Romance Starter Kits - Young Adult & New Adult

All right! My last Romance Starter Kits post! LOL, honestly, most of the kits contain my favorite books or favorite authors. Guess you recommend what you know :)

Today, I'm featuring Young Adult and New Adult romance books :) Two genres which have really surged in the past few years. In blogland, NA seems to have somewhat eclipsed YA... probably because of our ages LOL. I think it's easier to relate to characters who are in their early to mid-20s than teens :P However, I think a reason why NA is so popular is the flexibility of the genre as well. Teens have to attend high school, not much they can do about that. And if they don't, well the situation is weird... and there are just so many weird situations we can read before getting tired of it. NA though is meant to be the beginning of adult life with many, many possibilities :) Therefore, bigger window for wowzers :)

Without further ado, here are my picks for YA and NA:

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg
The Only Thing Worse than Me is You by Lily Anderson

I love, love My Most Excellent Year. It's just a great fun book. It's a lot more than high school... it's about discovering yourself and families, the one that you have and the one that you choose :)

Letters to Nowhere was very refreshing because the heroine is an elite gymnast. So instead of going to school, she trains and therefore, offers a different perspective/lifestyle. She also deals with the loss of her parents in an accident... at a time where she really needs her parents' support.

Pivot Point is my only non-contemporary YA suggestion. Well actually, it is contemporary, but it has a twist - heroine has a psychic power that allows her to see the two outcomes when she has to make a choice. In this case, her choices are to stay with her mother in the psychic compound or go with her dad in the normal world. I loved the writing, the parallel storylines and the romance was very sweet :)

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is one of the books that made me fall in love with the YA genre. It showed me that there was a lot more to this genre than books about high school drama. That a contemporary YA book could be deep and fun at the same time :)

I think the reason I love Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg and The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson is the same: the characters don't go to a regular high school. In Take a Bow, they are at a performing arts high school and The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You, a school for genius. It's interesting to see how teens deal with so much pressure and refreshing because they have something else to focus on than who's the most popular and so on.

Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan
The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen
A Shattered Moment by Tiffany King
Wasted Words by Staci Hart

A good romance story doesn't necessarily mean a man and a woman. Love happens to couple of same sex too and it was a pleasure to see Wes and Jamie's love story unfolds in Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy :)

Sport romances in NA aplenty. When I think NA and sports romance, three names come to mind: Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy and Kristen Callihan. Ms Callihan is the one who delivered one of my favorites: The Friend Zone. A womanizer football player trying to be friends with a girl who has nothing in common with him... Is it possible? :)

Ms Bowen is now one of my auto-buy authors. The series that made her so popular is The Ivy Years and my favorite book is The Understatement of the Year. However, since I've already chosen Him, also a m/m romance, I chose my second favorite book, The Shameless Hour. It's rare to see heroines who are so confident in their sexuality and who assume their choices... Even more rare is for these heroines to be likable and that's exactly what Ms Bowen pulled off in The Shameless Hour.

Teens spend years planning what their life after high school is going to be, what they will do in college and after... but what happens when tragedy strikes and those plans change? That's what happens to the heroine in A Shattered Moment. On the night of graduation, her and her best friends are in a car accident... and she's one of three who survives.

Finally, I chose Wasted Words because not all NA are about college students :) The main characters in Wasted Words are out of college and starting their adult lives... This is a sweet and light romance :)


And there you go, my Romance Starter Kits. I do hope that one day, they will serve someone :) And that even romance readers will be able to find new "precious" with these posts LOL.

Review: Wasted Words by Staci Hart

All right, taking a little break from my Romance Starter Kit posts to post this review! I just finish reading this yesterday, so this review is really fresh off the press :)

Enjoy!

Wasted Words by Staci Hart
self-published in May 2016

Some universal truths refuse to be ignored.

Peanut butter and jelly are a match made in heaven. Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.

She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.

Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary romance
Series: Bad Habits, Book #4 (?)

The Story: Cam Emerson and Tyler Knight became roommates when Tyler needed a new place after being dumped by his model ex for being too nice and boring. The two have become great friends and hang out together almost everyday. A bookworm, Cam's mission is to find THE book that will make Tyler love reading.

Cam is a quirky, cute, smart and short geek. She's always been different and has embraced her passions. She's currently working her dream job at Wasted Words, a book bar, as a manager. She also enjoys matchmaking people together. She's had a painful love experience in high school and because of it, she firmly believes that people who are too different cannot be together. That's why when Tyler, her six-foot-six, gorgeous roommate, expresses his feelings, she doesn't think they have a future... yet, she can't resist him.

Will Tyler be able to prove her wrong?

