We Met In December by Rosie Curtis

* * * 1/2

Following a year in the life of a twenty-something British woman who falls hard for her London flat mate, this clever, fun, and unforgettable romantic comedy is the perfect feel-good holiday read.
Two people. One house. A year that changes everything. 

Twenty-nine-year-old Jess is following her dream and moving to London. It’s December, and she’s taking a room in a crumbling, but grand, Notting Hill house-share with four virtual strangers. On her first night, Jess meets Alex, the guy sharing her floor, at a Christmas dinner hosted by her landlord. They don’t kiss, but as far as Jess is concerned the connection is clear. She starts planning how they will knock down the wall between them to spend more time together.

But when Jess returns from a two-week Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started dating someone else—beautiful Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into (hell, sharing a bathroom with) the man of her dreams…and the woman of his. 

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


If you're one for slow burn romances, and I do mean slooooowwww burn, We Met In December will definitely fall into that category. 

Jess and Alex meet as incoming flatmates and despite a little attraction they don't get together. That's because of the house rules stipulates that there'll be no coupling amongst the flatmates. It's an understandable enough rule meant to keep things from getting awkward or uncomfortable but it's none the less inconvenient. This is an exciting time for Jess as she's finally plucked up the courage to move to London and start her new dream job in publishing. Alex is also embarking on a new career leaving behind his days as a lawyer to become a nurse. It's easy to see one of the reasons why these two get along since they have this in common. Though crushed, Jess resigns herself to the fact that nothing can happen between them so she goes off on holiday with her friends only to return to discover that Alex and their other flatmate have been getting together on the sly. Jess keeps her disappointment and their secret to herself (she doesn't even let on to Alex that she knows) and tries to immerse herself in her new job and her friends. But the pull to Alex is always there. They just get on so well and he's so familiar with the city that they've taken to going on walks so he can show her the London that he knows.

I liked this story and the circuital way Alex and Jess eventually get together. It's a relationship steeped in friendship and camaraderie that's unique from what they share with the rest of their flatmates. Since the story unfolds through both their POVs we get to see how they're taking things in. Jess does tend to get repetitive about being the new girl in the city but I guess I can understand how she's starry-eyed about it. She wasn't exactly sheltered before but she also wasn't adventurous, so yes, she'll wax on about the newness of everything for a bit until it's not so new anymore. I took delight in the many excursions around Notting Hill and London, even looking up pictures so I could travel along with Jess and admire the sights through her eyes. That's the nice thing about her almost tourist-like beginning - it's exciting to experience those locales as if you were one yourself. While they both experience monumental changes within the year of their meeting - uprooting themselves, career changes, ending relationships - the story itself is not overly dramatic or angsty. Yes, the timing sucks and the house rule is annoying but they also have enough going in their own lives to keep them busy. It's really about their self-perception and the new discoveries they make about themselves as they year goes on. And always they're there for each other, a calming constant whenever there's uncertainty which is why they keep circling back.

We Met In December is charming and delivers a happily ever after but only after both Jess and Alex have done their thing and found their footing. You just have to be patient with them. 

~ Bel

The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

* * * 1/2

Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

Review:

Right before Superstorm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore, Lucy spent and unexpected day with her long time crush, friend and part time neighbor, Connor.  A day that ends with promises made to stay in touch even after Connor goes back home for the winter/spring.  But Connor never calls and a heartbroken Lucy is forced to move on.  Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend.  Connor is back in town to do some repairs for his dad and Lucy realizes that her feelings for him are still as strong as they were last fall.  The catch is that Lucy is now dating one of her best friends, Andrew. 

As the school year comes to a close, Lucy and Andrew’s relationship crumbles and her relationships with her girlfriends and twin brother crumble along with it.  Lucy is left alone to mend her heart that has been broken by three boys (that includes her brother).  As the summer begins, she moves forward learning to live with the loss of her long time group of friends, forge new friendships and find new opportunities.

I was having a hard time deciding how to share what I loved and didn’t love about this book.

