A Kiss by the Book by Christy Hayes

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Kiss by the Book is a rather predictable, bland story of first love.  Zach and Jenna are written well as the stereotypical jock with a heart of gold and the brainiac who helps with his grades (and then pretends to be his girlfriend to save face in front of his brother and his ex).

All the plot points are hit on pace, there is actual chemistry and character development between the protagonists, and the writing style is good.  It was a cute story with cute characters and a cute outcome.  I will recommend it to others, but for me it was a little flat.  A feel-good read that goes quickly, has one or two obligatory obstacles that are easily overcome, and a solid happy ending. 

While I wouldn't have minded a little more depth to the story, Hayes is leaps and bounds ahead of some writers in the new adult genre.  Nothing feels robotic, none of the characters feel like they're out of place, and the romance is genuine. There is good banter between Zach and Jenna, and a few humorous moments throughout. I will definitely read more of Hayes' work, and be satisfied that at least I will have a solid story with a happy ending, if not a little more punch.

A Kiss by the Book by Christy Hayes: A quick read that delivers a happy ending, with a solid romance in between.  You can hardly go wrong with this one.  Available from booksellers and libraries now.

Scratch by Rhonda Helms

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. 

This story fell short for me.  The characters were a little flat, and while the struggles presented could have been riveting they seemed contrived.  I would have liked more development.

I think, more than anything, the writing leaves much to be desired.  It feels awkward, stilted, and forced.  Although given a direct line into Casey's thoughts and feelings, an essential connection is lacking.  I felt badly for her, and I hoped she would come to terms with her past, but I never felt what she was feeling.  I couldn't put myself in her place at all.  Perhaps someone else could have made this story resonate more with me.  It was a quick read, though, and someone  else might enjoy it more than I. 

Scratch by Rhonda Helms: 2 out of 5 stars.  Available from booksellers and libraries now.

Just a Little Crush by Renita Pizzitola

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

A wonderfully written story of first love.  With strong characters, a nice pace, and a satisfying conclusion, Just a Little Crush is a book you won't want to miss.  This is the first book I've read by Renita Pizzitola, but it won't be the last. 

Just a Little Crush by Renita Pizzitola: 4 out of 5 stars.  Available at libraries and booksellers now.

Handpicked by Dani Oden

As an introduction to college life, Handpicked is fairly accurate and occasionally humorous.  As a mysterious peek into the deep, dark secrets of sorority life where people go missing and someone is stalking the girls of a certain Greek organization, this story leaves a lot to be desired. 

There is a lot of lag time between a girl going missing and a severed hand being left for someone to stumble upon it.  There is even more lag time between the hand being found and the solving of the mystery.  Mostly that time is filled with stale descriptions of classes and parties, and completely inane chatter about the locations of closets, desks, and beds in a sorority house.  By the time the resolution finally rolls around, it feels rushed, disjointed, and frankly, uninspired.

I can't honestly say I'd recommend this, and after reading it I wouldn't buy it for my own collection.  I'm sure someone, somewhere would really love it, but it leaves a lot to be desired in the suspense arena.  The only thing that does recommend it is that the writing style is decent.  Sadly, that just can't override an tepid plotline and a slapdash conclusion.

Handpicked by Dani Oden: 0 out of 5 stars.

Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles

Although the story of the college bad boy taking the freshman nerdy girl on as a dare isn't a new concept, Miles weaves a story that is wrenching and beautiful.  Olivia and Brax both have secrets that they don't want anyone else to know.  They both have clear goals for themselves.  They both have people and circumstances they'll do anything to protect.  From their (planned) meet-cute to the last page, readers will keep wanting more.

There are a few issues with this story- ones that are fairly easily overlooked for the sake of the story.  One is lack of character development for any secondary character.  We get snippets of them, but they have no depth at all.  Much in the vein of Katie McGarry's books, there isn't really any room for other people in the telling of this tale.  They enrich it, but they're not really integral to the plot.

My other issue is the occasional chapter narrated by Brax.  He shows up rarely, narrates for a few pages allowing us insight to his thoughts, and that's nice.  But it's not an even split and I wonder at the motivation behind it.  Why include it at all, if it's not going to fully explain things from his point of view.  These segments mostly present a little more mystery to the story rather than providing real answers.  Although I am thankful that their narrations don't overlap, time-wise. 

Issues  aside, the writing is strong.  I laughed aloud in several places.  I think that, more than anything, is indicative of a writer's talent,.  Miles began with a hook in the prologue and kept this reader turning pages until the end- even if it meant I stayed up much later than usual to finish it. 
This is the first book by Miles that I've read, under this name or her pseudonym, and because of it I am planning to read others. 

Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles: 4 out of 5 stars.

Third Degree by Julie Cross

I ended up really liking this one.  I wasn't expecting to because I found Izzy to be so condescending and annoying from page one.  Surprisingly, she turned out to be human and a teenager after all.  Her character development is gradual, taking place over the course of a school year and is detailed greatly for the reader. 

Marsh makes a great counterpoint to Izzy, providing us with the guy everyone wants to befriend, even if we don't know it yet.  There's depth to him that Izzy isn't aware of at first- which is nice because Izzy seems to think that she knows everything just because she's a textbook genius. 

There's a fair amount of conflict, too.  Izzy's parents aren't perfect, or perfectly happy, which is a stunner to her.  Her career isn't going exactly the way she expected it would, and she's not even finished being a medical intern yet.  Her nemesis seems to know things she doesn't, even though she's clearly smarter than he.  And Izzy just can't seem to escape Marsh, who seems to take great pleasure in letting Izzy know everything she does wrong. 

At times this entire story appears to self-involved.  (Yes, it's narrated in the first person which lends itself to the thought that it would be self-involved.)  For someone who is so incredibly smart Izzy is outright stupid about life.  No one is more surprised by her shortcomings than Izzy and it's her acceptance of them that makes her redeemable, and Third Degree a good book.