Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen (Goodreads Author)
Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together.
After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve have had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time—and then they’ll be free.
The only problem is, maybe Jake and Mia don’t hate each other as much as they once thought…
My review:
I thought this book was rather enjoyable. It was a light, cute, fluffy read that was the perfect start for summery type of young adult contemporary books. This takes place in the school year, not the summer but it still had that same summery type of vibe.
It also featured one of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, except this one had enemies to fake dating to lovers. Sorry, the synopsis kind of gives this slight spoiler away too!
It was a four star rating. I’d recommend it to anybody who is looking for something easy to read after getting out of a slump or even if they are looking for a book to kick off summer with. It was a bit predictable, but it was still cute.
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith (Goodreads Author)
Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.
Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo’s spare ticket offer online, she’s convinced it’s the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.
When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he’ll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they’ve created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?
My review:
I’m actually rather surprised that I haven’t read another Jennifer E. Smith book before this one. I have a couple and I see them around all the time. They seem like perfect young adult contemporary books.
I rather enjoyed this book, it was a coming of age type of book. There was no instant love here. I repeat, there was no instant love. The two characters didn’t automatically fall in love with each other, I like that the romance progress part of the trip took time to develop. I just thought the storyline was cute and this book was read at the right time.
I think this is perfect to read for the summer time also, or anytime of the year. I like that this took place after high school and before college.
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)
Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.
Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.
When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.
Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.
For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?
My review:
If you’re looking for the perfect summer time young adult contemporary novel, LOOK NO FURTHER! Seriously, drop everything and go get this book! This story takes place at a lake and I just LOVED the setting.
The characters and friendships were also some of my favorites. I’ve read a lot of Sarah Dessen’s books, but this one stands out to me the most aside from This Lullaby, probably because I actually remember it. This book also features family as well.
I actually think this one is my newest Sarah Dessen book. If you’re looking for a summer setting book that features friendship and family this summer, look no further! (Repeated myself purposefully here.) I highly recommend this book. I won this book in a giveaway by Ariel wavesofpages. Thanks again!! 😀
What do you think? What are some books on your summer TBR? Have you read any of these books yet?
Colleen's Conclusions 
Great reviews! Maybe I should start getting into contemporary, haha.
Thanks for the shoutout, too! I’m glad you liked your book!
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I actually read all three of these, and liked them all. I was worried about the JES book. I adore her, but her last book was just ok for me. However, Field Notes was a hit. I adored it. Dessen was solid, as I expected, and I thought Fake It was pretty wonderful. That ending put a stupid grin on my face, and the moms were fabulous.
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I haven’t read any of these books, but they all look like great summer reads! I’m especially interested in Fake It Till You Break It b/c I’m all for the enemies to lovers trope too! Also the lake setting of The Rest of the Story sounds amazing!
Karalee
Tales of Belle
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