#YA Contemporary Romance

[stardustandrockets]

What's a book that made you incredibly happy when you first read it?

Omg this book!! It had me kicking my feet in both a giddy way and a frustrated way. I had things pegged from the beginning, but that definitely didn't make the journey there any less fun.

The dual POV makes the mutual pining that much better because we get it from both Celine's and Bradley's perspective. Celine has trust issues because her dad walked out on her family for his second family, and Bradley is a bisexual footballer (soccer, for my fellow Americans) with OCD struggling with college decisions. They're ex-best friends who find themselves in the woods together on an internship excursion. What could possibly go wrong? 😘

I want more of these types of books. The romance is so sweet, there's banter galore, and had everything I loved about Chloe Brown without being uncomfortably horny from page one.

[dkehoe]

Video game designer Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime to design a game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only downfall is that she’ll have to work with her arch-nemesis Jesse Andrews.When their two companies both win the bid to co-design the game their bosses think a wintry retreat is just the answer to get their teams to bond together. Viola has tried to befriend Jesse before but has been snubbed repeatedly and she is not looking forward to this retreat, but in order to be part of this dream job she’s willing to suck it up. Unfortunately she doesn’t count on their chemistry making a bad situation…..better? Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster who gave these characters life, this novella was just the right fit to get an Ali Hazelwood fix. The audio book is about 4 1/2 hours but there’s a lot packed into this five day retreat. Great back stories for our two main characters, lots of anxiety, great dialog, and a resolution that packs an emotional punch. This enemies to lovers romance brought the gaming world to life, but even better, this author created three dimensional characters in a very short timeframe. Something a lot of authors struggle with when writing novella’s but this author excels. If you have the time, I’d add this audiobook to your TBR and when you find that 4 1/2 hours of downtime, give it a go. I think you’ll find it a fun story! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️ Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Two Can Play Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[ovalleba]

Difficult

Title: Difficult Series: Neighbor From Hell YA #2 Author: R.L. Mathewson Genre: Contemporary YA Romance Tropes: Coming of Age/High School Friends to Lovers Release Date: January 8, 2024 BLURB Surviving high school was going to be hard enough, but surviving telling the one girl that he couldn’t live without how he felt was going to be one of the most difficult things that Sebastian Bradford was…

[paperbacktomes]

Blogtour | Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto Moodboard

Heya, I'm starting off Didn't See that Coming booktour with my moodboard of the book. Have a quick peek at it on my blog! #TBRBeondTours #DiverseReads #IndonesianBooks #bookreviews #moodboards

Hi, it’s been a while here. How have you all been? It’s been a long year, and sadly, I couldn’t post much on this blog. Today, I’m kicking off the booktour of Didn’t See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto. She became one of my auto-buy authors after I read Well, That Was Unexpected last year. If you like Romcoms, I highly recommend her books. Now, let’s start this tour!! Book DETAILS ► Title:…

[lilibetbombshell]

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out November 2024

🩷 Good afternoon, bookish bats. By now, you know that sweet, sapphic romance books have a special place in my heart. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in November 2024.

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💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Rani Choudhury Must Die - Adiba Jaigirdar 💖 Leap - Simina Popescu 💖 Wake Up, Nat & Darcy - Kate Cochrane 💖 Thanks for Listening - Molly Horan 💖 A New Leash on Love - Jaime Clevenger 💖 Mallory in Full Color - Elisa Stone Leahy

Fantasy 💖 The Lotus Empire - Tasha Suri 💖 A Wild and Ruined Song - Ashley Shuttleworth 💖 The Moonstone Covenant - Jill Hammer 💖 Witch Queen of Redwinter - Ed McDonald 💖 Our Deadly Designs - Kalyn Josephson 💖 The Last Hour Between Worlds - Melissa Caruso

Paranormal/Horror 💖 I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call - Jamison Shea 💖 Dead Girls Don't Dream - Nino Cipri

Historical 💖 Time and Tide - J.M. Frey

Sci-Fi 💖 Interstellar MegaChef - Lavanya Lakshminarayan

[queen2324]

“No need to hold back, Mal. He’s a big boy. Whatever you’ll dish out, Nolan can take it.” Her smile is faint. “He probably wants it.”

