It has been far too long since I’ve talked about books (other than a little on Instagram), and so I wanted to share about some books I’ve enjoyed lately, especially as I am crawling my way out of a reading slump I got myself into this summer.
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West: If this was written by an author I didn’t know there’s no way I’d pick it up, but Kasie West has become an auto-read for me, and so I picked this up and enjoyed it! Despite the fluffy premise, there’s more to the story. First there’s Gia’s growth as an individual when her friends are going in opposite direction, which I think is a totally relevant topic for high school seniors. And there’s her strange but special friendship with “fill-in Bradley” that grows into something meaningful. I’d definitely recommend this one to all other Kasie West fans!
The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron: After struggling through a two-star read, I picked this one up because WWII stories have yet to fail me. And it was quite compelling. It has a dual narrative much in the fashion of Kate Morton, alternating between a past timeline and a present timeline. While Adele’s story of what she went through at Auschwitz was the stronger of two, Sera’s story was a nice reprieve that helped me get through the book. I would have liked to have seen a more natural development of Sera and William’s romance, but I did enjoy them and how their story intertwined with Adele. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone open to historical fiction told from a Christian worldview.
Ruined by Amy Tintera: Cait at Paper Fury raved over this book and I instantly put a hold on it with my library. It is true YA fantasy and I really enjoyed it. The snark and hate-to-love romance definitely made it a fun read! I will say that there is nothing really surprising or revolutionary in this story, so don’t go with the expectation of this being Mistborn or something. If you’re a fan of The Winner’s Curse or The Shadow Queen or anything else along those lines, I believe you’ll enjoy this one as well!
What are some good books you’ve read lately?
The only book I have read by Kasie West was Pivot Point, which isn’t purely contemporary. So I would love to see whether or not I’ll like The Fill In Boyfriend! I’ve also never heard of The Butterfly and the Violin but the cover is very pretty 🙂
My favorite Kasie West book so far (I haven’t read P.S. I Like You yet) is On The Fence… and then I’m not sure how I’d rank them after that, but Pivot Point would probably be my second favorite. I enjoy all her books though because she does a good job creating unique characters and her books are always fun, easy reads, yet have some depth so they’re not complete fluff.
Kasie’s books always look and sound delightful. I’ve started “On the Fence” and loved it before having to set it aside in pursuit of making progress on my review TBR. “Ruined” is one I’ve seen around, but haven’t read. 🙂
On The Fence is my favorite Kasie West book so far!
Hmm, I’m not interested in reading Ruined now – I’ve seen it around the blogosphere, but haven’t had the chance to pick it up yet. I probably should pick up The Shadow Queen sometime too!
Whoa, didn’t mean to put a “not” in there – I am interested it should be! >.<
Ha ha, I was wondering what I said to dissuade you! Hope you enjoy it!