Month: Sep 2019

Call Me, Maybe by Stephie Chapman tells the story of Cassie. When she was 15 she was obsessed with the band Franko or more specifically with Jesse from the band. Now Cassie is in her late twenties and after a drunken night with her best friend Rachel, they find themselves Facebook stalking Franko. Cassie spontaneous adds her childhood celebrity crush, Jesse as a friend and unbelievably he accepts her friend request and the pair get chatting. Jesse lives in America but then gets a call to play a couple of tour dates for a band in London where Cassie lives. They say never meet your hero’s so it’s safe to say things are about to get real interesting when Cassie and Jesse’s worlds collide.

First of all this book has the best dedication ever. It’s dedicated to all the people whose ever loved a boy in a band and all the boys in a band. I think a lot of people have been through a stage where they were fixated with a band and you always had that one member of that band who was your favourite so I think it’s such a relatable thought for so many people. Plus that dedication pretty much sums up the whole story.

The storyline is interesting. I think many people can relate to the fixation Cassie has to a band member when she was younger. The difference is, I don’t think any of us imagine actually connecting in real life to that person years later especially when they live overseas. The fact that Cassie just Facebook stalks Jesse again is such a relatable thing and as far fetched as the story is it still manages to keep a part of it that’s so relatable. Overall it played out well, my only downside is that some parts were just a little too predictable for my liking. Really it didn’t bother me too much but at one particular point that I was just sat waiting to happen, I did find myself eye rolling as it was just so predictable. However, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of this book in the slightest!

The characters are likeable too. The fact that Jesse only had 5 minutes of fame and now just plays music behind the scenes made him relatable. Even though Cassie was fixated with him as a teenager, you as the reader pretty much just see him as a normal guy and not as a rock star. This is probably helped by the fact that the story is told from dual perspectives. You see Jesses life from his eyes and realise just how normal he is and that he isn’t as perfect as Cassie thinks.

If you’ve ever been that teenage fan girl, you will love this book! The whole concept that Cassie meets Jesse through Facebook as an adult is quite amusing and even though I’ve never thought about looking for my favourite band members, it is such a relatable thing to do. This book is a good read which will make all of us that loved a band at some point very happy – I would recommend!

Synopsis –

What if you got a second chance with your first love? What happens when you meet your teenage heart-throb – when you’re both all grown up? When Cassie was fifteen, all she wanted was to marry Jesse Franklin, the bassist from her favourite band, Franko. Now she’s single, in her late twenties and wondering what happened to that teenage dream. A chance encounter on Facebook soon leads to a transatlantic hook up, and soon, Jesse and Cassie are having a long-distance love affair spanning five thousand miles. Cassie is on cloud nine – until she hears something that makes her think that Jesse might not be all that he seems. They say never meet your heroes – but what happens when you fall in love with them…? Are Cassie and Jesse star crossed lovers, destined to be together? Or should Cassie have left her crush in the box marked ‘teenage memories’? Previously published as Getting Over Jesse Franklin, this brand new edition has had extensive editorial changes. ‘It is romcom writing at its best; dreamy with nostalgia, with a strong, funny and relatable female protagonist and a super sexy leading man. I just loved it! Lia Louis – author of Somewhere Close to Happy

If you read my blog post about YALC a little while ago you’ll know that I bought this book there. When I picked this book up I read the blurb and instantly bought it then when I got home I discovered it was book number 3 in a series. Click here for my review of book one in the series, Caraval and click here for my review of book two in the series Legendary because you must read them before Finale as I don’t think it’ll really make much sense and regardless I can guarantee you’ll enjoy Finale more if you read the first two books prior.

Finale continues on the Caraval story following sisters Scarlett and Tella. A lot of happened since Scarlett first played Caraval, her sister Tella played in order to keep a bargain then somehow ended up falling in love with Legend along the way, now Tella discovers that yet again Legend was just playing a game and now she doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Meanwhile, Scarlett has discovered a life changing secret which means she now needs to achieve the impossible. This book, no games are being played but somehow more than ever people are out to win.

I’ve mentioned this in every review of this series of books but wow! This series of books is honestly incredible and I can’t believe it took a whim purchase at a convention for me to have even heard of the series. From book one all the way to the end of book three the story grabs your attention and doesn’t let you go. Even after finishing Finale I just sat processing all that I’d read. It’s been a long time since I read books as quickly as these which just goes to show what wonderful stories they are.

