Welcome to Litsy!

I got behind again on the #loveathon2023 prompts, so I‘m catching up.

This #firstlove romance is on my kindle, still unread! It sounds really cute though!

#loveathon

I was in a reading rut and needed something fun, this fit the bill. My complaint is that the big reveals were obvious from page one. The part I connected with was Jessie‘s grief. Like me, she lost her mom at 14 and her dad remarried quickly. That transition in high school is confusing and hard. The author shared that she went through the same thing. That real struggle is reflected in the book.

#ItHadToBeYou @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
Prompt: Secret Admirer

Great book! I couldn't put it down. Absolutely loved the ending!!

Julie Buxbaum crafts young adult romances with such depth, you‘d swear the characters are real people you know. A little high school “You‘ve Got Mail” in this one, but it‘s not a cheesy plot; two kids dealing with loss find hope and solace in one another. Book 2 #YApril

This book was everything I wanted it to be! Julie Buxbaum mixes comedy and tragedy, love and loss, pain and elation, in her debut YA novel filled with characters who will come to feel like friends.

A tad bit predictable, but a really sweet read!

“Not knowing the right thing to do is not an excuse for not doing anything.”

This was the third Julie Buxbaum novel I‘ve read, and I really enjoyed it. Perhaps a bit predictable at times, but sometimes it‘s just comforting to read a sweet story about friendship and first love.

#summerfun #bingo #freespace @4thhouseontheleft @StayCurious
1. I can roll my tongue AND touch my tongue to my nose.
2. I am not overly graceful.
3. I‘ve started coloring my hair with tea bags.

It was so sweet and cute. Love mysteries to solve in my romances (and I also love predicting correctly). So fluffy and adorable. Also my first #bookspin pic.

Started first #bookspin #bookbingo pic tonight. One of 2 books I definitely want to prioritize getting to for this month.

Here is my July #bookspin and #bookspinbingo stack. I never did get to my June #doublespin (even though I read 13 books!). I ended up scrapping my May/June unfinished reads for a fresh start, as I have so many library books to get to. @TheAromaofBooks

- An easy fun read, entertaining and enjoyable
- Not a particularly poignant read but something to just pick up and roll with if you like Ya romance

Book 33 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Losing your mother and moving to a new state with a new family can be difficult. Staring a new school without knowing anyone can be hard. Jessie got a friendly email from someone school trying to be her friend. Life goes easy somehow... ✨
#book33 #tellmethreethings #juliebuxbuam

#numberinthetitle #marchmadness those waffle hearts look tasty.

This was a fun read.... no surprise really who the secret ‘admirer‘ was, but enjoyable to see it play out. The MC gets into her own head a bit much, which made it a little confusing with the audio, but other than that-a great palate cleanser! #readmyowndamnbooks #bbrc #teenangst #recommendedbyalitten (even if she hardly posts anymore)

Loved this book about teens dealing with grief, working through high school pressures and challenges, and falling in love. I loved how the characters used technology to get at the heart of one another. Also, a beautiful and honest picture of grief but in a way that didn‘t bring the story down. One of my favorites this year, so far.

If you liked this, read A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This was a really cute, slightly predictable YA romance. Jessie is grieving the loss of her mother and now she‘s also homesick for Chicago and the life she led before her dad remarried and uprooted her. The premise of an anonymous person emailing her to help her adjust to her new school is done very sweetly. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2020/01/review-tell-me-three-things-by-julie.ht...

Loved this book! Started out like a pretty typical YA story but I ended up loving it! Read it very quickly because I had to find out how it ended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My daughter fell in love with this book 4 years ago when I brought it home for her from a convention. She wanted me to read it too. It‘s been on my bedside table ever since. Tonight I will crack it open so it can be returned to her shelves. One of my reading resolutions this year is to read down some of my random book piles so it fits for that goal too!

(1) I confess, I‘m 29 and still love a good YA novel. (2) I read this book in about 3 days. Just couldn‘t put it down. (3) I always borrow books from the library but I‘m considering adding this one to my small collection. #2019book9

Currently reading...

I really liked this book. It provides all the feelings. From the first email from Somebody/Nobody (SN for short) I know his character is going to be a favorite. While SN identity is supposed to be secret until the near end, hints give it away early on. But still, this book is a solid 4 star read. I would love to see what happens next…

Lots of heartfelt dialogue.

Unhealthy thoughts, talk and actions on sex though. Misses the point of healthy intimacy completely and characters applaud risky behavior that would certainly end in heartbreak and worse in the real world.

#FirstLine

“I am as lost and confused and alone as I have ever been. No, high school will never be a time I look back on fondly. My mom once told me that the world is divided into two kinds of people: the ones who love their high school years and the ones who spend the next decade recovering from them. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, she said“ (8).

