36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant // AWWW.

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You, by Vicki Grant
Publication: October 17, 2017, by Running Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Hildy and Paul each have their own reasons for joining the university psychology study that asks the simple question: Can love be engineered?
The study consists of 36 questions, ranging from "What is your most terrible memory?" to "When did you last sing to yourself?" By the time Hildy and Paul have made it to the end of the questionnaire, they've laughed and cried and lied and thrown things and run away and come back and driven each other almost crazy. They've also each discovered the painful secret the other was trying so hard to hide. But have they fallen in love?
Told in the language of modern romance—texting, Q&A, IM—and punctuated by Paul's sketches, this clever high-concept YA is full of humor and heart. As soon as you've finished reading, you'll be searching for your own stranger to ask the 36 questions. Maybe you'll even fall in love.

My Thoughts:

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You is one of the coolest books ever — it is written with an impeccable format that many authors should go ahead and pick up on. What is better than reading a book that is divided into chapters/sections in relation to each one of the thirty-six questions Hildy and Paul (our two main characters and YOU GUESSED IT, love interests) had to ask each other? Nothing is better than this format, let's just say that. Vicki Grant, through the premise of this story, has created something so memorable, so lovely and cute that I promise you; I will remember this book for years. 

In essence, Hildy and Paul's story starts off with the two of them not having any clue who the other is. They meet at the local university, where they both decide to participate in an experiment. Hildy participates in the experiment to gain some fun out of it, while Paul, on the other hand, does it for the money. However, little do they know that the experiment's goal is for the two of them to fall in love, which obviously makes things interesting. 

Vicki Grant's characters sure had personalities. Hildy and Paul were opposites of each other - and that's what really entertained me. Although readers were able to predict that the two would fall in love and generate some kind of romantic connection, they were so different that it was unbelievable. They both came from two different worlds - Hildy, from a wealthy family, and Paul from the opposite, however, what was shown thanks to the revelations of who the characters actually were, was that everyone has problems. Everyone has issues in their lives, no matter how many materialistic goods they were fortunate to own. What matters is that we take care of ourselves and stay appreciative of what we have. Agh. THE FEELS.

WHAT I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANTED from this book was a better ending. The one we were provided with was splendid, don't get me wrong, BUT what about the university staff? Were they satisfied/dissatisfied with the results of their experiment? That would've been so cute. *giggles*

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You was truly fantastic. I loved the writing, premise, characters, romance... all of it. I cannot help but recommend it to everyone — go ahead and enjoy it!

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the cutest chick-lit book you have read recently?

Remember Me Always by Renee Collins // I Never Expected to Love This!

Remember Me Always, by Renee Collins
Publication: October 3, 2017, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Shelby is nervous to start her senior year after spending the whole summer away from home. After all, it's hard to be carefree when you're trying to protect a secret.
Shelby was in a devastating car accident, and everyone in town thinks that she was undergoing more physical therapy in Denver. Instead, Shelby's mother enrolled her in a clinical program to stop the panic attacks that started after the crash. The treatment erased Shelby's memory of the accident, but she can't help feeling as if a piece of herself is missing, that the treatment took more than the doctors claimed.
So when Shelby starts hallucinating a boy with dark and mysterious eyes, she knows it must be a side-effect of the clinical program. Except you can't kiss hallucinations. And this boy insists that they know each other and are in love...

My Thoughts:

Remember Me Always was unbelievable. UN-OMG-BELIEVABLE. After previously reading Renee Collins' debut, Until We Meet Again, I expected to sadly never pick up a book of hers again because of the weird mysterious fantasy she tried to create in that book. However, when word first was released about this new 2017 book of hers (and the fact that it had an aesthetic cover with gorgeous Polaroid photos), I was so in. Of course, I was skeptical that it would be a favourite of mine, as the premise... well, let's just say that it does not sound like the most promising book. FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. Remember Me Always is surely one of the best books I have read this year. It picked me out of a hideous, dreadful reading slump that I have experienced since the summer (!!!!), causing me to finish it in one sitting. There's nothing better than being on a road trip with a gorgeous story that keeps you going and not bored. Because let me just say it: some of the 'scenery' we can view out of the window is not always so... awing. 

THIS WAS ACTION-PACKED AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. Collins has a poetic vibe to her writing which I totally appreciated due to how it made this story seem less fictional and more moving. This time around, Collins explores the effects of PTSD, a traumatic experience, loss/love and the setting of a small Colorado town. She mixed all of these various concepts together, and voila: this novel was born. The spotlight shines on Shelby, a heart-warming, real protagonist who has spent her entire summer before senior year in a hospital in Denver trying to forget. To forget the memories that scarred her so much. It turns out that Shelby was in a tragic car accident, leaving her with tragic memories and panic attacks that wouldn't stop occurring. When her mother discovers a clinical program that will relieve the panic attacks and fade some memories away, Shelby is sent off for a month, discovering that the memories are blurry. Except for those involving a mysterious boy. 

