Everything Begins With Us by E.A. Andrews

* * * 1/2

Eighteen-year-old Harper Deacon has never been a rebel. She’s always been a rule-follower who goes along to get along. Until she does the one thing her mother asked her not to do. When she bails on college to pursue her dream of becoming a musician, her mom kicks her out and she moves into the house she inherited from her granddad. 

Smith Dalton doesn’t follow the rules. He bends them to his own needs. After driving off the lead singer of the indie rock band he recently joined, Smith talks Harper into being the band’s new lead singer. 

Sounds like the perfect plan. But Harper has her doubts. Joining a band with three guys? She’s never even had guy friends before. Spending a lot of time with a certain guitar player who is too good-looking, too cool, and too much of everything? That could get complicated. Especially when the guy is a player who just hooks up and moves on. The last thing Harper needs is to fall for a guy who will only break her heart. 

Music is her number one priority and she has every intention of staying focused on what really matters. But, as Harper is finding out, being in a band is about more than just the music. And sometimes, what you think you want and what you really need are two very different things.


There's a certain sense of pride in knowing exactly what you want to do with your life. In knowing that there's an absolute path you want to take. But it's hard to be taken seriously when you're barely out of high school because no parent wants their child to experience extreme hardship, especially when the chosen path is not guaranteed. Harper feels so strongly about her music and convincing her mother of it is a challenge. When the two can't come to an agreement, Harper moves out and vows to succeed on her own terms. She meets Smith, an enigmatic guitarist, at one of her shows and finds herself reeled into the social circles they share. He is just as passionate about music and finally, here's someone who speaks her language. One thing she can't have happen is falling for him and derailing her plans. But you can't help who you fall in love with and so the story explores their love of songwriting and the determination Harper has to make it.

Everything Begins With Us starts off one way but ended up in a direction I wasn't expecting. In all actuality, I didn't know what to expect; I was just there for the ride. Harper is essentially thrust from an overprotective environment into the real world overnight. The result is that she trades one experience - college life - for another - sudden emotional and financial independence - in the process maturing so much faster than she would have otherwise. I was enchanted by her chemistry with Smith. Their back and forth between being friends and edging closer to the other side was exciting and also a bit frightening. I like that Harper never lost her conviction and in the face of a new challenge she never expected in her life, I think she handled herself rather remarkably. Smith's role is not only that of encouraging her but also pushing her out of her comfort zone. There's plenty of give and take between them and in the end she becomes just as much an emotional rock for him as he has been for her. There are some themes in the book that the author dives into which I won't give away in this review but you can look at the labels below if you'd like a heads up. For me not knowing what was coming was what tied me to the book and helped me sense what it was like for Harper.

This is a novel about growing up, letting go, finding common ground and friendship. The characters go through some struggles that will touch you and some of them might seem familiar. I liked the story and it did stick with me for a few days after I'd finished it. I don't know if Andrews has any plans to revisit Harper and Smith down the road so that we can see their progress; if Harper is any closer to her dreams, but in the meantime I can certainly make that wish on their behalf.

~ Bel


By the way, Everything Begins With Us is choc full of music references which made my day! Thanks to E.A. Andrews for providing the link to the book's soundtrack. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman

* * * 1/2

Kissing Max Holden was a terrible idea...

After his father has a life-altering stroke, Max Holden isn't himself. As his long-time friend, Jillian Eldridge only wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. When Max climbs through her window one night, Jill knows that she shouldn't let him kiss her. But she can't resist, and when they're caught in the act by her dad, Jill swears it'll never happen again. Because kissing Max Holden is a terrible idea.

With a new baby sibling on the way, her parents fighting all the time, and her dream of culinary school up in the air, Jill starts spending more and more time with Max. And even though her father disapproves and Max still has a girlfriend, not kissing Max is easier said than done. Will Jill follow her heart and allow their friendship to blossom into something more, or will she listen to her head and stop kissing Max Holden once and for all?

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


It's been some time since I've read anything bordering on angsty and Kissing Max Holden is being hit with it on almost every page. I know it sounds like I'm disparaging the book but I'm not; it's just that this story features people who are deeply discontented and how they deal (rather badly) with their circumstances. 

Jillian and Max have been friends forever, essentially having been each other's shadow since childhood with their parents being just as good friends. But as it happens as years go by, they grow up and apart and then it seems like they're hardly recognizable to each other. At least that's how Jill feels about Max. Ever since his dad had a debilitating stroke months before, Max has done nothing but lash out in various ways like getting drunk, and it's fueled in part by his tempestuous relationship with his girlfriend, Becky. Jill doesn't get why two people who are so miserable together would still wanted to stay together. Max makes things awkward when he shows up inebriated in her room one night and they wind up kissing. Not cool since he still has a girlfriend but it's all that's needed to send Jill into a spiral. Worse is that she doesn't feel she can confide in anyone about what's going on since her dad and her stepmom who are expecting their baby soon are constantly fighting, too. Jill and her dad haven't been on the best terms lately so it only makes matters worse when he notices Max hanging around her more. He doesn't want his bad behaviour influencing her. It just seems like everyone is trying to escape something by finding a distraction and when Jill finally gets her head cleared she tells Max she doesn't want to be the reason he and Becky break up. That he has to get things in order before they can be together. 

