The Friend Zone by Sariah Wilson
Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: June 11, 2019 Format: I received a copy of the book in advance to review from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions in this post are my own, and in no way was I compensated for this review. Preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/Friend-Zone-Sariah-Wilson/dp/1542094291 Summary: From the bestselling author of the #Lovestruck novels comes a rousing romance about following your dreams, second chances, and playing the game of love. Disgraced college quarterback Logan Hunt was on his way to NFL stardom when he messed up big-time. Now the Texas star player with a bad temper has a new option: Seattle’s EOL College—as in End of the Line, to his fellow misfit recruits. It’s Logan’s last chance. If he can follow the rules. No parties, no fighting, no swearing, and oh, no dating the coach’s daughter, Jess. Simple. Yeah, right. For Logan, there has never been a rule he’s more tempted to break. The deal is “just friends.” The pretty, confident, and fiercely smart math whiz is fine with pizza, tutoring, and keeping Logan in line. But the closer Jess gets, the more receptive she is to his warm heart and spirit—not to mention his irresistible off-field passes. With defenses down, they’re both heading into the danger zone. It’s more than thrilling. It’s love. It’s also a game changer that could sideline Logan’s NFL goals—and more important, a future with Jess. But dreams are worth fighting for, right? Review: Guys! One of my all time favorite authors wrote another book!! LMAO, that’s super vague, but, today, I’m reviewing The Friend Zone by Sariah Wilson, and let’s just preface it with, I loved it. And you know it’s a good book when my review is literally the length of a research paper. Sariah Wilson is one of those authors that as soon as she drops a new book, I will read it, and I have always loved each and every one of them. At least, up until now, and with how her writing is going, I’m going to predict that I will continue to love anything she puts out, as long as it’s not fantasy or scifi (which is just because I haven’t been enjoying reading those genres). Onto the actual book itself. One, it’s football. I’m a sucker for sports books, as I have said over and over again. The romance is super sweet. Logan, a football player has hit rock bottom in Texas, and coming to EOL (the school) to play football on a scholarship is his chance to start over, and it’s one he’s going to take, even if it means that he has to follow all the strict rules. Jess, the coach’s daughter, is strictly off limits. She’s a math tutor, and guess what? She’s assigned to tutor Logan. It’s genuine; they try to stay friends but their chemistry is undeniable. When they do descend into something more, it’s hot and amazing. I love how their passion oozes out of the page, this is something that only a talented and skilled writer can accomplish, and Sariah has done that, and more! I don’t even know how! It’s incredible to read her writing. There’s something about a broken background that makes characters super mysterious, and that’s the definition of Logan. He’s gone through trouble since he was a little kid, and that’s carried into the way he acts, and the way he’s looking for the second chance that this new school and football team offers him. With Jess, she’s gone through some things that ended up getting her dad fired from his old job, and uprooted the both of them across the country, and she’s the reason for the NO GIRLS rule the team has. But as we all know, rules are meant to be broken, right? I really loved the dynamic between Logan and his roommate/best friend/teammate Bash. While Bash isn’t a super in depth character, we get enough of him to see that he loves football, and he has his bro’s back. He’s a 100% rule follower, which makes him a slight softie. Along with that, Jess and Kehlani, the academic advisor’s dynamic is also great. Though Kehlani is slightly older and is working for the coach, they are both close and Kehlani has Jess’s back, whether it’s to go to a party and be her wingman, or to be there with ice cream. One thing that I would have liked more of was the interactions between Jess and Danielle, the girl that she’s competing against in everything, after Danielle reveals a very big piece of personal information. It seems like she kinda just disappeared…and it would’ve been nice to see more of that. The epilogue though. When I got to it, I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but it was AMAZING! I want a sequel to this so badly. Even if it’s just a couple more chapters about their life afterwards. Please Sariah? Make this happen? Ok, to avoid any spoilers, I’m going to stop here. I feel like I’m missing so much, but I don’t want to ruin anything for you guys, so you will just have to read it and see. I believe that the book comes out this summer, but pre-order links are already out so, what are you waiting for? GO GO GO PREORDER IT! Quick slightly unrelated note, but also kind of related, as a graphic designer, I can’t not notice the cover, and guys, look at it! It’s so brilliant! Fri[end] zone? End zone? Football reference? Friends? Jess and Logan insisting on just staying friends to not get in trouble? Ok I’m done lol. So, I give this book a 9/10 (5/5 stars). I’m just a little annoyed at how Danielle seemed to disappear, and think that it would have added so much more, and reveal why she was so mean all the time, but that’s also not the focus here. There were a few loose ends that seemed to just fade away which isn’t super disturbing but was enough for me to notice. Now, let me know in the comments what you’re looking forward for in this book. I promise, the romance will not disappoint. As always, I will have more reviews coming soon, probably about sports. ~Brooke
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Sidelined by Suzanne Baltsar Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance Publication Date: August 27, 2019 Format: I received a copy of the book in advance to review from Netgalley. All opinions in this post are my own, and in no way was I compensated for this review. Buy (preorder) here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/150118833X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=150118833X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 Summary: From the author of the whip smart and charming Trouble Brewing comes a fast-paced story about a female football coach that will have you laughing out loud and cheering for the home team as you wait for the final whistle of the game. When Connor McGuire loses out on his dream job of being the head coach of the local high school football team, he thinks life can’t get any worse. Then he discovers just who got the coveted position—it was a handout to the kid of a well-known, successful college coach. Connor’s sure this is just a