Review: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

Rating: 3 stars

Source: Purchased copy

Summary (from Goodreads):

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

What I Liked:

This was an impulse buy from BookOutlet - the book was $0.59 so how could I not? I absolutely adored Barnholdt's Through to You, and I figured it couldn't hurt to give this book a chance. Plus one of my blogging friends absolutely loves this book. Believe it or not, I actually really enjoyed this book. I know my rating does not quite show this, but I found this book to be really well-written. What I found myself disappointed in was the ending, in that it didn't feel like an ending. There needed to have been an epilogue. But I'll talk about this more later on!

Jordan and Courtney had been together for four months, when Jordan breaks up with Courtney. He tells her that he doesn't want to be in a relationship anymore, and that there is this new girl he met on Myspace (I know, right?!). Courtney is devastated. To make matters worse, Jordan and Courtney were going to move in to college together, and they had a three-day roadtrip planned. They're still going to go on the roadtrip, but Courtney is pissed, and Jordan, well, Jordan isn't telling her everything. Some people aren't meant to be together - but some people really are, that's what this story is all about.

This story is written in dual POV and dual timeline, which I thought was neat. Usually I don't really care for the whole flashbacks thing but it really worked in this story. So we get to see chapters from Courtney's POV, and chapters from Jordan's POV, and each of them have chapters that are in the "before", "the trip", and "after". The "before" starts with Jordan and Courtney meeting at a party and takes us all the way up to Jordan breaking up with her. "The trip" is exactly what you'd expect - present time, in which Courtney is angry about having to still go on the roadtrip with Jordan, but she still goes, and it doesn't quite go as planned. The "after" is pretty much when they get to the college, and she finds out about ~things~ around that time. Like I said, usually I don't like dual timelines, flipping between past and present, but it worked in this story.

Courtney is someone I really related to and understood. She is very analytical and Type A, a planner and an overthinker to the max. She likes things planned to the finest detail, and when she has a plan and a schedule, she likes to stick to it exactly. She likes to know exactly what is going on with no grey areas. I am very much like this so I understood her and I liked her. For much of this book, she is not happy with Jordan, and rightfully so. But she also misses him, and rightfully so.

Jordan is the golden boy player type, the good-looking one that all the girls love, the one that is confident and charming, but also sweet and sensitive when he wants to be. He runs from his problems, which is part of the reason why he and Courtney started hanging out (it's complicated), and he ended up realizing that he genuinely liked her and wanted to be with her. Jordan is a more complex guy than meets the eye, and I liked him a lot. He isn't sleazy and a d-bag like you'd think. He's a decent guy; I know his type and I like him.

I expected more drama in the story, what with Jordan having a new girl he met on Myspace and all that. But surprisingly, the drama wasn't that bad? I hate drama and I expected a ton of it, but the drama was really all between Jordan and Courtney and not really including other people. Jordan misses Courtney but can't talk to her about ~things~. Courtney misses Jordan but she is furious about the breakup. Things are complicated between them. 

Nevertheless, I could really feel the bond between them, and their feelings for each other. The romance in this book is messy because they're broken up, but it's still a really sweet romance. I loved seeing them pretend like they were okay, like they both weren't hurting, like they both didn't want to grab the other and kiss. It was good angst!

This book was published in 2007, and I was twelve years old at the time... apparently Myspace was still a thing back then? This book centers a lot around Myspace - Jordan's mysterious "Myspace girl". I actually learned a lot about Myspace from this book. But honestly, even though this book dates itself, you could replace "Myspace" with "Snapchat" or "Instagram" or something, and replace mentions of CDs with Pandora or playlists or something, and this book would be entirely applicable to teens today. In fact, all of Jordan's and Courtney's mannerisms, speech, etc. are all totally applicable to teen culture today. I mean, it was only ten years ago, but still. *I* never had a Myspace profile, so this book is a little on the old side! But still very much relatable.

I'll wrap this up. While I did not love the ending (see below), I liked it for the reason that it was a HEA. I love HEAs, and this ending wasn't a disappointing or heartbreaking ending. I'm glad Courtney finally learned the truth and she and Jordan had a conversation about everything. Drama sorts itself out. Barnholdt wrote a pretty great roadtrip romance. But I wasn't totally satisfied.

