Review: How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You by Tara Eglington

Sweet sixteen and never been kissed—and that’s the way Aurora Skye wants it to be. She’s too busy finding guys for her two best friends, counseling her sensitive New Age dad (the NAD), and dealing with the unexpected return of her long-absent mom.

But always in the background there’s Hayden Paris, the boy next door, the bane of Aurora’s existence. Smart, funny, and always around to see her at her worst, he ‘gets’ her like no-one else... and that’s what makes him so infuriating.

When Aurora and Hayden are coerced into the lead roles in the school production of Much Ado About Nothing, things can only get worse. How is Aurora going to save her first kiss for the secret admirer who wooed her with poetry and a spectacular bunch of flowers on Valentine’s Day if she doesn’t know who he is and she’s obligated to lock lips with Hayden in the play’s final dramatic clinch?

How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You is a rerelease of a book that was initially published in 2013 in Australia, so it had quite a few positive reviews by the time I requested it for reviews. I think that this book was such a cute and fun read that it deserves the positive reviews, but it wasn't so amazing and covered new ground that I could call it fantastic.

Aurora was a cute character to a degree, but I would be lying if I didn't say that she got on my nerves at some point. She was a meddler, akin to Cher in Clueless and very over-reactive, which made the book feel overdramatic. In fact, all of the characters are quite like this, except Hayden.

The chemistry between Hayden and Aurora is there, and I feel like this part of the book were done well, even though the characters individually didn't blow me away the romance was so cute.

Overall, How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You was a fun and cute read, but the overdramatic characters made it a little hard to bear at times. if you want a shallow but cute read, kind of like Clueless, you may want to check this book out. 

Book released 25th October by St Martins Griffin

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Romantics by Leah Konen

Perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and Rainbow Rowell, The Romantics will charm readers of all ages. Gael Brennan is about to have his heart broken when his first big relationship crumbles on the heels of his parents’ painful separation. Love intervenes with the intention of setting things right—but she doesn’t anticipate the intrusion of her dreaded nemesis: the Rebound. Love’s plans for Gael are sidetracked by Cara, Gael’s hot-sauce-wielding “dream girl.” The more Love meddles, the further Gael drifts from the one girl who can help him mend his heart. Soon Love starts breaking all her own rules—and in order to set Gael’s fate back on course, she has to make some tough decisions about what it means to truly care.

Maybe this book is cliche, but this is exactly what Konen was aiming for. She has literally lampshaded so many YA tropes and made it work. She takes a boy (a real Romantic), a Rebound and the Right Girl and plays them  together, having Love narrate it all so we know all the way through this book which way it has to go. On paper this may seem like it wouldn't work, but it was absolutely perfectly executed and I honestly cannot stress how well this was done.

I loved all of the characters in this book - Gael seemed a little weak to start with but by the end of the book he had found direction and knew what was right, so I loved that. Sammy was just absolutely perfect - the college girl babysitter that Gael should be with. Even Cara was well written and then there's Anika, Gael's ex who I despised but in the best possible way.

The best part of this book is the writing though, Leah Konen wrote a brilliant book but the voice that she gave to our narrator was so witty and dry. Sarcasm reigns, and there were some amazing quotes in there - this is sole reason to read this book if nothing else.

Overall, The Romantics was a well written and very entertaining book with clever characters and amazing dialogue.

Book released 1st November Amulet Books

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review