publicity stunt, but the kid turns out to be not only a sharp strategist, but a driven and sexy young woman, too. Frustrated in more ways than one, Connor realizes that he might have to step up his game or risk losing altogether. Coach Charlotte “Charlie” Gibb calls a flag on the play when she finds out that her very male, very attractive, but definitely-rooting-for-her-to-lose assistant coach resents her for taking what he considers to be his rightful position. But never one to back down from a little healthy competition, Charlie is determined to prove her worth—both on and off the field. Baltsar’s “sweet, funny, witty, addictive writing,” (New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young) is not to be missed! Review: I actually received this book a while back from the publisher via Netgalley, but help off posting the review because I wanted to wait until closer to the publication date. But...I couldn’t wait so here it is! Make sure to pre-order the book at the links above, and let me know if you’re excited! So premise of this story is...we’re focusing on a BADASS LADY BOSS. Being one of the only girls out on the field, and especially in a higher level position in football takes a lot of balls, and that is what Charlie has. She is overcoming all the barriers and will not stand down to those that think that she isn’t capable. As the first female coach at this school, she has a lot to prove and no doubt, a plan to execute them. I was very, very excited to read the summary because in this day and age, I want to see more female empowerment. Charlie isn’t exactly a likeable person, but that makes sense given her background as the only female on the field, she has to grow a tough exterior. But we never saw a soft side to her that made us sympathize. The way that Connor reacted to the situation was very immature. Like, dude, I get that you didn’t get a job, but stop being a dick (sorry for the wording here but it seems appropriate). Face the fact that a girl (OMG WHAT? A GIRL CAN DO THE SAME JOB AS A MAN??) got your ‘dream job’ but if you’re so hung up over this, maybe set your sights higher. So this is really a testament to the author’s writing, to be able to convey this and the douche-iness of the character. He was a little flat, though, as a character and kinda left more to be desired. I like how the big upset in the plot wasn’t very predictable. There were a lot of ways that Suzanne Baltsar could have gone with the plot, but I feel like the way that it was executed was new and different, which is good. But the rest of the book was a little overdone, with them going back and forth over and over again. The way the book ended left me wanting more. It wasn’t exactly like everything was resolved, and I was a little disappointed in the way that Baltsar left it. I give the book a 6/10 (3/5 stars). It was a good plot, but there was a little that left more to be desired, and a little more in depth wanted in the characters. That’s it for this review guys, as always, let me know your thoughts! I will have more reviews coming out very soon! ~Brooke Ask Me Anything by Molly E. Lee
Genre: YA Romance Publication Date: May 7, 2019 Format: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own and in no way was I compensated. Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Me-Anything-Molly-Lee/dp/1640636587 Summary: “Edgy and smart with a sweet and sexy core.” —Rachel Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Eyes on Me I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice. And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up? Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to. Ask me anything…except how to make things right. Review: In a private school, there are 2 top hackers: Amber (aka Pixie) and Dean (aka NightLocker). After a school assembly that promotes abstinence and hearing concerns from her friends that there are not a lot of resources for teens, Amber decides that for her ‘senior prank’ she will fill that void and create a website so that everyone will have the information they need. The cutest thing is that Amber and Dean call each other by their chatroom names. Like, that is the most adorable thing ever, something in their own little world. The names mean more to them because of their friendship as computer science geniuses. Inside jokes between couples make things so much more intimate and this is exactly what their chatroom names did. I absolutely love this book. It’s so different from anything else I’ve read in a long, long time. There’s romance, drama, hacking, and just regular pressures any teenage faces. I used to read books about super genius girls who hack into the government files and then get into a whole bunch of trouble, all the time, but there was an element of realness that this book has. The hacking that happens in the book are things that people at my school might actually be able to do, and they’re relatable. All the characters were very well developed and written. Of course, guys as sweet as Dean don’t often exist, but it’s always fun to read about them. Their principal is the ultimate bad guy, manipulative and willing to go to any cost to protect his position. Another thing that is particular about this book is the focus on STEM, especially coding. STEM is very important and I like how this promotes more girls in the field. Something very important that I really liked how Ms. Lee does not shy away from is the topic of sex. In the book, the school they attend is very pro-abstinence but that doesn’t stop the students from engaging in such activities. The ending was good, a very big gesture from Dean to prove to Amber that he really does care for her. However, I felt that it was a little rushed and I would’ve loved to have another chapter or two for more elaboration. I’ve read other books by Molly E. Lee and I have to say, this type of writing suits her much better. I’m not dissing her other books, they just seem a little...juvenile compared to this piece of work. Not saying that they were bad, but this book was so much more in depth and was not as light of a read. While there was romance, it wasn’t the complete focus of the book. Overall, I give the book a 9/10 (5/5 stars). It was an amazing read and a very unique topic. I actually didn’t even realize that this book was part of the Entangled Teen publication until I came across their logo at the very end of the book. I usually love anything that they publish, and this one was no exception. This was a very well written book and dives into topics that most YA books don’t. Go read it! And then let me know your thoughts! I have a lot more reviews coming soon, with quite a few sports romances so...get excited! ~Brooke |
About me!Brooke's a high schooler who loves to read all sorts of books. She's happy to be able to share all the books she's reading with all of y'all. Archives
June 2020
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