Breakup From Hell by Ann Davila Cardinal Book Review!

 

Title: Breakup From Hell
Author: Ann Davila Cardinal
Publish Date: January 3rd, 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she’s known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him.

It’s not long before she is under Sam’s spell and doing things she’s never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches—and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird.

Mica’s gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she’s ever met. But when Mica discovers his family’s roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she’s living in a horror novel.

She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves?

Clever, hilarious, and steeped in supernatural suspense, Breakup From Hell will keep you hooked until the last page.

Penelope's Review

I love the idea behind this book, but unfortunately it just didn't live up to my expectations. While the plot itself is decent, I had some issues with pacing and characters. The book starts out pretty fast paced, but I felt like some parts later on started to drag a bit. I didn't love the romance aspect, unfortunately. I felt like there was a lack of chemistry between Mica and her love interests, and I wasn't really excited to delve deeper into her relationships because I wasn't able to form any attachments to the characters. Everyone around Mica was secretive and manipulative, and while I understand it was to protect her, I still would have liked to see some solidarity from her best friends. 

The writing style itself was ok, but could use a bit of work in my opinion. It felt very juvenile (and that's not just because it's a YA book, as I've ready plenty of YA with a more developed writing style). The ending wasn't my favorite - it's a bit rushed and kind of thrown together.

Overall, I think the book was ok, and there are definitely those who will love it, it just wasn't really for me. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Devils!

Blame it on the Mistletoe by Beth Garrod Book Review!

 

Title: Blame it on the Mistletoe
Author: Beth Garrod   
Publish Date: November 2nd, 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Tweet Cute meets the movie The Holiday in this funny holiday rom-com where two very different girls swap lives for a Christmas adventure.

Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife...or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she's on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?

Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with favorite social media influencer?

Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn't expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.

Penelope's Review

I am always down for a Christmas book, especially one that involves a super cute romance so I was super excited to delve into this one at last! Elle and Holly have decided to switch houses for the holidays, and each have their own reasons for doing so.

Elle is a popular influencer on social media who has joined a competition that could make or break her account - in a bid for more followers, she decides to switch houses with one of her followers. Holly is a Christmas fanatic but big changes at home combined with a need to show her ex just how spontaneous she can be leads to her decision to head to America for Christmas. The fact that she's switching houses with her favorite social media star? BONUS! And our story continues from there...

I loved how festive this book was! It was all about Christmas which is my favourite time of the year, so that really helped me get invested in the story. But, I didn't love the writing style - it felt a little juvenile and chaotic. There were enough good moments throughout to keep my attention though, and I'm glad I finished the book!

In terms of romance, I preferred Holly's story to Elle's - I didn't feel as invested in Elle's romance, it kind of felt thrown in out of necessity and there wasn't enough interaction/build up to make it believable. Holly and Nick, however, had a bit more going for them. I definitely enjoyed their arc a lot more! 

Overall, this is a cute story with some really sweet moments, but I wouldn't say it's a must-read. Great for a quick, light read to get you in the holiday spirit though! It has some good take-home messages throughout as well, which is great for the younger groups who may read this.

Rating: 3/5 Devils!

Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel Book Review!

 

Title: Stealing Infinity (Stolen Beauty #1)
Author: Alyson Noel
Publish Date: June 28th, 2022
Publisher: Entangled Teen 
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

These days, I’ve been killing it when it comes to letting people down. Now I’ve been kicked out of high school, arrested, and accepted into a remote, off-the-grid school owned and operated by an inscrutable billionaire tech guru.

Gray Wolf Academy is looking for a certain kind of student. Ones that no one will miss. Like me.

Then there’s Braxton. The beautiful, oddly anachronistic guy who showed up right when the trouble started. And he’s a total enigma—which means that I definitely can’t trust him, even if there’s something about him that makes me want to.

They all tell me I have a gift. A very rare gift. And Gray Wolf Academy wants me to learn it. To use it. Because if what they say is true, I have all the time in the world.

And that makes me the most dangerous high school student you’ll never know…

Penelope's Review

Time travel, teen angst, and a hidden "boarding" school run by a billionaire? Yea, I'll sign up for that! Lol! Alyson Noel is back with a new young adult series that follows Natasha as she is swept up in a world of intrigue, mystery, and of course, time travel!

