The Turning Point by Marie Meyer

Title: The Turning Point

Author: Marie Meyer

Publisher: Forever Yours

Release Date: January 12, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

It’s funny how a piece of paper can change your life—a diploma, a ticket…a plain white envelope.

For as long as I could remember, I was the girl with the plan. Good college, good medical school, good career. I would save lives instead of standing by helplessly, watching while they slipped away.

That was before my father called for the first time in fifteen years to tell me about the terminal illness stealing his life—an illness that might be stealing mine, too. It was before he gave me the name of a doctor and a plane ticket to Italy. Before I flew across an ocean. Before I realized how brilliantly bright life could be. Before I met Lucas.

He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and the timing couldn’t be worse. I can’t do this to him—he deserves so much better. My head tells me I can’t afford to fall in love with Lucas, but my heart won’t listen. Lucas is fearless about the future, while I’m not even sure I have one. There’s only one way to know what’s ahead and it’s waiting for at home inside a plain, white envelope.

All I have to do, is open it…

I pretty much love any book that involves travelling. And I will read pretty much any book that involves travelling. And travelling was all I really knew about Marie Meyer’s The Turning Point when I found out about it. And that’s pretty much the only reason I wanted to read it. Well, that and the fact that it was a romance.

Sophia thought she knew what the summer after her college graduation was going to look like. She would spend a couple weeks helping out her mom at her family’s gelato shop, and then she would start med school early. But that was before her estranged father dropped and information bomb in her lap. Before he offered her a six-week paid trip to Italy. And before Sophia decided to go on that trip and met Lucas. She couldn’t have met Lucas at a worst time. But she can’t help the way she feels about him and Lucas shows her what the future could be like. But in order to have that future, in order to be with Lucas, Sophia is going to have to go back home and face what her father revealed.

Travel books are totally one of my weak spots. If a book involves travel, I will read. I don’t really need to know much more about it than that. And that’s all I really needed to know before I clicked “request” on Marie Meyer’s The Turning Point. Well, that and that it was a New Adult romance. Travel + NA + romance, that’s like the definition of an Emilie book if ever we were to put what those books are into words. Add to that the fact that the travelling in this books is in Italy, which is pretty much my favourite place to travle, and I just had to read this book. And I was absolutely right in assuming that I would enjoy reading The Turning Point because I totally did. I loved that there was more to this story than just a girl hopping on a place to Italy where she meets a hot guy and falls in love. Don’t get wrong, I love those stories (and I not so secretly wish they would happen to me any time I set foot on a plane), but I liked that there was more to it than just that with The Turning Point. And a lot of that, for me at least, had to do with the fact that I really enjoyed the characters, almost more so than the story itself.

I really enjoyed seeing Sophia’s growth over the course of the story. Seeing her go through everything she did in order to accept what was potentially happening to her and coming out the other side. Granted, there were times when I anted to tell her to stop being stupid and just be with Lucas. But at the same time I could absolutely understand her reservations and why she was doing what she was doing. But still. You don’t walk away from Lucas. Because when I said that the characters were a large part of why I enjoyed this story as much as I did, what I really meant to say is that I loved Lucas and therefore I really liked this story. I don’t know what it was about Lucas but he just worked for me. That’s really all I can say about him. Well, I can say more (and I will) but that’s all you really need to know about him. But for real, I loved how easygoing Lucas was, and how willing he was to just be there for Sophia no matter what. And the next time I travel to Italy, I hope I find my own Lucas. Because I really wouldn’t mind. 

If you’re looking for a fun romance that digs a little deeper while also making you want to hop on the first available flight to Italy, then Marie Meyer’s The Turning Point is the book you’re looking for. Just know that you’re going to want to find a hot video game creator the next time you travel to Naples. 

Call Me Maybe by Ellie Cahill

Title: Call Me Maybe

Author: Ellie Cahill

Publisher: Loveswept

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

Clementine Daly knows he’s the black sheep. Her wealthy, powerful family has watcher her very closely since she almost got caught in an embarrassing scandal a few years ago. So when Clementine’s sent on a mission to live up to the Daly name, politely declining isn’t even an option. Of course, the last thing Clementine does before departure is grab a stranger’s phone by mistake—leaving the hunky journalist with her phone. Soon his sexy voice is on the line, but he doesn’t know her real name, or her famous pedigree—which is just the way Clementine likes it.

Despite all the hassles, Justin Mueller is intrigued to realize that the beautiful brown-eyed girl he met at the airport is suddenly at his fingertips. They agree to exchange phones when they’re both back in town, but after a week of flirty texts and wonderfully intimate conversations, Justin doesn’t wan tot let her go that easy. The only problem? It turns out Clementine has been lying to him about, well, everything. Except for the one thing two people can’t fake, the only thing that matters: The heat between them is real.

