Red Girl, Blue Boy by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Title: Red Girl, Blue Boy (If Only... #5)

Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Enjoy Red Girl, Blue Boy and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury’s contemporary If Only romance line entered around an impossible problem: you always want what you can’t have!

Sixteen-year-old Katie and Drew really shouldn’t get along. After all, her father is the Republican nominee for President of the United States while his mother is at the top of the Democratic ticket. But when Katie and Drew are thrown together in a joint interview on a morning talk show, they can’t ignore the chemistry between them. With an entire nation tuned into and taking sides in your parents’ fight, and the knowledge that—ultimately—someone has to lose, how can you fall in love with the one person you’re supposed to hate?

This title in the If Only line is a frank and funny romance that shows how sparks fly when opposites attract.

I don’t really think I have to explain why Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s Red Girl, Blue Boy would be the kind of book I would enjoy? If you know me, it really should be a no-brainer. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I say that Red Girl, Blue Boy was a fun and totally adorable story.

Katie has spent her whole life in politics. After all, she was only four years old the first time she helped her father campaign. Now sixteen, Katie is ready to go back on the road with her father as he embarks on his biggest campaign yet: the one for president of the United States. Katie is ready for it, she knows exactly what she has to do in order to help her father win. The one thing she doesn’t count on, though, is Drew. Drew who just so happens to be the sixteen-year-old son of her father’s competition. Drew never wanted to be in the spotlight. He’ll support his mother’s bid for president, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be out campaigning with her. But when circumstances make it so him and Katie are forced together, Drew becomes intrigued by her. Katie and Drew know nothing can happen between them, but they are the only ones that understand exactly what the other is going through. And there’s something powerful in that. But being together could screw everything up for both their parents. 

I’ve loved every single book I’ve read from Bloomsbury’s If Only line. I mean, this is a line of cute contemporary romances so how could I possibly not love them? They pretty much have my name written all over them. And so I love it when I find out that there’s going to be a new book coming out in the series. So I was really excited about reading Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s Red Girl, Blue Boy. Plus with the upcoming election in Canada next week and the one in the US next year, it felt oddly timely. But that’s not really the point. Red Girl, Blue Boy was a fast, fun and highly enjoyable story to read. I loved getting this sort of behind the scenes look at presidential elections, at the way the candidates’ families are affected by it all, even if it was a fictionalized account of it all. I liked seeing the relationship develop between Drew and Katie. How even though it started out being about their parents running against each other in the election, it soon became about a whole lot more than that. It was just the kind of story that puts a smile on your face and keeps you turning the pages because it’s fun to read. And there were totally times when I was chuckling at bit at what was happening or at what some of the characters (*cough*Katie*cough*) were doing. Red Girl, Blue Boy was just plain old fun. And that’s how I like a lot of my YA romance.

If I’m being completely honest, it took me a while to like Katie. She was just so into her father’s campaign that it got to the point where she came across as almost robotic. There’s nothing wrong with being into politics and campaigning. Heck, I have a degree in political science so I would fall into that category. But with Katie, I had to wonder if she actually enjoyed it and loved it as much as she did because that’s truly how she felt or because she hasn’t really known anything else. But as I got to know her more and as she started doing more than just politics-related stuff, I warmed up to her pretty quickly. She was an amusing character to read about because everything that would be normal to any other teenager was so new to her. One of my favourite moments in the story is when she goes shopping for “regular clothes” with her secret service agent. And Drew was pretty much her complete opposite. He didn’t care much for politics and wasn’t exactly excited about his mom running for the highest office there is. But he was the perfect balance to Katie’s character. And they were kind of adorable together. And I loved them together.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s Red Girl, Blue Boy was a whole lot of fun. This story was a quick read that put a smile on my face. It was exactly the cute contemporary romance story I wanted and I enjoyed every moment spent reading it. 

Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart

Title: Wild Hearts (If Only... #4)

Author: Jessica Burkhart

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Enjoy Wild Hearts and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury’s contemporary If Only romance line entered around an impossible problem: you always want what you can’t have!

Brie Carter’s father’s land development business has taken her family all over the world, but as soon as they arrive at their new home in Lost Spring, Wyoming, the town turns out to protest. They don’t want a new hotel if the resident mustang population will be displaced or hurt as part of the deal. Then Brie meets Logan, a gorgeous local who has a special connection to the mustangs, and she is immediately drawn to him…and the horses. However, with Logan’s father leading the protests and Brie’s father refusing to budge, it’s clear that their parents are heading towards an all-out war. Can Brie and Logan find a way to save the mustangs and be together? Or is their love doomed from the start?

This new title in the If Only line is the perfect summer read and proves that love flourishes in the wildest places!

Do I really need to explain why I wanted to read Jessica Burkhart's Wild Hearts? It should be pretty self-explanatory by now why this would be the kind of book I would enjoy. So I'll just say this: I loved Wild Hearts.

Brie Carter has moved around a lot. Because of her father's job, she's lived all over the country. But when her family arrives in Lost Spring, Wyoming, things are different. The locals don't want her father to build a new hotel if it means hurting the local mustang population. At first Brie doesn't understand, but when she meets Logan and sees his passion for the horses, she starts to change her mind. Before long Brie finds herself being drawn to Logan and the horses and becomes determined to find a way to protect them. Even if it means going against her dad and hurting her family in the process. 

