I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski // The Best Summer Read Ever

I See London, I See France (I See London, I See France #1), by Sarah Mlynowski
Publication: July 11, 2017, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 378
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She’s spending the next four and half weeks traveling through Europe with her childhood best friend, Leela. Their plans include Eiffel-Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato, and making out with très hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela’s cheating ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating ex-boyfriend’s très hot friend, monitoring her mother’s spiraling mental health via texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug-of-war.
As Sydney zigzags through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, and France, she must learn when to hold on, when to keep moving, and when to jump into the Riviera…wearing only her polka-dot underpants.

My Thoughts:

I See London, I See France is literally a traveller slash bookworm's dream novel. THIS WAS MY DREAM NOVEL. It was my #1 most anticipated read of all of 2017, and I couldn't wait to devour it during my vacation. Although I didn't spend my vacation in Europe (I really, really wanted to), at least Sarah Mlynowski provided me with the opportunity to pretend that I was exploring London, Paris, Italy and Switzerland. This was seriously my favourite read of last year. (It's crazy to see how I'm writing this review a year later haha.)

This book has a very, VERY important theme: friendship. More books should focus on the reality of friendship in the manner that this one did. Normally, authors tend to show that every girl has a BFF and they are so alike that they will conquer the world and beat all the bullies who are stealing their boyfriends. Trust me on that one; you can find that in literally every cheesy chick-lit story. Mlynowski, as always (I love her writing!), took this premise and showed the reality of friendship and even travelling. Unless you're a millionaire, it is extremely difficult to be travelling to luxury hotels and treating yourself to expensive dinners by the riverside every night. You know what I mean? This book was just so realistic and beautiful. I am in LOVE.

As for the premise which is explored, what the book focused on was a summer trip between two best friends throughout Europe. Sydney and Leela are heading on a trip throughout Switzerland, London, France, and Italy with the main focus of Leela forgetting about her ex-boyfriend, who actually shows up on their flight. THINGS GET CRAZY SOON AFTER, and there are so many plot twists and suspense throughout the book that will surely keep you interested. I am so excited for the sequel to this beauty, and I extremely appreciated the romance and nice pacing that this provided. Therefore, this was definitely a win over a miss.

Even if you do not call yourself an avid fan of contemporary romance, I still recommend I See London, I See France. It is just a beautiful story that is unlike many others and one I will remember for years. In fact, I would really like to reread it!

What is your favourite travel-themed novel?

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally // HOLY MOLY.

Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks), by Miranda Kenneally
Publication: July 4, 2017, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

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 tryout, so Maggie 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 sacrifice in the water to win at love?

My Thoughts:

I have really, really avoided writing this review. Why, you may ask? Why be so lazy? *giggles* Because I didn't want to let this series go. Miranda Kenneally's Thousand Oaks series has been with me since the start - the start of my obsession with reading and all things YA fiction. Coming Up For Air was just as good as the others in this series, and I am so obsessed with it. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the author's writing and what is yet to come! 

I feel that this series HAD to end because Kenneally ran out of sports to write about — we have been through them all: soccer, football, baseball, running, swimming, you name it! Haha - but in an honest sense, I must say that what I loved most about this book was the fact that romance was incorporated in a realistic way. Maggie and Levi had the most passionate relationship ever (!! seriously!), and I cannot get them out of my head. 

This could’ve been bad—real bad. You see, I’m used to a lot of those cheesy fluffy contemporaries with a lot of unrealism in them. I could spend hours naming them all, but I’d rather not since contemporary is probably my favourite genre. 

I feel like books in this genre could either go one way or the other. The characters in this one seemed more mature and relatable than the others of the author, and that surely shone a light onto this all, just like a little topping or sprinkle of something onto your ice cream sundae. Like really, it was the magical touch and new-thing to this series. It was what we needed to get this to a whole other level. 

Buy, loan, grab, steal (just kidding) this book IMMEDIATELY. I promise you will adore it, and if you (somehow) don't, I'll kindly (or forcefully) ask you to pick up the first books of the series and devour them. There is literally no way that you will not find this book enjoyable. Now, go ahead and go for it!

What was the best final book of a series you recently read?

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch // AGH. I'm in Love!

Love and Gelato, by Jenna Evans Welch
Publication: May 3, 2016, by Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 389
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.
But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.
People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

My Thoughts:

It is rare for me to be in love with a book, especially during my current tough reading slump. I find that it is quite difficult to find enjoyable books that are different than the rest and contain the most important thing I look for in a book: a plot that is in no way boring. However, Love and Gelato by the AH-MAZING Jenna Evans Welch shocked me and showed me that there is hope in this world to find good books. I loved the setting of Florence, Italy, and the romantic interest, Ren. Those are just two of the mini captivating points that I am still currently obsessed with.

Even though I closed this book back in August 2017, I feel as if I just finished it. Ren and Lina's story seems to be living in my head for an extra long period of time, longer than what I averagely deal with. This is not a story that is just about the romance, hence the title. Jenna Evans Welch creates Lina's persona as one that is struggling to find the truth about her roots and who she actually is. She has little to no knowledge about her father, and what Italy really means to her. However, as she has the best summer of her life (I am still envious to this day about what she experienced, agh) the secrets begin to flood out and we as readers begin to strive to want to find out THE TRUTH. And, to not burst your bubble or anything, the truth is not leaked until THE END. But not the last page - so don't be one of those sneaky people and scan the last page for spoilers. It won't get you anywhere. *winks*

This is one of those books that is perfect for you to read on a day at the beach, a day by the pool, or on a day where you can see twenty feet of snow outside of your window. It will develop so much wanderlust in you, and you will want to email the publisher like a maniac, asking them to show you the author's next novel. TRUST ME, I've tried. (Just kidding!) But I guess that this is a sign that you. Will. Be. Incredibly. Addicted.

Lina was the most kick-butt contemporary-romance protagonist I have read about in a looong time. I loved that she was skeptical of her surroundings and what she was being told by her father. She wasn't naive, WHICH, for chick-lit books, is a trait quite easy to find in narrators. And the best thing was that she had the most amazing connection with Ren. *heart eyes* REN IS MY BOO. MY LOVE. I'd really appreciate it if Lina passed him over to me!

Love and Gelato is my love. And right now, I could really use a cup of gelato (preferably cinnamon flavoured) to make my day complete. AND ALSO, if I booked a trip to Italy, I wouldn't ~want~ anything else. GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW. If you're seeking a 'best book of the year,' this is it!

What are some other YA books set in Italy?

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?