I kept smiling and grinning through this one. Felt thoroughly entertained and all fuzzy at the end. Then ask Six to come over. I’ve hung out with you enough today to last me until Christmas break. I have family shit tonight. I don’t know why. I’ve never had a girl break up with me. I’m the one who broke up with Val. But I would think this is what it’s like just before a breakup. Less communication. Less making time for each other. Less making out. One of my favorite things in this book was the fact that all the characters were great. Each character had a lot of depth to them. No one felt one dimensional. Every character had multiple layers, and they had a purpose to the story line. The characters were all lovable in their own way. My favorite character of this book was Paige. She was kind and understanding, but she was snarky whenever the time called for it. I thought she was a great main character, and I really admired her. My other favorite character was Ben. Ben was so sweet and nerdy. I seriously want my own Ben.

Many YA contemporaries revolve around someone having an illness of some kind, or some other dark secret or something, but this book didn't, and it was a nice change. No one is dying of cancer or anything. This was just cute and sweet and put a smile on my face. Simple. The story line is a new take on a good oldy. Highley did a great job making it her own. I was totally captured by it. Each little turn and twist had me grinning and gasping. In short Highley had me wrapped around her little finger and I cant wait to read more from her... and more importantly I can't wait to get my hand on Zoe's story I adored these characters. I understood Paige so much, and I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and assure her that everything would turn out ok. And Ben… oh Ben… he’s so great! Smart, sexy, 2 jobs, cute, …?! wow! My bedroom door opens and Chunk leans against the doorframe, arms folded. “Why are you on the floor?”

I usually avoid this kind of trope, because most often than not it's usually about angst about how not good enough, not beautiful enough the mc was. Well, this book has that. But this has that lighthearted, super sweet tone that makes me sugar rushed but keep reading. This book was such a delight! The characters are endearing, the story is engaging…everything about it just worked. My shoulders are sagging and I’m in the midst of feeling really sorry for myself, so I sigh dramatically. “Everything.”

By the way… I started this book yesterday morning on my way to work, and finished it before I went to bed… it was such a fast read. Hannah’s the last to go. She bows her head; the bangs hang like a slope in front of her face. Her poem is a tribute to Fred. I decide for her next birthday I’ll get her a new Siamese fighting fish from Pete’s Pet Palace. With misunderstandings, further attempts to be perfect and growing dissatisfaction with her future, life is anything but simple for Paige! Whilst Paige may give up on being perfect, the author has succeeded in writing a novel that is perfect for escaping into, a great read with fantastically developed characters and an enthralling plot. I do hope there will be a sequel starring Paige’s best friend and school sweetheart Zoey, probably with Luke as her other half! I’ll certainly be looking out for other books by this author in future and have no hesitation in highly recommending this to anyone who enjoys teen contemporary romance.

Christmas Cards & Gift Wrap

I really liked the writing, and I loved the double POV. I’m a fan of multiple POVs, because it allows you to actually know what’s going on in the character’s minds, and here it worked perfectly, especially during the “get to know you” phase. The story is told from two POV’s, I was able to instantly connect to the characters, become obsessed with the slow burn romance and still beg for more. Epic romance aside, I loved all the secondary characters, even Ben’s mum she was such a sweet heart and I feel it’s best to mention that this is set in high school but without the slut shaming and thank god! Another great thing about this book was the absence of a completely unnecessary love triangle. When I was this very imaginative, hopeless romantic middle grader (yes, I stop being one after seeing real life in high school lol) I read All American Girl, a book by Meg Cabot about the survival of a girl named Samantha. My favorite thing about the book is Lucy's story though, Sam's popular sister who fell for a guy who tutors her. Gorgeous, addictive and impossible to put down, this is a must read for contemporary romance lovers! I loved the writing and the story. The romance was incredibly cute and sweet and the characters were really genuine. I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Hannah motions toward the beanbag chair across the bedroom. I walk over to it and plop down. I don’t know why I’m allowing her to summon me into her room, because she’s just going to ask questions I’m not going to answer. But it makes me a little less bored than I’ve been all day. And also, it beats doing the dishes. Hannah tilts her head. “She carried your child for nine months and then put it up for adoption and you haven’t asked her questions about it?” But you’re home for Thanksgiving,” she says. “Which means you’re eating our food and using our dishes and sleeping under our roof, so go do the chores.” She looks at me pointedly. “I have never liked a single girl you’ve dated until Six. Please go fix this.”This sounds crazy,” I say, “but I had sex with a girl in the maintenance closet during junior year of high school. I didn’t know who she was or what she looked like because it was dark.” Reading this reminds me of that era of hopeless romantic me. And I must say that I enjoy it quite a lot. I don't know if I would try another novel by this author. Maybe I will, when I see a promising premise. I feel protected by the beanbag right now because my gaze is on the ceiling and not on Hannah. I don’t want to look at her after vomiting all that. But an entire minute goes by and neither of us says anything, so I finally lift my head. At 17, in the beginning of her senior year, her entire life is already mapped out for her by her parents. Her father wants her to take over his practice when he retires, and her mother sees Paige's accomplishments as her own- to do well is to make her parents proud. Set on the career path of neurology, Paige must be better than 4th in her class, because she needs to get into Stanford- her father's alma mater. Unlike the rest of her fellow students, Paige's course load is heavy, and Calculus is bringing down her GPA, especially with a D. I chew on that suggestion. It’s good advice. I don’t know why I haven’t just straight-up asked her how I can help make it better for her. “I don’t know why I haven’t done that yet,” I admit.

Hannah is sitting up in bed with her laptop. Probably doing homework for med school or something equally responsible. Do they still make you do dishes when you come home? I ask her. His brain – and his heart – was tied in knots, neither one of them able to solve the problem of Paige.”

The room is silent. Hannah shakes her head in disbelief. She opens her mouth a couple of times to speak, but then shuts it. There was so much I LOVED about this book. The writing was fantastic, the story was fun but also interesting, the characters were awesome, and the romance was so sweet. I adored Ben and Paige. This is one of those books that I just didn't want to end. I love the way the author told this story, there's no bad guy. It's just a really sweet, fun, heart-warming romance and I can't wait to read more by this author! Fantastic!!! MY COWBOY BOOTS SCUFF the wooden floor as I walk onto the stage, and for the next ninety seconds I won’t think of anything but the rhythm and sound of each syllable in my poem. Today is Round One of Lakeville Middle School’s Poetry Slam Contest.