***3 Stars***
I never know what to expect when I’ve found an author I really, really like and decide to go and read the books published before the one, or ones, that had me fall in love with their writing, but it’s something of a nerve racking experience for me because I want to be open minded, but having a point of reference tends to make being unbiased difficult and that’s what happened here. Overall, I liked the book. It was a quick read that felt very YA to me, which is a good thing, but it didn’t give me that gut punch I was looking for.
In general, I liked Molly and Weston. Both have their heads screwed on semi well and, in general, are good people. Molly is thoughtful. I’m not sure if it makes her more mature or just more aware, but she doesn’t want to do something just because everyone else is. Yes, she can get nudged into things and does a great job at the deer in headlights rambling thing, but there is also a maturity to her that I appreciated.
Weston is an enigma in that his reputation fits him and yet doesn’t. When it comes to hockey he’s got his shit together. He KNOWS who Weston the hockey player is. But in other aspects of his life, he’s definitely not as solid and while I loved seeing his much more vulnerable side, I didn’t really care for it when it had him morph into ‘foot in mouth asshat’ mode or, for lack of a better term, ‘douchebag’ because I just wanted to reach out and tell him to man up and stop being a little bitch.
As for their journey. It was a mix bag of sweet, funny and frustrating, which is the hallmark for most teenage romances but this one definitely had the frustrating part kicked up by Weston’s douchebag behavior and though I liked Wes and Molly together, I do wish she’d made him grovell more in the end.
All in all the writing was engaging ~ I was pulled in from the start with no issue ~ but I felt like it was missing something that would have made it more than just a likeable read. As for the characters that populated this world, I have to say that I really liked both sets of parents and Kendall was all kinds of awesome! The boys, were boys and then there is Jenna. I understood her role in things. How she was the yin to Molly’s yang but I could have done with a little less of her and her crazy. In the end this was a cute and enjoyable YA read.
~ Copy provided by InkSlinger PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
Studious and (mostly) sensible, the only thing Molly Wakefield wants to do is get through Senior Year and graduate. Well, that and hit the beach in her spare time. Okay, fine - and go shopping every once in a while for a new dress... (and who could blame her?)
And things are going according to plan - until the day she spies Weston McGrath, handsome star athlete and scholar, spying on her in study hall.
A tad creepy? Maybe.
Thrilling? Absolutely.
You see, Weston McGrath happens to be one guy no one can get close to.
Despite her best efforts to avoid it (because let's face it - the guy isn't exactly "boyfriend material") Mollly and Weston form a friendship.
And more....
Sort of.
But it's a friendship that comes with a price - because Weston just cannot seem to stop screwing things up. Or saying all the wrong things. Possibly in that order...
And who has time for an 18 year old "fixer-upper" that should know better?
Not Molly.
Or does she?
Release Date: January 26th, 2014
***4 Stars***
I hate to admit this, but I was a tinsy bit hesitant to dive into this baby. I wanted to read it because I love and adore HTDADB, ADORE, but coming off of Kissing in Cars, which I liked but didn’t love, I was a afraid that a trend was starting. So like any good bibliophile, I took a step back, read a bunch of other books - some I loved, some not so much - and (with the deadline looming) I dove back in and I must thank the book gods because I really liked this one. It was funny, sweet, and smexy and with a good dose of frustration tossed into to the mix, it captured my interest and I finished it in no time flat.
Matthew and Cecelia. These two I loved. I did. They made my eyes hurt from all the rolling the did (mostly because of Matt) but they were a lot fun. Both have strong personalities and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. Sometimes it’s a good thing, other times not so much. But what got me was just how clueless they both could be and for whatever reason that balanced things out for me and made them relatable. As for their journey to their HEA, strong personalities combined with cluelessness is a recipe for a lot of push and pull, but also for a surprisingly sweet slow burn style romance that proved that not only did they fit well together, but that they were probably the only ones who could put up with each other for the long haul.
I can’t truly pinpoint why I enjoyed this book more than the first, there could be a plethora of reasons or it could simply fall under the any given day thing, but this one just worked for me on every level. One big one for me were the secondary characters. I loved what they brought to the story and how they made it a lot more fun. Molly and Weston were awesome in this one and I loved seeing how they’ve both matured. Kevin and Neve were a lot of fun and though I had my issues with Jenna in the first book, I did like what she brought to the table in this one. And as for Abby, I really liked her and am looking forward to getting to know her better in the next book!
~ Copy provided by InkSlinger PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
"Trust me - If there's one thing I'm not attracted to, it's an arrogant, selfish and foul-mouth hockey player. I know what I want, and Matthew Wakefield isn't it." - Cecelia Carter
From the first moment they laid eyes on each other, all Cecelia Carter and Matthew Wakefield do is bicker. Fight. Even though he is her roommates brother, Cece just can't stand the sight of him, and Matthew - well. He could never resist a challenge...
That can't be a good combination, can it?
But sometimes, love happens when you least expect it.
This book is intended for those 17 and older - If you're offended by "F" bombs, sarcasm, sexual situations and Alpha Male jackasses - this book is not for you...
Release Date: November 27th, 2014
***5 ‘Awkward’ Stars***
Is it any surprise that this was the book in the series I ended up adoring the most? I mean I love it when the “awkward” character comes out on top, and this one has not one but two of them! And though there were some frustrating moments perpetrated by not only the MC’s, but their friends, this book was mostly sweet, funny and full of heart.
Caleb and Abby were kind of everything. Abby is sweet and hard working. What I loved about her the most was that while she may not be comfortable in big social situations, she is comfortable with who she is, awkwardness and all and it made it easy to connect with her. Caleb comes across as all kinds of broody and has a huge neon sign floating above him that says “stay back” ( which of course no one pays attention to) but under the broodyness is a really good guy. He may speak very little but he’s the guy who will step in and help someone out, even while bitching about it.
Abby and Caleb’s journey was all kinds of awkward and sweet. There were a good number of frustrating moments brought upon by themselves and their friends, but in the end it was those moments that, in a weirdly perfect way, opened their eyes to who each other were and brought them closer. As for the big bump in the road for them, I knew it was coming and I got why it was a thing, but I was firmly #TeamCaleb and though there could have been a little more effort on Abby’s part, I loved how they got things straightened out in the end.
This was a fun series to read. It may have started out slow for me but finished well. I will say that having read and loved the How to Date A Douchebag series it was hard not to compare the two since there were similar vibes throughout, but in the end i can honestly say I enjoyed spending time with these characters and seeing how their stories played out.
ABIGAIL DARLINGTON IS AWKWARD…
She will never be “that” girl. You know the one: that girl on campus, confident in her own skin. Always saying the right things. Putting herself out there. Knows how to talk to a guy without stammering.
Nope. Shy but clever, and easily embarrassed, Abby is fine being the wallflower in her circle of outgoing, beautiful friends; she would rather read about a sexy book boyfriend than actually have a live, breathing one.
…BUT CALEB LOCKHART IS WORSE.
Star goaltender for the University’s hockey team, Caleb is quiet and broody, preferring the solitude of his orderly, regimented life. He doesn’t like, or need people—and plans to keep it that way. One more year left of hockey and he’ll be long gone.
AWKWARD NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD.
Both their lives change the day that Abigail falls for Caleb. Well, falls directly on top of him, to be accurate. Because sometimes we don’t settle into love.
We fall there.
WARNING: This book contains cursing, and LOTS of it. It also has sex, uncomfortable sexual situations, and secondary characters who say some really inappropriate shit. RATING: R
Release Date: May 31st, 2015
She lives with her children, and her ridiculously large dog.
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