From the shelf: The Fine Art of Pretending

Title: The Fine Art of Pretending

Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Date read: May 21-24, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

I'm still all for stories that involves friendships turning into something more because familiarity is that safe haven that I like. No more getting to know each other, pretending to let someone like you first in the surface. No pretensions, just all you. And this story has that flavor. Although there were times that it was too stereotypical and I got a bit dragged in the middle, it still had me engrossed on the 'will they or won't they drama'.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Heir

Title: The Heir (The Selection #4)

Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA, Romance, Dystopian
Date read: May 20-21, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: (Mer and Maxon's story) The Selection, The Elite, The One

It was overwhelming to hear that this series didn't bid goodbye. I was curious on what their married life would look like. This novel starts after having a time skip of 20 years after Maxon's selection in which him and Mer rules Ilea together with their 4 kids Eadlyn, Ahren, Kaden and Osten. The story focuses on Eadlyn, the heir of the throne due to the fact that she beat her twin brother by 7 minutes. Present day Ilea have dissolved the caste system and they are still facing a possible uprising due to people adjusting without the castes. And to create a diversion, a new selection has begun with Eadlyn being the one who chooses. I like Eadlyn's character being that stubborn, independent woman capable of running a country. I see her side in which she is reluctant to choose her partner because she is capable in handling everything herself. To be honest, I liked her character more than Mer's at the beginning of the series but her capabilities has its cons as well and that is by being too distant to everyone and that to stop her being too attached because it would make her weak (I could relate a bit). I have tis selection candidate which I am rooting for because of their chemistry and as I go though the book now I'm confused; but still rooting for him. Plus the ending is the biggest cliffhanger ever!

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Fill-In Boyfriend

Title: The Fill-in Boyfriend
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Date read: May 18-19, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

 My Review: (also in goodreads)

The story unlike the last two novels was completely different. There wasn't any character connections in between the stories. There were times in between where I hated Gia's character for being clueless and shallow (cue Clueless movie) but I liked how her character developed. Although I was a bit sad about her falling out with her friend Claire (not much about the other ones), I think Bec and Hayden were much more real and better friends for her. There would come a time that one must distance themselves from their past life to reflect and let themselves grow. If the friendship reconnects for the better, then they grew into a better person; but if it is not, it wold be one of those relationships you have to distance from to let yourself fully grow.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: On the Fence

Title: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Date read: May 18, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

 My Review: (also in goodreads)

This was an entertaining read from Kasie West. After reading 'The Distance Between Us', it took me months to try another book from this author and this was a very entertaining read. What amused me is the slight cameo of Caymen and the mention of Xander from the last novel. I loved the fact that she was the only girl in the family and that her brothers were overprotective and at the same time hilarious. Though the plot was cliche(having a boy you've known your whole life suddenly seen more than just a brother), this read was still an entertaining romcom in the making. I especially love the witty banter between Charlie, her brothers and Braden.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Just One Night

Title: Just One Night
Author: Gayle Forman
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Date read: May 16, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

After spending one life-changing day in Paris with laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter, sheltered American good girl Allyson “Lulu” Healey discovered her new lover had disappeared without a trace. Just One Day followed Allyson’s quest to reunite with Willem; Just One Year chronicled the pair’s year apart from Willem’s perspective. Now, back together at last, this delectable e-novella reveals the couple’s final chapter.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Just One Day, Just One Year

It was nice going back to re-visit Allyson and Willem's 'one fateful encounter'. This was like the answer to all the questions that has been running through my mind at the end of Just One Year. This is the appropriate ending to their story. The ending for this novella might be unsure about the future, at least they found each other. Everything finally fell into place.

Till the next read...