In a Nutshell Reviews

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

Tell Me No Lies
A.V. Geiger
Series: Follow Me Back, #2
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Love. Obsession. Jealousy. Murder.

No one knows what happened to pop icon Eric Thorn. His Twitter account? Frozen. His cell phone? Cracked and bloody, buried in the snow.

Agoraphobic fangirl Tessa Hart knows the truth, but she's finally left her #EricThornObsessed days behind. She has no intention of ever touching her Twitter app again. But Snapchat... That's safer, right?

After months of living under the radar, Tessa emerges from hiding, forced to face the deadly consequences of her past. But in the interrogation room, answers only lead to more questions in the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Follow Me Back duology.

The last book ended in such a crazy way, I just couldn't wait to see what Geiger had in store for us in this book. I must say, Geiger delivered quite the twisted tale and delivered many surprises. Sorry if I'm vague here, but this was a thriller, and I refuse to divulge too many details.

• Pro: I was finally put of my misery from that darn cliffhanger in the first book. 
• Pro: Things were a lot more amped up in this book. Where as I felt the romance dominated the first book, the suspense and action elements dominated this book. 
• Con: There was this one plot point with Tessa, which was a little out there for me, but it was not too major a part, so I was able to overlook it.  
• Pro: Geiger threw in lots of crazy twists. There was one character development, which really surprised me too. 
• Pro: This was OTT drama, and I totally ate it up. 
• Pro: I still ship Tessa and Eric, and I probably like them even more after this book. 
• Pro: I devoured this book. Once I started, I struggled with putting it down, because every time I thought I had a firm grasp on the situation, something else would be reveled. 

Overall:  A solid conclusion to the duology, which answered my questions and was crazy in the best way.

From Twinkle, With Love
Sandya Menon
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

After two delightful books, I think it's official - Mennon owns me. Once again, she delivered a charming and heartfelt story that simply put, made me happy.

• Pro: Twinkle was an introvert, who dreamed of making films. Her passion was contagious, and I admired her drive and determination. At one point in the story, her feelings of inadequacy, abandonment, and isolation push her to make some poor choices, but Twinkle owned up to her mistakes and atoned for what she did. She learned from her errors, and moved in the direction of being a better person, which is a positive thing. 
• Pro: Menon writes the the best and sweetest little cupcake boys. I adored Rishi in her last book, and couldn't get enough of Sahil in this one. Sahil was sweet, kind, generous, sometimes suave, and very swoony. But, Menon did give him a few flaws, which kept him from being too perfect. I felt for him as he struggled to step out from under the shadow of his more popular twin brother, and I was glad he never compromised who he was to do so. 
• Pro: My love of grandmother's continues! Twinkle's dadi was such a delight. She was a little out there, but she showered Twinkle with her love and dropped lots of knowledge when necessary. I adored her and looked forward to every scene she was in. 
• Pro: Sahil's family was pretty amazing. We didn't get to spend a ton of time with them, but the meal we shared with Roy's spoke volumes as to why Sahil was such a wonderful human. 
• Pro: This book was a lot of fun. I agree with people, who call it a "rom-com", because it had many elements that would place it in that sub-genre, but it wasn't all fluff. This book had a lot of depth too, and I appreciated the exploration of sibling rivalry, isolation, fading friendships, and parents with depression. 
• Pro: I am a fan of the epistolary format, and I thought Menon used it really well. I thought I would only be getting Twinkle's POV, but Menon surprised me with group texts between Sahil and his two best friends, as well as entries from Sahil's blog. These snippets gave me a peek into Sahil's head, and I was so grateful for it. 
• Pro: The romance was so sweet. Sahil and Twinkle were so adorable together. They made my heart skip with joy as their affection for each other grew. 
• Pro: Gold star for that ending. It left me filled to the brim with giddiness. 

Overall: This book was a joy to read. It gave me all the feels, but most of all, it left me drunk on happiness with a big grin plastered across my face.

The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls
Jessica Spotswood
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Family Drama
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

One summer will challenge everything the Garrett sisters thought they knew about themselves—and each other.

Kat lands the lead in the community theater’s summer play, but the drama spills offstage when her ex and his new girlfriend are cast too. Can she get revenge by staging a new romance of her own?

Bea and her boyfriend are heading off to college together in the fall, just like they planned when they started dating. But Bea isn’t sure she wants the same things as when she was thirteen…

Vi has a crush on the girl next door. It makes her happy and nervous, but Cece has a boyfriend…so it’s not like her feelings could ever be reciprocated, right?

As the oldest, Des shoulders a lot of responsibility for her family and their independent bookstore. Except it’s hard to dream big when she’s so busy taking care of everyone else.

My love for family stories is endless, and The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls was one that combine so many wonderful elements to yield a thoughtful, fun, and heartwarming story of four sisters, who experience cataclysmic changes over the course of a summer.

• Pro: Sister stories are always so wonderful, and these sisters are closer than close due to losing their parents when they were younger. The bond between them was unquestionable, and there were some fabulous scenes where that sisterly love just burst from the page. 
• Pro: I like multi-POV books. This one has four - one for each sister, and I thought Spotswood did a great job keeping each voice distinct. I had no problem telling them apart. 
• Pro: Each character was dealing with her own issues, some bigger than others, and I think there is a little something there for everyone to relate to. 
• Con: I love popular culture, but for some reason, I don't like too much of it in the books I read. I do understand that this story revolves around four teenaged girls, but there were a lot of references. 
• Pro: There is lots of feminism celebrated here. 
• Pro: I am giving a shout out to the grandmother, because I love them, and the Grarrett Girls' grandmother was really special. She didn't get a ton of page time, but the time she did get was quality time, and I really liked the way she interacted with the girls and helped guide them along the way. 
• Pro: I kept finding myself smiling and laughing, because this book was a lot of fun. It was also all sorts of cute and adorable with just a touch of drama to keep us on our toes. 
• Pro: Books set in small towns are always winners for me, and this one had all the charm you expect form a coastal little town. I loved meeting all the business women, touring the shops, attending a field party, and celebrating Fourth of July with the Garretts and their neighbors. 
• Pro: Each character experienced some growth during the book, but the one who changed the most was Kat, and her story was probably my favorite as well. Kat was not the most likable in the beginning of the book. However, after entering into a fauxmance as a revenge plot against her ex-boyfriend, she undergoes a lot of personal changes, and I really liked late-summer Kat a lot. 
• Pro: There's romance, and you know I can never get enough of that. Kat had her fauxmance storyline, and Vi had a really special first romance, which was terribly sweet. I shipped both couples, and it was delightful seeing how their relationships developed. 

Overall: A delightful, which thoughtfully explored the dynamics of sisterhood and growing up.  

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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