yacontemporary – Page 2 – Sincerely Karen Jo

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aboutbook

Published: May 7, 2019

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover, 336 pages

purchaselinks

AMAZON – B&N – KOBO – GOOGLE PLAY – BOOK DEPOSITORY – CHAPTERS INDIGO

synopsis

10 00 p.m.: Lucky is the biggest K-pop star on the scene, and she’s just performed her hit song “Heartbeat” in Hong Kong to thousands of adoring fans. She’s about to debut on The Tonight Show in America, hopefully a breakout performance for her career. But right now? She’s in her fancy hotel, trying to fall asleep but dying for a hamburger.

11 00 p.m.: Jack is sneaking into a fancy hotel, on assignment for his tabloid job that he keeps secret from his parents. On his way out of the hotel, he runs into a girl wearing slippers, a girl who is single-mindedly determined to find a hamburger. She looks kind of familiar. She’s very cute. He’s maybe curious.

12:00 a.m.: Nothing will ever be the same.

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mythoughts

A Delightfully Fun, Adorable and Moving YA Contemporary

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Somewhere Only We Know didn’t completely give me ALL the swoony heartwarming FEELS I love, but it was still fun, whimsical and quite moving.

I really enjoyed reading I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Maurene Goo is one of the sweetest authors I’ve met. She’s just as adorable as her characters and her writing is easy to read and has its own quirky charm so of course I was excited for this book. I mean that cover is so cute and just screams swoony fun romance. I also like instalove every now and then depending on the story and 24 hour romances are pretty entertaining. Maybe it doesn’t quite work all the time, but I have enjoyed them in the past so I thought I would too with this book. While Somewhere Only We Know was delightful and entertaining, I didn’t wholeheartedly fall in love with the story. It just never quite hit that sweet spot. I will say this though… the ending, while a little too convenient for a HEA conclusion, still made my heart melt and I even teared up a little bit.

I thought Lucky and Jack were wonderfully intriguing characters. They weren’t always the best versions of themselves, but their flaws and vulnerabilities made them real for me. Lucky was talented, genuine, sweet, quirky and just so funny sometimes. She seriously had me laughing a few times. But, she was also struggling to find herself and the courage to do what makes her happy. With Jack… well at first I liked him, but then I was back and forth for a long time. His motives weren’t always in the right place. He acted selfish, but then he would do something quite noble and kind. He was protective of Lucky, but he was also lying to her. I was quite frustrated with him, but I guess that’s just how teenagers are when they’re trying to figure out who they want to be. Jack did eventually win me over and what he did for Lucky in the end was sincerely so sweet.

The supporting characters seemed pretty interesting even though they weren’t really there for most of the story. I liked Jack’s best friend Charlie and thought he was quite funny. I think I would have liked to get to know him more and see more interactions between him and Jack. It seemed like they had a great friendship. I also really liked the parents and how they were amazingly supportive of their children. I loved the sibling relationships too. I wish I could have known the side characters a bit more, but I do understand that the story had to focus on Lucky and Jack.

I liked the romance and I thought it was cute and adorable. I just wasn’t completely convinced with Lucky and Jack’s feelings for each other and honestly, I never really felt that spark between them. I didn’t feel that they were really and truly in love with each other. To me, it seemed like they were perfect as friends who deeply care about each other… But as a couple, I just didn’t feel it. That being said, I thought their bantering was fun and they shared some heartwarming moments. Their dialogues and most of their interactions were silly and absurdly amusing. They made me laugh a few times and I thought their 24 hour romance adventure was entertaining. I also really liked that they shared thought-provoking and emotional conversations. I liked that they challenged each other and also inspired each other to go after what makes them happy.

It’s quite difficult for me to really LOVE a book when I can’t get into it right away and/or for most of the story. The beginning of this book was a bit slow for me and the plot, while interesting to some extent, didn’t completely captivate me. I did like exploring Hong Kong with Lucky and Jack and really enjoyed their food trips. I loved that Lucky was adventurous with her food choices and that made me really hungry. I enjoyed the hilarious moments and all the wonderful mishaps. It was a fun story.

This wasn’t my favorite from Goo, but all in all, I thought the story was an enjoyable, hilarious, and adorable whirlwind teen romance. I laughed quite a bit, swooned a little, and had a wonderful time going on this delightful adventure with Lucky and Jack. Do I wish it was a bit MORE? Yes, absolutely. But, it was a lighthearted, easy, and fun read. It was also meaningful and I loved the message about chasing your dreams and ultimately living the life you want and doing what makes you happy. Would I read more books by Goo? Definitely! Just because I wasn’t entirely in love with this, doesn’t mean I won’t be with her upcoming books.

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.

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favoritequotes

(Quotes taken from the ARC and might slighty differ from the final publication)

The whole point of love was that you truly felt it, that it was so strong that you had to be with that person, as if drawn by some otherwordly force.

It’s not a gift, it’s work. That’s what you do when you have a dream, Jack. When you care about stuff. You go for it. You don’t take the path of least resistance, and you don’t give up!

Pursuing your dreams was worth it. That your dreams could change and that change might be hard. But you should still try. Because anything short of that wasn’t a quality life.