I’ve never had any particular desire to go to Wyoming. And then I read Wild Heats. Throughout the book there are all these descriptions of the mountains and the nature around this small town and I just wanted to go there and see it all for myself. Doesn’t help that it doesn’t take much to make me want to travel anywhere, but the descriptions just made me want to go to Wyoming. And like I said, not really someplace I’d ever considered going before. But that’s not the point, right now. Other than making me want to travel, Wild Hearts was everything I hoped it would be. I’ve read some of the other books in the If Only line and I have loved them, so I had certain expectations when it came to Wild Hearts. And those expectations were met. This was a fun, adorable romance and I couldn’t get enough of it. While I was reading I both couldn’t stop but also wanted to slow down to make the story last longer. And my favourite part of the romance was that it was pretty much drama free. Sure there was some drama in the story, if there wasn’t it would make for a pretty boring story, but the drama wasn’t between Logan and Brie. And I loved that. From the moment they were together, they stayed together. And they were pretty freaking adorable, if you want my honest opinion.

I don’t know how to talk about Brie without talking about Logan. Don’t get me wrong she totally stands on her own as a character, but I just loved her and Logan together so much. But I liked Brie on her own as well. I liked seeing her grow over the course of the story, going from automatically siding with her dad on the horse issue to doing some research and coming up with her own opinion on the subject. It was just nice to see that evolution in her character. And Logan obviously had something to do with that, what with him being so passionate about the horses and all. And Logan, well he was Logan. I mean, the guy was a real, live cowboy who was the sweetest and nicest guy ever. How was Brie supposed to resist all that. Because I know I stood no chance. But for real, though, Logan was great. He was just a genuinely good guy. And as much as I loved him with Brie, whenever I got to see him spend time with his little brother it absolutely melted my heart. Aside from Logan and Brie, the other character worth mentioning is Amy. I loved seeing the friendship develop between her and Brie. And as much as I loved the romance it was nice to take a break from it every now and then to see the friendship. 

Needless to say that I loved Jess Burkhart's Wild Hearts. The romance was just what I wanted it to be and I had a huge goofy smile on my face he whole time I was reading. If you like YA contemporary romance, you should definitely check out the If Only line.  

Blog Tour - Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

Title: Not in the Script (If Only... #3)

Author: Amy Finnegan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders if any part of her life is real anymore…particularly her relationships.

Jake Elliott’s face is on magazine ads around the world, but his lucrative modelling deals were a poor substitute for what he had to leave behind. Now acting is offering Jake everything he wants: close proximity to home; an opportunity to finally start school; and plenty of time with the smart and irresistible Emma Taylor…if she would just give him a chance.

When Jake takes Emma behind the scenes of his real life, she begins to see how genuine he is, but on-set relationships always end badly. Don’t they? Toss in Hollywood’s most notorious heartthrob and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hill heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.

This novel in the deliciously fun If Only romance line proves that the best kinds of love stories don’t follow a script.

Fun and flirty YA contemporary romances are absolutely my favourite. There is nothing I don’t love about them. They just always make me happy. So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that I loved Amy Finnegan’s Not In the Script. Because I loved it A LOT.

Since she was twelve years old,e very one has known what was going on in Emma Taylor’s life. It’s what happens when you work in the entertainment industry. Now, though, Emma wonders how much of her life has been real. When you first kiss was essentially choreographed, how do you know if your romances have been real? She doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to boys, but when Emma meets Jake, her co-star on her new TV show, she thinks her luck might be changing. Except Emma has sown off on-set relationships. But Jake seems to be just the guy she needs.

Fun main character, swoon-worthy boys, cute romance, drama and movies stars, Not In the Script had it all. I absolutely loved Amy Finnegan’s debut. Based on the premise, I had a pretty good feeling I would enjoy Not In the Script. I mean, it sounded like a total “Emilie book.” I just hadn’t anticipated loving it as much as I did. When I sat down and started reading I figured I would just read a couple chapters. But that’s not what happened. Not even close. Instead, the next thing I knew it was dark and I had about 100 pages left to read. Not In the Script was an addictive story. I wanted to keep reading and see what would happen between Emma and Jake. I loved seeing their relationship develop because it was jut the kind of romance I love. There was immediate attraction between them, but it was also a slow burn kind of romance. Emma and Jake were friends long before they were something more. And I loved it. Almost as much as I loved Jake and Emma themselves.

I loved that I got to rad this story from both Jake and Emma’s perspectives because it meant I got to know both of them really well. They were definitely different, but at the same time they were so right for each other. Right from the start they had a connection and I loved seeing them both struggle with how they felt about the other. And of course the back and forth banter between Emma and Jake was also pretty awesome. I just loved what each one brought. Emma had been in the entertainment industry for so long that she didn’t really know who she was anymore, while Jake just wanted to do whatever he needed to in order to help his mom. So it was great to see Jake help Emma see what she really wanted for herself, and Emma in turn helped Jake figure out how to get out of this industry he didn’t really want to be in in the first place. All that to say, I really loved Emma and Jake, and apparently putting how much into words is proving to be difficult. So just read Not In the Script and hopefully you’ll fall in love with Jake and Emma as much as I did.

I was surprised by how much I loved Amy Finnegan’s Not In the Script. It was a fantastically fun read with just the right amount of love, drama and humour. And I LOVED every single page.