In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

The Game Can't Love You Back
Karole Cozzo
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Eve is used to being the odd woman out. As the only girl on her school's baseball team, she knows exactly how to put sweaty, macho baseball players in their place, and she's focused on one thing and one thing only—being the best pitcher she can be.

But when a freak accident forces her high school to be absorbed by the neighboring town, Eve has to contend with a new group of guys who aren't used to having a woman on their team. And the new team's star pitcher, Jamie, has no interest in being ousted from his throne. He can't afford to give up his starting slot to a new pitcher—even worse, to a girl.

As the competition between Jamie and Eve starts to heat up, so does their attraction to each other. Can they keep their heads in the game, or will they end up getting played?

When I first heard about this book, I was all over it because I was a fan of the TV show, Pitch, and I love Karole Cozzo books. Needless to say, I devoured this book, starting and finishing it in the same day. It was fun, heartwarming, compelling, and swoony.

• Pro: Eve was a fabulous female. She was fierce, empowered, and passionate, and she went after what she wanted, but she wasn't just this hard, tough as nails woman. She had soft parts too, and I really liked seeing all those sides of her.
• Pro: There was more to Jamie than I thought. His home life was not all rainbows and unicorns, and his family was struggling, but he didn't hold pity parties. He pitched in by having a job, doing the shopping, and trying to help with his sister when possible. He had his "Ace" persona, the player and life of the party, and then there was Jamie, who was saved for a select few, and it was him I was really fond of. 
• Con: There were a few loose ends, and though I did not feel they were major plot points, I would have liked to see these things tied up. 
• Pro: The school merger premise was something I thought worked really well. It presented Eve and Jamie with many challenges, and created a lot of tension in the story. 
• Pro: The ending was cute and sweet, and so appropriate for these two characters, BUT
• Con: I felt like it was a little rushed, and I would have loved to have seen a little more of the "after". 
• Pro: Though I may not be athletic enough, I would love to be part of Eve's family. I adored her no-nonsense mom, who shot straight from the hip, and I thought their mother's day celebration was all sorts of wonderful. It was obvious how much Eve's family contributed to her success by just being supportive and present for her.  
• Pro: I loved that Eve may shared a super strong friendship with someone so different from herself. Her bestie was her polar opposite, but she was really good for Eve, because she made her examine situations from different perspectives. 
• Pro: I love me some hate-to-love romances, and this one was super fun. It was great seeing the verbal sparring slowly turn from barbs to flirty banter, and as their attraction and affection for each other grew, we got to see more and more of the real Eve and Jamie. 
• Pro: I really appreciated that Cozzo addressed some the shortcomings of being a female playing a boy's sport. I had never really considered the "after" in this situation.  
• Pro: I shipped these two. They had great chemistry, and were able to bring out the best parts of each other. 

Overall:  A wonderful, swoony romance, which filled that Pitch-sized void in my heart.

Summer Skin
Kirsty Eagar
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand-picked college girl gang are going to get even.

The lesson: don't mess with Unity girls.

The target: Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold . . . and smart enough to keep up with Jess.

A neo-riot grrl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby-playing sexist pig - sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they're at their most vulnerable?

It's all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair and burns Boy's stuff. Just your typical love story.

A searingly honest and achingly funny story about love and sex amid the hotbed of university colleges by the award-winning author of Raw Blue.

While out for revenge, Jess may have met her match, and her unwanted attraction to him was a cause for alarm. She struggled throughout the book with many questions, among them: Can you fall for someone, who represents everything you detest? Can people really change?

• Pro: Jess was such a work in progress. Slightly damaged from a previous relationship, she was trying to avoid repeating that mistake. I really appreciated the inner battle she fought with respect to being true to her friends, her values, her needs, her wants, and herself. 
• Pro: Poor Mitch was dealing with a LOT of guilt and grief, but he was trying to become a better version of himself. His process was painfully slow and often frustrating to watch, but I sort of like that Eagar kept it honest in that way. 
• Con: The story was told in 3rd person from Jess' point of view, and though I loved her tons, I was really curious about what was rattling about in Mitch's head.  
• Pro: This book was very feminist and sex positive. There was a lot of exploration of sexual politics as well as gender inequality in this story, which was attacked from many different angles. 
• Pro: The banter in this book was so clever and witty. I loved every second of it. 
• Pro: Summer Skin was set in an Australian University, which was new for me, and I found it very interesting. 
• Pro: The last 25% of the book was where my patience paid off, and I was totally in love with what Eagar did with the ending. It was nice, but also answered a significant question that loomed over Jess during the course of this story. 
• Pro: Jess had a fabulous set of feisty female friends, who served as a support system for. Her three floor mates were as different as night and day, but they all were empowered in some way, and I loved how they exerted this throughout the story. In addition to her friends, Jess also had a most wonderful aunt, who was doting, but also pushed Jess in a positive manner. 

Overall: An untraditional love story, which is forthright, amusing, sometimes morally gray, but thought provoking and quite satisfying.

A Date with Darch
Tiffany Schmidt
Series: Bookish Boyfriends, #1
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

In this contemporary YA, a teenager’s favorite literary heroes woo her in real life

The first of two books in an intended paperback original series about a girl whose classic literary crushes manifest in real life. Merrilee Campbell, 16, thinks boys are better in books, chivalry is dead, and there’d be nothing more romantic than having just one guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories. She’s about to get the chance to test these daydreams when she, her best friend, Eliza, and her younger sister, Rory, transfer into Reginald R. Hero High, where all their fantasies come true—often with surprising consequences.

I know I have uttered the phrase "boys are better in books" many times, but Merri finds out that maybe her romance heroes were not as wonderful as they seemed on the page, when a real life Romeo begins romancing her.

• Pro: Merrilee was an utterly adorable heroine. She was a little flighty and caught up in her literary worlds, but she was also extremely smart, a good sister and friend, and fierce when she needed to be. There were times when I was really proud of how she stood up for herself, and she also grew a great deal during this book. 
• Pro: I really liked the whole book worlds paralleling Merri's world. It was fun fitting all her friends and family in the book character roles, and predicting what would happen next. 
• Pro: The Campbell family were a nice family to be part of. Merri's parents were very present. They spent time with their children, gave them advice, and punished them when appropriate. There was an interesting dynamic in the family, especially with the sisters, and I was happy with the way that one evolved. 
• Con: I felt like it took a little too long to get to the best part of the story, and maybe the beginning could have been trimmed a little. 
• Pro: Merri had a great group of friends. Each character brought a little something to the story. I was especially fond of her best friends, Toby and Eliza. I hope we get to know there two even more in future books, because I think both could definitely carry their own story. 
• Pro: The romance was very sweet. There were actually two romantic interests. One to hate and one to love, and I totally fell for the one I was supposed to love. 
• Pro: Strong female characters abound in this book, and I love that they weren't all "in your face" females, but rather, each exerted her strength in different ways. 

Overall:  A merry and charming romance with fun rom-com moments, great family moments, strong friendships, and even a some swoons. I will surely read more of these Bookish Boyfriend tales. 

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any of these books?

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