Mini meh’s….

I always find the *meh* books hardest to review. I liked them – but they didn’t WOW me.
Here’s a round of my latest meh reads with the highs and lows and hopefully one of them will work better for you!

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The author of A Little Something Different brings you the most adorkable romance ever.

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.


In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes. ~ Goodreads


Source: ARC provided by the publisher via BEA15

Quick thoughts: I LOVED Hall’s debut novel, A Little Something Different but Signs Point to Yes was just ok for me. There’s a lot going on with all the characters, even though it’s told from Jane & Teo’s pov. I liked everyone but you don’t have the time to get invested in any one thing or outcome. There’s also this weird mix of cuteness and heavy topics that just doesn’t mix well.
This was a quick, cute read – it just didn’t really stand out much in my mind or give me all the feels like her previous book did.

Give it a try if: You don’t mind a quick, lighter read that has diversity, interesting family dynamics, road trips and light romance.



Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.

High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.

That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.

Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.

Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all. ~ Goodreads


Source: ARC provided by the publisher via BEA15

Quick thoughts:  I liked This Ordinary Life a lot. Especially Jasmine. She was such a great protagonist!

I wished This Ordinary Life had packed more of an emotional wallop though, considering some of the issues it explores - alcoholism and epilepsy. Most of the tougher issues get resolved rather easily or off page. To be fair - it's not a story about those issues. It's about Jasmine trying to juggle it all. And I did love how Walkup explored the job of caregiver - the pressure and guilt that come with that task combined with all of Jasmine's regular teenage struggles. Well done.

Give it a try if: You’re looking for a sweet story overall, especially for readers looking for less angsty YA novels.



Revenge is worth its weight in gold.

When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal. ~ Goodreads


Source: ARC provided via Amazon Vine

My thoughts: I think my expectations for this one got out of control so I ended up being a little let down in the end. I’m not even sure what I was expecting – maybe a really wild adventure? But this was actually a rather slow paced story.

Vengeance Road has an excellent tale to tell, developed characters (especially the heroine) and fun shoot outs but something about it never grabbed me – it didn’t feel gritty or wild. I never had that edge of your seat, OMG what happens next??!! feeling.

The romance is sweet, slow and doesn’t overpower the story but again, didn’t really wow me.

Give it a try if: You’re looking for a completely different YA setting, (California Gold Rush), a kick ass heroine, and good old fashioned story telling. Bonus – it’s a stand alone!