The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy 💋👩🏻‍🏫⛸

The Deal by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this is the series that started the Briar University universe I believe, which got me really excited to dive into. These guys are the OGs, after all.

And I have to say I did like it. It was fun enough but also with glimpses of seriousness that brought the book a step higher. I liked both main characters, Hannah and Garret were broadly explored as individuals and I got a pretty good idea of their strengths and insecurities before they were even a couple, which was good. But while I liked them, I wasn’t crazy for neither of them and that makes me sad :C

The side characters, though, were all pretty meh. While I do know that they are going to be explored further in the next books, they were too many of them and there was too little about them for me to care.

I recently read The Chase, which is the first book in the spin-off, and thought that one felt a lot faster and funnier, but maybe it is because this one deals with pretty heavy topics that it felt a lot more somber.

I also think it dragged on some. It could have ended a few chapters before it did and it would have been better. But over all I did not regret it, and I plan on reading the rest of the books eventually. Especially because my friend is really vouching for them. Here’s hoping!

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Review: Cactus Jack A Novel by Brad Smith 🌵 🐎

Cactus Jack: A Novel by Brad Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is no going wrong with a good, old-fashioned horse novel. Even though, technically, this is not a horse novel. It is about a horse yes—Cactus Jack, a colt born of the greatest horse in the world, who might just be the next best horse in the world now. But it’s also about the past and present of the people around this horse. A band of mismatched characters that come together not-so intentionality to maybe witness the miraculous rise of an underdog.

From Will Masterson, the owner of Cactus Jack to his daughter Billie and everyone in between—Jodie, the ten-year-old neighbor with a soft heart for animals; Clay, the gentle giant/fierce lawyer; Marian, the kickass ex-girlfriend of Will Masterson; and Luke, scoundrel and horse trainer extraordinaire—I enjoyed everyone’s part on the story, their ups and downs and their ultimate redemption.

The pace was great, the drama was plenty. I liked that the intelligence on the characters shone through instead of being stated. And the build-up expectation on Cactus Jack’s performance as a race horse was worth everything. Very well accomplished novel in my opinion, enjoyable for a perfect rainy afternoon.

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You Say It First by Katie Cotugno

You Say It First by Katie Cotugno
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, there was that.

As I sit here dumbfounded, I can’t help but reminisce about my first Katie Cotugno experience, 99 Days. Because after that masterpiece, I didn’t believe (though I really tried to) that she could do it again. But she did, and the giddiness I’ve been feeling since I first cracked this book open is proof.

I mean what is not to like about a couple of teenagers, total opposites in so many ways, coming together to realize their differences could make them better. I felt this book was important in so many levels. It’s about a lot of the current issues in the world: feminism, sexism, politics, depression, suicide, and so many feelings that keep our brains reeling. It explored both sides of every coin without being preachy, for all the Megs and the Colbys out there (and the ones like me, that alternate between both).

And like the mastermind that she is, Katie Cotugno managed to develop a nail-bitting, heart-racing romance in between all of that. The story is deliciously intricate, with twists and turns galore, so much so that I was glued to the pages from start to finish without stopping. And when I did, because the book ended, all I wanted to do was groan and ask for more.

I can’t wait for all of you to dig in and discover it for yourselves. Meanwhile I am going to be ordering a couple of copies for my shelves.

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Kissing Lessons 😘 by Sophie Jordan

Kissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kissing Lessons

I can’t hardly believe it’s been like two centuries since I last read a book by Sophie Jordan. And I am pleased to admit we both have really grown into our better selves so far.

Kissing Lessons was so much fun. I mean, you can’t expect any less from a book that literally has the word kissing in the title. But it was better than just another summer read.

The story is about this girl Hayden, who everyone knows has a “bad reputation”, so naturally school-nerd Emmaline hires her to teach her how to seduce her brother Nolan’s best friend, Beau, who has been her long time crush.

As you can imagine this leads us to a couple of cringe-worthy moments of adolescence, but also lots of sweet interactions between two misunderstood girls.

I loved a lot about this book, but the thing I liked the most was the two main girls rapidly growing friendship. I loved how neither of them took the rumors for granted and instead made their own opinions about the other. They were good friends and it cemented the need we have for more girls building each other up in Young Adult Lit.

I thought the author did an amazing job developing Hayden. All her monologues reveled exactly who she was, and no one was surer of that than her. She was so tough and independent, yet her vulnerability was easy to spot too. After all she was just a kid living in the worst possible conditions, trying to convince herself she had accepted her fate. I loved her and wanted to hug her most of the book.

The guys were pretty fantastic too. Nolan was such a sweetheart—he was the only man in his household and had learned how to express his emotions without being ashamed of them. And Beau was the least developed character of the four main ones and still he was great, I could perfectly tell him apart of the rest and got to know why Emmaline felt so intensely about him.

Spoiler ahead—-> Maybe the only detail I can point out is the cheating. Which some people might not even consider cheating, but there was a kiss while one of the characters was in a relationship and that always feels wrong to me. But it was so very well acknowledged and not swept under the rug—I appreciated that. <—-end of spoiler.

Overall another great book that made me feel giddy and excited throughout. In a world of uncertainty, today after reading this book I can testify in favor of the fact that first love is still as delightfully glorious to read about as it is to experience.

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