Let me begin with the things I LOVED…   

The opening of each chapter - Each chapter begins with a piece from Lucy’s junior thesis entitled, “What’s Love Got to Do With It? The Dating and Mating Habits of North American Sea Life.”  Each section is a dry humorous look at the way different animals mate and court and in turn highlights how human romance is so difficult for Lucy to understand.

The love triangle that isn’t a love triangle – I find love triangles to be exhausting and overused. But the author’s take on the love triangle is a little different which was not only refreshing but made me love the main character even more.  In my opinion, Lucy showed a level of fidelity that I think would be hard for many teens in her situation.  Going after her long time crush isn’t an option.   Not only because she is dating someone else but she really feels that she and Andrew deserve a chance.  He is one of her best friends, after all.

Lucy’s parents – I am finding more and more parents in YA that are wonderfully supportive.  Lucy’s parents have their own crap going on (financial issues caused by the havoc of Superstorm Sandy) but it doesn’t affect how much they love their children and how available they are to each of them.

Connor – He’s a pretty loveable guy.  And even reading from a first person POV (Lucy’s perspective) it’s obvious how much he REALLY likes her.

There are only two things that I didn’t love about this story…

Connor – Say what?  I know, I know.  I just said I loved him.  But here’s the thing.  Connor has a bit of a reputation with the ladies.  Not necessarily a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation but he definitely has been known to go through girls like the summer tourist probably go through beach towels.  So even though I got the very distinct impression that he LOVED Lucy, I was also wary because he had yet to prove himself to be the kind of guy that can stick it out long term.

Lucy’s BROTHER and ALL OF HER FRIENDS – I will freely admit that this is personal for me.  I’ve been the girl whose long term friends permanently ditched her over something stupid. 23 years later (I feel so old after writing that) and it still boggles my mind that even teenagers can be so petty and cruel.  So when Lucy (slightly SPOILER-y here) ditches prom after Andrew and her brother seriously mess up I was on her side.  When she asked Connor to pick her up after leaving prom, I thought she used poor judgment but she still didn’t do anything wrong.  When Andrew tells everyone she cheated on him (she didn’t) I wanted to kick him in the nuts.  When her friend, Kiki, bitched and whined about Lucy ruining HER prom, demanded an explanation and then gave Lucy all of three seconds to explain (in other words, NO time to explain) before walking away with a big figurative screw you in Lucy’s direction, I wanted to pull her hair.  And, saving the worst for last, when Lucy finds out her brother is the one that intercepted Connor’s calls all those months ago and lied about her relationship status so Connor wouldn’t call back, I wanted to bash his face in.  This group of friends made me feel all sorts of violent.  I haven’t been that angry in a really long time.  The one saving grace was Lucy’s friend, Meghan.  Even though she pretty much ditches Lucy for the rest of the group, she also extends multiple sincere olive branches to get together to talk.  Yes, Lucy needs to learn to communicate (which is something she learns throughout the story) but their reaction to her supposed wrongdoing was upsetting to say the least.

And now that I’ve got all of that off my chest (like I said, it’s personal).  I have to say this was a very good book.  Even with all my anger at the friends and brother, the story ended up having a very satisfactory ending that left me breathing out a big sigh of relief.  Sourcebooks has been offering up some truly amazing contemporary YA authors.  Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is no exception.  If an author can make me feel so strongly about something and also make me happy at the end, it’s a guarantee that I will be adding their other books to the TBR list. 

Nat

Even In Paradise by Chelsey Philpot

* * * 

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do... or think they do.

Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.

But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden... until now.

Once again I was taken by a book on display at the library thanks to the lovely cover and intriguing plotline. I enjoy mysteries that slowly unravel themselves to the reader and this seemed like it would fit the bill.

When Charlotte comes to Julia’s aid after the latter’s night of excessive partying, little does she know how much her life would change as a result. Julia has this mystique about her and Charlotte can’t help but be pulled into her orbit. Befriending her means that her current steady social circle goes by the wayside. Her friends don’t care much for this but Charlotte, or Charlie as Julia calls her, sees nothing wrong with it. Soon these two are inseparable and then Charlie meets Sebastian, Julia’s older brother. Their friendship becomes something more and they both have a hard time knowing how exactly to proceed as she is Julia’s friend first and foremost.

