute and fun, so I figured why not. Well, I definitely do not regret requesting. This book was heartwarming, sweet, and so cute it made my heart melt. I loved the friendships, the MC chasing her dream no matter what, and of course the romance. I thought the writing was decent, but wished there were more scenes that actually showed me rather than telling me this or that. The characters were likeable to some extent. They’re teenagers after all, so it’s expected that they got on my nerves every now and then. While I did find some parts a bit repetitive and frustrating, I still really enjoyed the story.

I liked Marnie well enough. She was the typical angsty teenager trying to find her place and go after her dream. She obviously did not always make the right decisions and had her own insecurities, but she was also strong and fierce. I admired her talent, determination, and the way she always stood up for herself. Cody was absolutely adorable and I really liked him a lot. He was sweet and incredibly supportive of Marnie. He encouraged her and truly believed in her potential. I really wish there were more scenes with him in the book. I would have loved to see Cody and Marnie interact more, rather than have the other characters describe how they really felt for each other.

So, as you can guess, the romance was relatively slow, but it was totally cute and heartwarming. I love romance in general, so whether it’s insta-love or not, as long as the story works and it makes some sense to me, then I usually have fun with it. I definitely did with this one and enjoyed the tension. I thought the story wrapped up nicely and I turned off my kindle with a smile on my face.

There were some things that could have been better, but overall, Out of Left Field was a delightful debut novel. With cute moments, fun bantering, and adorable romance, this was just the fluffy lighthearted read I needed. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Kris Hui Lee’s future works and would recommend this book to anyone in the mood of something quick, sweet and entertaining.

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

authorbio2

Kris is a contemporary YA author who found success through the online writing contest Pitch Wars in 2015, where her submitted manuscript eventually became her debut novel OUT OF LEFT FIELD.

She is also a graphic designer and pianist.

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Goodreads – Twitter – Tumblr

Hope you enjoyed reading my review. Have you read this book? What did you think? Leave your comments down below. I’d love to hear from you. As always, have a wonderful day lovelies!

sincerelykarenjoendsign

Evading The Dark
E.M. Rinaldi
(The Cross Chronicles #1)
Published by: CHBB Publishing
Publication date: April 24th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

High school sucks. It doesn’t matter who you ask; jock, cheerleader, computer nerd, or band geek, they will all say the same thing: It’s a nightmare. But Casey is still wondering how she got the short end of the stick. Just a Sophomore at the prestigious Luthos Academy for Magical Beings, Casey already knows more about heartache and fear than any almost-sixteen-year-old should. Orphaned and left to be raised by the Academy, she spends her days training to become a Guardian, but that dream is looking dimmer with every day that passes.Unlike the wand-waving heroines in all her favorite books, Witches in her world don’t cast spells, they are born wielding the power of nature: water, fire, earth, or air; powers Casey never developed. She’ll be lucky if they even allow her to take her final exams.

She is top of her training class, but that doesn’t keep her from being looked down upon by every other being at her school. All Casey wants is to be given a chance, instead she finds the only life she’s ever known targeted by an unfathomable evil. Thrust into the center of an age-old prophecy, a war is coming with Casey at the reins.

Will relying on her hard earned training be enough for her to make it out alive?

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excerpt2

10 years earlier …

I should have known that something bad was going to happen, but at only six years old, I didn’t know how to put my feelings into words. At least, not those feelings. How was I supposed to tell mommy that something dark was following us; that I could feel its eyes on me while its hungry breath fogged up the window? I knew she wouldn’t understand, outside it was anything but dark. The sun was shining clear and bright and laughter trickled in from the barbeque next door. Why would she believe me, a kid, when what I felt was not reflected around us?

I should have told her anyway. I should have screamed it until she listened, because, as it turned out, she knew the darkness was there too.

Looking back, all the signs were there—blatantly so. It was a Sunday, the day that my mom always took me to the park. I loved those days. She would always have a new adventure planned for us: catching butterflies that we’d pretend were fairies or climbing trees that she made me believe were the tallest mountains.

But not that Sunday. I thought it was weird that she didn’t want to go outside, mommy loved being out with the trees, but I didn’t argue. I had my own reasons for not wanting to go out. And it wasn’t too bad in the house; true to form, mommy tried to play the night out like it was just another adventure.

“We’re really in a secret cave hunting for lost treasure,” she said.

She led me all around the house, making obstacles out of the furniture until we made it to the “treasure”—a fresh baked batch of brownies. The whole time I thought it was just a new game. It was my naivety that kept me from seeing how my mother moved a kitchen knife from its drawer to the counter, or how all the “obstacles” looked strategically placed.

I couldn’t tell then, but now it’s all too clear; she knew that something was coming. Or someone.

They came late in the night. We were halfway through The Lion King when there was a knock at the door. My mom turned off the movie and instantly knelt in front of me to quiet my cries of dismay. There was no explanation for why the movie was gone; she had no chance to give one. The knock at the door swiftly turned violent, with more blows sounding on the back door and surrounding windows.

I was ushered into the dark crevice where our couch met the wall. Almost too big to fit, I managed to squeeze in just as she ran to the kitchen and grabbed the knife. I heard her yell frantically into her phone as the harsh pounding became so vehement that it felt as if the whole house shook. Whether it’s because I was too young or unintentionally blocked it out, I can only remember bits and pieces of what she said.

“Eli, they’re here! Help! … 120 Huckleberry …”

At one point I heard a splintering crack as one of the doors started to break. I crawled further into the crevice as my mom spoke faster.

“… not enough time! … I’m so sorry. Take care of her.”

I never saw what happened next, but I remember every sound: the high pitch of our glass windows shattering, the harsh moan and crack as the already fragmented door gave way, followed closely by my mom’s scream. And I heard what I now recognize as the sound of a fight. I sometimes dream that my mom won that fight and came to get me and everything was okay. But that’s not how it happened.

The fighting ended in an eerie silence. I almost crawled out of my hiding spot, but even my undeveloped instincts could tell that I wasn’t alone. Whoever was still there was looking for something. Before I knew it, it was silent yet again, but this time it was real. This time, it was forever.

authorbio2

E.M. Rinaldi lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her fiancé, Milz, and their slightly psychotic pup, Boone. She works as a Registered Radiologic Technologist,taking pictures of mangled bones for hours on end- then she writes about all the bizarre situations her characters get themselves into while she was away. She is a Second Degree Blackbelt and can’t write a story without at least one fight scene in it.

When she’s not writing or trapped at work, E.M. likes to read (obsessively), clear her DVR, and have all night Buffy marathons with her friends, complete with cookies and cinnamon rolls.

Her love for writing stems from an early age where she would create stories on an old computer program and force anyone within grabbing distance to read them. Not much has changed; be warned: stay out of grabbing distance.

E.M. is a new YA author and her debut novel, Evading The Dark, is available now.

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