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

[kweza]

now i know i'm grown because the moody brooding and angsty boy in teen fiction is not doing it for me anymore. communicate your feelings or leave 💀

[franticvampirereads]

This was such a sweet story! I loved the focus on family, cooking, and finding happiness is unexpected places. I loved Dylan, he was so kind. Especially when he was dealing with an asshole customer or his boyfriends (very rich and slightly obnoxious) family. And Theo, the fake date/boyfriend was such a sweetheart. I loved that he just wanted to hangout and be around Dylan and his family. I also loved how close Dylan’s family was and that they actually acted like a family with all the teasing and jokes and working together. It was just so nice to see in a YA book!

Honestly, I think this is gonna be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! It felt like home, even though I’ve never been to Brooklyn or had the chance to eat some of the foods mentioned in the story. It was just that good. Fake Dates And Mooncakes is getting five out of five stars!

Reading Challenge Prompt Fills:

Alphabet challenge: F

Romance Readathon: a romance with one of the colors of a sun on the cover (orange), a romance set in your favorite season, a romance by a BIPOC author

[stardustandrockets]

What are you currently reading?

Catching up on reviews I from the end of the year. Here are two books I read in December—XOXO by Axie Oh and Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho. I absolutely adored them both! I started XOXO via eBook from the library as a work read and immediately knew I needed a physical copy of it. Thankfully my local Half Price Books had a hardback copy for cheaper than the paperback copy. I had had Once Upon a K-Prom on my shelf since I came out in May and finally got to it in December. I was on a K-drama kick and these didn't disappoint.

I'm not generally a fan of forbidden romance (always makes me think of icky things 😖), but regular person x K-pop idol might be a new favorite. Jaewoo and Jenny (XOXO) and Elena and Robbie (OUaKP) were super cute! It's been a bit since I've read a non-queer YA romance, but these hit the spot. 😌👌🏻 Highly recommend then both!

I am a little over 60% through my audio reread of A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. Hoping to get it finished and A Restless Truth started this week.

[dkehoe]

Storee Taylor never thought she’d go back to the small town where she spent Christmas’s with her great-aunt, but after she falls and breaks her hip, she packs her bags and heads back to the town where Christmas never sleeps. Seriously, the town is Christmas themed 365 days of the year. Her aunt Cindy was determined to win the Christmas Kringle contest this year and if she can’t do it then she can make Storee enter the contest and run. Cole Black and Storee were friends when they were kids but then Storee disappears for 10 years on the night his parents died and Cole has never forgiven her for leaving in his time of need. When he finds out that Storee has entered the Christmas Kringle contest he decides to also compete and out Kringle Storee. When I read the synopsis I thought that this sounded kind of cute and the cover was charming. I’m also a fan of Meghan Quinn’s rom-com stories, so color me surprised when I found myself seriously disliking this story. I’m used to reading Christmas stories out of season so I don’t think it was the holiday cheer in October. It just felt like the story was forced, the enemies to lovers plot (normally my favorite romance trope) overdone, and the kooky town characters that I usually find charming were just kind of annoying. Bah humbug, right?!!! I hate to hate on an author I normally like a lot, but this book was just not for me. Now, I don’t want to go into any detail because I know those serious Meghan Quinn fans aren’t going to care what this one book reviewer thinks and can only say, please read it for yourself and discover if you agree or disagree. For me, it was just overdone. ❤️❤️ I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest. Click this link to purchase this book!* How My Neighbor Stole Christmas Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa

goodreads

In a twenty-four-hour span, Rafael Alvarez led North Amistad High School’s Mariachi Alma de la Frontera to their eleventh consecutive first-place win in the Mariachi Extravaganza de Nacional; and met, made out with, and almost hooked up with one of the cutest guys he’s ever met.

Now eight months later, Rafie’s ready for one final win. What he didn’t plan for is his family moving to San Antonio before his senior year, forcing him to leave behind his group while dealing with the loss of the most important person in his life—his beloved abuelo. Another hitch in his plan: The Selena Quintanilla-Perez Academy’s Mariachi Todos Colores already has a lead vocalist, Rey Chavez—the boy Rafie made out with—who now stands between him winning and being the great Mariachi Rafie's abuelo always believed him to be. Despite their newfound rivalry for center stage, Rafie can’t squash his feelings for Rey. Now he must decide between the people he’s known his entire life or the one just starting to get to know the real him.

Canto Contigo is a love letter to Mexican culture, family and legacy, the people who shape us, and allowing ourselves to forge our own path. At its heart, this is one of the most glorious rivals-to-lovers romance about finding the one who challenges you in the most extraordinary ways.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this book before and it doesn't sound like it would be that interesting to me personally, but if you enjoy ya romance this could be more interesting to you.

[ya-world-challenge]

Here the Whole Time (🇧🇷 Brazil)

[image 1: book cover: closeup illustration on two boys lying on a bed in different directions, one with an eye open, the other asleep; image 2: a map showing Brazil, the largest country in South America; image 3: a small hotel pool in Brazil, surrounded by sides of the building, source: wikimedia]

Here the Whole Time

Quinze Dias / 15 Days in Portuguese

Author: Vitor Martin

World Challenge read for 🇧🇷 Brazil

Review

Felipe is looking forward to summer vacation, binge-watching media at home far away from the bullies that torture him for being fat. Until his mom informs him that his neighbor and crush Caio, will be sharing his room for the next 15 days.

I went into this book expecting rom-com room-sharing antics and teenage angst. What I got was way better. This was a really beautiful, honest conversation about body insecurities, bullying, and opening up to others. While those seem like heavy topics, this book is really like a big warm hug, to borrow from another reviewer's words. Felipe is super sweet and I want to cheer for him, and bonus points for a supportive single Cool Mom.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★    5 stars

Genres: #comtemporary #romance

Other reps: #gay #plus size #sapphic side couple

[goddessofwisdom18]

Grace and Julia <3

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out October 2024

🩷 Good afternoon, bookish bats. By now, you know that sweet, sapphic romance books have a special place in my heart. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in October 2024.

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 💖 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💖 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts 💖 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💖 Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 💖 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick 💖 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💖 Turning Twelve - Kathryn Ormsbee & Molly Brooks 💖 Sweet Home Alabarden Park - T.J. O'Shea 💖 Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond & Teghan Hammond 💖 New Horizons - Shia Woods 💖 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💖 What It Meant to Survive - Mala Kumar

Fantasy 💖 Metal from Heave - August Clarke 💖 Whispers Most Foul - Emma MacDonald 💖 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💖 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💖 The Ghostwing's Lie - Rebecca Mix 💖 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken 💖 Chai Jinxed - Emi Pinto 💖 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💖 Skysong - C.A. Wright 💖 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 💖 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💖 Witchwood - Kalyn Josephson

Paranormal/Horror 💖 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💖 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💖 The Bloodred Moon - H. Noah 💖 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💖 Feast While You Can - Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta

Historical 💖 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery 💖 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💖 Outlaw Hearts - Lori G. Matthews

Mystery/Thriller 💖 Staying the Course - Rebecca K Jones 💖 Long Time Gone - Hannah Martian 💖 Johnny-Boy - A. F. Carter 💖 This Ends Now - T.M. Payne

Sci-Fi 💖 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 💖 Sargassa - Sophie Burnham 💖 Villain - Natalie Zina Walschots

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @ireadyabooks for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩💌💻Review:

This is the second ya rom-com I have read by Ann Liang and I cannot get enough of her writing! 

“I Hope This Doesn’t Find You” follows Sadie Wen, the perfect student who channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. While some are addressed to her teachers and classmates, most are directed at her infuriating co-captain Julius Gong. When they are accidentally sent out, her carefully crafted reputation begins to crumble. But amidst the chaos, the one boy she is sworn to hate begins to fall for her true self. 

I have never connected with a character as deeply as I connect with Sadie Wen. I felt so seen by her need to be perfect and her people-pleaser tendencies. Julius calls her out for being fake, because she never allows herself to express how she truly feels, and she undergoes so much growth because of it. I loved seeing her begin to prioritize herself towards the end.

Julius and Sadie’s relationship is top tier. The pace of the romance in this book is so deliciously slow with the most satisfying pay-off. Liang takes her time in establishing their decade old rivalry, even going so far to explain its origins and the point system attributed to it. It felt so real and her gradual blurring of the line between loathing and love is so well done. I especially enjoyed reading the contents of Sadie’s emails after Julius committed them to memory because they are what made them both come to the realization that they were meant for each other.

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