What I Did Not Like:

There really needed to be an epilogue to this book. The ending is so abrupt and left so many loose ends. With Courtney being such a meticulous planner and organizer, I expected her to be fixing things left and right. I'm trying to be vague on purpose. I just felt like there was a conversation, and that was it - the book ended. Can we see a cute scene with Jordan and Courtney, four months later during Christmas vacation? Or something? I just wanted more assurance that things are working out. This is my biggest complaint and it's pretty much the reason why this book isn't getting four or more stars from me.

Also, I wanted more kissing! There is some kissing in the "before" chapters, but I wanted present-day kissing. Second-chance angsty romances make for some serious chemistry and passion, y'all. There should have been some intense makeout sessions! *complains*

Would I Recommend It:

As far as YA contemporary romance novels go, this isn't a bad one. I liked it (minus the really open ending), but it won't be for everyone. It's a second-chance romance with some angst between the two main characters, which I actually enjoyed (surprisingly). I do recommend Barnholdt's Through to You which is unrelated to this novel, but a really good YA contemporary romance standalone. I think Barnholdt writes good contemporary, but each of her books are different and may not be for every YA contemporary romance reader.

Rating:

3 stars. I liked this book but really wanted an epilogue or more chapters in the story. However, I hear that Right of Way is a companion novel that includes some Jordan/Courtney cameos... so I guess I have to read that book now. I hope I won't be disappointed!

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Review: Heat of the Moment by Lauren Barnholdt

Heat of the Moment by Lauren Barnholdt

Book One of the Moment of Truth series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

Before graduation, I promise to...learn to trust. In the first book in the Moment of Truth series, Lyla discovers that trusting her head might be easy but trusting her heart is a whole other matter.

Each book in this paperback original series is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who wrote emails to their future selves back in freshman year about one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. When the emails get delivered on the first morning of their senior trip all three girls will spend the next three days trying to keep the promises they made to themselves four years ago. While each book follow’s one girl’s life-changing adventure, you have to read them all to get the whole story, including why they’re no longer friends and whether they can get their friendship back on track.

Lyla McAfee had all but forgotten the email that she wrote to herself freshman year and scheduled to be delivered right before graduation—the one promising that she’d learn to trust by the end of senior year. But when she receives it the first morning of her senior trip to Florida her life is sent into a tailspin. Soon she’s questioning her seemingly perfect relationship with her boyfriend, Derrick; her attraction to the school player, Beckett; and whether ending her friendship with Aven and Quinn, her former BFFs, was one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

The first book in a captivating summer trilogy, Heat of the Moment flawlessly balances romance and humor as Lyla embarks on her totally reluctant but completely irresistible journey of self-discovery. And readers will have a chance to discover whole truth about the fight that ended Lyla, Quinn, and Aven’s friendship in the next two installments of the series, coming out later the same summer!

What I Liked:

Well, this book was interesting. Super light, fluffy, not deep or heavy or heartbreaking or draining. These days, when it comes to contemporary, I can't seem to handle the heavy stuff (given my own personal life), so I prefer the cute, light reads. This was definitely one of them. Though I definitely took issue with some aspects of the book, overall, I enjoyed the book and am likely to read the other companion novels in the series.

Lyla and her boyfriend Derrick are a perfect couple; she cares about him, he cares about her, they look good together, they get along well. The senior trip to Florida is a golden opportunity for Lyla and Derrick to (finally) have sex. Except that things aren't so perfect between Derrick and Lyla. After many encounters with Beckett, the boy who could have any girl he wants, Lyla starts to realize that her relationship with her boyfriend isn't quite what she wants. Meanwhile, she's forced to room with her two former best friends, which is uncomfortable at first. But perhaps the girls need to hash out things. In any case, senior trip isn't going according to any of Lyla's plans.

