Love Like Crazy by Megan Squires

Love-Like-Crazy-Megan-Squires

Relationships. 

Love. 

Life. 

All things that can be considered—and oftentimes are—just a bit crazy. 

With an alcoholic father and an absentee mother, seventeen-year old Eppie Aberdeen has learned firsthand that life’s circumstances aren’t always sunshine and roses. 

So Eppie doesn’t expect the fairytale, because reality certainly isn’t one. She’s not waiting on the handsome prince with his white horse to come to her rescue. But even though she’s not waiting on it, that doesn’t stop nineteen-year-old Lincoln Ross from driving straight into her heart with his teal and white campervan and his too tall stature and perpetually goofy grin. 

It’s difficult to believe in a happily ever after when a happy now is quite hard to find. But Lincoln gives Eppie hope that despite the odds, a true and unconditional love might actually be out there. A revised fairytale. A new kind of love story.  But then again, that might just be plain crazy.

(Sigh) Talk about a breathe of fresh air! Megan Squires has truly delivered again. 

This is a clean, sweet romance that definitely gives you some feels!

I loved Eppie & Lincoln! They were relatable as well as adorable. 

Their names alone are enough to have you grinning from ear to ear. 

Eppie had me laughing out loud and Lincoln had me swooning through the book. Without giving too much away I’ll summarize to say: Eppie, is quirky and somewhat of a loner. Life has not been the easiest for her, with an alcoholic father and an absentee mother. She was even accused of trying to killing herself by falling out a window when she was 9 years old.  In comes Lincoln, sweet, trustworthy, giving and so swoon-worthy. His family dynamics, have him on the outside rather than in, with his overbearing family. But once Eppie & Lincoln’s paths continually collide the sparks take over all that is lost between them, as they learn together to move on from the past.

"Thank you, Eppie. Thank you for this life and this love, the likes of which I never knew possible. You took a leap with me, and I'll forever be grateful you trusted me to fall with you.”  ~Lincoln

This is definitely a recommendable YA read! 5/5stars

(ARC received in exchange for honest review)

Random Wednesday post: 20 things that I love!

1. Dates with my hubby & my boys
2. The smell of coppertone & banana boat sunblock 
3. Christmas
4. Sushi
5. Coconut (food, lotion, candles, etc)
6. Reading (NA.YA. Inspirational) & writing (my novels)
7. Dr. Pepper
8. Cotton Candy
9. The movie - The Notebook
10. Coffee especially Caramel macchiato 
11. Praise & worship music & Jesus 
12. Sunsets 
13. Taking pics &Scrapbooking 
14. The beach 
15. Fine point sharpies
16. Reese's pieces
17. Traveling with my family 
18. Cold weather so I can wear my scarves
19. Listening to Pandora dance stations while cleaning the house
20. Fall

Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks

Writing Great Books for Young Adults: Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Landing a Publishing Deal by Regina Brooks
The young adult book market is one of the healthiest in the industry, but little has been written to help authors hone their craft and truly connect with this audience. With the new edition of her indispensable guide, experienced literary agent Regina Brooks offers up-and-coming YA writers all the advice they need to create great content for this exploding market of readers.  Most importantly, Regina states, the key to success is listening to young adults so that YA writers can create characters with whom their readers can identify.




This book is an awesome resource!!!

Recently I have been doing lots of research on writing fiction. I looked at books on plot, structure and point of view, but I didn’t think about looking for one in the genre I was writing. I really didn’t find one that totally connected with me until I came across this title.

I knew that I wanted to write a YA novel for some time, but didn’t realize that there was so much I didn’t know about what goes into it!

This book is a great guide as well as introduction into writing fiction and young adult novels. It’s an easy read and has awesome tips for beginners or those who are just a little rusty. The book addresses plot, dialogue, setting as well as different points of view. The author also hits on publishing and finding an agent once your novel is complete. There is such a wealth of information in this book, that it’s definitely worth the buy!

My favorite part of this book was when I came across the section on how to appeal to the YA audience. I sometimes forget that I’m not a teenager anymore and what I may want a 16 year old to say or do, may not be relatable in today’s time. I also enjoyed the “themes” list, that helped serve as writing prompts for me.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the YA genre and even those just starting out in writing.

Regina Brooks is a literary agent, who has wonderful insight into this genre!


(Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Making Face by Amy Harmon WOW!!

Making Faces by Amy Harmon
Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

"If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?” - Fern

I don't even know where to begin! A friend recommended this book to me! It was my first Amy Harmon book, and it definitely wont be my last!

This story is simply:
beautiful
but tragic.
Romantic
yet heart-breaking
and so full of faith!
It left me speechless and pondering for days.