It might only be February, but I think I already have a contender for one of the cutest books I’ll read in 2016. And that’s saying something coming from someone who reads basically any book that is described as cute or adorable. But I can’t help it, Ellie Cahill’s Call Me Maybe was just a fun and adorable read that I loved.

After what almost happened a few years ago, Clementine Daly knows to keep a close eye on her phone. The last thing she wants is a repeat of that, especially when she’s supposed to finally be figuring out what to do with her life to live up to the Daly name. So when she realizes that she grabbed the wrong phone in her rush to get on her plane, Clementine panics. She can’t even begin to imagine what would happen if the wrong person ended up with her phone. When she finds out that the hot guy from the airport is who has her phone, Clementine starts to think that things might not be so bad. Especially when they start texting back and forth. Justin Mueller thought that ending up with  stranger’s phone would just be a major inconvenience. But as he gets to know the girl with his phone, Justin realizes that even once he gets his phone back, he wants to keep talking and getting to know Clementine. If she’ll let him. But Clementine hasn’t been entirely truthful about who she is. But if she wants to be with Justin, she’s going to have to prove to him that she hasn’t been lying to him about everything.

Ellie Cahill’s When Joss Met Matt was one of my favourite NA reads of 2015 (or 2014? I can’t exactly remember when I read it…#booknerdproblems) and so I’ve been looking forward to reading her next book ever since. When I read the synopsis for Call Me Maybe, my excitement for the book grew exponentially...and it ensured that I ended up with Carly Rae Jepsen’s song stuck in my head for a few days. It just sounded like an adorable story that would totally be my kind of book. And trust me when I say that it was both of those things. In Call Me Maybe, Ellie Cahill writes a story that  is all kinds of adorable. I mean, how could it not be? Two people accidentally trade phones without realizing it and then start getting to know each other as they plan how to return the phones to their rightful owners. I’m not going to lie, most of the time I spent reading this book, I had a stupid smile on my face. I just couldn’t help it. I was powerless against the adorableness of the story. Call Me Maybe was just a fun story to read, that’s all there is to it. (Actually, there was more to it than fun, but I’m trying to keep things short and sweet here okay?) And a lot of that fun and adorableness had to do with Clementine and Justin. And Justin’s early texts to Clementine because those were just the cutest thing.

One of the ways I immediately connected with this story was through Clementine. Though I might not come from a family that is practically considered American royalty, that whole what do I do with my life now that I’m done with college part of her? Yeah, totally been there, done that (and still doing it, for that matter). And the romance book loving. That I definitely understood. Needless to say, I liked Clementine. A lot. But Justin? Justin is the reason I now hope I accidentally switch phones with someone at the airport. Because Justin made that whole experience seem like a lot of fun. And like a fantastic way to fall in love. I mean, if I had been on the receiving end of those texts, I would have had pretty much the same reaction as Clementine (as in fall for him before even meeting him in person). But for real, Justin was great and I loved him. I loved how easygoing he was and how he challenged Clementine in the best ways. And they were just adorable together, okay? That’s really all you need to know.

Ellie Cahill’s Call Me Maybe was totally the adorable book I had hoped it would be. I couldn’t stop smiling while reading and it made my heart happy. The only downside? I’ve had Carly Rae Jepsen’s song of the same name stuck in my head ever since I finished reading.

The Score by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Score (Off-Campus #3)

Author: Elle Kennedy

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: January 11, 2016

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

He knows how to score, on and off the ice.

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matter worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the kind of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

In 2015, Elle Kennedy became one of those authors where I drop everything when I get my hands on one of her books. And then I proceed to do nothing else until I’ve finished reading said book. And I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of those books. In fact The Score might just be my new favourite.

Allie might not know what she’s going to do after graduation but she knows one thing for sure: she’s ready to put her broken heart behind her and move forward. The way she figures, rebound sex with someone she couldn’t possibly want to be in a relationship with is the perfect way to do just that. And Dean Di Laurentis is the perfect candidate. Or at least he would have been if he would stop trying to get her back into bed after that first night they spent together. Dean never expected to want more than one night with Allie, he’s not usually one for repeat performances with girls after all. But there’s just something about Allie that makes him want to keep going back for more. If he really wants Allie though, Dean is going to have to go beyond his usual tricks in order to get the girl. 

When I first read The Deal close to a year ago, it was an instant favourite. I mean, how could I not fall in love with Garrett and Hannah? They were just so freaking adorable and perfect and they just put a big, goofy smile on my face. Then I read The Mistake and though I loved it, it didn’t displace The Deal as a favourite. I fully expected things to go the same way with The Score before I started reading. It’s just one of those things, the first book in a series always seems to be my favourite. But I was wrong. I was really, really, really wrong. Because The Score? Totally my favourite out of the three. I did not expect to feel this way about Allie and Dean’s story at all. I mean, I knew I was going to like it, but I had my reservations about what might happen with them. Those reservations went straight out the window about three pages into the book. I got sucked into this story in no time at all. It made me laugh (a lot), put me in a slightly awkward position when I was reading certain parts in public, and definitely broke my heart a couple times along the way. But the end result made it absolutely worth it. And by the way, if you reach the end of this book and don’t immediately need the next one, I don’t understand you. At all. And we might not be able to be friends anymore. (Just kidding. Well, mostly.)

