Look, it's the end of the summer and I *finally* read some contemporary novels! I'm so proud of myself, because it's a genre I don't reach for a lot... I've been very late on my reviews (I read the first two books of the post a month ago... Oops), so I choose to do a mini-review post, as it's been awhile, and you'll also have everything in one place. Yay! I've also been in a blogging slump, because I don't have a lot of alone time these days, but I'll try to fix this in September (but uni will start again so I don't know if I'll be able to *sobs*).
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I have a
complicated relationship with Jennifer L. Armentrout's books. I loved her Lux
series and Don't Look Back but never got into her other paranormal series,
because they felt so cliché and I couldn't bear with it. I haven't read her New
Adult books either, because it's a genre I hardly ever reach for - except for
Colleen Hoover's novels - but I wanted to give this one a go.
In my
opinion, this book is important, by the topics it brought and the message
behind that. At times it could be a bit hard to read (urm listen to as I had it
as an audiobook) because it didn't sugar-coat anything and I loved it. It felt
so realistic and wasn't about privileged teens. If you're interested in reading
about children abuse, foster kids, gangs… It was a good coming-of-age story
about a girl who barely talk and I could totally relate to that (even if I
don't have her trauma) and how it's frustrating not to know what to say, but
also how people can judge you for it.
However,
this book was way too long and it's one the main reasons I couldn't love it
until the last part of the book that was fast-paced and a total page-turner.
Moreover, the romance was so cringe-worthy. Mallory kept going on, and on, and
on, about how hot Rider was and it was so frustrating: I GET IT, UGH. While I could feel the characters connection
through it all, the way it was written made my eyes rolled, especially when the
author was ending a chapter right before they kissed for the first time and
then described it in details.
There is a difference between romantic and cheesy…
Overall,
this book tackled down some important topics and sometimes, I didn't see it
coming. Nevertheless, I felt like there were so much drama at times and once
again it could have been avoided (even if I understand that the characters are
teens and all of that). The romance was cheesy and made me rolled my eyes more
than once…
You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour & David Levithan
I went
into this book without having really read anything by these authors before -
except Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which
David Levithan co-authored, but I definitely want to read more of their books
now that I finished You Know Me Well. I
picked this up because I wanted a quick read and it's definitely what I got,
because I read it in a couple of hours.
It was
refreshing to read a dual perspectives book where you knew, from the beginning,
that the main characters weren't going to end up together. I feel like the
authors' writing styles clicked well together, even though Mark and Kate's
voices were distinct from each other, and I could relate to them both in
different ways. Almost every character (except the parents?) were part of the
LGBTQIA+ community and it was just there, for you to assume it, when the
contrary happens more often than not for straight characters.
While
this book involved romance aspects, it was more of a coming-of-age story about
how you can't always get what you want, but also how it's okay to be lost.
Moreover, it focused a lot on friendship and how you can bond with someone when
you expect it the least and how it can change your life forever. You Know Me
Well wasn't set at the beginning of the school year, which happens 85% of the
time in contemporary, but during the last few days, where you can feel
independence and freedom on the tip of your tongue. Moreover, it showed that
college isn't the only way after high school, that sometimes you can need a
break and it isn't discussed enough, in my opinion. It
involved a lot of art, which was so fascinating and discovering the world
behind all of it was interesting.
Overall, I read this
coming-of-age story pretty quickly, it was addictive and I had so many feels
while reading. If you're looking for a LGBTQIA+ book, I would definitely
recommend this one!
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
Kasie
West is one of my go-to contemporary authors, because her novels are always so cute, even
if predictable, but well… We're talking about YA romance novels, I've
given up on being surprised! Of course, when P.S. I Like You was released, I
wasn't able to wait and read it almost straight away, I devoured it and oh, how
I loved it.
The
concept of the story was unique, because it was about getting to know someone
through notes, so it was about who he was and it didn't focus on the physical
aspect. It was so much fun to imagine the characters writing entire letters
during class, I would've been found out straight away, but it was so cute. Of
course, I had figured out the pen pal's identity straight away, but I was
curious to see how the author would make me fall for this character… And oh
damn, she did it! I was shipping the characters together so hard and I loved
their character development, because we learnt so much about them through the
letters and it brought a new light to them.
I loved
the family aspect of the story, because I'm from a big family and it's a
personal pleasure to read about these dynamics. Kasie West definitely captured
what it felt like to be part of such a family, how you don't feel like you
exist for yourself sometimes, because you always need to help your parents out,
or how your family must seem crazy to strangers and it can mess up some aspects
of your social life. All of that felt so realistic and Lily's family will
remain one of my favourite fictional ones (I need to make a post on the subject
I think!).
Overall,
I think this book was amazing for a cute contemporary romance. I was rooting
for the characters and fell in love along with Lily, so the author was
definitely successful. I would 100% recommend Kasie West's books and you should
start with this one, as it's my favourite!
After
reading You Know Me Well, I was excited to read something by Nina LaCour and I
had heard so many great things about Everything Leads To You. The hype was so
real but it was so well-deserved, in my opinion. I'm excited to read anything
she'll write next.
It was my
first F/F romance actually (if we don't count You Know Me Well) and I really
enjoyed it, I will definitely read more of them in the future. While this book
involved a romance, it wasn't the main focus of the book, even though the
characters interacted a lot. Indeed, this book was also about a mystery
surrounding a movie superstar and its legacy, it was interesting and I was as
involved as Emi and Charlotte in this search.
Moreover,
this novel was set in Los Angeles and it was basically a behind-the-scenes of
Hollywood, which I loved, because it's so interesting to read about it. Emi was
an aspiring set designer and it was compelling to read about her having new
opportunities and how everything she put in place was important for a movie. I
have to say the design is something I don't always focus on (even if sometimes
I'm awe-struck by rooms and need my apartment to be like that, haha). In fact,
I'm glad that we saw everything about the pre-production and the book ended
while they were starting filming, because it means we didn't get the glamorous
parts, but what ends the fantasy, as the characters say.
I enjoyed
reading about these characters, most of the main ones were so lost in their
life and I was rooting for them to find their way, which they definitely did. I
was shipping the characters together and I'm glad they got together at the end
and not while they were in the middle of their own personal drama. Nina LaCour
did great with the representation part, because there were persons of colours
and people from different type of sexualities and I felt so pleased with that.
Overall,
I wasn't blown away by this book, because it was easy to follow but it wasn't
breath-taking. Nevertheless, it was a nice romance with characters I was
rooting for and it brought to light some aspects of Hollywood we don't always
see in books. If you're looking for a LGBTQIA+ book, I would definitely
recommend it!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What was the last contemporary novel you read and loved?
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