Tag: graduation

REVIEW: 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston

REVIEW: 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney/Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release next week on May 4th.]

Summary

Olivia and her cousins are a week away from graduating when she finds out she is short half a credit of PE. She did an outside course – golf – but didn’t finish all the hours needed. She’s supposed to be salutatorian, but now she might not even graduate.

Olivia has one shot to fix things, but it’s going to be complicated. She has to spend the week working on a golf tournament for the coach to make up her hours. But she’s supposed to be going to a bunch of graduation parties all week – and she doesn’t want anyone to find out about this hiccup in her situation. Her parents are away for the week due to work, but Olivia’s mom is obsessively tracking her phone while they are gone.

So Sophie, Charlie, and Wes agree to swap phones with Olivia and hit the parties so her parents don’t find out about her screw up. But their always-present, over-involved, tightly-knit family will be hard to dodge.

Review

I absolutely adored the first book about the Messina family, 10 Blind Dates, when I read it in 2019. In fact, it was number three in my list of favorite reads of the year – 3 out of 400 is a big deal! I was thrilled at the news that there would be a sequel!

This was far more stressful than the first book. In 10 Blind Dates, Sophie’s family is “helping” her over a break up in a bizarre way. Olivia’s situation has far more serious stakes, which changes the tone of the book. There are still funny moments, but this is not the laugh-riot that Dates is for me.

The characters are my favorite part of this series. The core four are back, and it’s delightful to spend time with them again. There’s less time spent with the larger family group in this one. But Uncle Michael was solidified as my favorite extended family member thanks to this book. (Don’t get me started on Olivia’s mom and her tracking app, though. Yikes!) I would love to see Charlie get a book to round out the series. I will jump at any chance to spend more time with these characters in the future.

Newcomers should be able to follow this story without difficulty even if they haven’t read 10 Blind Dates. But trust me – you will absolutely want to pick that one up asap! (Some language, LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli

REVIEW: Say Yes Summer by Lindsey Roth Culli

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ]

Summary

It hit her in the middle of her speech. Rachel Walls, valedictorian, looked around at her graduating class and realized most of the people in front of her probably had no idea who she was.

Rachel’s high school years were focused. Determined. Disciplined. But what did she have to show for them besides this moment as valedictorian and her admission to her dream college? She has one friend at school. She knows her classmates from their social media accounts and hallway chatter and gossip, not from real life.

When her best friend leaves for a summer music program, Rachel’s “social life” dries up. Her big weekend plans include decluttering her room. That’s where she finds her grandmother’s book A Season of Yes! It looks and smells ancient, but the underlined passages catch Rachel’s eye.

What if, instead of isolation and self-preservation, Rachel started to say yes to the opportunities in front of her?

Yes to a party.
Yes to a friend.
Yes to a dip in the pool.
Yes to a roller coaster.
Yes to flirting.
Yes to Clayton Carville.

Review

This was cute and fun. I liked Rachel and her family and friends. I thought the identity crisis was perfect – Rachel’s ready for college, there are unknowns ahead. Graduation kicks off a season of reflection. And in this case, Rachel is second guessing her choices in life so far.

It’s also not uncommon for college students to try on a new identity. That’s what Rachel does here – she tries on the identity of a person who says yes. And it’s mostly good for her. She rediscovers an old friend. She has a couple small adventures. And she gets to explore some romantic possibilities.

The downside is that in her haste to say yes and change things up, Rachel forgets about wisdom and discernment. And that leads to trouble. And as in most great young adult literature, she starts to learn from it.

I enjoyed the journey with Rachel and her friends. Fans of contemporary YA, contemporary YA romance, and fans of love triangle stories should check this one out. (Language, underage drinking)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti

REVIEW: As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Madison, Nevada is a dusty, rundown town in the middle of the desert. It’s the sort of place you pass through on your way to something else. And the locals like it that way. They don’t want folks to linger.

That’s because Madison is hiding a secret. While it seems like a dump on the surface, they are hiding magic. A wish-granting cave. Any time a resident of Madison turns 18, he or she goes to the cave and makes a wish. And that wish always comes true.

Eldon Wilkes is looking forward to his wishing day like someone would “look forward” to an invasive medical procedure. He’s seen how wishes have turned out for others. His parents’ marriage is strained to put it mildly. His sister’s condition is because of a wish. People are trapped in Madison because of wishing. Eldon’s feeling the pressure to make a wish to “fix” his family, but he knows no wish could fix what’s really wrong. But the clock is ticking. Eldon HAS to decide what he’s going to wish for.

Review

Wow. This book has really forced me to think. What impact did wishing have on the town and people of Madison? What would I have wished for? Would I have done something different in Eldon’s place? Eldon’s conversation with Othello Dewitt was the most thought provoking part of all. It’s the sort of passage you would go back to and read through again.

Eldon is an interesting character. I can’t say that I liked Eldon, but I was captivated by him and by his dilemma.  He’s complicated. His whole family is grieving while he is trying to make this huge decision. He’s feeling pressure from all sides. While a guaranteed wish sounds like an awesome thing, Eldon shows that there’s a dark side.

It’s easy to see the wish pieces of this story from the perspective of the decisions teens are making as they anticipate graduation and their future. I love that this book really made me think – even after the reading was done. I would like to read this with some high school juniors and seniors and talk about the parallels with the decisions they are trying to make. This would make a great book for group discussion. (Language)

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an electronic advanced reader copy of this for review purposes in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: It's Not Me, It's You by Stephanie Kate Strohm

REVIEW: It’s Not Me, It’s You by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Avery Dennis is dumped just a couple weeks before her senior prom, she is stunned. Avery is chair of prom committee! She’s ultra popular. She’s smart and pretty. She has had a boyfriend almost non-stop since the first day of middle school.

Avery Dennis does not get dumped!

But Fortune smiled on Avery because she was dumped at the same time she was assigned an oral history report for History. Maybe, if Avery can look back at her own history, specifically her dating history, she can figure out how she is now date-less right before the prom. It’s probably not the assignment her teacher had in mind, but this is important!

Review

Wow. I loved this book! I was intrigued by the premise. Honestly, I expected Avery to be something of a mean-girl diva type who goes through this process to see herself as others see her. But that’s not really Avery at all. She’s smart and earnest and genuine. Yes, she has shallow moments. But those make her even more endearing as you see her trying to gain insight and mature.

I had no idea this would be so FUNNY! Avery has such a fantastic “voice,” enhanced by the format of the book. All of the characters – the best friend, the exes, the lab partner, the nemesis – are all so well written. There are great sarcastic moments, pop culture references, and just funny moments between the characters as they relate to one another and respond to what they learn in the project.

I was so delighted by this story! I will absolutely read this again and tell everyone I see about how fun this was. And I will be checking out the author’s other works.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