It starts off with a sweet, caring girl, whose unrequited love, for the most popular boy in school, goes unnoticed until its too late.

Fern, Bailey and Ambrose.

Fern is the “plain-jane” girl (in her own eyes) who has been in love with the town wrestling hero, Ambrose Young. She’s a preacher’s daughter and her heart is just so innocent and pure. She’s lover of romance novels and an an aspiring writer.

She expressed her feelings well in this poem that touched my core!
“If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?
Does he make the legs that cannot walk and eyes that cannot see?
Does he curl the hair upon my head 'til it rebels in wild defiance?
Does he close the ears of the deaf man to make him more reliant?
Is the way I look coincidence or just a twist of fate?
If he made me this way, is it okay, to blame him for the things I hate?
For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,
For the ugliness I see in me, for the loathing and the fear.
Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can't see?
If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?” 

Long story short, at the end of their senior year, Fern finally seems to gain a little of Ambrose’s attention, but to her dismay, he, along with four other friends decide to join the military after graduation.

Tragedy strikes the five friends while away and only one returns and he is changed, both physically and emotionally.

“If God saved my life, why didn't he save their lives? Is my life so much more valuable? So I'm special... and they're not?” - Ambrose


Ambrose hides away and shuts everyone out, even Fern, who happens to work at his father’s bakery. Though Fern can see beyond his physical scars, he finds it hard to believe.

“You act like beauty is the only thing that makes us worthy of love,” -Fern


But as they slowly rebuild their friendship, somewhere along the way love shines through. It just goes to show that sometimes you just don’t realize the beauty that’s right in front of you. It takes looking past what’s on the outside to see what’s on the inside.


This is one of Fern’s quotes that I loved and could of written myself, because it describes me perfectly.

“Scripture comforts me, and romance novels give me hope." -Fern


and then there’s Bailey. Beautiful Bailey Sheen.
Make sure you guys dig deep and realize this story is not just about Fern and Ambrose.

It’s about love, loss, a little self discovery, true friendship and most definitely hope.

Bailey and Fern are cousins, and their relationship is the most precious thing I’ve read in such a long time!

Bailey is confined to a wheel chair, due to being diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Fern has somehow become his constant companion and help. Their relationship touched my heart so deeply, as we too have a young cousin who is wheelchair bound with MD. The storyline shows how Bailey lives his life knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you aren't ever going to be loved the way you want to be loved. - Bailey


This was a very inspiring and emotional read that I highly recommend!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kismet by A.E. Woodward Emotionally heartbreaking.....

Katie’s world came crashing down in an instant.

Her husband, daughter, and unborn baby. . . all gone in a flash. The life that she’d come to know, gone before she ever really got to live it.

With a broken heart, she deals the only way she knows how, by shutting it all off. No communicating, no feelings, just pure nothingness.

Alone with nothing but her own thoughts and a well meaning family, she moves back to her childhood home, a horse farm. It’s there that she finds herself healing along with the horses her family rehabilitates. But when Parker McKenzie comes back into her life she’s reminded of all that went wrong, and all that she lost.

Will Katie ever begin to heal? Or will her secrets and loss be too much for her to overcome?

Perhaps, this is her kismet.


(Sigh.) Where to begin. What happens to a person when they lose their entire world? Katie lost them all in an instant and basically lost all hope.

When I first started reading this, I had a hard time continuing, but not because it was bad, but because it was raw and emotionally heartbreaking . I can’t fathom how one would be able to move forward if they endured what Katie did. The story kept me on edge, and I had to keep reading!


She shut down, like I possibly would and it touched me deeply. She felt her family’s death was her fault, her KISMET, that was punishing her for past mistakes, therefore making her believe she didn’t deserve to move on from her grief.


She moves back home to her parents farm and tries to gain some sort of normalcy after all that has happened. Enter Parker, childhood friend, protector, and lost love. He’s persistent and refuses to leave her alone to do it all on her own.

“You’re still in there Katie, and I refuse to give up on you.” -Parker

Learning to move on after tragedy, gives Katie and Parker a second chance to heal their past. This book made me smile, cry and want to scream! Oh the feels!!

“When he kissed me, I felt like I was finally coming alive, like I’d found my person.”-Katie

Sigh. Like seriously, She found her person.

I also loved, loved, LOVED her brother, Tommy. I’ve always dreamed of having a big brother just like him, so he totally had me sucked in the story. He was a rock for Katie.

The plot twist - gutted me and left me reeling. Gah. I wasn’t a huge fan of it.

But with all that said, this was an amazing story of love, loss, pain, redemption, hope...it’s all there.
I definitely recommend it.