Before reading The Score, Allie was just Hannah’s best friend. I had kind of seen her in passing but didn’t know all that much about her beyond her theater background. Now I can say that Allie is such a relatable character. There were so many times while I was reading that I would think to myself “Yes! This! This is what I mean! Allie gets me!” And nowhere was that more true than when it came to her feelings about casual sex versus sex in a committed relationship. The way she would struggle with the idea of just having casual sex, not because she thought there was anything wrong with girls (or people in general) engaging in casual sex, but because of how the world made her think she should feel about it. That internal struggle just felt so real and so relevant and it’s one that most girls, regardless of their age, but especially when in college, struggle with. Add to that all the other aspects of Allie’s character, and it was pretty much impossible for me not to love her. And don’t even get me started on Dean. Dean hadn’t exactly made a fantastic impression on me in the previous two books. And the first time I saw him in The Score, that impression didn’t exactly improve. But about two chapters later, I was like Allie, and well on my way to falling in love with Dean. Dean just took me completely by surprised. And much like I loved Allie’s inner struggle with casual sex, I absolutely loved Dean’s fierce stance against slut shaming. It was pretty freaking fantastic to see a male character take a stand against it and it only really made me love Dean that much more. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Hannah and Garrett are still just as adorable as ever.

So The Score? Totally my new favourite Elle Kennedy book. It was just everything to me. Though based on what was revealed at the end of this one, I have a strong feeling that The Goal might give it a run for its money. But for now, I’ll just stick to having ALL the Allie and Dean feels.

Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Title: Remembrance (The Mediator #7)

Author: Meg Cabot

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Fifteen years after the release of the first Mediator novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot return with a deliciously sexy new entry to a fan-favorite series. Suze Simon—all grown up and engaged to her once-ghostly soulmate—faces a vengeful spirit and an old enemy bent on ending Suze’s wedded bliss before it begins.

You can take the boy out of the darkness. 

But you can’t take the darkness out of the darkness.

All Susannah Simon wants is to make a good impression at her first job since graduating from college (and since becoming engaged to Dr. Jesse de Silva). 

But when she’s hired as guidance counselor at her alma mater, she stumbles across a decade-old murder, and soon ancient history isn’t all that’s coming back to haunt her. Old ghosts as well as new ones are coming out of the woodwork, some to test her, some to vex her, and it isn’t only because she’s a mediator, gifted with second sight.

From a sophomore haunted by the murderous specter of a child, to hosts of a very different kind—including Paul Slater, Suze’s ex, who shows up to make a bargain Suze is certain must have come from the Devil himself—Suze isn’t sure she’ll make it through the semester, let alone her wedding night.

Suze is used to striking first and asking questions later. But what happens when ghosts from her past—including once she found nearly impossible to resist—strike first?

What happens when old hosts come back to haunt you?

If you’re a mediator, you might have to kick a little ass.

There are some books out there that I feel like I have been waiting forever to get to read. Meg Cabot’s Remembrance is most definitely one of those books. A book by my favourite author in one of my favourite series? How could I possibly not be excited about this book? And no matter how high my expectations were, this story most definitely lived up to them.

Something you might know about me if you’ve been following my blog for quite some time: Meg Cabot is absolutely, without a doubt, one of the reasons I read. Oh and she’s totally at the top of my list when it comes to my favourite authors. And her Mediator series? Some of my all time favourite books featuring what is probably the first couple I ever shipped. Though that might be Michael and Mia from the Princess Diaries. Or Jess and Rob from the 1-800-Where-R-You series. Seeing a trend here? If you haven’t picked up on it, what all those couples have in common is they were written by Meg Cabot. I spent all of middle and high school reading Meg Cabot’s books and to this day, they remain some of my favourites. So a couple years ago, when it was announced that there would be a seventh book in the Mediator series featuring grown up Suze and Jesse? There was definitely excitement on my part. Probably some (loud) squealing. Maybe even some excited jumping around. Possibly some full on excited yelling. 

