young adult – Page 4 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Anna and the French Kiss Series

5 ★ A Must Read Lovely Teen Romance Series

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Anna and the French Kiss series is hands down one of my favorites. When I read Anna and the French Kiss, I developed a major crush. Then I fell head over heels in love with Lola and the Boy Next door. By the time I finished reading Isla and the Happily Ever After, my heart was in perfect bliss. These books are absolutely swoony and so much fun. Stephanie Perkins is easily one of the best YA Contemporary Romance writer. She makes you smile, laugh and cry in the best possible way.

I really enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and Isla and the Happily Ever After definitely sealed the deal. But Lola and the Boy Next Door is without a doubt my shining star. I’m soooo in love with that book it hurts…but in the loveliest way. Cricket and Lola are the most imperfect perfect couple ever. I love Lola — she’s cute, weird, quirky, and smart. She’s not perfect and made a lot of mistakes, but she also has this realness about her. Guess that’s why Cricket couldn’t help falling for her. Speaking of Cricket… he’s absolutely one of my favorite book boyfriends. He’s adorable, inventive, charming, and just an overall great person. He definitely gave me all the FEELS and made me smile to the moon and back. Gosh even just hearing his full name, Cricket Bell, is enough to make me swoon. Oh and their romance… SOOO DARN CUTE. I actually felt the butterflies going crazy and all the sparkly things you feel when you’re falling in love.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is sweet, funny, and full of heart. The characters, the setting, the drama and pretty much everything else about this book is just so delightful. I definitely can’t wait to read this again.

If you’re looking for a cute fun romance that will make you giddy and leave you smiling, then this amazing series is perfect for you.

Sincerely Karen Jo

Coming Up For Air

Miranda Kenneally

coming-up-for-air-cover

5 ★ – Swoony Summer Read

Published by Sourcebooks Fire July 4, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Pages: Paperback 320

Buy Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Half.com

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win?

I’ve seen Miranda Kenneally’s books around for a while now, but haven’t had the interest to pick one up since I’m not too keen on sports themes and romance together. But I’ve been on a YA contemporary romance phase lately and the premise sounds really exciting and I love friends to lovers stories sooo I clicked that request button. I’ll have you know that I’m definitely happy I got approved because Coming up for Air is such swoony summer read.

I dove into this book not knowing if I would enjoy it, and I loved EVERYTHING. From the writing, the friendships, the characters, the humor, the plot, the ending, the romance and all that FEELS…. I LOVED IT ALL. This book is just so huggable – it’s light, funny, and so stinking cute.

Levi and Maggie are so adorable together and such great characters. I loved the progression of their relationship from best friends to lovers which totally had me SWOONING and made me want my very own Levi. There’s plenty of steamy kisses, sexy moments and that undeniable push and pull that left me wanting more. I was definitely rooting for both of them on and off the swimming pool.

I also loved Maggie and her group of friends. Their amazing friendship was absolutely endearing and so fun to read. They’re such a great support system for one another both socially and professionally, especially since all of them are facing a lot pressure in their respective sports. I admired them for their dedication, determination and passion to be better athletes and succeed in their goals.

This book couldn’t have been more perfect. It’s sweet, funny, charming, and entertaining. The plot moved fairly quickly and was a bit predictable at times, but that didn’t take away from the heart of the story. I may not have been a fan of sports and romance together, but Kenneally’s amazing story telling definitely won me over. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

If you’re looking for a quick and adorable YA contemporary romance to help you unwind and beat the summer heat, look no more cause Coming Up for Air will surely drown you with so much cuteness and swoon worthy moments.

Again just wanted to say HUGE thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving this ARC free of charge.

Sincerely Karen Jo