Summary: Desi doesn’t fail when it comes to being the top student in her grade, dominating the varsity soccer field, and filling up her resume that’s bound to get her into Stanford University. Flirting, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. Desi is notorious for her “flailures” (flirting+failure), but when the perfect guy comes into town, she finds guidance in the Korean dramas her dad has always been obsessed with. Using her “K Drama Steps to True Love”, Desi is ready to win over Luca, K drama antics in store.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

**Warning: There are spoilers below for Maurene Goo’s I Believe in a Thing Called Love**

My Thoughts:

The most unique part of I Believe in a Thing Called Love is Maurene Goo’s use of K dramas! Before reading the book, I really didn’t know too much about K dramas, so it was interesting to learn more about them and Korean culture in general. It was funny how K dramas motivated the plot of the novel, and I knew from the get-go that Desi wouldn’t have a picture-perfect success story.

While the plot was a tad predictable, what made I Believe in a Thing Called Love for me was Appa! I loved the idea of how this ex-bad boy and mechanic came home everyday to hang out with his daughter and watch K dramas. It was just so adorable to see how much he cared for Desi, and his dad humor was to die for. I felt just as disappointed as he did when Desi misses her Stanford interview to go to the hospital with Luca.

I’m going to go a bit off topic, but I think one of the reasons why I was so disappointed in Desi was that I didn’t understand why Desi was so enchanted with Luca?? Yes, he seemed good-looking and had the whole angsty-art boy thing going, but despite what he argues toward the end of the novel, I feel like him and Desi wouldn’t have gotten together if it wasn’t for Desi’s K-drama scheming. I wish we got to explore him a bit more (would have loved to see more of his Tumblr-famousness come into play or something) outside of his tagging and his problems with his parents. Even though Desi is obviously upset that she doesn’t get into Stanford, I hated how she tried to downplay it, saying that Boston University had a better program anyway and Fiona saying that part of Desi’s infatuation with Standford comes from her mother’s influence. PLUS HOW COULD YOU GO TO SCHOOL ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM THE CUTEST DAD EVER??

Overall, while I found some aspects a bit problematic, I enjoyed I Believe in a Thing Called Love for its diversity, family life, and integration of K dramas.

Have you read I Believe in a Thing Called Love? Share your thoughts & feels in the comments!

Summary: It’s been sixty-five days since Camilla died, and Juniper Lemon is still reeling from her older sister’s death. What makes the hole Camilla left in Juniper’s life even bigger is discovering the secret breakup letter addressed to YOU Camilla wrote the day she died. Juniper is determined to figure out YOU’s identity and deliver the letter, even if it means discovering some of her fellow classmates’ own secrets. Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index is Julie Israel’s debut novel.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

**Warning: There are spoilers for Julie Israel’s Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index below**

My Thoughts:

Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index has been on my TBR radar since its release in June, and I was extra motivated to read it when it was chosen as the BookTtube-A-Thon (a reading marathon taking place this week hosted) 2017 book. If you’re a fan of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, I recommend picking Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index. Both books take place in Oregon, feature main characters dealing with loss and grief, and incorporate musical elements.

While there are plenty of happy moments, Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index certainly has its sad moments, as Juniper and her family struggle dealing with Camilla’s death. Each chapter in the book is numbered after how many days it’s been since Camilla died, and I feel like that helped show how Juniper is affected by her sister’s death daily. It was really hard to see Juniper’s mom so disconnected from her other daughter, so it was heart-warming to see her embrace Juniper in 3 Hall toward the end of the novel. Having two sisters myself, I can definitely picture having a fight filled with all the dramatics like Camilla and Juniper did, and I couldn’t imagine dealing with the same guilt as Juniper did. It was really interesting to see that be index card 65.

My one “disappointment” with Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index was not finding out who YOU was. Throughout the book, I found myself trying to figure out who YOU could be. I figured that it wouldn’t be Brand, especially with the growing feelings between him and Juniper, and I thought it would be too convenient for Nate to be YOU. While I figured that Nate was somehow involved in Camilla’s death, I did not expect him to be Aaron’s brother. Getting back to YOU, I am convinced that Mr. Bodily is YOU. It explains why Camilla kept their relationship so secret; there’s no way that she would be allowed to have a relationship with a teacher, and she wouldn’t even risk having any evidence of them together, like photographs. Even though you could argue that Mr. Bodily cared for Camilla as a student, he also made sure that Juniper knew that he could be a person to talk to when it came to Camilla. This is totally going off on a limb, but it’s even mentioned that Mr. Bodily is pretty young when we first meet him, so maybe he was finishing up a master’s degree or taking some classes at Fairfield while he was dating Camilla.

Overall, I enjoyed Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index way more than I thought I would. In the beginning of the book, Juniper is really depressed (which is obviously completely understandable), but I couldn’t imagine her getting out her depression. While we do spend a lot of time focused on YOU, I really enjoyed seeing Juniper building relationships with Brand, Kody, and the other characters. Plus I really was intrigued by who YOU was– hence my disappointment even though we’re supposed to be happy that Juniper knows and it really doesn’t matter who YOU is  since it was Camilla’s secret.

Have you read Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index? Share your thoughts and feels in the comments!

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

When I saw that my favorite historical fiction author, Ruta Sepetys, had rated Sarah’s Key 5 stars on Goodreads, I knew that I had to pick it up. Similar to some of Ruta’s work, Sarah Key’s focuses on little-known history, in this case, the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, the mass arrest of French Jews by the French Police in 1942. When journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write about the 60^th anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv’, she uncovers the hidden history of a girl named Sarah, whose story may resonate with Julia’s own family. While I wasn’t a massive fan of the writing style, I enjoyed reading about this historical event and seeing Sarah’s story unfold.

Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

I bought Dear Evan Hansen from the Drama Book Shop in NYC back in May and it was haunting my TBR pile ever since. I’ve really enjoyed Dear Evan Hansen’s original cast recording and with it being the hottest show on Broadway this season, I needed to experience this show in some way. Dear Evan Hansen is both heart-warming and heart-breaking, and if you’re sad about not being able to score tickets to this show, go pick up the book instead!

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

After loving Emery Lord’s The Names They Gave Us, I knew I had to pick up another one of her books. I was even more driven to read The Start of Me and You when it recently became a Zoella & Friends 2017 Book Club pick. I devoured The Start of Me and You while floating around my pool, which I highly recommend doing with any contemporary read. This book follows high schooler Paige Hancock, as she rebuilds her life after the death of her boyfriend, Aaron. Even though it has its sad moments, The Start of Me and You is filled with family, friendship, books, and a boy by the name of Max Watson with a love for Girl Scout cookies that few can rival. While I wasn’t totally sold on the premise of the novel, I really enjoyed seeing Paige bond with her friends and Max, plus the nerdiness in this book was perfect (I want coffee dates to the bookstore with Max please).

Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!

Summary: The final installment in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, Always and Forever, Lara Jean finds Lara Jean having the best senior year ever. She’s more than excited for the senior class to NYC, going to prom with Peter, getting ready to attend UVA in the fall (she’s bound to get in), and baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Life couldn’t seem any better, until Lara Jean is forced to rethink her future when plans go awry.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

**Warning: Being that Always and Forever, Lara Jean is the final book, there will be both spoilers for the series and this installment. The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before novels are among my all-time favorite series and contemporary reads, so go check them out if you haven’t already!***

My Thoughts:      

It was no surprise that I fell in love with Always and Forever, Lara Jean from the moment I started reading the first chapter. The book came out during the first week of May 2017, and I only put it off until the end of June because I didn’t want this series to be over (still feel that way). From her love of baking to her hesitance toward change, I see so much of myself in Lara Jean and I’m so happy that Jenny Han has given me a character that I can relate to on such a personal level.

From the moment that we learn that Lara Jean is still waiting to hear back from UVA, I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to get in and I sensed that she wasn’t going to stay at William and Mary either. I had a hunch about UNC only because Jenny Han graduated from the school herself (author blurbs at the end of books are one of my favorite parts of reading). I was upset about the distance Peter places between him and Lara Jean when he finds out about UNC, but other than that, Peter Kavinsky is the high school boyfriend of my own dreams! I want a guy to run around New York City and get the best chocolate chip cookies for me! Speaking of chocolate chip cookies (there are a ton in this book), one of my favorite aspects of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series is all the baking. Lara Jean’s sinabrownies even inspired me to make cinnamon rolls after I finished reading!

My favorite theme of this series overall is family. Jenny Han has said while her series is about a love story, its focus is set upon the Song sisters. I love Margot for her intelligence and support, additionally relating to her as the oldest sister myself. I love Kitty for her sassiness and comebacks, not to mention the fact that she Peter wrapped around her finger. I really enjoying Ms. Rothchild/ Trina’s bigger presence in this installment and seeing her relationship grow with Lara Jean’s dad and the girls. I found it so funny when she talks about Peter’s good looks (“Besides, her boyfriend is hot.”). I felt so heartbroken for Lara Jean when she realizes how many big things her mom is missing in her daughters’ lives. Tears definitely came to my eyes when all she wants is a hug from her mom on her graduation day.

I could not get over the Hamilton references in this book (surprise, surprise). I totally see Lara Jean as a Hamilton fan, and one of my favorite quotes from the book of course uses Hamilton terminology:

 “In truth, if Kitty’s anyone, she’s a Jefferson. Wily, stylish, quick with a comeback. Margot’s an Angelica, no question. She’s been sailing her own ship since she was a little girl. She’s always known who she was and what she wanted. I suppose I’m an Eliza, though I’d much rather be an Angelica. In truth, I’m probably And Peggy. But I don’t want to be the And Peggy of my own story. I want to be the Hamilton” (102).

Like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You,  Always and Forever, Lara Jean made my heart extremely happy. Even though Jenny Han has said that this will be the final book in the series, I would love to join Lara Jean in college (frankly, I’ll read anything involving the Song sisters). This is probably a bunch of wishful thinking, but I love a novella all about the girls’ trip to Korea and if I’m really hoping, I would love a spinoff series in a few years centered on Kitty! Because I loved this book so much, I’m plan on rereading To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You soon (I might have to throw Always and Forever, Lara Jean in there too).

Have you read or are planning to read Always and Forever, Lara Jean? Share your thoughts & feels in the comments!