The Summer I Found You

Summary:

"All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.
Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?"

Pub. Date March 1st 

The plot is really the typical boys meets girl, girl meets boy. They start liking each other.. one has a secret, keeps the secret till it blows up in their face and you can see where this is going. There isn't any real surprises in the plot, minus the added factor of a missing limb and diabetes. 

Kate is a little of a mess. However, I get it. When you are at the age between still being a kid and going to be adult. You want the freedom of an adult but the safety of a kid and sometimes the best way she knows how to deal with that is denial. Then there is Aidan. Older and wiser but a little broken.. you know he just lost the job he wanted to do as a career, oh and his arm.  So, he has small issues but he isn't damaged goods, he still has a lot to offer. 

Every other character is really quite pointless to the story, they just kind of move it a long, but they aren't memorable to how the story evolves.

I read an uncorrected copy of the book, so I really hope all extra grammar and spelling errors will be fixed by final production of the book. The Summer I Found you is by no means a great book and is just not quite there. It does have a lot of potential though and Jolene Perry has a lot of potential as an author and writer. Despite all that though, I still found myself addicted to the story. I wanted to read more and see where Kate and Aidan's relationship went. Even though, it was predictable. The book is a very quick read and I would recommend it as a book you read while you are in between doing things. Waiting in line at the grocery, sitting alone at the diner, lounging around by the pool. It is that kind of book, addicting but not great. Almost like 50 Shades of Gray. (with less S&M and sex) That was a weird comparison, but hopefully you understand what I mean. 

Brooklyn Girls (#1)

Summary:

"Fantastically funny, fresh and utterly relatable, Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess is the first novel in her brand new series about five twenty-something friends—Pia, Angie, Julia, Coco and Madeleine—sharing a brownstone in hip, downtown Brooklyn, and discovering the ups and downs and ins and outs of  their “semi-adult” lives. The first story belongs to sophisticated, spoiled, and stylish Pia, who finds herself completely unemployed, unemployable, and broke. So what is a recent grad with an art history degree and an unfortunate history of Facebook topless photos to do? Start a food truck business of course! Pia takes on the surprisingly cutthroat Brooklyn world of hybrid lettuce growers, artisanal yogurt makers and homemade butter producers to start SkinnyWheels—all while dealing with hipster bees, one-night-stands, heartbreak, parental fury, wild parties, revenge, jail, loan sharks, playboys, karaoke, true love, and one adorable pink food truck. And that's without counting her roommates' problems, too. Gemma Burgess has captured the confusion, hilarity and excitement of the post-graduate years against a backdrop of the pressures and chaos of New York City life, with heartfelt empathy, fast humor and sharp honesty.
A charming debut series about five twenty-something girls and the humor, heartbreak, and drama that bring them together"

Fourth Comings (Jessica Darling #4)

Summary:

"At first it seems that she’s living the elusive New York City dream. She’s subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen. 
Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the “Cupcake”—the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to “breeders,” and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her “genderqueer boifriend.” Freelancing for an obscure journal can’t put a dent in Jessica’s student loans, so she’s eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can’t postpone adulthood by going back to school. 
Yet it’s the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he’s just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to... marry him? 
Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus’s perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope and Marcus.
Will this knowledge inspire Jessica to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who’s gripped her heart for years? Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life."

After reading Fourth Comings.. I have come to the conclusion that I am done with Jessica Darling and do not imagine myself reading another book in the series for awhile. I wanted to love this series, I REALLY did. I enjoyed Sloppy Firsts and LOVED Second Helpings , but Charmed Thirds lost me. Jessica was SO vulgar and crass, it was such a turn off for me and Fourth Comings although in some way better than Charmed Thirds was just boring to me. I also, think this has to do with the fact that Jessica Darling and I are just TOO different of people and I could no longer relate to her the way I used to and I couldn't justify her actions to be like-able for me anymore. So in the end I think it is best to part my ways with the series.

Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1)

Summary:

"From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.
The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.
For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.
With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil."

I was really excited when Melissa De La Cruz came out with Witches of East End, since I am a HUGE fan of the Blue Blood Series. I was even more excited when I heard some of those characters would be making an appearance this book. So, I bought it and it sat in my TBR pile, for pretty much ever and I finally picked it up and began reading it a couple of days ago and was shocked.

Witches of East End has more of an adult tone to it.. maybe we can say New Adult, over Young Adult and De La Cruz's writing had more of a stronger literary tone to it. Not the same as Blue Bloods. You know, it was slower paced and really descriptive. Once I caught on, I really liked it; I just needed a moment to adjust.

The storyline overall was interesting... because at first the tone to it, is 3 witches (a mother and her daughters)  who have powers but due to punishments from the Salem Trials can no longer use them. As the story progresses the women start to use their powers in their small community and then some other worldly bad things start happening. You can kind of see where this is going to go as you start to read and the farther you get into the book, the story starts to pick up and get more exciting.

However, the last 100 pages the plot kind of takes an odd turn. We learn a lot about the ladies past and how it ties in with the issues they are having now. Although, I did find those plot lines interesting.. I just felt they jumped out of no where and didn't fit into the story at the time. Though, it is obvious they will play a part in the series as a whole. The placing of it seemed off for me.

In conclusion. I was happy with the book and will definitely continue on with the series, but that may be because De La Cruz already has a strong fan base with me. If you are a fan of the Blue Bloods series or Melissa De La Cruz's writing it is a must read and if you are someone who hasn't read her books, but is looking for a little more adult paranormal reads, than I highly recommend this book as well.

PS
My favorite part was definitely when Mimi showed up and the tiny scenes that involved the Vampires.

Anatomy of a Single Girl

Summary:

"With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.
After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one. 
The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.
But I couldn’t avoid my future forever. 
In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through."

First off I didn't realize this book was a follow up, but that really didn't make a difference in my reading experience. I would also like to warn you, that this book is basically all about teenage sex and 90% of the book is just Dominique and her hook up having sex. This book was a decent read, although there is no real plot to it.  However, I think this book would definitely fit in the "New Adult" genre. Since I think it is easily relate-able to girls in their late teens, early 20's.