I can't decide if I liked Lyla or not. In some ways, she and I are very similar. She's totally neurotic and has a touch of OCD. She has everything planned, with backup plans and contingency plans and built-in cushions. Her mom is relaxed and blissfully ignorant, which is how Lyla misses the bus to the airport for senior trip. And gets a ride with Beckett, a boy she knows only by reputation. Sparks fly from the very first meeting, but Lyla is completely clueless and hopelessly devoted to her boyfriend Derrick. The boyfriend who didn't answer his phone when she needed him, didn't wonder if she was stranded or not, didn't give much thought to his OCD girlfriend who wasn't on the bus.

From the start, you can kind of tell that Lyla lives in a fairy tale world, and that her relationship with Derrick isn't all that perfect. It's not obvious or clear, but it seems like Derrick doesn't pay her much attention, yet she is super into the relationship. Only when she tells him that she wants to finally have sex with him (after like, two years, I believe) does he really sit up and take notice. But Lyla begins to develop feelings for Beckett, so it's kind of weird situation.

I liked the story, though I found it a bit short. I read this book really quickly, which could be seen as a good thing (hence why the comment is in this section). There could have been more to the story though, more development of Lyla and Beckett's relationship.

I liked Beckett, but he seemed a bit one-dimensional to me. He's hot, he's arrogant, he's got a sweet side, all the girls love him, but despite all of that, my felt one-dimensional. There was not much distinguishing him from your average bad-boy hero. But I liked his archetype and role in the story.

I was pretty happy with the romance. It was clear from the start that Derrick and Lyla were together, but they weren't in love, or in lust. Also, Derrick had his own situation going on, so Lyla and Derrick's relationship wasn't as solid as Lyla wants us to think, in the beginning. Lyla and Beckett are pretty explosive together, as she's constantly irritated or yelling at him. The banter is pretty funny.

Overall, I liked the book, even if I didn't love it. I'm more curious about the other girls' stories!

What I Did Not Like:

Lyla was weird to me. On the one hand, I totally related to her, because we're both obsessive planners, control freaks, etc. But she's also extremely... ditsy. And clueless. Mostly ditsy. She's so in denial about her relationship with Derrick, her relationship with her former best friends Quinn and Aven, her relationship with Beckett. Lyla is just very, very clueless. And ditsy. That girl is all kinds of shallow, really. 

There is an important friendship aspect to this book. Lyla used to be friends with Quinn and Aven, until they broke her trust years ago, and now none of them are friends with each other. The friendship aspect is what ties this series together, but I was feeling kind of meh about it. Perhaps I'll like it more in the next books. The books are parallels of each, written in each girl's perspective. 

I was also kind of weird about the romance - don't get me wrong, I really like Lyla and Derrick together. And really, there is no love triangle. However, Lyla does fall for Beckett... while she's still with Derrick. And some activity happens. It's just weird. I mean, if you kiss a guy who isn't your boyfriend, that's cheating, right? I feel like Lyla is so ditsy and clueless, and she doesn't come clean about anything immediately. She tries to cover things up and make excuses and blame things on Beckett, when really, what she needed to do was realize the state of her relationship with Derrick, break up with him, and take time for herself or get with Beckett. No big deal. The secrecy and subterfuge and sneaky business is so ridiculous, honestly. 

Would I Recommend It:

This isn't the best contemporary novel in the world, but if you already have it (via review copy or preorder or whatever), then give it a shot. If you had no intentions of reading it and/or don't have a copy, then don't. Skip, move on, read something else. I really didn't like Barnholdt's The Thing About the Truth, but I LOVED Through To You.

Rating:

3 stars. This one was okay! I think I'll read the next books, if only to get perspective on the other girls, and find out what happens with everyone. I'm especially curious about Aven, because the romance in her story sounds like something I would like!

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Review: Through To You by Lauren Barnholdt

Through To You by Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: July 8, 2014

Rating: 5 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

Opposites attract—and then complicate—in this romantic, relatable novel from the author of Two-way Street and Sometimes It Happens.

It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy.

Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything.

Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings.

Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride…

What I Liked:

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH. I already know I will not be able to do this book justice. I've read it, re-read it, and I'm about to re-read it again. THAT GOOD, PEOPLE, THAT GOOD. I usually dislike YA contemporary novels - they don't seem to be my thing - but I think this is the second YA contemporary novel for 2014 that has received a rare 5 stars from me. HOLY GUACAMOLE.

