Coming Up For Air(Hundred Oaks,#8)

☆☆☆☆☆

coming up for air.

Hundred Oaks,#8

miranda kenneally.

Publisher  Sourcebooks Fire.

Publication Date: July 4,2017.

Genre: YA  Contemporary Romance.

Format|Pages:  Paperback|320.

 Source:  Goodreads|Bought.

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.



All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.



Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win? 

 ☂

A must read!



I was sucked into Maggie and Levi’s story from beginning to the end. Every single page had me wondering what was in store next. I loved all of books in the Hundred Oaks Series however I got admit that COMING UP FOR AIR became one of my favorites. I wished that I didn’t have to work because all that I wanted was to keep reading the book, same with my lunch break. COMING UP FOR AIR was beautifully written, and there was some part of me that didn’t want for it to come to an end, knowing that would be it, the end of Hundred Oaks . I used be on swim team when I was younger, my brother too but I still didn’t know much about swimming, about how much it involved especially when it came to practice. I watched Olympics swimming before and now that I read the book, I know how much effort and hard work it took to get that far. I got that feeling that I learned more about swimming after reading COMING UP FROM AIR and I felt tired just reading about how much they had practice to get where they were.



I loved the relationship that Levi and Maggie had, and when she asked him to help her learn to hook up, I had a feeling that something like that couldn’t end well, not without somebody getting hurt. The two of them had always been there for one another, and I had this feeling that things would change after. I know that they are fictional characters but they were real to me, they were like friends and I didn’t want them to get hurt. Not long after it started, I could tell that Maggie’s feelings went deeper than a hook up, just by the way she acted around him, when he would flirt with other girls. Maggie was jealous. I had a feeling that Levi had the same feelings about her, but it was as if something held him back from telling her. I wanted for them to get together, as a couple as most of their friends seem to have the same thought. I was rooting for the two of them. I loved how Levi kept re-reading Harry Potter through the book, it reminded me of myself, I re-read that series multiple times myself.



I can’t believe that Hundred Oaks is over, or at least I don’t want it to be over. I fell in love with the series when I read CATCHING JORDAN back In 2012. It’s one of my favorite YA Contemporary series, a series that will always have a special place in my heart. I have a feeling that it will also be a series that I will end up re-reading multiple times in a future. I will the characters, it feels like I am saying goodbye to my best friends. I loved them all. I also loved the covers as well, the covers and the titles tell the story itself. An breathtaking end to an captivating series.

Paper Hearts (The Heartbreakers Chronicles,#2)

☆☆☆☆☆

paper hearts.

Heartbreakers Chronicles,#2

ali novak.

Publisher  Sourcebooks Fire.

Publication Date: July 4,2017.

Genre: YA  Contemporary Romance.

Format|Pages:  Paperback|384.

 Source:  Goodreads|Library.

“I’m sorry,” he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. “It’s just…I didn’t want you to think of me any differently.”



Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn’t accept that he was the person looking down at me.



“My real name is Alec.”

Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she’s had the full weight of her mother’s expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college.



Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned—like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he’d flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he’d turn out to be a member of the world-famous band the Heartbreakers.



Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity’s missing sister. And she’s about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be…

 ☂

I fell in love with this series again. I have been craving the 2nd book in Heartbreakers Chronicles since I read THE HEARTBREAKERS back in 2015, I even re-read it before reading PAPER HEARTS and from first page, it took my breath away and even though I loved the first book, to me it felt as if I fell in love with series more after reading 2nd book. I couldn’t get enough of Alec and Felicity’s story. I wanted to see how it would end for the two of them, at the same time I didn’t want it to end, because I didn’t want to say goodbye to two of them. I’m sure that it won’t be the last of them, but to me it felt like I was saying goodbye. Felicity, Alec and the rest of heartbreakers, they were real to me. In general, the entire story felt real. It filled with so much emotion that you can’t help but get attached to the story, the characters.



I loved Alec since THE HEARTBREAKERS and I was excited to read his story. He had always been one of my favorites and the type of guy that any girl would want. One of sweetest guys who seems put others ahead of himself, at least that’s a feeling I got. He reminded me a lot of my cousin, Rex. His actions and the way that he treated others, he was just like Alec. I could see there was connection between Felicity and Alec right away and despite her mom telling her to stay away from him, Felicity couldn’t seem to be able to. It’s not hard to figure out how much Alec cared about Felicity, considering how he went out of his way to help her find her sister, considering how he didn’t know her that well. I don’t think that he would done it unless he cared about her. I loved the scenes between the two of them, the way that they were around each other, how they acted around each other. Of course you can guess how much I was smiling when they kissed. They made each other happy and that made me happy. I think that Alec and Felicity are my favorite couple from the series, at least so far.



PAPER HEARTS was a beautiful, heart aching story about love and family. There were a lot of emotions through this book, between Alec dealing with his controlling father, to Felicity’s family drama. I am not sure how they were able deal with it all. If I were in their situation, I think I would had a breakdown sooner. I don’t think that I would been able to deal with it like Felicity did. Yet, I don’t think she would gotten as far as she did, if it wasn’t for Alec and her friends. PAPER HEARTS is a novel that is worth more than five stars, it was… extraordinary and I can’t wait for the next in series.

