#AmReading YA

10 Blind Dates
Ashley Elston
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever... or is it?

In an effort to help Sophie mend her broken heart, her Nonna proposed for family members to set her up on ten blind dates. Sophie reluctantly agreed, and though every date might not have been a love match, the entire experience brought her a host of rewards.

I knew when I first saw this cover, when I first read the synopsis, when I featured it for my Can't-Wait Wednesday pick, that this would be a hit for me. And, guess what? It was!

I always appreciate a good YA romance, and this one was rather sweet, but the romance wasn't the focus of this story. This was a story about family, and Sophie's family really won my heart.

My mother is the eldest of nine children, and I grew up spending my Sundays crammed into my grandparents tiny apartment in Brooklyn with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Therefore, I really related to Sophie's LARGE family, and I loved bearing witness to all their chaos. Those scenes with her family, never failed to make a smile appear on my face, and I loved all the page time I spent getting to know this clan.

I also enjoyed watching Sophie reconnect with her family. She had isolated herself from them in recent years, but with each day that passed during her break, she realized how much she missed them, and longed to be a part of "this" again. The missing wasn't one sided either. The other three of the "Fab Four" also longed for Sophie to rejoin the group, and Sophie easily slid right back into the fold as she was welcomed with open arms.

Not only did Sophie find her way back to her family, but she found her way back to herself. When she decided to avoid family gatherings, she threw herself into her school work, and that, along with her boyfriend, became the central focus of her life. It was an important part in her healing process, to recognize all the things she had lost, and it was great seeing Sophie get her groove back.

This book is called 10 Blind Dates, and the dates ranged from cute and fun to utterly outlandish. Throughout them all, it was easy to figure out, who was really the apple of Sophie's eye, and I must say, I absolutely 100% approved of this love match!

An epilogue! I got an epilogue! You all know that's one of my favorite things. Elston did a bit of a time jump to show me how Sophie's life had changed due to that winter break, and I was so happy with where the story ended up. It crackled with happiness and possibility.

I feel like 10 Blind Dates was a great way to start the holiday season. This book was filled with so much humor, love, and warmth. It was a cup of hot cocoa with at least four large marshmallows on a cold winter's day. It warmed me up from the inside out, and left me grinning like a fool.

Whoever said you can't go home again, wasn't part of Sophie's family, because they easily opened their arms and hearts to her.

Racing Savannah
Miranda Kenneally
Series: Hundred Oaks, #4
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sourcbooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…

I am so happy I decided to pick this series back up again. I had read the first book many moons ago, and the final book before it was released, and I was inspired by Keneally's upcoming release to read the rest. As expected, I loved Savannah's story!

There were many things that kept me flipping the pages, but I think Savannah was one of the biggest driving forces. I admired her passion for horses, and the fearless way she went after that exercise rider position. She was a young woman fighting to be taken seriously in a male dominated field, and when they tried to dismiss her, she didn't fight or argue, she stepped up and performed. Thus, she earned their notice and respect.

Savannah not only earned her place at the farm, but she grew so much over the course of the story. When she first arrived, her end game was to become an exercise rider. She would make decent money, and would be able to, perhaps, have more security than her father had been able to provide when she was younger. But, over time, her dreams grew a bit larger, and she began to see that there were more opportunities out there for her. As she recognized this, she dreamed a little bigger, and reached out for these new dreams.

It was fantastic seeing Savannah realize there was more out there for her, but I LOVED when she recognized that she deserved more. She was allowed to have these bigger dreams, and she was also allowed to have a relationship, where she was the other person's priority. I couldn't help but hear that line, "We accept the love we think we deserve" from Perks of Being a Wallflower, and thinking how important that moment was for Savannah. It didn't matter how much money she had or where she lived, she was worthy of more and deserved more.

The main characters in this book are wholly new, but loosely connected to characters from past Hundred Oak books. Rory, who became an important friend to Savannah, was Will's brother, and thus, I got to attend Will and Parker's wedding, which was accompanied by appearances of a few other Hundred Oak alumni. You know I love this stuff, and adore Kenneally for gifted us fans with these cameos.

I have yet to be disappointed by a Hundred Oak book. Kenneally never fails to craft great characters in these romances, which are filled with lots of friends, family, and personal growth.

Favorite book featuring family?
Let us know in the comments!