Natasha's life has been up-ended, and nothing will ever be the same. She has been whisked away to an off-the-grid school that goes a little beyond teaching your basic math and science courses. I liked Natasha as a female lead - her reactions are pretty realistic and I like that she stands up for herself and doesn't let petty drama get in the way of her standing out. The romance with Braxton kind of took me by surprise... it happened super fast and honestly... I wasn't really feeling it. It just lacked the chemistry and connection that should have been jumping off the page. There seems to be another love interest at the end of the book, however, that I am MUCH more excited to see play out... My fingers are crossed for that one because there is some serious potential for that match.

The side characters were pretty good - Elodie was your basic mean girl with daddy issues, but played the part well. There seems to be some hints toward some layers with the girl, but we'll see how her character pans out in the next book. Arthur Blackstone is a billionaire with an agenda, but his love of art shines through. 

I feel like this was a good book, but a bit on the slower side. There are bursts of activity and excitement and the combination of time travel, numerology, astrology, tarot, art, and so on was very cool to read about. But I didn't get that "can't put it down" feeling. That said, I think the way this book paves the way for the second, shows great potential for the rest of the series. I think alot is going to happen in the next book and I think it's going to be much faster-paced. Looking forward to continuing the series!

Rating: 3.5/5 Devils!

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han Book Review!

 

Title: It's Not Summer Without You (Summer #2)
Author: Jenny Han
Publish Date: April 27th, 2010
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Taken from my little sister's bookshelf!

Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (soon to be a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.

Penelope's Review

Belly's story continues in this second installment to the Summer trilogy! I absolutely ADORED the first book, so I dove right into the second one with high hopes! Happy to report that I was definitely NOT disappointed. 

Everything has changed. This book is so full of emotion, both happy and sad. Belly is starting to grow up, though she's still a bit immature. Again, her character stays true to her age and I was once again struck by how relatable she is! I loved getting to know her even more and going on such an emotional roller coaster alongside her lol! I don't know if I said this in my review of the first book but I am Team Conrad! Yes, yes I know he strings Belly along a bit but... I just get him! He's this tough, keep everything inside kind of guy but really he's a little mushball that's so helplessly in love! SWOON! When Conrad goes missing, Belly jumps at the chance to face him again and see where she stands. I loved this whole storyline honestly, despite missing Susanna like crazy! 

We also get to see some chapters in Jeremiah's point of view which was SUPER exciting! Despite being Team Conrad, I love Jeremiah's character! I think he's so fun and sweet and it was great getting to see into his head. My heart wishes for some Conrad POV but that's ok lol.

I still love Jenny Han's writing style - it's clean, simple, and relatable. She's really great with characters, and making them sound exactly like real kids. Overall, this was such a great addition to the series and I am both over the moon excited and sad to read the last book in the trilogy next!

Rating: 5/5 Devils!

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han Book Review!

 

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)
Author: Jenny Han
Publish Date: May 5th, 2009
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Source: Taken from my little sister's bookshelf lol

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer—they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Penelope's Review

Omigosh! This is such a fun, nostalgic summer read! I'm so glad I've started this series! With the TV show releasing Friday, I decided to read the books before delving into the show and I'm so happy I did.

Isabel AKA Belly is our main female lead, and she spends every summer at Cousins Beach with her mom, brother, her mom's friend Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly is such a relatable girl! She's fifteen, turning sixteen and has the maturity level that I would expect for a girl her age. That is hands down the best thing about this book - the fact that every character acts their age (in my opinion) and I could 100% see myself in these situations reacting the exact same way. It just made me feel... young again! Granted, I'm saying this at age 27 LOL but still! You get what I mean if you read this :)

I loved Conrad and Jeremiah. As brothers, we get to see the good and the bad - the protective side of one, the adoration from the other, the arguments expected of a pair of teenage boys, and so on. They are both so, so different personality wise, and yet I loved them both!

Plot wise, this story is full of love and heartache, innocent fun, and a summer full of adventure! It hits every nerve, it'll have you laughing one page and crying the next, you'll relate to Belly and her struggles with first love.... I really just can't say enough good things about it. AND the writing is great!!! I cannot stress this enough - it DOES NOT sound like an adult trying to write a 16 year old... it just sounds like a 16 year old! That's one of my favourite aspects because I can't stand it when a book features a young girl and it's written the way an author THINKS a girl that age would speak. This one just flows naturally. Highly recommend to readers any age!

Rating: 5/5 Devils!