With almost everyone simmering in their own bitterness this isn't a light-hearted read. If anything, this is a story about how hard relationships are and about the value of honesty. I find it interesting that Jill's initial indiscretion with Max serves as a parallel to what's happening between her parents. It brings some perspective to the seventeen year-old who's witnessing her own family's implosion. By contrast, Max's turnaround is a timely change that gives Jill a steadying shoulder to lean on should she need it. Now that he's attempting to clean up his messes, he's able to offer insight and persuade Jill that she has to be honest about their relationship to her parents. 

There's more that unfolds in the plot which spurs Jill on towards maturity much faster than she anticipated. I'm amazed by how Upperman managed to add the twists without it getting too out of hand. In the end, Kissing Max Holden is not the sugary sweet, cute boy next door love story I thought I was going to be reading but I do believe I got something even better!

~ Bel

Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1) by Ginger Scott

* * * * *

Nolan Lennox had things figured out. Named after a baseball legend, she enjoyed being the Tomboy, her closet filled with her brother’s hand-me-downs, cut-off jeans and soccer shorts. But when her first trip to high school results in a broken heart from the first boy to ever make her heart flutter and cruel words from an older girl she once thought a family friend, Nolan starts to question the very person she thought she was and wonders if her humble upbringing can compete with the afforded luxuries of her privileged peers.

Throughout the next four years, Nolan struggles to maintain herself throughout her path of discovery, learning just how cruel teenagers can be through the pressures of underage drinking, sexuality and class. And despite how life seems to continue to work against her, she still manages to listen to her heart, falling deeper and deeper for the guy the entire town adores, even if he only sees her as a friend. Can Nolan strike a compromise between her own integrity and the boy she loves? And can she make him notice her before it’s too late?

Reed Johnson came to Coolidge High School with a lot of fanfare. The son of a hometown football legend and the brother of a local football hero, Reed wore all the pressures of carrying a town without hope into the spotlight. Thankfully, he had the talent to back it up. But when he meets a girl who makes him think twice about exactly what being a hero means, he starts to wonder if following in his brother’s footsteps might be all wrong.

Nolan Lennox was everything that was opposite of expected. She didn’t flirt, she didn’t drink and she didn’t sleep around. Nothing about her was easy, but something about her made Reed want to try harder. Though she didn’t look the part, she seemed to be spending a lot of time in Reed’s thoughts, and he wondered if she could be the one who made it all worthwhile. But could Reed handle letting her down? And would breaking her heart break him beyond repair?

Waiting on the Sidelines explores young love to its fullest, exposing how real young heartbreak and passion is and how important it is to discover yourself and hold onto your own identity. The story follows two young characters as they deal with mature situations, including the prevalence of bullying and promiscuity in today’s high school setting. Ultimately, Waiting on the Sidelines is a story of hope, honesty and those powerful, first true loves—the ones worth holding onto at any cost.

I’m still on a high from reading this amazingly well-crafted story of a high school crush that evolves into friendship and then into something more.

It occurred to me as I read along that many of the YA novels I’ve read in the past have zeroed in on a specific aspect of that character’s life and everything else is just background noise. Waiting on the Sidelines works with a different formula. It follows Nolan and Reed over the course of their entire high school career. In doing so, Scott is able show their growth and the shedding of their innocence. She subtly introduces several high school-age themes from self-esteem issues to anxiety to peer pressure to bullying to sexual awakening to drinking and finally self-identity. The story develops organically and I really felt as if I went through four years of high school watching these two blossom.

Nolan is perhaps now one of my favourite YA heroines. While she may crush after the guy, she’s not entirely defined by it. She still has other things happening in her life that make up who she is – athletics, studies, family and friends. During this time when many teens are confused and exploring who they are, her core principles are intact. Believe me, she’s challenged a lot. She stands up for herself several times, including to Reed when he’s crossed the line. She’s strong — not perfect — and overcomes her shortcomings to be even stronger. This is a heroine I want my teen daughters to read!

And speaking of friends, they’re surrounded by some well-rounded, level-headed friends. The fact that their social circles remain a significant part of the story only enriches it and made me so happy.  It’s also a comfort considering the drama that comes and goes.

Nolan and Reed stumble spectacularly over the years on their way to each other. With the way their tale is spaced out, it allowed me the opportunity to experience all their milestones along with them. The high moments are sweet indeed and the low moments are crushing. This is my seventh Ginger Scott novel and she hasn't failed me yet. I admire her ability to write about real life issues and pull the reader into the journey at hand. I believe it’s because she’s not a narrow-minded writer. She’s always incorporating the bigger picture. In this case, it’s Nolan’s own self-discovery amidst AND outside the chaos of her relationship with Reed. The various themes contained within the story will resonate with many readers and elicit some strong emotions.

If you ask me to name my favourite YA novel, it would be this one. I can’t think of a single thing that I’d change about this story. It’s simply perfect to me.

~ Bel