Once I calmed down from my excitement, it proceeded to feel like the longest wait EVER until we all got more information about this book. But then somewhere in the middle of that, the news about the new Princess Diaries book came along (and there was a repeat of the excitement I mentioned above--sometimes I wonder how my roommates put up with my excited yelling about books on a weekly basis) and that tied me over. And then one glorious day in December 2015, I got UNBELIEVABLY lucky and was able to read Remembrance early. It was one of those drop-everything-must-read-this-book-right-at-this-very-moment-but-I-should-wait-to-make-the-fun-last-longer-but-I-don’t-care-I’m-reading-this-NOW moments. And, guys, Remembrance was absolute perfection. I started reading, and it felt like barely any time had passed since the last time I read a Mediator book (which I think was when I was a high school senior, for those curious). I was able to jump right back into the awesomeness that is Suze Simon and her ghost ass-kicking ways. It was just like seeing old friends again after a long time, but even better. I don’t even know how to put into words how awesome Remembrance was and how amazing a job Meg Cabot did giving fans a story about characters they love.

And let me take a moment to talk about Suze and everyone else in her life. As much as I remember loving these books when I was a teenager, I didn’t remember how much Suze would make me laugh with her inner dialogue and the way she reacts to everything that happens in her life. It was absolutely amazing getting to know her again as an adult in her early/mid twenties trying to make sense of life. And how could I have possibly ever forgotten how freaking dreamy Jesse de Silva was? Alive, grown-up, soon-to-be doctor Jesse? Even dreamier. And, honestly, I will be shipping Suze and Jesse together until the end of time. They are perfect together and I just want them to be happy and keep being together and I would absolutely keep reading about them just doing regular stuff forever. I just love them that much. But it wasn’t just Suze and Jesse that were around, all the characters that I loved from the original six books, and even that I didn’t love so much (*cough* Paul Slater *cough*) were around and putting a smile on my face. And Suze’s triplet nieces? They kind of stole the show. And I’m kinda hoping for a next generation Mediator book (books?) with them, kinda like is happening with the Princess Diaries series. Because I would totally read that. In a freaking heartbeat.

If you’ve made it through this majorly ramble-y review, you are awesome and I love you. Now if you’ve never read the Mediator series, you should really get on that. If you have, get yourself to a bookstore pronto because you need to be reading Remembrance, like yesterday. And then come back and tell me how awesome it was and I’ll be here to tell you, “I told you so.”

Oh, and I’ll be waiting and crossing any available limbs int eh hope that Meg Cabot gives us all more books about Suze and Jesse.

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Title: Firsts

Author: Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time—the kind Mercedes never had herself. 

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy—so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn—or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-kind young adult novel about growing up.

From the first moment I heard about Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, I just knew that I had to read it. When I started seeing what other people were saying about it, it just reinforced that desire to read the book. And now that I’ve read it, I can say that it was everything I hoped it would be.

Mercedes isn’t shy when it comes to sex and she’s willing to help those who need. Her one condition when boys seek her help is that they be virgins and that they treat their girlfriends right when they give them their first time. That’s all she asks for. The one thing she never had. No one has ever suspected what Mercedes is up to, and her system is working. Or it would be working if she had been able to stop after helping five boys, like she had told herself she would. But now she’s helped ten boys and her best friend’s boyfriend is seeking out her help. And then there’s Zach, the one boy who doesn’t want Mercedes’s help but actually wants her for who she is. Mercedes had a system and it was working. But now that it’s fallen apart, she isn’t sure how to handle all the fallout. 

From the moment I first heard about Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s Firsts, I knew I had to read it. It sounded so different from other YA books out there and like it could be a very powerful read. It was certainly both of those things. And on top of that, it was absolutely my kind of book. I will say straight off the bat that Firsts won’t be for everyone. There are people who will read the synopsis and it will immediately make them not want to read this book. And that makes me sad on so many levels because this is such an important and powerful story. There were plenty of times when Firsts wasn’t easy to read. Because of the subject matter it dealt with. Because I wanted so much for Mercedes. And because the story was real. And I’m realizing as I’m sitting here, trying to write this story, that Firsts is hard to put into words. Especially because I don’t want to give too much away, since everyone should read this story the way I did: without knowing anything beyond the synopsis.

Mercedes is the definition of a flawed character. And she’s the kind of character that a lot of people are going to have trouble liking. But her imperfection is what makes her so perfect. And it’s what made Mercedes feel so real as I was reading. So it should go without saying that I loved Mercedes and all her flaws, and I wanted so much for her. Even though I didn’t agree with what she was doing, I understood why she was doing it. And it broke my heart a little. And it made me want so much for her. And I wanted so badly for her to realize that Zach was perfect for her and that he wanted her for who she was. And can I just take a moment to share my love for Zach? Because I really, really loved Zach. And for much of the book, I was just waiting for Mercedes to come to the same conclusion about him I had. And Faye was pretty much the perfect friend for Mercedes. Mercedes just had to realize all that for herself. 

I can’t say enough good things about Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s Firsts. This is an important story that I fully believe everyone needs to read. It was real, it was heartbreaking, it was touching. It was just a perfect story where I’m concerned.