Jessie moves to LA from Chicago and must adjust to a new school, and new step-family. She starts getting anonymous emails giving her advice on how to cope at her snobby private school. As much about female friendship and grief, as finding our who the anon emailed is. Tho I figured out the secret pretty early on, I still liked watching Jessie make friends and find a new home. Sweet YA read. #californication #wanderingjune

I started this book sure that I wouldn't like it. During the first 50 pages, I kept thinking, ugh, teenagers, how annoying. But somehow I found myself continuing to turn the pages, becoming more engrossed in Julie's life. And of course, I also found myself very curious about who SN was. Needless to say, I was bawling at the end of the book. This author really captured the experience of being a teenager.

Jessie is a junior in high school whose mom died & who had to move across the country with her dad to where she knows no one. I was first worried that her mom dying would only be the reason they moved, but Buxbaum delivered more than that and explores teenage grief. As someone who also lost a parent in high school, I saw a lot of myself in Jessie. Aside from all that it‘s a fun first-love romance as well, and I am sorry it‘s over.

“(1) I make a killer grilled cheese”

Yes, find you a man who can do this Lol ❤️😂

I loved this book so much you will not be able to put it down at least I wasn‘t I loved it so much if you are going to read a “high school” romance this is the one

“I loved my Mom because she was mine. And I was hers. And that belonging-to-each-other thing will never happen for me again.” Jessie Holmes loses her Mom to cancer and ends up moving from Chicago go California when her Dad remarries. This YA book hit all my buttons. The loss of a Mom and being an only child uprooted and life turned upside down were things I could identify with. Lest you think this book is all sadness and woe, fear not.

Quick YA read. Cute. Quirky. I‘m glad Anne Bogel recommended it for her Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club.

Finished my May 2019 “required” reading early this month. I may get a head start on the ModernMrsDarcy.com Summer Reading List as well as my personal TBR Project. #FreeRead #Bookstagram 🎯

I personally think I am over YA novels. They just don‘t grab me like they use to. This one was cute and had a good ending. I just feel like YA glances over some of the major topics.

Reading this for the #MMDBookClub for May. I am not a big YA reader, but she has nothing but praise for this one.

This book did a great job dealing with the emotions of high school, loss, first love, friendship, and so much more. I am glad it was a book club pick! I don‘t know if I would have found it otherwise. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #modernmrsdarcy #mmdbookclub

My next read is the May book for the #mmdbookclub. #modernmrsdarcy

@cjbooklover has already read it and thought it was fantastic. I can‘t wait to discuss it with her!

Just starting for Modern Mrs Darcy book club. Any thoughts about it?

It‘s been a VERY long time since I was in high-school but I think Buxbaum hits the nail right on the head. I don‘t remember that time as being either a positive or negative experience — just part of my history. I kind of remember the emotional aspect but then, I didn‘t have the loss of a parent to deal with at that time. That really changed the whole dynamic of the story. I really love the epistolary format. It worked well for this book.

1. This book was amazing!! It left me with a very bad case of book hangover. Thank goodness for reading challenges so I can keep reading! 2. I am really ready for @jenniferajanes to read this book so we can discuss it. Also looking forward to MMD book club discussion. 3. I prefer waffles over pancakes, but I eat them gluten-free and they are mostly a special treat. P.S. I was super obsessed with this book and rushed through my work so I could read

This is a total #blameitonlitsy and I couldn‘t be happier! 💕 I am flying through it but don‘t want it to end. Thanks to @IheartYA for the post that I first saw this & knew I had to have it. It‘s so good! Plus, perfect for #booked2019 #foodorbeverageoncover Enjoying a beautiful Oklahoma day & one of my favorite things: #readingoutside

#readjarder2019 #task1

Squeeeaal! Why does this have to be over? It's so heartfelt and adorable. I'm putting this author's other books on my list!

Just finished reading They Both Die at the End, and urgh it‘s really heartbreaking even if you knew what will happen in the end from its title.

Now, I‘m currently reading this. Hoping to recover from the heartbreak TBDATE gave me 😂

Jessie‘s dad has decided to move to California and marry a woman who also has a teenager, Theo. Jessie is struggling to be away from her life in Chicago and adjust to this whole new world with new classmates, a new stepbrother, and even new food when she suddenly gets a mysterious email from Somebody/Nobody, or simply SN.

Who is SN? All we know is SN knows Jessie and they want to help her with adjusting to her new life.

A feel-good read!

Beyond being a typical teen romance book or one of loss, this book delves into the empowerment of a young woman who sees herself as hopeless but is definitely not. Quick, wonderful read.