The prologue at the beginning hints at a major secret and resulting fallout. Okay, I know I said I like for mysteries to unravel slowly, however, I kept hanging on for the big reveal even when I’d already kind of, sort of, figured it out. I just thought there’d be more to it to explain the rather curious family behaviour. For example, The Buchanan family takes to Charlie instantly and is quite overwhelming in expectations of her as Julia’s friend, as if appointing her Julia’s guardian. 

When the big secret comes out, Charlie feels as if she has been lied to. I had a hard time with that. Charlie is a new friend, only knowing them for a small while. I felt it was unfair of her to feel that way. I’m not saying the secret isn’t awful – it is – and it does go some way in explaining Julia a little. It's just that I was left with the feeling that this story just stopped short somewhere. Personally, I would have liked more exploration into the family dynamics. This peculiar family is a tight, loving unit and I would have liked a peek into their perspective of the events both before and after Charlie came into their lives. This is of course my preference. May be the intention was to have the reader feel just as Charlie, that she was left adrift and disconnected from these people once things came to light.

All in all, Even In Paradise has a decent premise and kept me engaged. BiblioJunkie Nat actually read some of it and found the tone of it similar to that of We Were Liars.  I read this book in one go and pondered on it over a two-day period. I think your feelings about the ending depend on how strongly you feel about gray areas. Believe me, there are plenty of those in this story. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. 

~ Bel

Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

* * *

Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

I’m very amused by the whimsical title which gives you an idea of how the story is going to go. The set up works very quickly where Gemma gets dumped and is then sent off to spend the summer in the Hamptons. Okay, it takes a few pages but get my meaning.

While the Hamptons may provide a much needed escape from her current predicament, she’s also quite apprehensive about returning to the scene of the crime where she betrayed a then best friend, Hallie when they were only eleven years old. It’s not known immediately what she did but I did like that the protagonist wasn’t a goody-goody and had some things she needed to figure out.

Gemma seizes upon a very convenient mixed-identity moment i.e. her best friend ‘s name, Sophie written on her Starbucks cup, to pretend to be someone else so that she can get close to and befriend Hallie and make amends. Naturally, things aren’t quite THAT easy and there are plenty of times where Gemma could either be outed or wind up in problematic situations. Her feelings for Josh only confuse matters so she has to tread lightly.

I have to say I was quite jittery reading this. The whole secret identity thing never turns out well and as a reader, you’re always anticipating events ahead of the actual story. I had my own suspicions less than halfway through the book which were validated in the end.  I did feel it was slightly predictable but by the end the tone had changed drastically and can best be surmised as “OH. IT. IS. ON!” 

Stay tuned – I think the next book is going to get bumpy!

~ Bel

The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

* * * 3/4

Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. Some work at the Gap. Becca Williamson breaks up couples. 



After watching her sister get left at the altar, Becca knows the true damage that comes when people utter the dreaded L-word. For just $100 via paypal, she can trick and manipulate any couple into smithereens. With relationship zombies overrunning her school, and treating single girls like second class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even her best friend Val has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.

One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. They are a JFK and Jackie O in training, masters of sweeping faux-mantic gestures, but if Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.

No one said being the Break-Up Artist was easy.

You know, everything about this screams absurd until you remember that the popularity contest is alive and well every day, in every school, everywhere. Compound that with the fact that these days these things seem to be starting at an earlier age (my first is in 6^th grade and oh, all that drama!) and The Break-Up Artist just may be a little insightful.

I started off having mixed feelings about Becca. She’s been hurt and holds a grudge against her ex-bestie Huxley. Their falling out is one of the reasons behind her skepticism of being in love. The other is the abrupt cancellation of her sister’s wedding at the 11^th hour. Seeing her sister become a shadow of herself, Becca has come to see love as the ultimate death knell to happiness. She thinks of herself as a hero to the many couples she has already broken up. While I was taken aback by her pessimistic view on love, I was also impressed with how she ingeniously set up her business, advertised herself and went about her way.