How To Make A Wish.

☆☆☆☆☆

HOW TO MAKE A WISH.

ASHLEY HERRRING BLAKE.

Publisher HMH Books

Publication Date: May 2,2017.

Genre:  YA  Contemporary GLBT Romance.

Format|Pages: Hardcover|336.

          Source:  Goodreads|Library

All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn't have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father.




Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace's mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on.

 ☂

Last summer, I read ASHLEY HERRING BLAKE’s debut novel, Suffer Love and I was in love. I was excited to read another story by Ashley. Once I heard that her new book was coming out, I put it on hold right away and couldn’t wait to read it. I fell in love again. Ashley has a way to pull you into a story, become part of the story and connect with the characters. HOW TO MAKE A WISH is a story that you won’t forget, it’s impossible to. I finished reading it few hours earlier and I am still thinking about it. I spent half of morning reading it, I wanted to see how it would end for Grace and I hoped that she would get her happily after. That girl went through a lot, especially with her mother, she deserved a happy ending or at least as happy as it could get.



I loved the relationship between Eva and Grace, she was her happily after. I don’t think that I seen her happy, not the way she was when she was around Eva. I know that both of them made each other happy. Eva and Grace needed each other, and I believe it’s what they were missing. Their relationship wasn’t your typical teenage relationship, considering that both of them had a lot of baggage. I do think that Grace was a bit jealous of a relationship that Eva had with her mother, Maggie. Despite what happened, I could see how much the two of them cared about one another, and no matter what the two of them always seemed to be there for each other, to find their way to one another. When the two of them were with each other, it was as if nothing else mattered at that moment. I was hoping that by the end, the two of them will find a way to each other once again.



I mentioned this in the past, I try not to dislike characters in a book, but it was hard to like Grace’s mother, Maggie. I understand that she lost her husband and that she might not got past his death. That does not giver her right to treat her own daughter like this, always expecting her to be there to rescue her when things got tough. I wish that she didn’t always try to defend her like she seemed to, I understand why she did it. I wish she realized earlier than she did, that her mother needed help and got away from her. I cannot even imagine going through what Grace had to deal with her mother. No matter what she did, what she said, her mother did not seem to get it, or to even try and listen to her. I am glad that she finally got it, what Grace was trying to say at the end. It took her a while but it was a start.



HOW TO MAKE A WISH is not just story about love, it’s a story about family, friendship, and hope. I wanted to spend all day reading, but due to work I couldn’t. I loved Ashley’s writing, there was a lot of emotions through the novel. The story felt real to me. A story that I know I will read more that once. A must read.

Ramona Blue.

☆☆☆☆☆

ramona blue.

julie murphy..

Publisher Balzer+Bray.

Publication Date: May 9,2017.

Genre:  YA  Contemporary GLBT Romance.

Format|Pages: Hardcover|432.

          Source:  Goodreads|Library

Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.



Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.



The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem. 

 ☂

How can you not come across this novel and not be curious about it? The cover is…breathtaking, I feel like the cover alone will capture your attention enough and have you picking up book because you will be eager to find out what it’s about. At least that how it was for me when I came across it while at the library, cover of the book is what captured my attention first, followed by title. RAMONA BLUE is a completely unique title and as a reader, you wonder if there a story behind that name, how it all fits into the story. When I started reading RAMONA BLUE it wasn’t long until it made sense, both the title and the cover and it fit the story perfectly. It represented Ramona’s hair, Ramona’s love for swimming and way both her love life and family life seemed to spin out of control. I fell in love with Ramona’s story and with her family, at least some of her family, her friends. I felt like I became part of Ramona’s life. RAMONA BLUE was one of most realistic fiction novels I read this year. I couldn’t get enough, I couldn’t seem to put it down. 1 more chapter usually turned to 5 more because there wasn’t a single moment that i wanted to put it down.



Freddie, Grace : I wasn’t Grace’s biggest fan, mostly because of how she treated Ramona after she left. I understand that she might been confused and lost about what was happening, but that still didn’t give her right to treat Ramona like that. One minute she pushes her away, but when it comes just being the two of them, she’s all over her. Yet the moment that Ramona brings up a relationship, she pushes her away again. I got admit the two of them did have a connection, just the way there were around each other, despite their complication, I was sure she would end up with Grace at some point. Freddie and Ramona is another story, even if Ramona did not realize it in beginning or she might been confused about it, there were sparks between two of them moment that the two of them started hanging out. However, even I didn’t think that it would to relationship. In a way I was glad that it did, Freddie made her happy, they made each other happy. Most of their scenes together had me smiling. I couldn’t get enough the two of them.



I loved the relationship that Ramona had with her older sister, Hattie. Not many siblings have the relationship that Ramona had with her sister, Hattie. She was always there for her, always taking care of her. I feel like if it wasn’t for Ramona, she might been lost without her sister. It was impossible to not love Ramona, besides Freddie, she was my favorite character in the book. RAMONA BLUE is a second book that I read by JULIE MURPHY and it been few years since I read last one. Now that I read this one, I need, no I want to read the rest. This isn’t just a love story, it’s a story about friendship, family. I am not even sure if I can explain how much I loved this book. I will say, it was beautifully written with strong voice, and it’s worth giving a chance to. Every single page.