Google+ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas: NA Books
Showing posts with label NA Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NA Books. Show all posts

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Bern's Bookcase: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett Book Review

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett was a fun, sweet contemporary YA/NA read. 


Sometimes you just need a fun contemporary YA/NA (I say NA due to some sexual content) read to lighten things up. This book did just that for me. It was a perfect summer read - camping, hiking, stargazing and a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers plot between Zorie and Lennon. Throw in family strife stemming from secrets and parental infidelity and you have a story that was relatable and engrossing.

Bennett's characters were very human and flawed. I really enjoyed that Jenn Bennett focused on nontraditional families. Zorie's relationship with her stepmother Joy was wonderful. It was a relationship built on love, mutual respect and support. The scene where Joy reassures Zorie touched me. It was perfect.

  "I am raising my own kid. You are mine. I didn't need to give birth to you to love you, sweet thing." 

Admittedly, I'm kind of a sucker for a friends to lovers story. Especially when it involves the adorable boy/girl next door. What can I say - I'm a cheesy romantic at heart! Zorie & Lennon's love story was just that and it was adorable. Amidst all the teen angst, misunderstandings, secrets and camping mishaps you could just feel their chemistry. I was rooting for Lennon from page 20 when he first appeared in all his side swept spiky hair, anime loving, teen goth glory. He was so snarky, witty and sarcastic. Luckily, he was also good out in the wild which comes in handy when their so-called friends leave them stranded out in the wilderness without a car or a way of getting home after an argument. Zorie and Lennon's story was adorable to watch unfold. It wasn't surprising in the least - more like you know it's coming and you're simply looking forward to it finally happening.

"A map of us. It's years in the making, and it's messy and convoluted, some of it even tragic. But I wouldn't change the route, because we walked it together, even when we were apart. And the best part about it is that it's unfinished. Uncertainty isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes it can even be filled with extraordinary potential." 

Zorie's dad - I have no words for him. He was despicable. Thankfully Zorie was surrounded by a strong support network with her stepmom Joy, her grandparents (Joy's parents), Lennon and Lennon's moms (yes moms - they were a lesbian couple!) and her friend Avani. Once again I have to mention how much I loved the strong family bonds presented, especially as they weren't related by blood but by choice.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Bern's Bookcase: Save the Date Book Review

A contemporary YA/NA novel 
about familial relationships in all their complexity.


"How was it that you only fully realized what you had when it was gone? And I knew there would be new friends, new experiences, maybe even amazing adventures ahead of me. But I felt like I needed, for just a moment, to appreciate what I was - what we all were - leaving behind." 

Save the Date by Morgan Matson was such an enjoyable, comfy YA (Young Adult)/NA (New Adult) read. The Grant family was the kind of family we'd all want to be a part of. They were funny, imperfect, loving and so heartwarmingly real. It felt like I was in their house, part of the family and  amidst the chaos the entire time I was reading. 

The book's plot revolves around Linnie's wedding and the weekend of festivities which coincide with her  mom's final installment of her famed comic strip which was loosely based off the family. It's impossible to sum everything up that happens in that 1 tidy sentence. There was lots of family drama, & wedding mishaps along the way but what really grabbed me was the sibling relationships in the story. The main character Charlie's love for her brothers & sister and her utter devotion to the Grant family shine through so vividly. It was hard not to fall in love with this bunch. 

This was a perfect summer read - quick, light, funny & heartwarming. It does have some brief sexual content which is why I would rate this as NA - New Adult or older teens.