Things get tricky when her current bestfriend  Val starts making googly eyes at Ezra. She’s torn between wanting Val to be happy but is also apprehensive about what changes this could bring. Then there is her latest assignment: to break up the golden couple at school, Huxley and Steve. I was wondering the whole time how Becca was going to keep things straight between befriending Huxley again and maintaining her changing friendship with Val. There's also the that risk of being exposed publicly which becomes very possible as the story moves along. 

What comes as a pleasant surprise is when the dynamics begin shifting and Becca becomes caught up in the tangled webs of her own creation. In befriending Huxley because of her assignment, she has actually come to know Huxley again. Becca’s attraction to Val's boyfriend catches her off-guard, putting her in a precarious predicament where she must now reexamine her own principles about friendships and relationships.

In reading The Break-Up Artist I was hoping for a whimsical story about the ups and downs of friendships but I didn’t expect it to go deeper than that. Becca was all “bitter and revenge” until she had to do some soul-searching to reconsider her own well-meaning but misguided intentions. I was hell bent on disliking Huxley  -- the many outlandish PDAs and declarations of eternal, undying love had my eyes rolling so often they were doing cartwheels -- but then she opened up to Becca and there was a real person behind the show. I still couldn’t wrap my head around Huxley’s and Steve's intensity but it was nice to see her character develop. But what I really appreciate about the book, is how Becca manages to turn things around by the end. She seizes an unexpected opportunity that makes me wonder if there's a possible sequel. I'll just put in my two cents and say, yes please!!

~ Bel

Winger (Winger #1) by Andrew Smith

* * * * *

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

I’ve seen this book around and was both intrigued and grossed out by the cover.  I mean who wants to stare at a bloody nose? But once again, if I’m at the library and it’s in front of me, I go for it. And boy, what a story this turned out to be!

It took me a couple of chapters to get into Winger and once I did, I just had a blast with his fourteen year-old sense of humor and wit. This kid is hilarious and smart! Every time he quipped about what a loser he was, I could honestly hear the disdain and resignation in his voice. He is such a hapless, awkward hero and it’s most glaringly apparent when he’s around his crush, Annie. His inner monologues are ridiculous. When he’s assigned to room with Chas, one of the meathead teammates from his rugby team, even he’s surprised that he hasn’t been beaten to a pulp yet. The two of them form a shaky and unlikely friendship based on poker, beer and taunts.

What makes Winger enjoyable is that Ryan Dean is essentially an "every kid" going through those rough and awkward stages of growing up: puberty, girls, being one of the guys. In his case, the horrors are magnified because he’s in 11^th grade. Being the youngest gives him a slight disadvantage when it comes to his love life, but you’d never realize it seeing how his other friends treat him. Ryan Dean ends up bonding with his fellow teammates, guys he is either been intimidated by or thought would have no interest being friends with him. His confidence grows both on and off the field as does his own awareness of the people and relationships around him. His teammate Joey, who is becoming his best friend, happens to be gay, and many times Ryan Dean acknowledges that Joey’s “gayness” does not affect him. I fully appreciated his introspective observations about the relationships surrounding him, sorting out for himself how he feels about all his friends and all the changes they’re experiencing. As read it, I kept thinking how I hope when my son gets to that age, that he can be as bright and true to himself as Ryan Dean. I also kept thinking, wow, boys are such perverts. Yeah, I realize those two thoughts cancel each other out!

The unexpected and life-shattering event that occurs has a very somber affect throughout the remainder of the book.  I was too blindsided and stunned to even absorb the rest of what was happening. I had a restless night’s sleep after I’d read it and each time I tossed and turned I remember wondering if that really happened. Sure enough, it did. I re-read that brief chapter again, willing so desperately for it to be different. Once I accepted it (unwillingly), I went through the rest of the chapters a couple of times, but I could not escape that feeling of being punched in the gut.

I cannot express enough how much I love this book. Five stars is our highest rating and I wish I could give it an entire cluster. This is my favourite kind of discovery, where you grab a book without suspecting in the least that it will impact you significantly. Winger is a profound journey through the ups and downs of growing up, changing relationships, endless embarrassing moments (oh just wait til you get to the Spongebob bandaid story) and loyalty among friends, making it a strong contender for my Top 10 of 2014.

~ Bel