Monday, June 4, 2018

In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.


The Game Can't Love You Back
Karole Cozzo
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Eve is used to being the odd woman out. As the only girl on her school's baseball team, she knows exactly how to put sweaty, macho baseball players in their place, and she's focused on one thing and one thing only—being the best pitcher she can be.

But when a freak accident forces her high school to be absorbed by the neighboring town, Eve has to contend with a new group of guys who aren't used to having a woman on their team. And the new team's star pitcher, Jamie, has no interest in being ousted from his throne. He can't afford to give up his starting slot to a new pitcher—even worse, to a girl.

As the competition between Jamie and Eve starts to heat up, so does their attraction to each other. Can they keep their heads in the game, or will they end up getting played?
When I first heard about this book, I was all over it because I was a fan of the TV show, Pitch, and I love Karole Cozzo books. Needless to say, I devoured this book, starting and finishing it in the same day. It was fun, heartwarming, compelling, and swoony.
  • Pro: Eve was a fabulous female. She was fierce, empowered, and passionate, and she went after what she wanted, but she wasn't just this hard, tough as nails woman. She had soft parts too, and I really liked seeing all those sides of her.
  • Pro: There was more to Jamie than I thought. His home life was not all rainbows and unicorns, and his family was struggling, but he didn't hold pity parties. He pitched in by having a job, doing the shopping, and trying to help with his sister when possible. He had his "Ace" persona, the player and life of the party, and then there was Jamie, who was saved for a select few, and it was him I was really fond of. 
  • Con: There were a few loose ends, and though I did not feel they were major plot points, I would have liked to see these things tied up. 
  • Pro: The school merger premise was something I thought worked really well. It presented Eve and Jamie with many challenges, and created a lot of tension in the story. 
  • Pro: The ending was cute and sweet, and so appropriate for these two characters, BUT
  • Con: I felt like it was a little rushed, and I would have loved to have seen a little more of the "after". 
  • Pro: Though I may not be athletic enough, I would love to be part of Eve's family. I adored her no-nonsense mom, who shot straight from the hip, and I thought their mother's day celebration was all sorts of wonderful. It was obvious how much Eve's family contributed to her success by just being supportive and present for her.  
  • Pro: I loved that Eve may shared a super strong friendship with someone so different from herself. Her bestie was her polar opposite, but she was really good for Eve, because she made her examine situations from different perspectives. 
  • Pro: I love me some hate-to-love romances, and this one was super fun. It was great seeing the verbal sparring slowly turn from barbs to flirty banter, and as their attraction and affection for each other grew, we got to see more and more of the real Eve and Jamie. 
  • Pro: I really appreciated that Cozzo addressed some the shortcomings of being a female playing a boy's sport. I had never really considered the "after" in this situation.  
  • Pro: I shipped these two. They had great chemistry, and were able to bring out the best parts of each other. 
Overall:  A wonderful, swoony romance, which filled that Pitch-sized void in my heart.


Summer Skin
Kirsty Eagar
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand-picked college girl gang are going to get even.

The lesson: don't mess with Unity girls.

The target: Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold . . . and smart enough to keep up with Jess.

A neo-riot grrl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby-playing sexist pig - sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they're at their most vulnerable?

It's all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy's stuff. Just your typical love story.

A searingly honest and achingly funny story about love and sex amid the hotbed of university colleges by the award-winning author of Raw Blue.
While out for revenge, Jess may have met her match, and her unwanted attraction to him was a cause for alarm. She struggled throughout the book with many questions, among them: Can you fall for someone, who represents everything you detest? Can people really change?
  • Pro: Jess was such a work in progress. Slightly damaged from a previous relationship, she was trying to avoid repeating that mistake. I really appreciated the inner battle she fought with respect to being true to her friends, her values, her needs, her wants, and herself. 
  • Pro: Poor Mitch was dealing with a LOT of guilt and grief, but he was trying to become a better version of himself. His process was painfully slow and often frustrating to watch, but I sort of like that Eagar kept it honest in that way. 
  • Con: The story was told in 3rd person from Jess' point of view, and though I loved her tons, I was really curious about what was rattling about in Mitch's head.  
  • Pro: This book was very feminist and sex positive. There was a lot of exploration of sexual politics as well as gender inequality in this story, which was attacked from many different angles. 
  • Pro: The banter in this book was so clever and witty. I loved every second of it. 
  • Pro: Summer Skin was set in an Australian University, which was new for me, and I found it very interesting. 
  • Pro: The last 25% of the book was where my patience paid off, and I was totally in love with what Eagar did with the ending. It was nice, but also answered a significant question that loomed over Jess during the course of this story. 
  • Pro: Jess had a fabulous set of feisty female friends, who served as a support system for. Her three floor mates were as different as night and day, but they all were empowered in some way, and I loved how they exerted this throughout the story. In addition to her friends, Jess also had a most wonderful aunt, who was doting, but also pushed Jess in a positive manner. 
Overall: An untraditional love story, which is forthright, amusing, sometimes morally gray, but thought provoking and quite satisfying.


