Jill's Book Blog

Title: Golden Hour
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: ECW Press
Source: Publisher
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The fourth and final book in the beloved Pippa Greene series

It’s senior year, and the college countdown is on. But instead of getting accepted to Tisch’s photography program, Pippa’s been waitlisted. Without a backup plan, and with the pressure from everyone around her to live up to her father’s legacy, Pippa sets out to prove herself worthy of the program by doing the opposite of everything she did to try to get in. But when she runs into her ex, and first love, Dylan McCutter, Pippa has to finally decide if she should follow her head or her heart.

Written with the same humor and heart that made Chantel Guertin’s first three Pippa Greene novels instant favorites, Golden Hour offers a fresh and charming perspective on friendships, family, and first love.

Review:

I can’t believe this is the last book in the Pippa Greene series! I think this was the best one yet!

In this book, Pippa’s life is turned upside down, even more than in past novels. She doesn’t get into the only college program she applied to, so she doesn’t know what to do next. She ends up doing things that are completely out of her comfort zone.

The love triangle of Pippa, Dylan, and Ben also came to a conclusion. I was happy with the way it ended, but I was a little surprised at where they all ended up.

This was a satisfying ending to the series, but I really wish the story would continue! This is a short and sweet YA series that you should definitely check out!

Title: The Brightsiders
Author: Jen Wilde
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A teen rockstar has to navigate family, love, coming out, and life in the spotlight after being labeled the latest celebrity trainwreck in Jen Wilde’s quirky and utterly relatable novel.

As a rock star drummer in the hit band The Brightsiders, Emmy King’s life should be perfect. But there’s nothing the paparazzi love more than watching a celebrity crash and burn. When a night of partying lands Emmy in hospital and her girlfriend in jail, she’s branded the latest tabloid train wreck.

Luckily, Emmy has her friends and bandmates, including the super-swoonworthy Alfie, to help her pick up the pieces of her life. She knows hooking up with a band member is exactly the kind of trouble she should be avoiding, and yet Emmy and Alfie Just. Keep. Kissing.

Will the inevitable fallout turn her into a clickbait scandal (again)? Or will she find the strength to stand on her own?

Review:

This book is amazing!

There is great representation of a variety of genders and orientations in this book. Some characters are bi, others are gay or non/binary. I believe this is the first book I’ve read with a non-binary character who prefers the pronoun “they.” At first, it was a little confusing when I read “they” referring to a single person. I thought I had missed another person entering the scene. But I got used it pretty quickly, and I loved the diversity.

Another important aspect of this book is the paparazzi culture. We see one side of the story in the photos, but we don’t know what is actually happening in the celebrities’ lives. Emmy looked like she was falling apart, but that was influenced by the tabloids’ opinions. Not everything is what it seems in the magazines.

I love the characters. I wish I could join their group of friends. They had so much fun, and it made me so jealous! And I totally loved Emmy and Alfie! They were definitely my favourite characters!

If you haven’t read Queens of Geek, you should read it before The Brightsiders. It isn’t a sequel, but the characters from Queens of Geek made a couple of appearances in this book, and it would spoil the ending of that book because you would see where they ended up.

I just loved this book and I’m going to recommend it to everyone!

About the Author:

Giveaway:

May 21st
–Tale Out Loud >> Guest post
–Stories That Make You Smile >> Interview
–Jill’s Book Blog >> Review
–Living a Hundred Lives >> Review
–The Book Dutchesses >> Review

May 22nd
–Book Stacks Amber >> Excerpt
–Books of a Shy Girl >> Review
–Not Just Fiction >> Review

May 23rd
–Butterfly-o-Meter Books >> Interview
–Book-Keeping >> Review
–A Book Addict’s Bookshelves >> Guest post
–The Bibliophagist >> Review
–The Book Maiden >> Review

May 24th
–Abooktropolis >> Review
–BookCrushin >> Review
–A Dream Within A Dream >> Excerpt
–Quite The Novel Idea >> Review

May 25th
–Belle’s Book Blog >> Review
–The Heart of a Book Blogger >> Review
–Here’s to Happy Endings >> Review
–Bookcheshirecat >> Review
–The Inked In Book Blog >> Review

Title: When Dimple Met Rishi
Author: Sandhya Menon
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Purchased
Release Date: March 30, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Review:

I finally finished this book, just in time for From Twinkle, With Love to come out, and I absolutely loved it!

Dimple was such a fabulous character. She was so real. I love that she was interested in coding. She was also strong because she insisted on going to school instead of getting married right away. She stood her ground with her parents, but at the same time, they respected her wishes.

I also loved Rishi! He was so sweet and planned the best dates with Dimple! He was even willing to leave the camp just to please her when she was shocked that he was there just for her.

Indian culture played an important part in this novel. Dimple’s and Rishi’s parents tried to set them up to get married, because they were family friends. Dimple wanted to do a Bollywood dance for the talent show. Both of them embraced their Indian culture. I wasn’t familiar with some things, like the foods, so I loved learning more in this book!

This book definitely lived up to the hype! I highly recommend it!