When the boy starts appearing in Shelby's 'memories,' we immediately expect that this guy could be a ghost or some supernatural figure. However, FORTUNATELY, he is not: he's real. And Shelby meets him, discovering that she once knew him... quite well. And even though this book is a total love story, as the cover suggests, it focuses on a lot more than just the love. Renee Collins captures the reality of living in a small town with citizens who literally have their nose in everyone's business. Imagine hiding Shelby's huge secret (of losing her memory) in a place where everyone knows everyone. It felt as if there were so many characters in this story in comparison to other books. I loved learning about the personalities and lives of so many — I find that it is often difficult to connect with characters in books, but this one had no flaws with that, or anything, for that matter.

Shelby was a protagonist who I know I will compare others to. She had the right amount of down-to-earth-ness and intelligence and empathy to the extent that she was not letting anyone around her use her. I appreciated her so much - the book would have surely been different if she wasn't around. AND THE LOVE INTEREST? Auden? He's my lover. New book boyfriend. New favourite character. AGH. If you like a mysterious, interesting man, you now know which book to read. YAY FOR THEIR FLAWED, BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE! Collins showed, through this lovely book, that love is so flawed, that there is no perfection involved.

Remember Me Always is a book I (and you, if you read it) will never forget. I loved the pacing, premise, characters and most of all, romance, which was the opposite of perfection. How can I relive what I felt during this book again? To remember it always.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thanks so much!*

What book would you want to remember, always?

Changes in Latitudes by Jen Malone // *shrugs*

Changes in Latitudes, by Jen Malone
Publication: July 25, 2017, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

All Cassie wants is to get some solid ground under her feet following the shock of her parents’ divorce. So when she learns of her mom’s plans to take Cassie and her brother, Drew, on a four-month sailing trip from Oregon to Mexico, she’s stunned. There is absolutely nothing solid about the Pacific Ocean.
Cassie is furious. And nervous. It’s been hard enough keeping Drew sheltered from what Cassie knows about her mother’s role in breaking their family apart, but living in such close quarters threatens to push her anger past its tipping point.
Enter Jonah, a whip-smart deckhand who’s as gorgeous as he is flirtatious. Cassie tries to keep him at a distance, but the more time they spend together—wandering San Francisco, riding beachside roller coasters, and exploring the California coastline—the harder it is to fight the attraction.
Cassie wants to let herself go, but her parents’ split has left her feeling adrift in a sea of questions she can’t even begin to answer. Can she forgive her mom? Will home ever feel the same? Should she take a chance on Jonah? With life’s unpredictable tides working against her, Cassie must decide whether to swim against them…or dive right in.

My Thoughts:

Changes in Latitudes was expected to be amazing by me. I thought that I would adore it because I really enjoyed Jen Malone's Wanderlost, which was a traveller's dream story. Wanderlost made me feel as if I needed to read more contemporary romances and travel the world as much as possible. This story, however, was disappointing. I surely did enjoy it, however, I found that it was missing something... some concept/characters I would enjoy and learn from. Some content that I did not see before. Yes, the whole 'sailor' story was completely new, however I felt that the types of characters who were introduced were plain. Boring. 

This book featured a protagonist, Cassie, who explored a new pace of life as she began traveling by boat along the West Coast of America. WOW, RIGHT? And along the way, she stereotypically (and unsurprisingly) falls in love with Jonah - who introduces her to a world of fun, especially since her parents recently got divorced. Jen Malone takes us through San Francisco, Oregon, on the way to Mexico, which seems to be a reader's dream itinerary. I couldn't help but fall in love with the premise of this story, but what was lacking was a racing story that made me addicted. This was just a book that I can classify as "meh." I've read better things, more action-packed stories, but it is what it is.

Cassie was kick-butt. I loved her attitude and how she was all about trying to gain some kind of positivity in life. In the midst of her life, she is battling several demons, such as dealing with the fact that she was miles away from her friends and senior year. And then the romance with Jonah began and I just fell in love with everything the story was promoting. Although the ending was mediocre, I still liked it.

Changes in Latitudes was a book with a great story with a nice premise and set of characters (including the romance), but there were flaws that prevented me from really enjoying the book. Aside from the slow-moving of the story and the ending, I'd highly recommend this one. Grab it and head on a cruise ship, exploring the destinations as you sail around the world!

Are there any other YA books about traveling on the sea?