A Date with Darch
Tiffany Schmidt
Series: Bookish Boyfriends, #1
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
In this contemporary YA, a teenager’s favorite literary heroes woo her in real life

The first of two books in an intended paperback original series about a girl whose classic literary crushes manifest in real life. Merrilee Campbell, 16, thinks boys are better in books, chivalry is dead, and there’d be nothing more romantic than having just one guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories. She’s about to get the chance to test these daydreams when she, her best friend, Eliza, and her younger sister, Rory, transfer into Reginald R. Hero High, where all their fantasies come true—often with surprising consequences.
I know I have uttered the phrase "boys are better in books" many times, but Merri finds out that maybe her romance heroes were not as wonderful as they seemed on the page, when a real life Romeo begins romancing her.
  • Pro: Merrilee was an utterly adorable heroine. She was a little flighty and caught up in her literary worlds, but she was also extremely smart, a good sister and friend, and fierce when she needed to be. There were times when I was really proud of how she stood up for herself, and she also grew a great deal during this book. 
  • Pro: I really liked the whole book worlds paralleling Merri's world. It was fun fitting all her friends and family in the book character roles, and predicting what would happen next. 
  • Pro: The Campbell family were a nice family to be part of. Merri's parents were very present. They spent time with their children, gave them advice, and punished them when appropriate. There was an interesting dynamic in the family, especially with the sisters, and I was happy with the way that one evolved. 
  • Con: I felt like it took a little too long to get to the best part of the story, and maybe the beginning could have been trimmed a little. 
  • Pro: Merri had a great group of friends. Each character brought a little something to the story. I was especially fond of her best friends, Toby and Eliza. I hope we get to know there two even more in future books, because I think both could definitely carry their own story. 
  • Pro: The romance was very sweet. There were actually two romantic interests. One to hate and one to love, and I totally fell for the one I was supposed to love. 
  • Pro: Strong female characters abound in this book, and I love that they weren't all "in your face" females, but rather, each exerted her strength in different ways. 
Overall:  A merry and charming romance with fun rom-com moments, great family moments, strong friendships, and even a some swoons. I will surely read more of these Bookish Boyfriend tales. 

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.









Have you read any of these books?
Let us know in the comments!

30 comments:

  1. There's a hate-to-love romance in The Game Can't Love You Back?! It's official: I need to read it! Eve does sound like a great character. I love when a character has a soft side as well as a hard side. I haven't heard about Summer Skin before but it does look interesting. That's cool that it was set at an Australian University. I don't think I've seen that before. I read Tiffany Schmidt's debut a long time ago and really liked it but I haven't read anything by her since then. Bookish Boyfriends seems cute, and I just love the title. Great reviews! :)

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    1. It's a great set up. The hero and heroine are competing for a pitching title, and over time, they realize that tension is not really anger. Loved it!

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  2. The Game Can't Love You Back was so cute. I love her books so much. I agree with your cons though. I can always use more after. Great reviews!

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    1. I just wanted more at the end. I loved those two so much, and I don't know, I wanted to see more of them like 'that'.

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  3. Loved reading your reviews.😍

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  4. I have Summer Skin coming up and I've been wanting to read The Game Can't Love You Back. My friend LOVED it.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Summer Skin was so a different read for me, but I did like it. I probably would have liked it more, if certain things happened soon, but there are some really compelling ideas explored, and I loved the ending.

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  5. I can't wait to read The Game Can't Love You Back! I love that the author did a great job developing the family lives for both characters. Great review!

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    1. Seriously, I love all Cozzo's books. I am a fan of family being part of a YA story, and she gave a good deal of family focus without detracting from the main focus of the story.

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  6. I am most interested in the first one. I love sports themed romances. I will have to add it to my list.

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    1. Honestly, I have adored all of Cozzo's books, and this one joins the list. It was great.

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  7. I loved one of Karole Cozzo's previous books, so I might have to check out The Game Can't Love You Back!

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    1. Her books have a lot of charm and heart and substance. I am never disappointed by Cozzo.

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  8. I really want to read Summer Skin- I have heard so many good things, and I mean, it sounds like a book I should read as summer approaches, yeah? The Game Can't Love You Back sounds good too- I am not really into baseball but I DO love sports stories (especially with a female MC) so that one might be worth checking out. Great reviews!

    Also- I am LOVING this slothy goodness so much!!

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    1. Summer Skin is an angsty, feminist read. It's always very eye-opening to read a non US book, because in countries like Australia they are not as repressed about sex. The discussions are always very open and frank, and I always enjoy seeing that.

      Whoo hoo! You recognized the star of our new theme. People thought he was a hedgehog, but I sort of knew you would notice Sloth, as you are one of his biggest fans.

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  9. I think that The Game Can't Love You Back sounds great. I love the baseball element and the fact she is playing on the boys team makes things even better.

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    1. I knew I would enjoy the book, because Cozzo is always good for me, but I really, really liked it. It was so many things, but what surprised me, was how empowering I found the story.

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  10. I haven't heard of the last two contemporaries but I have heard of the first one. I have read a few sports romances and I do enjoy them, even if the sport isn't one I enjoy myself. I think it would be interesting to see her playing on the boys team because I have played basketball with boys before and it was not easy! The other two sound interesting but I am not sure if they are for me yet :/

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    1. I liked that Cozzo addressed why she was playing baseball and not softball, as well as what comes next for a female playing a male sport. And, well, I liked the romance a lot too.

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  11. I think the second half of Bookish Boyfriends was much better - it way to long to get that far....

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    1. I agree. I understand what Schmidt was trying to accomplish in the first part of the book, but I thought it could have been accomplished a little quicker. I just wanted to get to that Darcy-ish story, which I really loved.

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  12. I think a Date with Darch sounds utterly adorable! Saw kirsty Eager at the Sudnry writers Festival this year where she shared the real life experiences that went into this book — she is amazing, and i can see why her boojs resonate with so many people. PITCH! gosh i miss that show!!

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    1. Date with Darcy was cute. Not perfect, but a decent start to the series. That is really cool that you got some real intel on Summer Skin. I found it an interesting read, because I learned a little about college outside of the US, and I find many overseas are more open about sex and sexuality than Americans are. And UGH! Don't even get me started about Pitch. I miss that show so much.

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  13. The Game Can't Love You Back looks so good. Eve is obviously one who doesn't back down from a challenge (if she's done what it takes to be on the boy's team) and I like that she's willing to really go after what she wants. And there's obviously more to Jamie than meets the eye. I'm glad this one was such a hit!

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    1. Cozzo's book was so good. She always delights me.

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  14. These three all sound so good but I'm most interested in Summer Skin. Pity we get to see only the female lead's POV, though! Great reviews, Sam- thanks for sharing!

    PS: I'm seeing the change in your blog design only now and I love it!!! <33

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    1. My co-blogger killed it with the Sloth-tastic design (it was actually my mother's day gift). I can't wait to get all the images. The female voice was great in Summer Skin, but I am so curious to what was going on in Mitch's head, because he underwent a lot of changes in this book.

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  15. Yay Summer Skin review! I am so excited that it's being published in the US because it means I can finally get my hands on a copy which isn't insanely priced (damn Oz shipping is so high!). I have heard so many things about this book so I can't wait to read. It seems like it's one I have to commit to but hopefully the pay off will be worth it in the end.

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    1. It's super angsty, but I liked all the feminism stuff, and the way the characters developed over the course of the book.

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