**A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review**
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt

Amber Scott should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class. 

She shouldn’t be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn’t be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn’t be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid. 

But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she’ll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she’d never be able to again. 

When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her. And Amber is determined to protect Marcus…even if that means pushing him away.



Tell Me When (Lost in You) is a very heartbreaking, gut-wrenching yet powerful read.

The story is about two lost souls, Amber and Marcus, who find healing through one another.

Warning: lots of dark/heavy issues in here (Rape, Abuse, PTSD)
so if they are triggers be aware.

Amber is in college pursing her dream to become a veterinarian, struggling in her Pre-cal class, having nightmares and all the while dealing with PTSD from a horrific encounter in her past.

Mysterious bad boy plus engineering student, Marcus seems to be the only one who can help Amber with Pre-cal, though his reputation as a player totally puts her off.

As they spend time together in tutoring, Amber begins to trust Marcus enough to have them to pretend to be a couple to keep other guys away. Though Marcus doesn’t know why she wants to keep away other guys, he rolls with it. Before long their connection to one another is inevitable!

In time,they come to realize that their painful pasts can help them heal together.

But will they make it? will they allow each other in? gaaaaah!
Such an awesome page-turner. The end was like...whoa. I didn’t really see it coming.

I cried, I laughed, my heart ached for them both.

I’m also a big fan of alternating POV and the author did a great job in this novel!! I LOVED this book!! It’s a wonderful story about hope & healing.

Stina Lindenblatt is a very talented writer and did an awesome job on her debut novel!
Hopefully I didn’t give too much away! Go read it! and I recommend doing so with a box of tissues!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Therapy by Kathryn Perez took my breath away!! Emotionally beautiful read!

Sometimes you have to get lost in order to be found... 

I’m needy. 

I’m broken. 

Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds. 

Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality. 

Sex and guys....that's my escape. 

The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused. And while the monsters that live in my head try to beat me-- the two men that I love try to save me. 

This is my story of friendship, love, heartache, and the grueling journey that is mental-illness. 

**THERAPY can be read as a standalone novel although the companion to the story, Jessica's Journal is a great addition to the read and is available now. THERAPY Ever After, a novella will provide a continuation of the story for THERAPY lovers in the summer of 2014. 

WARNING: Due to possible triggering descriptions of self-harm and some sexual situations this book is not recommended for anyone under the age of 17 years old.



Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn.
Oh where do I start?
Wow. Raw. Real.
Going in I knew what this book was about, the bullying and the cutting;
but as my friend Chelle, reminded me...everyone’s story is different.
The story begins with a young girl’s encounters with bullying, thus leading to cutting during high school.
It continues into life after high school and the journey she embarks on as well as others in her path.

Therapy was compelling and totally believable.I was hooked from the time I started reading, it was so hard to put down.
The book brought out lots of emotions in me and guarantees to do the same for you.

The story of Jessica, Jace & Kingsley can be described only as painfully beautiful (as described by another reviewer).
Mental illness is a real issue that many are living with in secret.
I applaud Kathryn for being able to write about it so well, with it being so close to her heart.

I have walked away with so much more than I bargained for.
Pain, healing, love, restoration and reconciliation to name a few.
I myself, have a past history with some issues that were addressed in this book
and it totally helped my heart to read about the healing and love of others for those with mental illness.

I can’t wait to read this book again, and all the other books connected to it.
I highly recommend it! 
5 STARS!

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover: Beat, beat pause. I think it’s MY heart you guys are hearing.

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.  

Beat, beat pause.
I think it’s MY heart you guys are hearing.
This book was such a dynamic, extraordinary reading experience!!!
Short version intro:
Sydney is betrayed by her roommate/BFF and her boyfriend and ends up homeless. But thanks to the stranger who lives in the courtyard across from her, she ends up with a place to stay. She’s been watching him from afar as he sits on his balcony playing his guitar, so he’s not totally unknown to her.
Without revealing spoilers...
The relationship that develops between Ridge & Sidney is one that I think will grip at anyone’s heart.
The chemistry between them was undeniable!
The story was so relatable and it pulled out so many emotions from me.
I laughed, swooned, cried and even became a little angry.
My heart smiled and ached all at the same time! The angst was definitely a plus!
I love how Colleen’s writing can evoke so many emotions out of me!
I really enjoyed all the secondary characters. They kept the story fresh and lively.
Of course my ABSOLUTE favorite part of this novel was being able to hear Ridge and Sydney’s songs through Griffin Peterson! What an original, intimate experience!
I THOROUGHLY LOVED IT!!
Buy it now! Share it with your friends!! and don’t forget the awesome soundtrack by Griffin Peterson! 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars