#AmReading: The #ReadForGrace Edition

This past week, I took part in a reading event to celebrate Grace, who we sadly lost this summer. She was a wonderful person, and I think reading some of her favorite books was a beautiful way to honor her. Here are some short-takes on some highly rated books from Grace's read-shelf, which I also, highly rated. 

The Start of Me and You
Emery Lord
Series: The Start of Me and You, #1
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

It's been one year since it happened...

When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?

But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?

Paige had spent the past year in hiding. Hiding from being "the Girl Whose Boyfriend Drowned". Though, she did mourn the loss of him, she mourned not really getting to know him even more. She felt the outpouring of compassion and the looks of pity were unearned. However, after a year, she was ready to begin again. She had a plan, but, as she found, sometimes the best things are not part of the original plan.

Paige's situation was so complicated, and Lord did an incredible job helping me understand all the mixed up emotions she was dealing with. It was easy to understand Paige's motivations, desires, and ambivalence, which also made it easy to root for her. Watching Paige expand her social circle, join a team, and embark on new experiences was so gratifying for me. Slowly, but surely, Paige reclaimed her place in the world, and I was proud of her.

Lord gifted Paige with an interesting and wonderful family. She had an incredible grandmother, who she was slowly losing to Alzheimer's. My love and adoration for her grandmother ran deep, and I was happy she was part of Paige's story. I also found her family dynamic very interesting. Her divorced parents sort of dropped on bombshell on her, but their honesty when discussing the situation was something that definitely propelled Paige in the right direction.

This was a will-they-ever type of romance, but well worth it. I adored watching these two dance around each other, and though I kept wanting to physically push them together, I was happy enough to see them develop a strong friendship, which they eventually recognized was more, and you know I am chomping at the bit to continue their story in the sequel.

Overall: As if I didn't already adore Emery Lord, this book solidified why she is one of my contemporary queens. The characters, the family focus, the adorable romance, the fierce friendships, and all the feels were everything I wanted and needed and couldn't get enough of.

What to Say Next
Julie Buxbaum
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Two struggling teenagers find an unexpected connection just when they need it most.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her.

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth? 

After Kit's father died in a car accident, she withdrew a bit. Looking for a way to avoid her usual crowd, she elected to share a lunch table with the social outsider, David. She thought she was just going to occupy a physical space with him, but an unlikely friendship developed, which forced Kit to face some difficult truths.

Julie Buxbaum never lets me down. This is my 5th Buxbaum book, and I have yet to be disappointed.

For me, this was primarily a story of grieving, healing, and friendship. Kit seemed so adrift after her father's death. She was not really dealing with it well, but rather, avoiding the truth of it, and as she tried to repress her grief, she closed herself off, more and more. David was a gift to her. He was honest, when she needed it, but he also offered her an unadulterated friendship. It was beautiful watching them both change as their friendship grew. 

I appreciated Kit's struggle with her father's death and the issues with her mother that arose, but David's situation made my heart ache in a different way. It really broke my heart to learn the root of his isolation, and I just wanted to grab his hand and keep him safe by my side. 

There were a few choices Buxbaum made, that I wasn't too sure about, but OH, how I adored the exploration of Kit's grief, her friendship with David, and spending time with David and his family (who were wonderful!).  

Overall: Like every other Buxbaum book, this one left me with a smile on my face and a happy heart.

Girl Against the Universe
Paula Stokes
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

From the author of The Art of Lainey and Liars, Inc. comes a fresh, contemporary story about a girl coping with PTSD and the boy who wants to help her move on from the past.

Sixteen-year-old Maguire knows the universe is against her. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when she's around. Like that time the roller coaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or the time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash--and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

Despite what her therapist tells her, Maguire thinks it's best to hide out in her room, far away from anyone she might accidentally hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star who wants to help her break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for him is to stay away, but it turns out staying away might be harder than she thought.

Maguire believed she was cursed. In an effort to protect people from her "curse", she lived in self-imposed isolation. Then one day at her therapist's office, she met Jordy, and they agreed to help each other with their "shrink homework". From there, Maguire began to work towards her end goals, as a friendship blossomed into more.

Stokes is an author I can always rely on to keep me flipping the pages. She has a knack for creating multi-layered characters, who never fail to win a place in my heart. Maguire had really been through a LOT, and I was eager to see her "fresh start" be her pathway to start living her life again. With the love and support of many people, including her wonderful family, a few new friends, Jordy, and Dr. Daniel, Maguire was able to try and take some things back from the universe.

You ever just love being in the presence of a group of people and watching them interact with each other? That's what it was like for me with Maguire and Jordy. They had such a great rapport and their banter never failed to make me smile. I loved the way they played off one another, and I also loved the way they encouraged one another. Everybody needs their "person", and these two were lucky enough to have each other as they conquered their personal challenges.

Obviously, I cried a bit as I read this book, but when all was said and done, this was a heartwarming and touching tale of Maguire's grieving process, overcoming her fears, and finding her way back to herself.

Things I Can't Forget
Miranda Kenneally
Series: Hundred Oaks, #3
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different...

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt - with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy...

Kate had always adhered to the teachings of her church, but does some real soul searching after realizing that her "truth isn't everybody else's truth."

Kate's whole belief system was being challenged. Friends, who she thought shared all the church teachings with her, were partaking in "sinful" things. It was difficult for her to reconcile what they were doing with her belief system, but then Kate was reunited with Matt.

Matt gave Kate her first kiss many years ago, and now he was grown-up-man Matt. Kate found that this Matt awakened a different side of her. She also became friends with Parker at camp. Kate had harshly judged Parker, and sort of abandoned her, when Parker was in need of friends. Both Parker and Matt played huge roles in Kate's journey, and I loved the different perspectives they brought to the table.

I found Kate's struggle realistic and appreciated the messiness of it all. This was Kate starting to see that the world was not black and white, but rather, shades of grey, and this was an honest exploration of her trying to find that balance between her religious and personal beliefs, while respecting other people's viewpoints.

Though this book was written several years ago and focuses primarily on Kate's religious beliefs, I could help but see how relevant it is today and how it can apply to belief systems in general. This idea, that we can have different "truths", but still co-exist is getting lost these days, and I was happy to get a gentle fictional reminder, that each side is entitled to their voice and their choice.

Lots of food for thought, wrapped up in a swoony romance with a nice helping of family, friendship, and summer camp fun.

Have you read any of these books?
Let us know in the comments!