In a Nutshell: YA Edition

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

The Princess and the Fangirl
Ashley Poston
Series: Once Upon a Con, #2
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Retelling
Publisher: Quirk Books
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year's ExcelsiCon isn't her last, she'll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That's easier said than done when the girls step into each other's shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these "princesses" race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

The fangirl was trying to save the princess, but maybe this princess did not want to be saved.

• Pro: Poston did a fantastic job capturing the magic of ExcelsiCon once again, and once again, I was left feeling all the happy feels. 
• Pro: I thought employing The Prince and the Pauper switch-a-roo tactic for this story was brilliant. By literally walking in each other's shoes, both Jess and Imogen learned a LOT about the other side of fandoms, while also learning a few things about themselves. 
• Pro: I love that this book celebrated fandoms, but I also appreciated that Poston took time to shed light on the negative side of cons, sci-fi, and the fans. 
• Pro: This was a twofer. That's right, I got two romances in this book, and both were fun and sweet and adorable. Though they took a back seat to the central plot, I found myself loving the pairings and keeping my fingers crossed that they would happen. 
• Pro: This book was packed with fantastic and fun characters to love. Not only did we get to spend time with our friends from Geekerella, we also got to meet Imogen, her brother, his boyfriend, Jess, and her assistant. They all really played a big role in making this a super-fun and nerdtastic experience for me. 
• Pro: I was already smiling from the too cute romances and some justice that had been served, but that ending just made me grin even harder. It was surprising and awesome and perfect. 

Overall: Poston gave me another amazing trip to ExcelsiCon, which was filled with new and old friends, a little romance, a bit of subterfuge, and lots of nerdy fun. I really hope we get to return to the con again next year.

You'd Be Mine
Erin Hanh
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Annie Mathers is America’s sweetheart and heir to a country music legacy full of all the things her Gran warned her about. Superstar Clay Coolidge is most definitely going to end up one of those things.

But unfortunately for Clay, if he can’t convince Annie to join his summer tour, his music label is going to drop him. That’s what happens when your bad boy image turns into bad boy reality. Annie has been avoiding the spotlight after her parents’ tragic death, except on her skyrocketing YouTube channel. Clay’s label wants to land Annie, and Clay has to make it happen.

Swayed by Clay’s undeniable charm and good looks, Annie and her band agree to join the tour. From the start fans want them to be more than just tour mates, and Annie and Clay can’t help but wonder if the fans are right. But if there’s one part of fame Annie wants nothing to do with, it’s a high-profile relationship. She had a front row seat to her parents’ volatile marriage and isn’t interested in repeating history. If only she could convince her heart that Clay, with his painful past and head over heels inducing tenor, isn’t worth the risk.

Annie never wanted to inherit her tragic family legacy. She worked hard to do things differently, but was unable to resist the lure of being on-stage. When she signed on as Clay Coolidge's supporting act, she never expected to fall for him. This was the type of man she tried to avoid, because she refused to follow in her mother's footsteps, but would she be able to fight the magnetic attraction that existed between her and Clay?

• Pro: I cared so much for both Clay and Annie. Both were living their dream, but haunted by their past. I wanted them to peel back those layers, and release their inner demons, because their happiness was of the utmost importance to me. 
• Pro: Clay was a country music superstar, so you would count him to be pretty lucky, but I thought he was even luckier to have a friend like Fitz. Their friendship ran so deep, and though at times, I thought Fitz was a little bit of an enabler, he did show that Clay was his priority, when push came to shove. 
• Pro: It was fun being on tour (for the most part). Yes, there was some drama, but there were also all these great performances, that we had a front-row seat to. Hahn did an excellent job capturing that energy and spirit of the live performances, and she had me wanting to tap my foot along with the music. 
• Pro: I was so shipping Annie and Clay. Both of them were sort of damaged, but they sure made  beautiful music together - literally and figuratively. Sometimes their emotions were all over the place, but it was easy to see how well they fit with each other and could really "see" one another. 
• Pro: I am not what you would call a country music fan, but I loved that there were so many nods to country music royalty. That made the setting feel more authentic for me. 
• Pro: The ending left me feeling all the feels. It was so sweet, and what a fantastic setting Hahn selected for that moment. I would have liked to have seen a little bit of the after, but I did cry some happy tears, so job well done! 

Overall: I had an incredible time on this summer tour, which was fun, emotional, and so, so satisfying.

When Summer Ends
Jessica Pennington
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Tor Teen
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Aiden Emerson is an all-star pitcher and the all-around golden boy of Riverton. Or at least he was, before he quit the team the last day of junior year without any explanation. How could he tell people he's losing his vision at seventeen?

Straight-laced Olivia thought she had life all figured out. But when her dream internship falls apart, her estranged mother comes back into her life, and her long-time boyfriend ghosts her right before summer break, she's starting to think fate has a weird sense of humor.

Each struggling to find a new direction, Aiden and Olivia decide to live summer by chance. Every fleeting adventure and stolen kiss is as fragile as a coin flip in this heartfelt journey to love and self-discovery from the author of Love Songs & Other Lies.

This went from being a summer of woe to a summer of OH for both Olivia and Aiden, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to accompany them on this journey as they embraced their new beginnings.

• Pro: Pennington did a great job crafting these characters, because the empathy flowed instantly from me for both Aiden and Olivia. They were dealing with some big changes, and I was glad they had each other for support. I did think the stakes were a little higher for Aiden, but I also thought he was less resistant to embracing the changes than Olivia. She did come around, slowly but surely, and I was really happy with the growth she experienced. 
• Pro: Aiden's art adventure was fabulous! First, we got to attend ArtPrize, but we also were treated to Aiden's grand-scale artistic endeavors, and it was all really wonderful! 
• Pro: I have never been to Michigan, but Pennington definitely painted an amazing picture for me. I was sort of glad Aiden and Olivia worked outdoors, because I had a great time exploring the lake, river, and beaches with them. 
• Pro: The romance was so sweet, and I was shipping these two right away. I just loved them together, and Pennington really had me feeling those first romantic stirrings right along with them. I had my fingers and toes crossed for these two, because they were such a great pairing, but facing quite a few obstacles. 
• Pro: Part of Olivia's growth was with respect to her relationship with her mother. This was a complicated mother-daughter dynamic, and I liked the way Pennington let it play out. 
• Pro: The ending made me really happy. Pennington knew the way to my heart, when she not only gave me a jump-ahead ending, but a good one at that. 

Overall:  This was a such a wonderful and enjoyable story about friendship, family, love, embracing change, and taking chances, and I adored every second of it.  

** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

Have you read any of these books?

Let us know in the comments!