Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: April 4, 2017  

Publisher: BloomsburyUSA

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 400

Summary:  Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

My Thoughts:  This one will probably have to be a shorter review from me. I may cry the whole time writing it. I basically cried most of the time reading it.  

We are introduced to Juliet who lost her mother. She visits the cemetery and leaves her mom a note. Because she always wrote her mom notes. She’s dealing with her death the best way she knows possible.  But when someone responds to the note, it's a whirlwind of emotions for Juliet. That was a private note, why would anyone even write back?

We also meet a boy named Declan who is a loner. He’s a good guy, but doesn’t have the best past. People are afraid of him.  I fell for him from the start. He was such a good character and I just knew he had a big heart.

They start to communicate back and forth. They have both been through so much.

This story is so raw and beautiful. But if you’ve lost a parent I do believe it makes it just so much more emotional. I’ve lost both parents now. And its rough. I could feel everything Juliet was feeling. I could see the pain. I could feel the pain.

Overall: If you like contemps, this one should be on your read list this year. It was addicting and beautiful, yet it made me cry. It made me happy seeing how much they start to care for each-other, but it’s also heartbreaking to see Juliet go through everything she has.  Add this to your TBR now!!!! I’d definitely give this one 5 cupcakes!

Cover:  Honestly, I probably would pick this one up once I read the back. I just don’t think the cover gives it justice!!!!

What I’d Give It:

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Release Date: April 4, 2017  

Publisher: Simon Pulse  

Age Group:  Young Adult

Pages: 400   

Summary:   In this delightfully charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail, the one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

My Thoughts: Oh my gosh, when I saw this summary I knew I had to read it as soon as I could get my hands on it! And I wasn’t disappointed. It was such a fun and cute one!

We are introduced to Bailey who has been living with her mom but when things start to get awkward she decides to go and spend the summer with her dad whom she hasn’t seen in awhile. It's a little inconvenient for her social life but it’s also a chance to find the boy she’s been crushing on through the internet. She’s been chatting with a boy across the country for quite a while and she does kind of want to hunt him down!

She moves and gets a job at a museum! This was really fun! I liked experiencing it with her! It was so intriguing and a lot of work!  She also meets a boy there and she despises him at first but once she gets to know him, things go a different way. I loved getting to know Porter and all that there was to him!! But this definitely puts a halt in her finding her dream mystery boy!

I just loved Bailey! I loved her personality. She was shy and not always sure of herself but another part that was determined and very loyal.

Overall: This one brought a lot of smiles and laughs to me. I enjoyed seeing what was going to happen next and read it in a day. One of those that you sit down and can’t stop! I really really enjoyed this one, and that ending, whoa! And the dinner scene, yep I laughed! I really enjoyed!!! I think this is a 4.5 cupcake rating for me.

Cover:  Love it! Even though it kind of makes it feel like a book that takes place at a beach, and I guess it does in a way. It’s a very cute cover!

What I’d Give It:

The End Of Our Story by Meg Haston

The End Of Our Story by Meg Haston

Release Date: April 4, 2017

Publisher: HarperTeen  

Age Group:  Young Adult

Pages:  288

Summary:  Meg Haston's romantic and thrilling new YA novel explores a star-crossed high school relationship in a tale rife with deeply buried secrets and shocking revelations.

Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other’s lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it.

Then Wil’s family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil’s side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. As the fierce current of tragedy threatens to pull them under, they must learn how to swim on their own—or risk drowning together.

My Thoughts: I was really torn on this one. We are introduced to Wil and Bridge. They have been friends since they were kids, and then got romantically involved, and then things didn’t turn out quite how they wanted it too.

I really liked Bridge and Wil both but at times, I was hesitant to like either of them. Each had their ups and downs to their personalities.  I really enjoyed the plot of this one.  Wil’s dad isn’t who everyone thought he was, and there was more to the story. And when it all comes out, Wil knows what he must do and it’s hard for him. It’s hard to really even admit his dad wasn’t the perfect guy everyone thought he was. And Wil is afraid he’ll be just like him.  This one was complicated as heck!

This one really pulled at my heartstrings. It was just so emotional and having lost people in my life, I understood the heartbreak.

I liked this one, and while reading it I needed to know what happened next. I haven’t read Paperweight yet by this author, so I will add that to my list!

Overall: I’m not sure if I ever really liked Bridge or Wil.  This one did make me tear up a few times but at others, I wanted to throw something! HAHAHA.  I’d say this is probably more between a 3.5 and 4 cupcake rating for me!

Cover:   Love it! It’s so romantic. I really like it!

What I’d Give It: