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Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

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P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

P.S. I Like You
Kasie West
Point Publishing
Published July 26, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About P.S. I Like You

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

My Review

I. Loved. This. Book. I can’t believe it took me so long to actually read it. I’ve had it since I got it signed at a book con in 2016. Usually I tend toward more angsty books rather than lighthearted, funny books, but lately I’ve been needing a little Rom Com in my life. P.S. I LIKE YOU was exactly the book I needed.

Lily has a big, loud, crazy family, but they’re warm and open to outsiders, which I love. They’re the family that invites others to Thanksgiving dinner. I enjoyed the chaos and warmth of those characters and getting to see Lily with her guard down and feeling open and at ease.

When she’s not with her family, Lily tends to be ridiculously awkward and says the wackiest things. I couldn’t help laughing at some of the situations she lands herself in and some of the banter between her and other characters.

The letters between her and her mystery pen pal were great (I guessed who it was early on and that did not ruin anything for me) and kept me turning pages. I couldn’t wait to get to the next letter. I might have been as eager as Lily. Ha!

While I was reading the book, my husband commented that I looked happier than usual. And he was right! I definitely needed this fun book with its sweet romance. My only dilemma now is which book by Kasie West to read next!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Lily’s best friend is Mexican-American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and boy.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Running Strong by Diana Sharples

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Running Strong
Diana Sharples
Published on June 29, 2018

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About Running Strong

Races are won in the turns.

Flannery Moore rides motocross bikes and can’t remember the last time she wore a dress. She’s also in love with one of her riding friends. Although nothing else could make her do so, Flannery decides to redefine herself into the kind of girl Tyler Dorset might fall for.

Despite his mother’s desperate efforts to keep Tyler close to home, he has dreams of his own. Dreams that will take him far away from sleepy and safe Bentley, North Carolina. Will Flannery understand how a well-played guitar solo moves his soul? Or will their bond fade away if he’s not riding his dirt bike anymore?

When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Flannery is compelled to make sacrifices, some obvious, some that break her heart. Will this mean settling for “less than” with Tyler when she longs for so much more?

For the sake of staying true to themselves, both Tyler and Flannery are pushed to make the choice between running away… or running strong.

My Review

This was such a sweet book. I read RUNNING LEAN some time ago when it came out, but I hadn’t realized this companion book existed. RUNNING STRONG takes place after the end of RUNNING LEAN and follows two characters who appeared in that first book: Connor’s friends Tyler and Flannery.

I think Flannery’s journey affected me the most. After her mom’s cancer diagnosis, Flannery struggles with a lot of fear and anxiety over what will happen with her mom. Her relationship with Tyler becomes both a happy place and another stressor to her. I found it easy to identify with her roiling emotions and her battle over wanting to be herself or change herself so she fit into popular ideas about femininity.

Ultimately, Flannery decides the person she needs to please, in terms of the way she dresses and acts, is herself. I liked that she’s both the motorcross girl and the girl who likes makeup.

Tyler’s guitar playing added a lot of depth to his character, I thought. It really showed a lot of passion and drive, and I liked that. His struggle to break away from an overprotective mom also felt pretty real.

Overall, I liked this book. In terms of spirituality, it’s definitely written from a Christian perspective, but I didn’t think it sounded preachy. It’s a sweet, clean story, perfect for readers who are just beginning to read romance or who are looking for a gentle love story that also tackles family issues. You can read my review of Diana Sharples’ first novel, RUNNING LEAN, here.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Major characters are white. One character has recently been through recovery from an eating disorder. Flannery’s mom receives a cancer diagnosis early RUNNING STRONG. Most of the characters are Christian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex—Tyler wants to make sure he doesn’t go too far with Flannery, since they both believe in waiting until marriage to have sex.

Spiritual Content
Both Flannery and Tyler’s families attend church. At one point, Tyler’s family meets with a pastor for counseling. He uses a Bible verse to talk about speaking life, or saying positive things, to one another.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
Tyler’s mom believes his uncle drinks and uses drugs. Another family member died from a drug overdose in the past.

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Review: Solo by Kwame Alexander

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Poetry, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Solo
Kwame Alexander
Blink – Zondervan
Published August 1, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Solo

SOLO, a YA novel in poetic verse, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, whose life is bombarded with scathing tabloids and a father struggling with just about every addiction under the sun—including a desperate desire to make a comeback. Haunted by memories of his mother and his family’s ruin, Blade’s only hope is in the forbidden love of his girlfriend. But when he discovers a deeply protected family secret, Blade sets out on a journey across the globe that will change everything he thought to be true.

My Review

Even though it’s told in verse, the details and imagery are so rich, I kept forgetting I was reading poetry. Alexander has this way of pulling you into each scene, really making you feel everything as the story unfolds. I felt Blade’s sweet hopes for his relationship with his girlfriend and his bitter disappointment and anger with his dad for every broken promise, every ruined moment.

I loved the way Blade’s music appeared in the story—both as lyrics he’d written, and his own emotional experience playing the guitar. His international journey wasn’t what I expected, but I liked the way the story pursued Blade’s process of grief over his mom’s death and his father’s failures and the journey toward forgiveness and peace.

The story’s a bit grittier than others I’ve read in this line, but the writing is absolutely superb.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Blade and his family are black, and his father is a famous musician. He’s dating a white girl, the daughter of a reverend.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl and one vague reference to “exploring hands”—which Blade’s girl puts a stop to quickly enough. Blade observes another couple kissing. Blade mentions that his girlfriend intends not to have sex until marriage, but confusingly, she also claims she’ll never get married, so he wonders why she’s dating him in the first place.

Spiritual Content
Vague references to Blade’s girlfriend’s parents attending church. At one point, faced with a scenic view, Blade’s dad makes a remark like, maybe there is a God.

Violent Content
Blade breaks up a party after a boy makes some cutting remarks about his sister. A young girl vomits blood while she’s ill.

Drug Content
Blade recalls a childhood memory of a party with his dad, a rock star. He drank whiskey and tasted cocaine in an effort to get noticed by his dad, and wound up in the hospital. His father went to jail. Later, his dad promises again and again he’ll quit drinking, then Blade finds him drunk again. At one point, his father ruins an important moment of Blade’s by showing up drunk and making a spectacle. Blade’s father’s behavior also leads to Blade being forbidden to see his girlfriend, since her father assumes Blade follows his father’s ways. Blade’s dad pushes his sister to have a big party to celebrate her record release. Attendees drink alcohol.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.