Book Review: Happy Messy Scary Love by Leah Konen

41104159
**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Genre: YA, Romance
Release Date: May 14, 2019 
Description:
" As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see. This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of Love and Gelato and The Unexpected Everything."

 Honestly, this was a miss for me. As cliche and predictable that this was, the execution just didn't meet my expectations. Let's start with the characters. First off, Olivia (aka Carrie) wasn't anyone special. Whiny, but not the worst MC. Her reason for sending Jake (aka Elm) Katie's picture in place of her own is kind of pathetic, or at least the way she explains it made it seem so (like seriously? Acne doesn't make you ugly, self-conscious, yes, but it shouldn't be a determining factor in starting such a big lie). And yes, Olivia is one of those girls who is actually pretty but is not aware of it. Something else that really bothered me, other than the obscene lie, was how Olivia treated Katie. No major spoilers here, but when Katie makes a surprise visit to Olivia, Olivia doesn't actually treat her in the nicest way. It rubbed me the wrong way when Katie was helping Olivia with her lie, but jealousy has a way of ruining things I guess. When the whole drama unfolded, I did not find myself sympathizing for Olivia, more like 'you had it coming' kind of feeling. Overall, Olivia just didn't handle the situation well and she had me rolling my eyes after every bad decision she made, which she was aware of. Out of the main cast of characters, Jake and Katie were probably the best ones. Jake is a cute dork, and Katie is that best friend that will always have your back. Oh, and her aunt was cool too. I'll just leave it there. 

 The romance wasn't that bad. Olivia and Jake were cute, though it was a bit underdeveloped for my taste. I'm not a fan of romances that kind of start a bit too quickly. We do know about the online relationship between Carrie (Olivia) and Elm (Jake), but if you take the online factor out, Olivia and Jake haven't even known each other that long, nor that well. That irked me a bit. And the ending was rather cheesy, but I'm glad it ended at least on a happy note.

 Overall, if you're looking for a quick cheesy romance novel, this might be for you, even if it wasn't for me. 



Overall rating: 2.5/5 😐

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: Northranger by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo (Illustrator)

Image
  **Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  Graphic Novel, YA, Romance, Contemporary, Horror, LGBT Release Date: June 6, 2023   Description: " In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret. Cade has always loved to escape into the world of a good horror movie. After all, horror movies are scary—but to Cade, a closeted queer Latino teen growing up in rural Texas—real life can be way scarier. When Cade is sent to spend the summer working as a ranch hand to help earn extra money for his family, he is horrified. Cade hates everything about the ranch, from the early mornings to the mountains of horse poop he has to clean up. The only silver lining is the company of the two teens who live there—in particular, the ruggedly handsom
Read more

Book Review: Coral by Sara Ella

Image
**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, Romance, YA Release Date: November 12, 2019  Description: "  There is more than one way to drown. Coral has always been different, standing out from her mermaid sisters in a society where blending in is key. Worse yet, she fears she has been afflicted with the dreaded Disease, said to be carried by humans—emotions. Can she face the darkness long enough to surface in the light? Above the sea, Brooke has nothing left to give. Depression and anxiety have left her feeling isolated. Forgotten. The only thing she can rely on is the numbness she finds within the cool and comforting ocean waves. If only she weren’t stuck at Fathoms—a new group therapy home that promises a second chance at life. But what’s the point of living if her soul is destined to bleed? Merrick may be San Francisco’s golden boy, but he wants nothing more than to escape his con
Read more

Book Review: Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong

Image
**Disclaimer: I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.** Genre:  Graphic Novel Release Date: June 22, 2021   Description: " My name is Grace, not "Kyle's little sister!" Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks—especially when you're the total opposite, someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!), and everyone calls you "Kyle's little sister" while looking disappointed that you're not more like him. I was really hoping I'd get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least I have my friends...until he finds a way to ruin that, too...! Argh! What do I have to do to get out of his shadow?! " The art style worked really well with the story. The story itself was a good representation of middle school life, as friendships can become complex and fragile over the smallest things. Heck, I still see some
Read more