3.5 Stars Archives - Page 4 of 16

Book Review: On Thin Ice by Julie Cross

Feb 13, 2019

On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls #3) by Julie Cross

Pages: 340
Publish date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
ISBN: 9781640634107
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it…until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is.

Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and―shocking even to him―finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.

As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.

On Thin Ice:

I received an e-arc of On Thin Ice by Julie Cross from Entangled: Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve read a couple of Julie Cross’ books before picking up On Thin Ice, and while they aren’t my favourite books out there. They are ones that I know, I can sit down and just enjoy. And On Thin Ice wasn’t any different. this one was fun, emotional and just a nice read.

On Thin Ice follows Jake, the star and captain of the ice hockey team and prince of Juniper Falls. Everything that he has wanted is falling right into place. But then a hazing ritual goes wrong. Not only is Jake injured, but he has to deal with all the consequences that follow. Now Jake is assistant coach to the new girls’ ice hockey team, and he is liking it more than he thinks.

Brooke is just trying to fit into her new town, but it’s hard when everything is falling apart. Not only did she lose her dad, but her mum has also lost herself. And then Brooke joins the girls’ ice hockey team. But the more time that Brooke and Jake spend together, the more they get to know each other. And the more time that they spend with one another.

Arthur Edelman

I really enjoyed reading On Thin Ice, as I said before, it’s one of those books that I can just sit down and read. The characters were enjoyable, the plot was very intriguing and the romance just warmed my heart. From the start, I really enjoyed both protagonists and I loved seeing them come together.

Brooke was a really interesting protagonist. The reader doesn’t know too much about her from the start of the book, but as the novel goes on and Jake starts to learn more about her – so do we. Brooke was an easy character to get along with. Her pain was evident from the start, but that meant she was vulnerable and was easier to figure out. I really loved Brooke’s character arc throughout On Thin Ice. At first, she is really closed off, but as the novel goes on, she makes friends and finds solace in Jake, she comes out of her shell. I adored that she played Ice Hockey. It was so much fun seeing a female hockey player.

Oh, Jake. My heart broke for him so many times throughout the book. Like Brooke, he has been through a lot of most people around him, don’t know or don’t understand. Jake is a very interesting character, and I think that is why I liked getting to know to know him so much. The reader can tell from the get-go how caring and sensitive Jake really is. I mean yes his a hockey boy through and through. But, there is another side to him that Brooke really brought out.

Warren Wong

The romance in On Thin Ice was actually quite beautiful and sweet. Jake is a couple years older than Brooke and we don’t see that much in YA, but it I think it really worked here. Brooke is younger and shy and Jake was great in bringing her out of her shell. They complimented each other really nicely, and the reader can see it as they both become themselves through the novel. The romance was slow and didn’t move too fast, and I love that. They both go to know each other and really bond – which I don’t see much anymore.

I also really enjoyed the other themes that On Thin Ice explored. The notion of family was something that was very present throughout the whole book. Both Jake and Brooke have very dysfunction families but in very different ways. Brooke’s family is in pieces and she doesn’t know what to do with her life because of it. Her dad isn’t in the picture, and her mum, she needs help. Jake just feels like he has let down his family. But he also feels like his family has also let him down. It is all very complicated. On Thin Ice also explores the notion of toxic masculinity and how high school sports might influence the way that people think and conduct things.

Overall, I enjoyed reading On Thin Ice by Julie Cross. It was sweet, but also daring. It explores two different people and how they come together in strange circumstances. The romance was totally adorable and just put a massive smile on my face. The characterisation throughout On Thin Ice was really well done and I loved seeing both Jake and Brooke grow not only by themselves but as a couple. Pick this one up if you are looking for something that might just make you smile.

Have you read On Thin Ice by Julie Cross? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite YA contemporary couples? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott

Aug 8, 2018

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott

Pages: 316
Publish date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: –
ASIN: B07D8FNYY9
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – iBooks

Returning home for her father’s wedding was never going to be easy for Adele. If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was.

Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation—confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete had been left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town.

Seven years on, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back all those old feelings.

Sometimes first loves are the truest.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time:

I received an e-arc of It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve been a fan of Kylie Scott over the last couple of years. She writes romances that I fall in love with and plots that keep me engaged. So when I heard she was bringing out a new book, I couldn’t wait. And while I didn’t love It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, I did still really enjoy it.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time follows, Adele as she arrives back home to her father after seven years. She didn’t just leave her father behind, but a mess that isn’t easily fixed. When Adele was eighteen she fell in love with one of her father’s co-workers. But he didn’t feel the same. Heartbroken and embarrassed Adele left town, but now she is back.

I really enjoyed the premise of this one, it sounded intriguing something I don’t really read much of. I am not a massive fan of age gap stories. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read one that I have really loved yet. In saying that I didn’t hate the romance in It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, I just didn’t like the situations that occurred.

I quite enjoyed Adele as a protagonist. She was engaging and kept me hooked to the novel the whole time. The reader is able to see that Adele still hasn’t truly gotten over getting her heart broken. At first, I found it annoying. But as the novel went on and we got to see how close with Pete she actually was, it all made sense. I enjoyed Adele’s character development throughout the novel. And because there are also flashbacks, it’s like double development.

I wasn’t a massive fan of Pete in It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. There were so many things that he said and did that just didn’t sit right with me at all. I wasn’t a massive fan of how he treated Adele throughout the novel and that was something I couldn’t really go with. It wasn’t until the last couple of chapters that I liked him. Throughout the novel, he had a few shining moments but then he said something and bang right back to the bottom again.

Because of my dislike of Pete, I didn’t love the romance. It just broke me every time that Adele put her heart on the line and then Pete just stomped on it. However, I did like the use of the age gap in It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. The reader is able to see that Adele does really care for Pete and it wasn’t just some teenage crush that she had. And when Pete was at his best, the reader is able to see that he too cares for Adele.