Harper and Penn are literally opposites - Harper is the quiet, good-girl, nerdy type, and Penn is the brooding jock type. I know both sound incredibly cliche, but I found that neither of them were cliche at all. Anyway. It all starts with a silly note that Penn leaves on Harper's desk. Then they start hanging out. Then they start to care about each other. But Penn keeps pulling Harper close and pushing her away. Penn's accident, his tragic family, and his desire to be left to his own devices seem to drive Harper away. And Harper, well, she knows she should be focusing on things like her Ballard application. How will they survive?

There are so many wonderful things I want to talk about! The story is so great, as well as the characters, the realness/authenticity of everything, THE ROMANCE. Oh, the romance. You'll see in this review one of the reasons why this book was SO GOOD to me.

The flow of the book is so lovely. One of the things that I usually dislike about YA contemporaries is how romance-focused they are. YES, the romance in this book is definitely a big deal. But so is Harper's relationship with her best friend Anna (especially after Harper starts dating Penn). So is Anna's love life. So is Penn's family life. Harper's family life. Harper's dance application, her choreography, her fear of the school nurse. There are so many great things that made this story more than just a love story. And the constant humor is SO AWESOME. I loved reading the small parts at the dance studio with the engaged couple that were always fighting. So funny!

The two protagonists - oh, how I loved them both! I'll start with Harper. She's quiet, kind, smart. She talks a lot, but she also listens. She's never been in a relationship before Penn, never kissed a guy. Honestly, I relate to Harper a lot - we're like, the same person. Seriously though. Which is why I don't see Harper as a cliche "good girl" - I don't really see myself as one either. Harper is so sweet and selfless - she was always looking out for Penn, for what's best for him. She pushed him, but never too much.

Penn. Oh Penn. He's a jock, an injured baseball player, with a cocky smile and a history of girls and that lazy charm that he doesn't have to work for. He definitely corrupts Harper - not that there is anything wrong with that. Penn is thoughtful yet moody, confident yet vulnerable. But let me tell you why I really like Penn. Don't get me wrong - I really like him in the story. But here it is:

Harper is a lot like me. Penn is a lot like This Guy, who will remain nameless. This Guy plays soccer, has that lazy charm, confidence, smile, and a history of girls. He's thoughtful when he wants to be, moody, and he corrupts me entirely too much. That's actually a joke between us - he's always trying to get me to live more, to take risks and chances, to be corrupted by him. HA HA. So Penn is a lot like This Guy, which is why I like Penn so much. Penn is JUST LIKE a guy in real life. Harper is JUST LIKE a girl in real life. Neither are cliches, but both are very authentic.

So, yeah, this story has a lot of authenticity to it. It should, since it's a contemporary novel, but the fact that I could relate so well to Harper and Penn and their relationship is incredible. Literally, this book spoke to me. You have no idea. The characters, even the ones besides Harper and Penn, seem so lifelike.

One of the things that I really liked how Barnholdt portrayed is Penn's moodiness and Harper's insecurity and even Penn's insecurity. Penn knows that Harper is too good for him, and he worries that she'll "come to her senses" and stop wanting to be with him. He's also extremely moody, because he hates talking about his injury, or anything related to baseball. Once upon a time, I would have gotten mad about this - why is he so moody?! But after hanging out with This Guy for so long, I get it - guys have such different minds. This Guy hates talking about it when he and his team loses a game. He hates people feeling sorry for him or pushing him, when he's down. So, I really get Penn and his moodiness. It's not necessarily an excuse, but I get it.

And I totally get Harper's insecurity. Does Penn like her? Why does Penn like her? Why is he with her? Why does it seem like he's hooked up or has a history with every girl? Just like I get Penn, I get Harper. It's easier with her because she's a girl, and all girls think alike in some way, when it comes to boys. POOR HARPER!

The romance... ahhh, I loved the development of the romance in this book. I can see the romance annoying some people, because it's very on and off, black and white and gray, there and not. However, I love this. I love watching Harper and Penn dance around each other, collide, bounce back, collide again. Their relationship is very much a modern-day teenage relationship, I must say. Barnholdt has that down.

I really did NOT like Barnholdt's The Thing About the Truth, but I am so glad that I decided to give her another chance, with this book. Because THIS BOOK. It was so so so good, people. I can't even put into words how much I loved this book. I read and re-read it in the same day!! And will re-read it again! So much love for this book, SO MUCH LOVE.

On a sidenote, this book ends so well. Not cookie-cutter perfect, because that would have been cliche, but really, really well. Me and This Guy? Well, unlike Harper and Penn, we can't find our rhythm, so that's not happening at the moment (unfortunately). In case anyone was wondering.

What I Did Not Like:

I CAN THINK OF NOTHING. NOT ONE THING. Soo... yeah.

Would I Recommend It:

YAAASSSSSSS!! I'm sorry, forgive my enthusiasm and excitement, but this book. THIS BOOK. I can't even form proper sentences, my love is too great! Seriously, contemporary fan or not, definitely make a point to check out this book. If you're in the mood for a wonderful, realistic romance, then head this way!

Rating:

5 stars. Wow. Wow wow wow. This book took me completely by surprise. If all YA contemporary novels were like this... well, then I would get bored of them, so I guess I'm glad that they're not. All the others that I've read and disliked have really made me appreciate the ones that I loved, like this one! THIS ONE WAS SO (OVERALL) PERFECT!! 

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Review: The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: July 10, 2012

Rating: 2 stars

Source: Public library

Summary (from Goodreads):

In this humorous love story from the author of "Two-Way Street", an unlikely romance is the best sort of surprise—but the wrong secret can ruin everything. Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.

Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.

When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before. But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.

What I Liked:

This book was an interesting contemporary novel. There are some things that I liked in this book, such as the romance, characters, and writing. The romance was cute and sweet, but I saw it coming from a mile away. That is not a bad thing, but it immediate. I would not call it insta-love, but it was not slowburn and explored. Nevertheless, I really liked Kelsey and Isaac together. They made a cute couple, when they got along.

The characters individually were a little intriguing. I really like Isaac, although I cannot figure out what makes him such a bad student. He does not act like a bad boy, or a bad student. He seems responsible and poised at times, and then at other times, relaxed and cheeky. Kelsey was snarky and assertive, and she handled herself well in a new environment. I liked that she would have compassion on a girl she never met, in a bathroom, and try and talk to the girl. 

The writing style is pretty nice, in my opinion. I thought this book flowed pretty well, and it was paced slowly at the beginning and began to pick up quickly at the last quarter of the book. I liked the occasional switch between past and present, although in the beginning, I was so confused. But, I got into the book, and liked the switches.

What I Did Not Like:

Here's where things get confusing for me, and I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, so I will try my best. I was so confused about Face It Down Day. Honestly, I am still confused as to what it is. I do not think the author clearly explained to us what was going to happen on Face It Down Day. And when that day did come, I still did not understand what it was, because the whole day was eclipsed by some stupid fight. 

I do not understand why Kelsey's lie is such ahuge deal. I do not understand why she could not tell Isaac to begin with. I do not understand what is up with Kelsey's parents. On that note, I can see the autor trying to show that Kelsey does not get attention from her parents, which may psychologically lead to her boy problems or something, but even that is a stretch. It did not make any sense. We get to see Kelsey's parents all of like, maybe four times. And they just ignore her. Which I get, and it impacts Kelsey, but we do not get to see HOW it impacts Kelsey. On Isaac's side, we kind of get to see how his cold father and robotic mother impact him.

The ending was NOT resolved at all. I want to know what the administration decided. This was not explained in the end. All we get to see is how Kelsey and Isaac decide to go about things. I want to know the repercussions of their actions! Speaking of that, for what exactly are they being punished. I understand about Isaac, but I do not understand about Kelsey. So she lied about something. It did not directly hurt anyone. Isaac made his choice. So did Rex. I do not get why Kelsey would be in trouble, and what the school administration would have to do with any of that. This is NOT representative of the school administrations of which I know (not that I have ever gotten in trouble with school administrations). 

Would I Recommend It:

Probably not. There are better contemporary novels out there. 

Rating:

2 stars. In the end, I was just too confused by certain things in this book to really enjoy it. Some things needed to be fleshed out, and they were not. It really brought my liking and my rating of this book wayyy down.

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