IF WE BREAK UP – Cheyanne Young

by TPS reader sealyq26

I really enjoyed reading If We Break Up by Cheyanne Young because as a young person I kind of felt like I could relate to it. It also taught me lessons like not to rush into a relationship so young and to find the right person for myself. You have all of your life to find someone right for you, but if you think the person is right, then go for it. I really understood and felt closest to Honey’s feelings in this book. I felt that she just lost her spark for Luca because they were together for so long, and I don’t blame her being with the same person for that long can be really underwhelming and sometimes boring. That’s why personally settling down earlier would not be my goal. I think it’s good that Honey and Luca went on dates with other people because that really tests their relationship to see if they really are meant for each other. Many people don’t like trying new things sometimes because it can be scary, but in some situations you have to just to see if you are making the right decision for your future. It’s always important to try new things, and I think that is an important theme in this book. You have to experience a lot of things before settling down, and I respect Honey for her choices in this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to young readers who enjoy romance novels with a bit of a twist!

BREAKUP SUPPORT GROUP – Cheyanne Young

by TPS reader Nagdar26

For my first book this semester, I chose to read The Breakup Support Group by Cheyanne Young. The book follows a high school senior, Isla Rush, as she navigates through getting her heart broken by her boyfriend of over four years and falling in love again. The story starts by introducing the readers to Isla and her life at the school in Texas she’s attended all her life. She has the perfect football player boyfriend, and her life is excellent up until he breaks up with her at a party a few weeks before school starts up again. Isla’s boyfriend, Nate, breaks up with her because of a rezoning policy designed by the city that forces her to leave her life at her school behind and switch schools before senior year to another school across town. The rest of the book is about her adjusting to her new life and school, including her joining a club called the “Breakup Support Group,” where she makes new friends, including a boy named Emory. While Isla navigates her new life, she also falls in love with Emory while still getting over Nate. This book was a quick and easy read although the cringey lines and overall plot made the book feel lacking. However, it was a light-hearted book with plenty of swoon-worthy moments and dramatic instances which helped cover up for the lack of an actual plot. It felt repetitive with continuous meetings of the Breakup Support Group talking about the same things repeatedly. Overall, I would rate this book a 5/10 and would recommend it to someone who wants an easy, romantic, quick read with light-hearted characters. 

THE DREAM HEIST – Christina Farley

by TPS reader alchc27

The book that I first chose to read was The Dream Heist by Christina Farley. It is a book filled with mysteries, adventure, drama, and a little bit of romance. The book follows the adventure of Aria Hale and her friends. They all work together with her dad at MAXlife. I enjoyed the book from the second I started it. There wasn’t a dull moment and that is what kept me reading. Once you really got into it and things started to connect, it was hard to put down. The friendships between Aria, Jake, Sun, Tony, and Javier grew throughout the entire book. Aria and Jake were classmates but never talked until they were forced to after she went into his dreams, and they developed feelings for each other. He helped solve the mystery, and they wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. As she went across the country, she found things she never thought she would, new beginnings, and even love. When the final plot twist happens, it makes the book even better. Looking back there is a lot of foreshadowing that you wouldn’t catch the first time you read it. Trying to solve the mystery with the characters is really fun. Bad things happen, but they always find a way around it and work together to do so. Overall I really enjoyed The Dream Heist, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves mystery filled with lots of drama. I would read this book again and would love to catch even more foreshadowing within everything that happens.

ODD ONE OUT by Nic Stone

by TPS reader princem27

I read Odd One Out by Nic Stone for my first book. This young-adult
book shows multiple perspectives on different relationships and how they
affect other people. I thought that it was interesting how they all had
feelings for each other, but they didn’t all know until the end of the book and
then it was too late, and it caused friendships to fall apart. The three friends
learn to navigate through their feelings as well as accepting existing
relationships or new ones. It shows how they balance their friendships, as well as their
romantic lives all while going to school and doing countless community
service and extracurricular activities. Courtney Cooper whose nickname is
Coop has known he’s been in love with his gay best friend, Jupiter Charity-
Sanchez, for a while now. Jupiter starts hanging out with this new girl Rae
Evelyn Chin. Rae’s dad works with Coop’s mom so they also start hanging
out. Jupiter starts to have feelings for Rae and thinks that Rae felt the
same because of how clingy she was to her. Coop started to have secret
feelings for Rae while still liking Jupiter. This is where things start to get
complicated; this twist in the book keeps the reader hooked through to the
end of the book. I highly recommend this book to people who like romance
and specifically in the romance genre, best friends to lovers. I enjoyed the
book and stayed intrigued. I loved how the pages just made me want to
keep reading. Overall, this was a great book that I highly recommend and
that I loved.

10 BLIND DATES by Ashley Elston

by TPS reader ballit24

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston is such a good book. Sophie’s parents are out of town, and she spends Christmas time with her Grandparents and family. She breaks up with her boyfriend, and her family plans for her to go on 10 blind dates. Each member of the family picks someone for her to go out with and where they go. Each family member picks some weird and interesting places for Sophie’s dates. As a result, she really gets to know her family and what each person thinks best suits her and what is best for her by the date choices they make. I feel like she makes deeper connections with her family members. I feel like Sophie understands herself a lot better because she meets so many different people with different personalities, so she has to really think about herself before others. This book has such a good plot because each different date is suspenseful, and you can’t stop reading the book once you start. You just want to get through each day to see what happens with Sophie. Sophie goes through a lot of ups and downs in the book but that is what makes her such a good character. If I had to recommend this book to someone, I would say all positive things about it because I think I have found one of my new favorite books.

WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by Elizabeth Acevedo

By TPS reader taylorm26

With The Fire On High By Elizabeth Acevedo was overall an amazing book! This book is about Emoni, who is a strong selfless senior in high school who has had to make some tough choices in her life. But nothing has stopped her from making amazing creations in the kitchen. That is where her true emotions and passions show through. When a new cooking course at her school inspires her to take risks, she doesn’t know what to do, take the risk, or have more time with her baby girl? Not to mention Malachi, who is handsome and actually appreciates her passion for cooking and loves spending time with her. With Elizabeth Acevedo’s poetic writing and Emoni’s colorful cooking and storyline, this book is truly a wonder. Emoni and all the characters have incredible story arcs with Emoni’s character being the biggest. All the characters have such dynamic and deep stories to tell. One of my favorite parts of this book was during the opening of each section, Emoni has a recipe that will set the tone of the next few chapters. It is so interesting to see Emoni’s actual creativity on paper, and what each recipe means to her. I also love how the story raps up. I love how Emoni decided to go to college and follow her dreams, and take a risk. With The Fire On High is an amazing book and should definitely be on top of your reading list. 

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab

by TPS reader ruppj18

In A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, a guy named Kell is one of the last of his kind. Antari are a rare type of magician who can travel between different worlds. There used to be four worlds, Red London, White London, Gray London, and Black London, until Black London was consumed by the magic that the people there so desperately wanted to control. Now no one goes there and any remaining magic from there was destroyed, so people could not travel there. Kell is a messenger for Red London, which is the most beautiful and prosperous London, and he travels between Londons on official business, or at least most of the time. On the side, Kell is a smuggler, carrying magic to those who wish for the magic they will probably never have. This habit leads to a dangerous object being passed to him in White London, which was ruled by terrible people and was full of death and fighting, and an accidental betrayal of the crown. While in Gray London, he stumbles upon a girl named Delilah Bard, or Lila, who promptly robs him of the dangerous item he had recently obtained and also saves his life. Lila has always wanted to be a ship captain and live a life of adventure, and she saw the discovery of Kell as her opportunity to escape her life and have some fun. Now joined together, these two friends must face countless trials and betrayals in order to keep the people they love and the places they live safe from harm.

This book starts off slow but gets really good. You’re instantly attracted to Black London, a place full of mystery and forbidden to everyone. Kell is a loveable character, and Lila is a funny, tough girl who you really want to succeed. I really liked this book and I can’t wait to read the rest!

THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith

by TPS reader wuerzk19

Lucy Patterson is a bit of an outcast, and she’s constantly left behind in her New York City apartment while her parents travel around the world and her brothers go off to college. She doesn’t have any friends and is ready for another boring night alone in her apartment when suddenly a citywide blackout occurs, and she becomes stuck in an elevator. Little does she know the boy stuck in the elevator with her would soon play a significant role in her life. Owen Buckley is also an outcast, the death of his mother having changed his life forever. At his old home he had friends and a good life, but with his mother’s passing, Owen and his father set off to New York and left their old life completely behind them. Owen hates New York until the night the power goes out and he meets Lucy. Together they share one amazing night wandering the darkened city and gazing up at the stars from the roof of the apartment building. However, when the lights come back on, so does reality, and Lucy and Owen are forced into different directions, both moving away from New York City. As they start new lives and meet new people, they try to stay in touch by postcards and emails. But will their one perfect night be enough to keep them in each other’s lives forever? Or will the distance be too much for them to keep in touch?

This is a sweet long-distance love story, perfect for anyone in search of a good romance book. The colorful descriptions give the reader a taste of many different parts of the world that they get to experience along with the characters. The book is also packed with plot twists and unexpected events that keep the story moving along. I definitely recommend this book to anyone searching for a satisfying love story.

THE SELECTION by KIERA CASS

by TPS reader barons20

The Selection by Kiera Cass is a story of a regular girl becoming regal. The main character America is in the adventure of a lifetime. She was chosen to be in a group with 35 other girls to win over the prince, Maxon. Minor problem, America is already in love with someone at home. She has to choose between a childhood lover, or a prince that could change her and her family’s lives forever. Prince Maxon is the opposite of what America thought he would be. He is kind, charming, and not so experienced with dating as she’d thought. America’s family isn’t the wealthiest bunch, so she joined “The Selection” contest so her family would receive the weekly income. Maxon wasn’t very happy when he heard about this, but he understood. I would love to trade places with  America to see what palace life is like.

 

THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

by TPS reader lamara20

This is a book centralized around the idea of emails. One girl and one boy begin an email chain on the total chance that this boy typed in the wrong email address. He, Graham Larkin, was trying to email the person who was supposed to babysit his pet pig. He explains this to the girl, Ellie O’Neill. Graham in his reality is living as an actor as the main part of the last move to one of his previous. Ellie is a simple girl from a simple town, but with a troubled back-story we find later in the book when she admits it to Graham. He ends up being so interested in this mythic girl who he’s found through a simple mistake that he tells his producer to have them shoot the next movie in her hometown. She and her friend work in the same ice cream shop. Ironically, her best friend borrows her shirt and then Graham asks her out. At dinner, when Graham realizes it must not be Ellie, he makes it a bit too obvious and his date realizes it too. However, she just so happens to be Ellie’s best friend so she understands and gives him directions to her house. Ellie didn’t like the Graham Larkin that everyone knew, but the Graham Larkin who’d been emailing her for so long now, she felt an instant connection. However, Ellie still has a secret she’s been hiding that could be the end for her and Graham. This book is a must read for romantics, and you won’t want to put it down for a second.