I don't know about you guys,but I'm seeing "summer reads" all around, and whenever I hear that or anything similar, the first thing that comes to my mind are the contemporary/realistic young adult books. Yes, the YA Contemporaries in general - not limited to those beach reads. Although I read a wide variety of YAs every summer, I think majority of the books I have read are contemporaries. And right now, all that I have read since the last day of school are books like that.
The three most recent books I have read just a few days ago are:
Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian
Aimee and the Heartthrob by Ophelia London
Three contemporary romances with three very different themes.
Things We Know by Heart is a story about letting go, moving forward and second chances. A girl struggles to find closure with her boyfriend's sudden death by finding the donees of his organs. She wrote them letters, and most of them responded except for one - the boy who had his his heart transplanted with her boyfriend's heart. She tries to find the guy, and when she did, her plan to atleast feel a little closure was not as full proof as she thought it would be.
Among the three books, this is kind of the more "serious" one. Serious in a sense that it deals with heavier topics like loss of a loved one, and dealing with aftermath of their situations. It's the one that will make you feel sad and hopeful at the same time. For those who love a little adventure in the beach or the ocean, this one's for you. The characters here love to venture out in the water, or just chill by the beach. That's where their relationship developed. And although the thought of falling in love with someone who has your late boyfriend's heart made me doubtful about the development of the relationship of the characters, it still went well. You just can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, one of the many factors that affected her feelings toward the guy was that his heart was her boyfriend's heart. But it was not stressed so much there.
Overall, it was a nice read. Not exemplary moving, but it was okay. 3/5 Stars.
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys is about a girl, Megan, who got sent off to a family friend because her parents are going to Korea for their work-related duties. It's either she goes with them or she stays with the McGowans. She chose the latter. Now, she lives in a house with seven boys who are not all completely happy with her moving in with them.
The book should have been the "funny and easy-going" type among the three. Maybe it was light and easy to read, but I was a litte disappointed. It was not as fun as I thought it would be. And the characters were not as appealing. I was expecting a hilarious book about Megan and the brothers antics. The story was a little bland and annoying sometimes, and the other characters (especially the other brothers) were not even given their fair share of time under the spotlight. I was not able to get to know them well. And it's a little frustrating. I would have loved to know why this certain brother was acting like this or what that brother likes.
So, to Megan and the McGowan brothers, 2/5 Stars. I just wish it was better.
Aimee and the Heartthrob is about a girl and a... wait for it. Heartthrob. Hahahahahaha! (Sorry!) Anyway, it is about Aimee and her huge crush on her brother's best friend, Miles. She always tagged along with the two boys when they were little in the hopes getting noticed, but her efforts back then were not rewarded. Fast forward to the present, Miles is now part of the famous boy group, Seconds to Juliet (S2J), and the boy in every girl's fantasy. Because of a little conflict, Aimee ends up going on tour with S2J. Feelings resurfaced, bonds were tested, rules were broken, and the rest is history.
This book is the manifestation of every fangirl's dream - to be with their favorite and beloved band, boy group, or celebrity for weeks; to have an instant backstage pass to their hollywood life; and to travel from place to place with them. This is the "cute, swoon-worthy, fluffy" type of book, and it definitely lived up to the "swoon warning" it had at the beginning of the book. It was fun and sweet. It will melt your heart and leave puddles all over. Or maybe I just feel that way because I am a hardcore fangirl of several boy bands and celebrities. But nonetheless, the story was good. It achieved it's goal of making the readers swoon.
To sum up, Aimee and the Heartthrob was a really enjoyable book. 4/5 Stars.
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