Finale is told from both Tella and Scarletts point of view which worked perfectly for this book. You really needed to read the story from both in order to appreciate fully ever detail that was going on. Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of stories told from multiple perspectives but it just worked so well in Finale. Even when the girls were apart it didn’t feel like you were missing much of the action from the other as the story is so cleverly weaved together. For example, a lot of the time the sisters were working together towards the shame goal but doing different elements of it to achieve what they set out to do.

I don’t want to spoil the ending in anyway but just know the ending of this book is so perfect and its one of the best endings to a story that I’ve read in a long time. The only thing is it definitely leaves it somewhat open to have a sort of spin off book and I for one would be more than open to this happening!

In conclusion, Finale was a fantastic book. It led me down so many different paths and the twists and turns I just never saw coming – is that not just the sign of an amazing book? I couldn’t recommend picking up this series of books more.

 Synopsis –

A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.

It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time – only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…

If you saw last weeks blog post you’ll have seen that I was part of the blitz for Confessions Of A Sex Kitten by Mila Rossi. If you’ve not read this post yet then click here as it provides some excerpts from the novel and a chance to win an Amazon gift card! I was given a copy of this book to do an impartial review of so that is exactly what today’s post is going to be!

Confessions Of A Sex Kitten tells the story of Avery. Avery writes an anonymous blog called Confessions Of A Sex Kitten (hence the book name) but the reality is she isn’t half as adventurous in the bedroom as her blog makes her out to be. That is until James, the most attractive man Avery has ever laid eyes on, moves into the flat next door. The pair instantly have an attraction and struggle to stay away from each other, something which is only amplified when James stumbles across Avery’s blog. However, neither of them act upon their feelings towards each other, so instead James takes to putting on a show at his window just for his neighbours enjoyment. Surely sooner or later sparks will start to fly…

The minute I read the synopsis of this book I knew I would love it. I love a good romance novel and this book is definitely that. Plus the story is set in New York which is one of my favourite cities so I always enjoy reading novels set there. The storyline itself was relatively simple, neighbours who have the potential to fall in love. It’s a realistic situation but I loved the added twist that Avery has a sex blog. Each chapter begins with a snippet from her blog post and I think it gives an extra dimension to the story. You’re reading Avery’s most secret desires (you’ll soon realise she is not anything like her blog makes her out to be) and when you know that James is secretly reading those posts too it’s interested to see how he reacts from reading them.

Both Avery and James were both likeable characters and the story intermittently switches from being told from both of their perspectives. You discover more about them that way and get a glimpse into their individual family lives. Personally the family side of things was the big downfall for me. It was mentioned but for me I didn’t feel like the families were in the story enough to truly add much to the story when the way they acted could’ve provided a whole new element to the story. I would’ve enjoyed the story just as much if the family chapters were taken out but I completely understand why they’re a part of this book as it gives make you understand more about James and Avery’s characters.

The romance side of this book is a slow burner so if you’re into novels that get to the relationship part quickly this is perhaps not the book for you. However, I felt like the slow build up was completely worth it. The book kept my attention and it didn’t take me long to read it as it was one of those quick, fun, romantic reads that makes your heart happy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Sometimes you just need a romance novel and this one is great. It has two extremely likeable characters that you’re routing for from the beginning, some funny moments, moments that you feel genuinely sorry for the characters and a couple of sex scenes. If you’re looking for a quick romance novel that has a bit of everything then you will love this book.

Synopsis –

Striving to be the sex kitten Avery Taylor portrays on her blog is a lot harder than she imagined, but having a hot, new neighbor move in next door dude gets her imagination going. His green eyes alone would give a girl the vampire. And yet, getting involved with someone so close just isn’t in the cards for Avery, even if her inner kitten is tell her that all rules are meant to be broken once. Or twice. Or as many times as it takes to get familiar with James’s one billion abs.

James Mardin moves to NYC to focus on family and work. Quickly Avery just plops into his life out of nowhere. She’s the last thing he needs, and yet, he can’t seem to stay away from the damsel down the hall, especially after he stumbles upon her secret blog. A sexy goofball lusting after him? It just wouldn’t be proper if he didn’t make her fantasies come true.

With views to die for, neighborly favours to return, and secrets to uncover, James and Avery are in for a treat. The attraction is evident, but is it enough to get them through snarky family remarks, burning buildings, and the heat of a typical New York summer?