Holding On Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

13. Holding On by Rachael Brownell

Synopsis:
For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.
Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.
But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

My Review:
     Holding on to the past and knowing when to move on. That's what this book is all about. When Becca's family moves, she has to choose whether to hold on to her past or move on from what she once knew. In this case, it's mostly about teenage love. Becca spend most of her life being best friends and having feelings for Brad (and watch from the sidelines when he gets a girlfriend). When she starts getting settled in to another city 2,000 miles away, Becca encounters a couple guys and begins to fall for Ethan. For Brad, it takes Becca leaving to realize how much he wants to be with no one but her.
     This was a decent story and pretty accurate in regards to teenage relationships. I liked how Becca handled the move maturely, unlike most teens would have. Becca, Ethan and Brad had good character development. It did seem to take some time for the plot to move on, but it still was engaging. I admired Ethan's character near the end with the whole situation about Brad and Becca's need to be with him at a hard time.
     Holding on to the past can make it hard to enjoy the present. Letting go and moving forward isn't easy either. Rachael did a good job of portraying that.

♥Meg♥

Note: I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but there were some problems (and still are) problems with the computer keyboard.

A Little Help From My Friends Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

44. A Little Help From My Friends by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
      Theme/Topic: book set in high school

Synopsis:
Zoe is used to being overlooked. As the youngest and shyest Miracle Girl, she was happy to fade into the background last year. But when she sheds her baby fat and shoots up four inches the summer before her junior year, everything changes. Now she's turning heads at school, and this new attention is beginning to strain her relationship with her sweet, serious boyfriend, Marcus. Pressure builds when Zoe's assigned partner for history class is Dean Marchese--a handsome New York transplant who isn't afraid to show her how he feels. Just when she needs her three best friends the most, the Miracle Girls are suffering from boy troubles of their own. Even Zoe's rock-solid home life begins to shake underneath her when her parents' relationship frays in the face of serious financial burdens. As this uncertain year of growing pains comes to a frenetic head, the quietest Miracle Girl must find her voice at long last and take control of her own destiny...with more than a little help from her friends.

My Review:
This is a coming of age story for Zoe. Teenage years can be difficult, especially true for girls. However, it's possible to get through if you have a good support system. You can't get through tough times alone. Zoe and her group of friends have a great relationship. Throughout this story, they realize how much they need to rely on each other and show how much they really care for one another. Anything is possible with a little help from your friends.

The title of this book stems from the Beatles "With a Little Help From My Friends" hit song. It's one of my favorite songs because it has a great message. Enjoy!

This is my last book review from 2015. I will be posting my 2015 Book Awards in a couple days, as well as a 2015 Reflections post.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

Adventures in Funeral Crashing Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

43. Adventures in Funeral Crashing by Milda Harris
     Theme/Topic: book written by an author with your same initials

Synopsis:
Kait Lenox has a reputation as the weird girl in her high school, mostly because of her ex-best friend turned mean popular girl, Ariel, but maybe it has a little to do with the fact that Kait has a hobby crashing funerals. At one of these, Kait is outted by the most popular guy in school, Ethan Ripley. Yet, instead of humiliating her for all the world to see, he asks for her help, and Kait finds herself entangled in a murder mystery. Not only is the thrill of the mystery exciting, but more importantly Ethan knows her name! A little sleuthing is well worth that!

My Review:
This was just okay. As the title basically says, Kait likes to crash funerals. She goes for the fun of it and likes to see how many people show up for them. When she ends up getting caught by Ethan (since the funeral is for his sister), Kait is asked to help him figure out what happened. Ethan believes his sister got murdered (which she did) and it turns out that there's more to it than meets the eye. As they investigate her case, more suspicious deaths occur and they're thrown into a whirlwind. It did take me a little while to figure out who was behind them all, but I wasn't super surprised by the ending.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