My Opinion: This was such a cute read!! I checked out the book on Goodreads because of the cover and the blurb just sold me - I love opposites attract romance. So happy I gave this a try and that's why I'm reviewing it right away :)

I loved Cam and Tyler. They were both great characters!! I think a lot of us will relate to Cam who's a book lover: re-reading a book because the last three didn't reach her, trying to find the perfect book for Tyler, etc. :) She loved books and I could really feel that love, which made me love her LOL. Also, she was a great boss, so much fun and really into it. Seriously, I wish Wasted Words existed so I could work there! She was just so dynamic and passionate... Of course, she had faults and issues, but she was honest and upfront about them and knew when she was wrong. The only thing I disliked was her hobby of playing matchmaker. It served the story to a certain extent, but personally, I could have done without. As for Tyler, such a great hero!! I loved him! He was just such a nice guy, being handsome was the bonus LOL. I loved his understanding, patience and persistence. Seriously, if I could meet a guy like Tyler, I'd be really, really happy and wouldn't hesitate a second to snatch him up :)

The romance was pretty awesome as well. Cam and Tyler had a lot of chemistry and I loved that they didn't jump into bed right away after expressing their feelings for each other. Kisses, hugs, sleeping together (not sex), hanging out... It was just so sweet. I liked that they communicated and once again, have to mention Tyler's understanding and patience towards Cam's issues. He tried to be there and reassure her, convince her they'd work. What I liked also is that there was no game between them... and the author didn't go the typical route either. For example, before Cam and Tyler realize their feelings for each other, Tyler goes on a date... That's when he starts to realize that he wants to be with Cam, but is not sure about Cam feelings. Well, he doesn't go on and date this girl like most romance books. Instead, he tells her he's interested in someone else and confronts Cam with his feelings. There were many instances when Ms Hart could have chosen the convoluted way that many other authors have chosen... and I'm not saying that those authors were wrong, but it was nice Ms Hart didn't take the easy way to create conflicts. Instead, the romance conflict stemmed from Cam's past relationship and readers were aware of it early and it all made sense. It also added a layer to Cam and shows us that no matter how self-assured someone is, there is always some vulnerability somewhere.

Where the book falters in my opinion is the timeline. The story spans about 1.5 week and Cam and Tyler's romance, a week. I thought that was pretty rushed given everything they went through. Yes, Cam and Tyler had this strong friendship/roommate relationship as a basis for their romance, but I wished the author had expanded on the transition from friends to lovers. Wished we've seen more of Cam and Tyler as a couple, alone, to really cement their romance in my mind. While the romance was very sweet, it seemed to lack the intensity for me to really believe everything happened in a week and that Cam and Tyler could weather through the conflict. And that's why I kind of wished Ms Hart hadn't added the whole matchmaking part of the story... Like those parts could have been dedicated to Cam and Tyler instead.

My Grade: B. Wasted Words was a sweet and cute read and I'm very happy to have read it. However, I feel like it was missing a spark in order to make it truly memorable. Also, there were a few editing errors - nothing major, but still slightly annoying ^_^;

Review: Third Degree by Julie Cross

Hi everyone!

Things have finally calmed down and gone back to normal :) Hopefully, that means I'll have more time for books and reviews :) To start things with, I have a buddy review up over at Breezing Through. Ames and I are discussing one of my new auto-buy author's latest release, Ms Cross' Third Degree. Click here to find out what we thought of Third Degree :)

Let's hope this review will kick my mojo into gear!


Third Degree by Julie Cross
published by Random House Publishing (Flirt) in March 2014

I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.

But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn fast.

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Series: None

Review: Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

Hi everyone!

Yes, I'm alive. I guess I jinxed myself in my last post when I said that I was doing "quite good" ^_^; On Tuesday, I noticed a rash under my left armpit and after a visit to the doctor, the diagnostic was shingles. Sigh. Gotta say though I wasn't too surprised. Shingles is basically the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that lies in you dormant. It usually occurs when the immune system is weakened. Let see, hmmmm. Ruptured appendix, antibiotics treatment, possible allergic reactions, allergy test, stress from every twitch and twinge, lack of sleep and start of curling season... Yep, it could be that my immune system was a bit weakened. Luckily, I went to the doctor promptly and started the anti-virals within the three days the rash appeared, which is when the drug is most effective. As a result, my rash didn't spread - yay! - and I was also lucky that it wasn't painful nor itchy. Today is my last day of anti-virals and the rash has lost its redness :) Hoping to play curling this week!

With everything going on, I haven't really been in the mood of blogging. I'm so far behind in my reviews, it's kind of getting overwhelming. Plus, I'm not really sure what I'm in the mood to read. I was waiting for today impatiently!! Need to replenish my pile of new releases LOL. Despite everything though, I was able to put together a buddy review with Ames over at Breezing Through. We both read Letters to Nowhere and wanted to share out thoughts with everyone. Be sure to check it out because we're also doing a giveaway! Click here for the review :)

Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross
self-published in August 2013

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics... I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.

Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary
Series: Letters to Nowhere, Book #1