I really enjoyed the theme of family in It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. It really added to the depth of the novel and just made me like the novel even more. Adele’s father and his new wife were totally adorable and I liked that there wasn’t really any hard feelings between Adele and her step mum. It’s rare that you see good relationships between stepfamilies. I liked that Adele’s father was protective, but also let Adele be when she needed it.

Like always I really enjoyed Kylie Scott’s writing and setting. She really knows how to capture a place and that adds depth to the story. I loved that the setting was also Australia. Kylie work’s really great with building characters and letting them take over the pages, which I loved. However, I did think that at times things that happened we really unnecessary and just took away from the story as a whole.

Overall, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time by Kylie Scott was a pretty good read. And while I didn’t love it, I still really enjoyed it and was able to read it in a couple of hours. It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time explores the notion of first love, family and falling in love again. It explores expanding families, age gaps and starting away. If you are looking for a different romance read then this one is for you.

About the Author

Kylie Scott is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

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Book Review: Getting Schooled by Emma Chase

Jun 29, 2018

Getting Schooled by Emma Chase

Pages: 310
Publish date: June 26, 2018
Publisher: –
ASIN: B079DX2VBS
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Kobo – iBooks

Head of the class…
Garrett Daniels has this whole life thing figured out.
The cocky, charismatic former high school star quarterback is an idolized football coach and “cool” teacher in the hometown where he’s not just a golden boy — he’s platinum. He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle.
Then…Callie Carpenter comes home.
And knocks him right on his tight end zone.
Back to school…
Callie has a pretty sweet life herself…on the other side of the country. But circumstances — that she’d prefer to never speak of again — have brought her back home, helping out her parents and substitute teaching at her old high school.
Now she’s facing bickering, raging hormones, constant gossip, awkward weirdness, and drama galore…and that’s just the teachers.
Just like old times…
When Garrett offers to show his former high school sweetheart the secrets of his winning teacher ways, Callie jumps at the chance – and then has to stop herself from jumping him.
Good friends are all they can ever be.
Or…these teachers just might end up getting schooled — hard — by love.

Getting Schooled:

I received an e-arc of Getting Schooled by Emma Chase from Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Since I’ve really started to read romance novels, I wanted to pick up an Emma Chase book, so when I was given the chance to review her latest novel Getting Schooled, I knew I had to take it. And while I didn’t love it like I thought I would, I still really did enjoy it. And makes me want to read more Emma Chase in the future. This second chance romance is addicting, beautiful and put a smile on my face.

Getting Schooled by Emma Chase follows Callie and Garrett, high school sweethearts that reconnect after Callie movies back to their hometown to help her parents. After their break up, Callie and Garrett both tried to move on, but these high school sweethearts were always on each other’s minds. With Callie back in town and just so happens to be working at the same school as Garrett, old feelings come to the surface and everything starts to turn very interesting.

The premise of Getting Schooled is what caught my eyes right away. A second chance love between high school sweethearts – yes, please. It did take me a while to get into though, and I am not entirely sure why. Everything about this book was appealing, but there was just something not there for me that made me really enticed. In saying that, I still really enjoyed the book and after a couple of chapters I was really into it.

Not only was the premise of Getting Schooled intriguing, so was both protagonists. They were both charming in their own ways and as the novel went on you could see how much they cared for one another.

I really enjoyed Callie as a protagonist, she was sweet and really took the story for me. After receiving an amazing job opportunity, she is needed back home after an ‘accident’ with her parents. And while for a lot of people it might be the end of the world for them, she really takes it in her stride and comes back to where it really all began. Of course, she told herself that she would not be tempted by Garrett, but them working as colleagues at the same school, of course she is tempted. Who wouldn’t?

I really liked the growth of Callie throughout the novel. Even though had some substance at the start of the novel, the way that she takes everything in during Getting Schooled. The way that she starts caring for her students is something that put a smile on my face and just made me like her even more.

Garrett is pretty amazing himself. I’ve been reading a lot of romance recently, and I’m getting sick of alpha males and all macho man. So it was really nice to see a calm and charming male protagonist and love interest. From the start of Getting Schooled, you are able to tell how much Garrett cares not only about his family, but his students and those around him. He is the teacher that makes that one class something you look forward to. But it wasn’t just his passion for his students that made me really enjoy him. But his passion for Callie.

When Callie and Garrett were together the sparks were everywhere and I just love second chance romances. What I love about second chance romances is there is already this relationship that has already there. The romance in this one starts off that. And that is exactly what happens in Getting Schooled. Through the novel, the reader is able to see Callie’s and Garrett’s before the book and how it’s different now. Emma Chase really knows how to write a fantastic second chance romance. I loved how Callie and Garrett just fell back into everything even though they had spent so many years apart.

In saying all this, there were still things that didn’t make me love it. I felt the writing style of Emma Chase wasn’t as captivating to me as other romance authors that I love. It was good and I didn’t hate anything about it really, but it just lacked a spark for me. There was also parts of the Getting Schooled that felt dull to me. I don’t know how to explain it right. I just felt that at times there were unnecessary scenes and nothing really happened to keep the plot going.

Overall, I enjoyed Getting Schooled. It was a really nice second chance romance read that put a smile on my face. It explores the notions of growing and changing, a second chance, and family. Through the novel, we see Callie and Garrett both reconnect, lean on and love each again and it just great. I wish I loved the writing more than I did, but I still did enjoy the book. If you love a good romance that just sweeps you away, then this is the book for you.

Have you read Getting Schooled? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other Emma Chase books, do you recommend any? Nevertheless, Let’s Chat!

About the Author

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

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