This feeling right now? The tingles and light-headedness? It was the anticipation of something extraordinary. Something special with another human being who was going to leave an incredible mark on your life and change you forever. Drawn together by an otherwordly force. I recognized it for the first time in life.

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abouttheauthor

maurenegoo

MAURENE GOO is the author of several acclaimed books for young adults, including

I Believe in a Thing Called Love and The Way You Make Me Feel.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and cat, Maeby.

authorlinks

WEBSITE – GOODREADS – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM

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sincerelykjologo

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This is Not a Love Scene_COVER

aboutbook

Expected Publication: May 7th 2019

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover 320 pages

purchaselinks

AMAZON – B&N – BOOKSAMILLION – IBOOKS – INDIEBOUND

POWELL’S – MACMILLAN

synopsis

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She’s got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection…and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can’t be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won’t be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.

This Is Not a Love Scene_Whim 2

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mythoughts

Didn’t totally capture my heart, but it was honest, realistic and emotional

3hearts

The premise for this book sounded really wonderful to me. A teenager with muscular dystrophy falling in love for the first time while dealing with her disability seemed like a moving and riveting story. I was looking forward to a heartfelt cute romance with tons of emotions and even some tears. It just seemed like it would be that kind of book and I was really excited. Well, this book just didn’t really charm me like I thought it would. It wasn’t horrible at all and it had its moments. Personally, it just wasn’t the most satisfying or perfectly adorable teen romance. However, I felt that the story as a whole was quite enjoyable and I appreciated the message S.C. Megale was trying to convey.

Snarky and blunt, eighteen year old Maeve loves filmmaking, hanging out with her friends, and crushing on boys. She’s also very passionate, driven, and even kind of funny. Sadly, not everyone can see past her wheelchair and disability…most especially boys her age. But, maybe her luck is changing. While working on her senior film project, Maeve meets a hot older guy, Cole, who seems to be romantically interested in her. He gives her the swoons and suddenly Maeve find herself flirting and entertaining the idea of dating. Will Maeve get her happily ever after with Cole?

Okay, so Maeve isn’t really an easy character to like and I personally couldn’t relate with her not because she has a disability. Her personality just comes off too strong for me. There were also moments when I was quite surprised with what she says and how she acts. I personally don’t think I can ever be around someone like Maeve… at least not for a long time. But, that’s just how I feel based on who I am. I’m in no way saying Maeve is a horrible person. In truth, I was never frustrated or annoyed with her. I actually felt heartbroken for what she’s going through. I felt that she just really wants to do normal teenager stuff and be happy in whatever way she can. She’s misunderstood and judged like any other teenager and she’s reacting the way she knows how. Maybe that makes people like her less. I can’t say that I love Maeve as a character, but I was definitely rooting for her.

Cole is not dreamy or charming and I wasn’t impressed at all. I honestly did not like this guy and could not understand why Maeve is so attracted to him. He’s a forgettable love interest and there isn’t really much to say about him.

I love cute, fun, and well-written teen romances. The feel good kind that gives you butterflies and swoons. This was definitely not like that and I didn’t enjoy it at all. There was no excitement and that was utterly disappointing. The story does have flirting scenes, sexual tension, and moments that would have been adorable, but with a dull love interest and awkward dialogues, I just wasn’t into it.

There’s quite a few more hiccups that affected my feelings and reading experience and I’m quite sad that this didn’t completely work out the way I had expected. I wasn’t in love with most of the story, the characters were flat, and there were some strange relationships that made me feel uncomfortable. That being said, I still found some parts enjoyable. I liked seeing how Maeve deals with her disability and just being part of her journey. It wasn’t always perfect, but I thought the author tried to be as realistic as possible and I appreciated that. I liked that there was a little humor and there were moments that I found quite endearing. It wasn’t the best, but it also wasn’t the worst.

This is Not a Love Scene didn’t totally capture my heart. The concept of the story seeemed absolutely promosing and I wanted it to be, but the execution just didn’t work for me. However, I did enjoy some parts of the book and admired the message the author was trying to convey through Maeve’s character and story. It was honest, realistic, humorous, and emotional. For a debut novel, I think S.C. Megale wrote a belieavable story. True, it may not be completely my cup of tea, but not every story I read will be so I’m not giving up on Megale just yet and really hoping her next book will appeal to me more.

I recevied 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.

Note: I also surprisingly received a physical ARC of this book from the publisher through a giveaway (which I can’t remember). So thank you Wednesday Books!

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abouttheauthor

SC Megale

S. C. MEGALE is an author and filmmaker. She’s been profiled in USA Today, The Washington Post, and New York Newsday, and has appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” and the CBS Evening News for her philanthropic and literary work. As a humanitarian, she’s spoken on the USS Intrepid, at the NASDAQ opening bell, and to universities and doctors nationwide. She enjoys making connections all over the world.

Megale was raised in the long grass of the Civil War, hunting for relics and catching fireflies along the banks of Bull Run. A shark tooth, flutes, and a flask are some of the items that hang from her wheelchair, and she had a fear of elevators until realizing this was extremely inconvenient. She lives with her family which includes her parents, sister and brother, service dog, and definitely-not-service dog.

This is Not a Love Scene is her first published novel.

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